As Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's unlikely government reaches the one-year mark this month, the Biden administration's main priority in its relations with Israel continues to be the coalition's survival.
Between the lines: U.S. officials won't say so that bluntly, but it's clear they prefer Bennett's broad coalition to the return of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the head of a radical right-wing government.
The U.S. and its E3 allies — France, Germany and the U.K. — are expected to push for a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting next week that calls on Iran to fully cooperate with UN inspectors regarding suspicions of undeclared nuclear activity, E3 diplomats say.
Why it matters: It's been two years since a resolution about Iran’s lack of cooperation has been passed by the IAEA board. The Biden administration has until now refrained from taking such a step in order to avoid sabotaging the Vienna nuclear talks.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday said it assumes North Korea's coronavirus outbreak is "getting worse, not better," but severely lacks data from the country.
Why it matters: WHO officials are questioning recent reports from state-run media outlets, which claimed as recently as Sunday that the country's outbreak had improved and that leaders were considering revising its containment measures, according to CNN.
The Biden administration and the United Arab Emirates are discussing a possible strategic agreement that would give the Gulf country certain U.S. security guarantees, two current and former U.S. officials told me.
Why it matters: The discussions began last November, but became more serious after the UAE and Biden administration eased tensions in late March. Relations had been strained over what the Emiratis saw as a slow and weak U.S. response to the Houthi missile and drone attacks on Abu Dhabi in January.
Spanish and Portuguese health authorities said Wednesday that the total confirmed cases of monkeypox across both nations have exceeded 250, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The Iberian Peninsula has served as the epicenter of the recent outbreak, which has swept across several European countries as well as the U.S. The emergence of the virus is notable as it is rarely found outside of Africa.
The Pentagon is considering downgrading the post of the official in charge of security coordination with the Palestinian Authority from the rank of three-star general to that of a colonel, four current and former U.S. officials and two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The State Department and the Israeli Defense Ministry are concerned such a decision could hurt security cooperation between the U.S. and Palestinians and damage security coordination between Israeli and Palestinian officials as tensions escalate in the occupied West Bank.
Russia's nuclear forces have begun holding drills northeast of Moscow involving Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, Russian news agency Interfax reported Wednesday, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
Why it matters: The drills were announced hours after President Biden said Tuesday the U.S. would provide Ukraine with new, longer-range missile systems.
Russia rebuked the U.S. on Wednesday for its plans to provide Ukraine with new longer-range missile systems, claiming the move was a way to deliberately escalate the war.
Driving the news: In an op-ed in the New York Times on Tuesday, President Biden said the new advanced rocket systems would be used to ward off Russian advances in Ukraine, but wouldn't be used to launch attacks on targets in Russia.
At least 262 children have been killed and another 415 injured in Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion of the country in late February, UNICEF said Tuesday.
The big picture: Nearly two out of three children in Ukraine have been displaced as a result of the war, the agency said.
Australia's new government sworn in Wednesday includes a record number of women in an ethnically diverse Cabinet, and the swearing-in ceremony featured a kangaroo skin cloak, a large Bible and a Quran, per Sky News.
What they're saying: "Proud to lead an inclusive government that is as diverse as Australia itself," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas protested what he called the Biden administration's inaction and “silence” over contentious Israeli steps in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in a call on Tuesday that an American and a Palestinian source described as "tough."
Behind the scenes: Palestinian officials have in recent days conveyed angry messages to their U.S. counterparts over Washington's responses to Sunday's "flag march" of Israeli nationalists in Jerusalem, Israel's violations of the status quo at the al-Aqsa mosque, and Israel's refusal to engage with the peace process, the sources say.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in an interview with CNN that aired Tuesday evening that her assessment last year that inflation posed a short-term threat during the pandemic was "wrong."
What she's saying: "I was wrong about the path inflation would take," Yellen told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."
The U.S. will provide Ukraine with more advanced rocket systems and munitions, President Biden announced Tuesday in an opinion piece published by the New York Times.
Why it matters: The longer-range missile systems are intended to enable Ukraine’s military to “more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Biden said.
