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National

The U.S. and Israel will hold a new round of strategic talks this week focusing on Iran's nuclear program and countering its activity in the region, Israeli and U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: The talks will take place amid a deep stalemate in indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The Biden administration has recently started discussing a scenario in which the nuclear deal isn’t revived. Israel is pressing the administration to cooperate on a “Plan B” in case that happens.

Driving the news: Israel’s national security adviser Eyal Hulata will arrive in Washington later this week for meetings with his White House counterpart, Jake Sullivan, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

Hulata will head an interagency delegation for a meeting of the U.S.-Israel strategic working group on Iran.

President Biden spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and discussed shared regional and global security challenges, including the threat posed by Iran and its proxies, the White House said.

Bennett discussed with Biden Iran's demand to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations list, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

What they are saying: "I am sure that President Biden, who is a true friend of Israel and cares about its security, will not allow the IRGC to be removed from the list of terrorist organizations," Bennett said in a statement after the call. 

"Israel has clarified its position on the issue: The IRGC is the largest terrorist organization in the world."

Biden and Bennett have formed a personal relationship that enabled both countries to arrive at common positions on difficult matters, the White House wrote in a statement Sunday. 

Background: The U.S. and Israel developed a working group, code-named “Opal” ("Leshem" in Hebrew), in the early days of the Obama administration. It was headed by the national security advisers on both sides.

It was the main venue for strategizing over how to apply pressure on Iran during Obama’s first term, and it became the primary setting to air disagreements about the nuclear deal during his second term.

During Trump's tenure, the forum convened to discuss the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal and to coordinate the "maximum pressure" campaign.

In February, when Benjamin Netanyahu was still prime minister, the Biden administration proposed that the forum reconvene, and the group met in March and April.

When Bennett visited the White House in August, he and Biden agreed to resume the working group. It has convened three times since then.

What’s next: The Prime Minister’s Office said Biden accepted Bennett’s invitation to visit Israel and told him he intends to do it in the coming months. The White House confirmed that in its statement.

U.S. and Israel will hold Iran talks amid stalemate in nuclear negotiations

The U.S. and Iran are still in a stalemate in negotiations over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement.

President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Photo: Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Israel

Iran

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

Secretary of State Antony Blinken's surprise meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — reported this evening by the AP — came the same day the only Ukrainian-born member of Congress called for the U.S. to resume diplomatic services in the country.

Why it matters: The trip by Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was fraught with risks — but just the kind Ukrainian-born Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said the U.S. must take.

"In any job, whether it's a political job or diplomatic job, you do take some risks — you need to be smart — but, also, that's a part of your job: to do your service," she said on CNN's "State of the Union” from Kyiv.

"A lot of people, a lot of countries are actually bringing [diplomats] back to Kyiv, but the least we can do actually is bring it maybe to Lviv."

"If you're not on the ground, it's very difficult to do your job. So, I think, it's important, and also sends a strong message for Ukrainian people," Spartz said.

Blinken and Austin are the highest-ranking U.S. officials to meet with Ukraine's leader since the war began on Feb. 24.

The secretary of State stepped briefly onto Ukrainian soil while visiting Poland in March. He met then with the country's foreign minister.

Between the lines: Blinken's trip to Europe — cloaked in such secrecy administration colleagues refused to discuss it prior to him arriving — starts a big week for him.

An administration source said the secretary will testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Among his stops, Axios has learned, are appearances before both the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees.

He'll testify Tuesday before the Senate panel, and will appear again on Thursday before the House committee, committee aides confirmed to Axios.

Committee members are eager to ask Blinken publicly about the administration's response to Ukraine, its decisions regarding the timing and amount of military assistance, as well as the specific weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine.

Member questioning is also expected to go beyond Ukraine, committee staff told Axios.

They expect it to extend to the administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, its work to protect Taiwan from a potential Chinese invasion, as well as President Biden's upcoming trip to South Korea and Japan.

The backdrop: The U.S. closed its embassy in Ukraine in mid-February, as Russia built up its forces along the border.

Many staffers went west to Lviv, Ukraine, and then into Poland.

Politico reported last week that members of Congress and former diplomats are among those eager for them to return.

