Axios

Confidence in President Biden appears to be waning among some of America's closest allies.

By the numbers: A new Pew poll of 17 countries, most of them U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, finds that confidence in Biden to "do the right thing regarding world affairs" fell everywhere but South Korea between 2021 and 2022.

SEOUL, South Korea — Officials and experts in Washington and Seoul agree that North Korea is set to conduct its seventh nuclear test and its first since 2017 — likely quite soon.

The big picture: Kim Jong-un's regime continues to develop its nuclear arsenal and rebuff offers from both the U.S. and South Korea for dialogue or COVID aid.

The Biden administration announced Thursday that it will send Ukraine another $450 million in military aid to help the country fend off Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion.

Why it matters: The Department of Defense said the new aid package includes four long-range rocket launchers as well as 36,000 artillery rounds.

The Eurovision Song Contest "cannot be staged" in Ukraine in 2023 due to security concerns amid the ongoing Russian invasion, the European Broadcasting Union said on Thursday.

The big picture: Ukraine would typically be set to host next year's competition after Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won this year's contest.

European Union leaders granted EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova on Thursday as they assembled in Brussels for a two-day European Council summit.

Why it matters: The move, which required the unanimous consent of all EU members, is the first step in what could be a long process towards full EU membership. But it is a symbolic victory for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Rescue workers and residents in southeastern Afghanistan are combing through rubble searching for trapped survivors of Wednesday's massive earthquake that officials say left more than 1,000 people dead and 1,600 others injured.

The big picture: Reports and images are only now beginning to emerge from some of the most remote villages and towns affected. In some areas, residents have told local and international media that nearly entire villages have been destroyed.

The leader of the world's largest Hispanic evangelical organization tells Axios that he believes U.S. Latinos are moving away from the Democratic Party as more of them embrace evangelical churches and conservative beliefs.

Why it matters: Latino evangelicals are among the fastest-growing segments within an increasingly powerful voting bloc.

The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' intelligence organization has been dismissed from his post, the IRGC announced Thursday.

Why it matters: Hossein Taeb was one of the most senior and powerful intelligence officials in Iran.

Nike announced Thursday that it plans to permanently close all its businesses in Russia in the coming months.

Driving the news: In March, Nike joined a slew of other global businesses in pulling back its business operations in Russia after the country's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s most senior diplomat for the Middle East, hinted at a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday that President Biden’s visit to the region next month could lead to more normalization steps by Arab countries towards Israel.

Why it matters: This would be an achievement for President Biden and show he has continued to help foster progress on the warming of relations between Israel and the Arab world after the Trump administration brokered the Abraham Accords, which led to normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video post Thursday that Russian forces "want to destroy the whole Donbas step by step," as officials reported airstrikes raining down on the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.

The big picture: Russian forces have been trying to take the two key eastern Ukrainian cities in the Luhansk region of the Donbas for weeks. Now the battle is "entering a sort of fearsome climax," Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said, per Reuters.

Tesla's new plants in Texas and Germany are "losing billions of dollars" as the electric car maker struggles with production due to supply chain disruptions and battery shortages, Elon Musk said in an interview released Wednesday.

What he's saying: "Both Berlin and Austin factories are gigantic money furnaces right now," Musk said in the interview with Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley, an official Tesla-recognized club, recorded on May 31. "It's really like a giant roaring sound, which is the sound of money on fire."