Axios

President Biden expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in a call on Thursday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said in a statement.

Why it matters: This is the first time since the beginning of the crisis last Monday that Biden or anyone in his administration has publicly backed a ceasefire. It will increase pressure on Israel to seek an end to the conflict, which Netanyahu has insisted will continue until Hamas' ability to attack Israel is further degraded.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Monday he wants to "see a ceasefire reach quickly and mourn the loss of life."

Why it matters: Schumer is a staunch defender of Israel and has maintained that Israel should be able to defend itself.

President Biden will send an additional 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to other countries by the end of June, including shots authorized by the FDA for use in the U.S., White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

Why it matters: It will be the first time the U.S. has sent Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses abroad. The administration previously announced plans to export 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not been authorized domestically.

A coalition of Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kong advocates on Monday called on governments, people, olympic committees and athletes to entirely boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, AP first reported.

Why it matters: The U.S. and other countries have accused China of carrying out a genocide and crimes against humanity against Muslim Uyghurs, including subjecting the ethnic minority population to forced sterilization, rape, forced labor and torture inside detention camps in the Xinjiang region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he had not personally seen evidence that Hamas was operating in a building that housed offices for Al Jazeera, the AP and other media in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli government has claimed, AP reports.

The latest: "The Secretary was referring only to what he personally had seen. As he made clear, any such information would be provided to others in the administration, not directly to the secretary of State," a senior State Department official told Axios.

Pope Francis, who is a moral leader on climate change, "intends to join" other world leaders at the next round of UN climate talks in Scotland this November, according to John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate change.

Driving the news: Kerry met privately with the Pope on Saturday while on a tour through Europe, and told the press he believes Francis "intends to come."

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and 28 Senate Democrats on Sunday called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as fighting continued into the night.

Driving the news: Young, a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, joined panel Chair Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in a bipartisan statement saying: "Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas' rocket attacks, in a manner proportionate with the threat its citizens are facing.

Tropical Cyclone Tauktae rapidly intensified Sunday into a Category 4 storm, passing uncomfortably close to the west coast of India.

The big picture: Packing maximum sustained winds of at least 140 mph, Tauktae (pronounced "Tau'Te"), rapidly intensified Sunday, becoming a Category 4 storm capable of inflicting extreme damage. The cyclone is producing heavy rains and gusty winds along the coast, along with coastal flooding from wind-driven waves.

AP's top editor on Sunday called for an independent investigation into an airstrike by Israeli forces that destroyed the 12-story building housing its local media office in Gaza.

Driving the news: Israel's government has said the building housed Hamas. But AP executive editor Sally Buzbee said the government has "yet to provide clear evidence" of this. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said Sunday it asked the International Criminal Court to investigate whether the bombing "constitutes a war crime."

Axios' "Off the Rails" series documents the end of the Trump administration, from election night 2020 through the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.

One important piece is only now beginning to emerge: Former President Donald Trump's last-minute bid to pull U.S. forces from Afghanistan and swaths of the Middle East, Africa and even Europe ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration — and why he blinked.

John McEntee, one of Donald Trump's most-favored aides, handed retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor a piece of paper with a few notes scribbled on it. He explained: "This is what the president wants you to do."

1. Get us out of Afghanistan.

2. Get us out of Iraq and Syria.

3. Complete the withdrawal from Germany.

4. Get us out of Africa.

The Biden White House wants to invest in tax enforcement to help pay for its infrastructure plan and social spending, saying it could bring the federal government about $700 billion in 10 years.

By the numbers: There’s some dispute over the exact amount of money the U.S. government loses because of tax evasion —but it’s decidedly a lot. One report by the Tax Justice Network found the country loses more taxes each year than any other nation, although the amount equates to about 6% of its public health budget.

The pitched criticism by conservatives over progressive outrage about the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians overshadows a larger silence by the vast majority of Congress.

Why it matters: In the largely permissive environment, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ratcheting up its military engagement in Gaza. The death toll is rising, and a spectacular weekend attack leveled a building housing the Associated Press and other outside media.

IGN, the biggest video game media outlet in North America, this weekend published an article urging its more than 92 million readers to donate to charities to help Palestinians civilians. By Sunday afternoon, the article was deleted.

The big picture: Games media weighs in on politics more than outsiders might expect, but the mainstream and often more restrained IGN publishing the piece made this turn of events unusual even to gaming insiders.

Tor Wennesland, U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has been holding extensive talks with both Israel and Hamas over the past 24 hours in an effort to restore peace, a diplomatic source tells Axios.

Driving the news: The source said Wennesland spoke on Sunday to Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and other senior Israeli security officials as well as Hamas officials and Egyptian intelligence officials.

The Israeli security cabinet on Sunday decided to continue the Gaza operation, according to military plans. Israeli officials said a cease-fire is not on the table right now.

Why it matters: There was a growing feeling within the military and senior defense establishment ahead of the cabinet meeting that Israel should start moving toward ending the operation.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Associated Press CEO Gary Pruitt on Saturday after an Israeli airstrike destroyed the outlet's local media office in the Gaza Strip, which also housed the Al Jazeera office.

Why it matters: "The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what transpired today" Pruitt said in a statement — as fighting between Israel and Hamas continues to bring more casualties.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday called on Big Tech to focus on the "ethical use of algorithms" to prevent social media users from becoming radicalized into extremist behavior.

Why it matters: Last year's official inquiry into New Zealand's deadliest modern mass shooting at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019 found the terrorist had become radicalized while viewing white supremacist content on YouTube and other online sources.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Saturday called for a de-escalation in fighting between Israel and Hamas, warning that the situation "has deteriorated at an alarming rate."

Why it matters: Bachelet said that actions carried out by both the Israeli military and Palestinian militants may amount to violations of international humanitarian law and therefore may be considered war crimes.

Thousands of people rallied across the U.S. and the world Saturday following days of violence in Gaza and Israel that's killed at least 145 Palestinians, including 41 children, and eight Israelis, per AP.

The big picture: Most demonstrations were in support of Palestinians. There were tense scenes between pro-Israeli government protesters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Winnipeg, Canada, and Leipzig, Germany, but no arrests were made, CBS News and DW.com report.