The latest: Spartz (R-Ind.) spoke to CNN from Ukraine, where she was visiting her grandmother over the Orthodox Easter holiday.

Igor Zhovka, an adviser to Zelensky, used an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" to plead for even more weapons.

"We also need anti-missile systems and anti-aircraft systems, because daily and nightly, Ukrainian cities are bombarded by the cruise missiles," Zhovka said.

The president announced last Thursday the U.S. will send another $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including heavy artillery.

That will bring the total U.S. military aid since Russian invaded to about $3.4 billion.

Appearing separately on "Meet the Press," U.S. principal deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer said: "We have been announcing deliverables — which is a fancy word for things that we are providing to the Ukrainians to enable their fight — just about every day, and if not every day, every week."

"We will have more to say about that in the week ahead."

Blinken’s Zelensky meeting signals momentum for on-the-ground diplomacy

He's expected to visit Kyiv on Sunday, and will testify publicly on Capitol Hill this week.

A screenshot shows a tweet from CNN about its interview with Rep. Victoria Spartz.

Tony Blinken

Side-by-side photos of Blinken and Zelensky

The Squad is poised for big gains in November despite the Democrats’ likely loss of the House.

Why it matters: The progressive politics that mainstream Democrats blame for their decline stand to take center stage if both trendlines hold. And the Squad-Plus would be positioned to push the diluted ranks of its rivals into backing some of its agenda — impacting the 2024 presidential race.

State of play: As many as six staunchly progressive candidates have viable chances to win House seats this cycle.

The most notable is Greg Casar, the Democratic nominee in a solid-blue seat rooted in Austin and San Antonio, Texas.

Another Texan, progressive Jessica Cisneros, forced moderate Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) into a primary runoff set for May 24.

In Pennsylvania, state Rep. Summer Lee, a self-identified Democratic Socialist, is leading her nearest opponent for a Pittsburgh-based U.S. House seat by 25 points, according to a poll from Emily's List which is backing her candidacy.

Erica Smith in North Carolina, Becca Balint in Vermont and Amy Vilela in Nevada are three other progressives with shots at winning, multiple progressive strategists tell Axios.

Between the lines: Far from being chastened by any current Democratic losses, progressives would be inspired for future gains for their bloc.

"In 10 years, a lot more of Congress is going to look like the Squad," Karthik Ganapathy of Left Flank Strategies, a political consultancy supporting left-wing candidates, told Axios.

"This is where our politics is headed. Not just as Democrats — as a country."

What they're saying: "The progressive values we’ve been building our campaign around have attracted leaders in this space," Lee, the Pennsylvania candidate, told Axios.

She's been endorsed by two progressive icons, Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

A cohort of 14 progressive groups, lawmakers and leaders is hosting a fundraiser Wednesday evening in D.C. for Lee's congressional campaign. Rep. Ayana Pressley (D-Mass.), a charter Squad member, is one of the hosts.

Lee said that if progressives are in the next congressional minority, it could be time for Democrats to renew conversations around what it takes to pass things like the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-All.

"How are we using these two years to re-center the party?" she said. "To really ensure that we are aligned with our base, and through that alignment, pouring and using all of our resources to build that consensus to win on these big issues."

The backdrop: The Squad started out small but mighty after the 2018 midterms, with Pressley and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) joining Congress at the same time.

As freshmen, they pushed their party leaders to debate ideas like sweeping climate change agendas, abolishing ICE, providing free college and Medicare-for-All.

Last cycle, the number of Squad and Squad-adjacent progressives in Congress doubled with the elections of Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Marie Newman (D-Ill.) and Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.).

What we're watching: Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib and Pressley easily defeated primary challengers in 2020 and seem on glide paths for reelection this cycle.

Bush and Bowman both face credible primary challengers, though Bowman has more than doubled his challenger's fundraising.

Be smart: Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) said, "Everyone's fighting hard to keep a Democratic Congress."

His group has raised $35 million for progressive candidates and causes since its inception.

"But no matter what happens in November, blue open-seat primaries provide a real chance of major gains for progressive power. We can get real, vibrant progressives in those seats," Green said.

The Squad could grow stronger even if Dems lose big

As many as six staunchly progressive candidates have viable chances to win House seats this cycle.

