Axios

The World Bank has revised its staff rules after Axios reported in December that the bank had asked Taiwanese employees to obtain Chinese passports.

Why it matters: The revised rule, issued on Dec. 19, states that the World Bank gives hiring preference to nationals from member states, but does not prohibit hiring non-member state nationals. China has sought to squeeze out Taiwanese nationals from international institutions. The World Bank's new rules represent a compromise position.

The House voted 224-194 on Thursday in favor of a symbolic war powers resolution directing President Trump to halt the use of military force against Iran unless he obtains approval from Congress.

The big picture: A classified briefing Wednesday on the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani left Democrats and even some Republicans deeply skeptical, with many claiming that officials did not provide evidence that there was an "imminent" threat from Iran.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference Thursday that intelligence from multiple sources indicates that an Iranian surface-to-air missile caused the crash of a Ukraine Airlines Boeing 737-800 near Tehran earlier this week.

The U.K.'s House of Commons voted 330-231 in favor of the European Union withdrawal agreement negotiated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Why it matters: The bill must still be passed by the House of Lords, but the Commons' approval essentially ensures that Brexit will happen on Jan. 31. The passage of the bill after three years of deadlock is a result of the landslide victory Johnson's Conservative Party won in last month's snap election.

War. What is it good for? The stock market, it turns out.

The big picture: Don't pay too much attention to short-term stock-market gyrations. When you take a step back, it looks like war tends to be good — not bad — for American stocks.

Former national security adviser Susan Rice ripped into President Trump on MSNBC Wednesday over his blaming the Obama administration, in which she served, for rising tensions in Iran.

This is another series of despicable lies by President Trump. The fact that ... he remains obsessed with President Obama just shows President Trump's extreme weakness and insecurity."

A furious Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) emerged from Wednesday's classified briefing by the Trump administration on the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, calling it "insulting and demeaning" that briefers instructed senators not to debate the appropriateness of further military action against Iran.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday that the House will vote tomorrow on a War Powers Resolution to curb potential military action by President Trump toward Iran.

Driving the news: Members of Congress were briefed Wednesday by top national security officials on the intelligence behind the decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Nothing Trump officials told the House in Wednesday's classified briefing apparently persuaded Democratic leadership against moving forward with the vote on the resolution on Thursday.

President Trump said in a White House address Wednesday that Americans should be "extremely grateful and happy" because Iranian strikes hours earlier resulted in no casualties, and Iran now "appears to be standing down."

Why it matters: Iran's strikes came in retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, a stunning event that led to immediate fears of war. Trump defended that decision and announced new sanctions on Iran, but did not signal new military escalation.

For years, China's TCL sold tons of TVs and phones in the U.S. under other brand labels, like Alcatel and RCA. These days, though, it's looking to make its own moniker into a household name here.

Why it matters: TCL's move comes amid threats from Washington to push at least some Chinese tech out of the U.S. market. And it marks a bit of global brand unity that contrasts with efforts companies like TikTok have made to distance themselves from their China connections.

Only 23% of registered American voters were able to correctly identify Iran on an unlabeled world map, according to a poll from Morning Consult and Politico.

Why it matters: Voters' inability to pick out Iran on the map highlights their relative unfamiliarity with foreign countries — even after decades of conflicts and tensions with the U.S. in the region.

In its annual report released today, the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) said that there is a "strong argument" that China has committed "crimes against humanity" in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Why it matters: A growing number of voices, in and out of government, are saying that China's mass detention camps clearly violate international law.

The U.S. has maintained a costly presence in the Middle East for decades, with at least 60,000 troops currently stationed around the region, according to United States Central Command.

Driving the news: The killing of Iran's Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a U.S. drone strike has put the world on edge, with Iran promising revenge. The U.S. is preparing to deploy about 3,000 additional troops to the region, and had already sent 750 troops after protesters attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Benny Gantz, the leader of Israel's Blue and White party, said Wednesday during a party meeting that the release of the Trump administration's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan ahead of the country's March 2 elections would be "a harsh interference in the electoral process in Israel."

Why it matters: Gantz, the main political opponent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, issued his statement a day after he met President Trump’s envoy Avi Berkowitz — with whom he discussed the long-awaited peace plan. The remarks are a sign that Blue and White fears the Trump administration might try to use the timing of the plan's release to boost Netanyahu’s campaign as it did before last April's elections.

After Iran's launch of more than a dozen ballistic missiles last night at U.S. forces in Iraq, an initial search found zero American casualties, U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: Experts see that aftermath as a best-case scenario for de-escalation despite the fact that President Trump drew the brightest red line of his presidency when he tweeted a warning Saturday to Iran about hitting "American assets."

President Trump tweeted Tuesday night "all is well" following the Iranian strikes on two Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are stationed.

Why it matters: This is the closest the current U.S.-Iran standoff has come to war, with Iran retaliating directly against the U.S. for the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties at the bases, and Trump has appeared to signal restraint.

Democratic presidential candidates expressed support for American troops Tuesday following Iranian strikes on two bases in Iraq shared with the U.S., as several called for a de-escalation in tensions.

What they're saying: Former Vice President Joe Biden offered prayers to troops before saying at a Philadelphia campaign event the "chaos that's ensuing" in Iraq and Iran was "predictable," per a pool report.

Senior Iranian official Saeed Jalili, who previously served as the country's chief nuclear negotiator, tweeted an image of the Iranian flag on Tuesday as Iran made its first direct retaliation against the U.S. for killing top general Qasem Soleimani.

The backstory: President Trump tweeted an American flag on the night the U.S. killed Soleimani with an airstrike near Baghdad's international airport. Jalili's tweet comes as Iran fires over a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are stationed.

Go deeper: Iran fires missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops