Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday urged public officials and private sector workers to dress more casually to stay cooler after a deadly heat wave hit the country earlier this month, Reuters reports.
Why it matters:More than 2,000 people died from heat-related causes in Spain and Portugal in roughly a week after a deadly heat wave swept through Europe over several weeks.
Driving the news: "We had a frank and direct conversation," Blinken said Friday of the discussion. "I pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner."
The Department of Justice on Friday unveiled an indictment against a Russian national who allegedly orchestrated a years-long foreign malign influence campaign within the U.S. on behalf of the Russian government and in conjunction with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
Why it matters: The Justice Department said Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a resident of Moscow, and three FSB officials used various political groups in the United States to "sow discord, spread pro-Kremlin propaganda and interfere in elections" within the U.S. between December 2014 and March 2022.
A bipartisan House bill introduced Friday would require the State Department to hire more people with China-related expertise.
The big picture: The draft legislation calls on the U.S. government to "further invest in relevant linguistic, cultural, and regional expertise to effectively engage in strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China."
Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of conducting a missile strike that reportedly killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war, AP reports.
Driving the news: Russia accused Ukraine's military of launching an attack on a prison in Olenivka, a settlement in the Donetsk province controlled by separatists, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were being held.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The timeline for a potential Chinese attempt to take Taiwan by force seems to be getting shorter.
Driving the news: Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Biden not to "play with fire" over Taiwan on Thursday, according to the Chinese readout of a call between the two leaders.
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito has mocked world leaders who criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade as he railed against what he called "a growing hostility to religion" in the West.
Why it matters: The Catholic justice's remarks at a religious freedom conference in Rome mark the first time he's publicly commented on last month's majority ruling that effectively ended all federal protections on abortion.
The big picture: The U.S. State Department estimates that between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainians, including at least 260,000 children, have been through Russia's "filtration" process, which Ukrainian and U.S. officials have said amounts to a war crime.
President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a contentious exchange on Taiwan in a two-hour and 17-minute call on Thursday, their fifth call since Biden became president.
The latest: Beijing's statement on the call warned in reference to Taiwan that "those who play with fire will perish by it." A senior U.S. official briefing reporters on the call wouldn't confirm whether Xi used that exact language, but confirmed the leaders discussed their "differences" over Taiwan.
Daniel Hernandez,the former intern who administered first aid to Rep. Gabby Giffords after she was shot in 2011, is running for Congress in a new and highly competitive Arizona district while facing criticism that he's not progressive enough.
Why it matters: The race illustrates the complexities of the Democratic Party's standing, especially with Latinos, some of whom are shifting to the GOP.
The largely ignored history of how slavery shaped Brazil — and still does — is the centerpiece of a new podcast inspired by the New York Times’ 1619 Project.
The big picture: Most of the 12 million African people enslaved in the Atlantic trade did not end up in the U.S. but in what is now Latin America and the Caribbean, studies show.
Russian missiles struck the Kyiv region for the first time in several weeks on Thursday as Ukrainian forces continued their counteroffensive to retake the southern region of Kherson.
Driving the news: Earlier this month, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby warned that U.S. intelligence indicated that Russia was "reviewing detailed plans" to annex four regions of Ukraine, including Kherson.
The Kremlin warned Thursday that no agreement with the U.S. has been reached to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Driving the news: The update comes a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday that the Biden administration had made a "substantial proposal" weeks ago to bring home the two "wrongfully detained" Americans.
A procedural vote to advance a bill that would expand health care access for military veterans who became ill after being exposed to toxic burn pits failed to pass in the Senate on Wednesday.
Driving the news: Eight Republicans joined Democrats in the 55-42 vote — five short of the 60 votes required to advance the legislation. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) switched his vote from yes to no so the bill could return to the Senate, CNN notes. Three Senators didn't vote on the measure.
One in every 20 people who contract COVID-19 have long-term smell or taste problems due to the virus, new research suggests.
Driving the news: About 5% of people worldwide report smell and taste dysfunction six months after COVID, according to a study published Wednesday in The BMJ, the British Medical Association's peer-reviewed medical journal.