Greg Casar (left), Jessica Cisneros (center) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photos: Drew Angerer, Brandon Bell, Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

2022 elections

The battle for abortion access is moving from the courts and legislatures to state ballots.

Why it matters: The effort to codify public support through a referendum illustrates what many experts say is the future of abortion rights in America. They envision a state-by-state battle to keep abortion legal as the Supreme Court's conservative majority gears up to pare back or overturn Roe v. Wade.

What we're watching: Twenty ballot measures addressing reproductive rights are in process for this year, according to the progressive Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.

Four have already qualified for their respective state ballot:

A ballot initiative in Vermont, set for a vote on Nov. 8, would enact a state constitutional amendment declaring "an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy."

In Kansas, where the state Supreme Court has asserted a constitutional right to abortions, residents will vote in August on an amendment to eliminate that protection.

In Montana, a ballot measure set to appear on the November ballot would require medical care for "any infant born alive." It would do so by classifying the fetus as a "legal person," with "the right to appropriate and reasonable medical care and treatment."

In Kentucky, residents will vote in November on a measure that would ensure the state constitution does not "secure or protect a right to abortion, or require the funding of abortion."

The big picture: As Axios' Oriana Gonzalez reported, a patchwork of state laws would govern the procedure if the nation's highest court were to ultimately overturn the precedent established by Roe.

That 1973 decision established the constitutional right to an abortion.

Between the lines: Many of the campaigns to amend state constitutions are happening alongside efforts to codify or roll back abortion rights in state legislatures or state supreme courts.

In Michigan, a campaign backed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU is collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment to establish a state right to reproductive freedom.

Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court is preparing to weigh in on separate challenges brought by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and Planned Parenthood taking aim at a 1931 criminal ban on abortion.

It could go back into effect if the federal protections provided by Roe v. Wade were eliminated.

What they're saying: "[Supreme Court] Justice [Anthony] Kennedy's retirement prompted action in Vermont, so that these rights in Vermont would be protected no matter what happens in Washington, D.C.," Eileen Sullivan, communications director at the Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund, told Axios.

Nicole Wells Stallworth, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, told Axios: "The ballot initiative seeks to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom in a more broad way into the Michigan constitution. That is far more durable. The legislature wouldn't simply be able to go in and amend the Constitution."

Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the progressive Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, told Axios: "It's about taking power into their own hands and taking critical issues straight to the people and not waiting for a state legislature."

The other side: "We see these initiatives as fighting back against activist state courts and neutralizing the state constitutions on the issue," Billy Valentine, vice president of political affairs at the anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony List, told Axios.

"From there, it's up to the legislature to decide on what limits to put in place."

What's next: "This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University College of Law and visiting professor at Harvard Law School.

 "I think there'll be much more of states turning outward, to think about what will happen as people cross state lines to have abortions," Ziegler told Axios.

Fight for abortion rights moves to state ballots

Twenty ballot measures addressing reproductive rights are in process for this year.

Illustration of two protest signs laid down with a large hand marking one sign with a blue checkmark, resembling a ballot vote

Abortion

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv late Sunday, according to AP.

Why it matters: This is the first time top U.S. officials have traveled to Ukraine since the unprovoked Russian incursion began. 

State of play: The meeting comes just days after the Biden administration unveiled another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine, including heavy artillery. The announcement brought the total U.S. military aid to the country since Russia's invasion to around $3.4 billion.

Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniya Kravchuk told ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” that the visit sends “a powerful signal to Russia that Ukraine will not be left alone with this war.”

Blinken and Austin meet with Zelensky in Kyiv

This is the first time top U.S. officials have traveled to Ukraine since the unprovoked Russian invasion began..

Axios

Sunday's top stories

U.S. and Israel will hold Iran talks amid stalemate in nuclear negotiations

Blinken’s Zelensky meeting signals momentum for on-the-ground diplomacy

The Squad could grow stronger even if Dems lose big

Fight for abortion rights moves to state ballots

Blinken and Austin meet with Zelensky in Kyiv

Macron defeats Le Pen to win re-election in France

In photos: Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Easter amid war

Baby among 8 dead in Russian missile strikes on Odessa, Ukraine says

U.S. Air Force general convicted on 1 of 3 sexual misconduct charges

Former U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch dies at age 88

Thousands of Russia-bound luxury cars blocked from leaving port