Senators Rick Scott and Josh Hawley have called on NBCUniversal, which has broadcast rights for the Olympics, to refuse to air the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, according to a letter obtained exclusively by Axios.
Why it matters: Consider this the opening shot in the struggle between human rights advocates, who believe that a country currently operating concentration camps should not host the Olympics, and the Chinese Communist Party, which will defend its successful bid to host the 2022 games at all costs.
The Canadian Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of Alexander Vavilov, the Toronto-born son of two Russian spies, and said he has the right to Canadian citizenship, the Washington Post reports.
Context: Vavilov's parents, Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, worked for a Russian spy agency, and were arrested in the United States in 2010, per the Post. Their family's story inspired the FX series "The Americans."
White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien met his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben Shabbat, today at the White House. According to a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting, they discussed the domestic unrest in Iran among other topics.
Why it matters: Israeli officials say there's now an opening — due to unrest inside Iran, anti-Iran protests in Iraq and demonstrations in Lebanon — to put even more pressure on Iran's government and weaken its regional influence.
