Feb 15, 2017

White House drops requirement for two-state solution

Gali Tibbon / AP

In a Tuesday briefing, a senior White House official insinuated that a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is only an option — signaling a shift in long-standing U.S. policy. Palestinian officials were taken aback by the statement, and stressed Wednesday that there is no alternative to Palestinian statehood, according to the AP. Such an action:

Would be destroying the chances for peace and undermining American interests, standing and credibility abroad. — Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian spokeswoman

The statement comes ahead of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's White House visit on Wednesday, who is eager to work with the U.S. after eight years of clashing with Obama, and sees a chance for a peace deal under Trump.

Why it matters: The insinuation that Trump's position on peace isn't dependent on a two-state solution may give Netanyahu political clout in negotiations, as the Israeli PM has been under intensifying pressure from his party.

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U.S. coronavirus updates: White House studies models projecting virus peak

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The White House and other institutions are observing several models to better understand and prepare cities for when the coronavirus is expected to peak in the U.S.

The state of play: The coronavirus is expected to peak in the U.S. in two weeks, but many states like Virginia and Maryland will see their individual peaks well after that, according to a model by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

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FDA authorizes two-minute antibody testing kit to detect coronavirus

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Why it matters: Access to testing has improved in the U.S. thanks to commercial labs, but the average wait time for a patient's results is four to five days — with some reports of it taking more than a week.

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