Axios

The State Department announced Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Israel next week, confirming Wednesday's Axios report.

Why it matters: This will be Pompeo’s first trip abroad since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will come on the day Israel's new government is slated to be sworn in.

Europe celebrated Friday the 75th anniversary of V-E Day — Victory in Europe — marking the surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied forces at the end of World War II.

Why it matters: This was to be a day of parades and one last great hurrah for veterans, now mostly in their nineties, who had tasted the thrill of liberation. Instead, it's largely a time of lockdown and loneliness, per the AP.

Black people in England and Wales are roughly twice as likely to die from the novel coronavirus than white people, the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics reported in new data released Thursday.

The big picture: Health officials in the U.S. have outlined causes for the heightened coronavirus risks for people of color in America: chronic health conditions and the effects of economic inequality. The NHS analysis found that the disparity is partly caused by socioeconomic disadvantages.

The invasion force planned to slip into Venezuela in teams, make contact with paramilitaries and potential turncoats, and eventually take Nicolás Maduro by force.

Driving the news: That plan collided with reality before they even reached the shore. Now, two U.S. special forces veterans are in Venezuelan custody.

The Trump administration’s ongoing offensive over China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic now centers on one question: Who was "patient zero?"

Why it matters: China hawks in Washington accuse Beijing of inflicting death and economic destruction upon the world with their lack of transparency around the coronavirus outbreak. They're on a mission to trace that story back to the beginning, when the first human was infected.

The Senate failed to produce the two-thirds majority necessary to override President Trump's veto of a resolution seeking to curb his ability to direct military action against Iran, falling short 49-44.

The big picture: Trump vetoed the bipartisan measure on Wednesday, calling it "very insulting resolution" that was "introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party."

U.S. stocks fell sharply in the final hour of trading Wednesday after President Trump seemingly reignited the trade war, telling reporters the U.S. would be evaluating whether China has complied with the "phase 1" trade deal to buy an extra $200 billion a year of U.S. goods.

Why it matters: As the coronavirus pandemic continues to choke the U.S. and global economy, Trump is threatening to tighten the vice.