The Biden administration will ramp up its support of efforts to vaccinate the world with a "surge" in assistance to 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a USAID spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Why it matters: The global supply of vaccines has largely gone to developed nations. Officials worry that new COVID-19 variants could emerge from countries with low vaccination rates.
Actor and director Eva Longoria wants to "change the gatekeepers" in Hollywood to ensure that more people of color, especially Latinos, are represented on television, in film and behind the scenes.
The big picture: Hollywood is “not built to welcome people who don't have experience, and traditionally, people of color, especially Latinos, have not been in a place where they can get that experience,” Longoria tells Axios.
A senior Israeli official stressed in a call with his Russian counterpart on Wednesday that if Russia invades Ukraine, Israel will need assistance from Moscow to get its citizens and diplomats out, two senior Israeli officials tell Axios.
Update: After Axios reported on the call, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador to Kyiv. The ambassador told his Ukrainian counterparts that the call had been intended to express Israeli concerns about the safety of Israeli citizens and diplomats in Ukraine, and to call for de-escalation.
Israeli officials have notified a UN commission investigating alleged human rights abuses in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel that the country will not cooperate with its probe, claiming it is biased against Israel, according to a letter sent to the commission chair Navi Pilay that was obtained by Axios.
Driving the news: Israeli officials say they are highly concerned that the commission’s report expected in June will refer to Israel as an "Apartheid state" and that its findings could damage Israel's reputation, particularly among progressives in the West.
Nickelodeon is canceling “The Casagrandes,” a cartoon about the dynamics of a multi-generational Latino family that lives under one roof, Axios has learned.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday made the clearest statement to date that the U.S. believes Russia has decided to invade Ukraine within days, and laid out the U.S. view on how such a war will begin.
Why it matters: Speaking before the UN Security Council, Blinken said U.S. intelligence indicates Russia has now massed more than 150,000 troops near Ukraine, and is preparing to launch a full-scale invasion involving ground troops, aircraft and ships "in the coming days" that could target the capital, Kyiv.
At least 94 people died and dozens remain missing after heavy rain triggered flooding and mudslides in the Brazilian city of Petrópolis this week, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers continue to wade through the destruction left in Brazil's so-called "Imperial City." Hundreds have been displaced.
President Biden told reporters Thursday that his "sense" is that Russia will invade Ukraine "within the next several days," as troops and supplies continue to arrive at the border and international monitors report shelling across the line of contact in eastern Ukraine.
The latest: "Every indication that we have is that they are prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine," Biden said, warning that the risk is "very high." He added that there is still a "path to diplomacy," but that he has no plans to reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A new military pontoon bridge has been established over the Pripyat River in Belarus, less than four miles from the Ukraine border, Maxar Technologies found, as satellite images this week continue to show heightened military activity in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia.
Why it matters: The Biden administration told reporters last evening that it now believes Russia's claims of withdrawing troops from near Ukraine are "false," Axios' Zachary Basu reports.
Three U.S. Navy patrol aircraft "experienced unprofessional intercepts" by Russian planes over the weekend as they flew in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: As U.S. officials warn of an increased presence of Russian troops at Ukraine's border, State Department and Pentagon officials said in emailed statements that the U.S. had "made our concerns known" to Kremlin officials "through diplomatic channels" about the P-8A aircrafts' Mediterranean incidents.
Hilary Knight made history at the Beijing Winter Games hockey final by making a U.S. Olympic record 22nd appearance on Thursday.
The big picture: Knight also scored in the 3-2 loss to Canada, as Team USA won an eighth silver medal — taking the Beijing Winter Olympics tally to 20. Elsewhere on Day 13 of the Games, the U.S. men's curling team beat Denmark 7-5 to reach the semifinals.
The big picture: It's the third time at the Beijing Games that the Colorado skier hasn't finished a run in what was her final individual event of this Olympics.
Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in the women's hockey final to win the Beijing Winter Olympics gold medal on Thursday.
Details: Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice and assisted in Sarah Nurse's goal for the Canadians. Hilary Knight scored the first goal for the U.S. and Amanda Kessel added another with 13.5 seconds left.
Nearly 200 House Republicans have written to President Biden warning any nuclear deal made with Iran without Congress' approval "will meet the same fate" as the 2015 agreement by President Obama later abandoned by President Trump.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has been working feverishly to secure an agreement via indirect nuclear talks in Vienna, but on Wednesday, an Iranian official publicly called for Congress to pledge that the U.S. will stay in a potential deal.
