Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) speech today calling for a new government in Israel landed like an earthquake, delivering a huge shock to the already tense U.S.-Israel relationship, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

Why it matters: In addition to being the most senior Jewish elected official in the country, Schumer has had one of the longest and closest relationships with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of any U.S. politician.

• Schumer's speech stunned officials and observers in both Washington and Jerusalem because he has been — and still is — the Democratic Party's most avid supporter of Israel in decades.
• His harsh remarks about Netanyahu create more political space for other Democratic members of Congress to publicly voice their criticism of the Israeli government amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Flashback: To understand how significant the comments were, one must return to March 2015 — when Schumer was one of the only Senate Democrats who didn't criticize Netanyahu's famous speech to Congress railing against the Iran nuclear deal.

• Several months later, Schumer was one of the only Senate Democrats to vote against the deal — defying President Obama and siding with Netanyahu.
• This is why Schumer was the last person Netanyahu expected to stand on the Senate floor and call him one of "four major obstacles to peace" — along with Hamas, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and radical right-wing Israelis.

Behind the scenes: Schumer told senior White House officials yesterday he was going to give a speech about Israel, but he didn't give them a copy of the speech or ask for their permission, U.S. officials told Axios.

• The White House didn't encourage Schumer, but also didn't stop him. Several White House officials were surprised by how harsh he was.
• "I don't know if people in Israel really understand how big of a step it is for him to do this," one U.S. official said.

How it's playing: Republicans swiftly condemned Schumer's speech, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calling it "grotesque and hypocritical" given Democrats' complaints about foreign election interference.

• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) signaled he may now seek to hold a vote on a standalone Israel aid package, seeing an opportunity to pressure Democrats by casting them as anti-Israel.
• There's little love for Netanyahu among Democrats, but some pro-Israel lawmakers feel that calling for a change in a foreign ally's government was a step too far for a top U.S. official.

The other side: "We give $3.5 billion a year to Israel ... so this is very much an issue of concern for the American people, and Sen. Schumer has every right to speak out on it," said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), echoing many progressives.

Share this story ... More Democratic reactions

Former President Trump and meddling Democrats are both scrambling to get their preferred Republican candidate — businessman Bernie Moreno — over the finish line in Tuesday's Senate GOP primary in Ohio, Axios' Stephen Neukam reports.

Why it matters: Democrats view Moreno as the weakest general election opponent for vulnerable Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Moreno is also the only Trump-backed Senate candidate at risk of losing in a GOP primary — a potentially embarrassing blow to the former president.

• Trump will rally with Moreno in a "surprise" visit near Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, three days before the March 19 primary, according to a source familiar with the planning.
• Trump allies like Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Arizona Republican Kari Lake will also head to Ohio this week.

The intrigue: Duty and Country PAC, a group tied to Senate Democrats, is spending $2.5 million on a TV ad highlighting Moreno's ties to Trump — seeking to boost him with the GOP's conservative base.

Driving the news: Moreno is in a close contest with Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan, who has the backing of establishment Republicans like Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and former Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio).

• Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is polling in a close third place.

Zoom in: Trump and his allies' visit to Ohio this week is an attempt to draw a clear distinction between the types of Republicans who are backing Moreno and Dolan.

Keep reading

Wisconsin swing voters largely blame Republicans — and specifically Trump — for Congress' failure to pass bipartisan legislation to help improve border security, Axios' Eugene Scott writes from our latest Engagious/Sago focus group.

Why it matters: Interviews with voters who backed Trump in 2016 and flipped to Biden in 2020 suggest the president's State of the Union speech left them feeling that Trump's GOP is more responsible for Washington's lack of action.

What they're saying: Nine of the 13 voters said they were upset with Trump for blocking efforts to find a solution to the country's immigration problem.

• "I think [Trump] wants to come in and try to show everybody that he saved the day by passing a bill — and so he's sabotaging Biden's opportunity," Hannah H. said.
• "He should have no say right now. He's not in office of any sorts," Brandon M. said.

Context: The border plan negotiated by Republican and Democratic senators was deemed dead on arrival after Trump said he opposed it — and made clear he wanted to campaign on the chaos at the border.

Keep reading

Vice President Kamala Harris today became the first president or vice president to tour an abortion clinic while in office, meeting with abortion providers and staff members at a Planned Parenthood in St. Paul, Minnesota.

• "Many of you have asked why am I here. ... It is because right now in our country, we are facing a very serious health crisis," Harris said, criticizing conservative "extremists" across the U.S. for passing anti-abortion laws.

Watch a clip