National

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Former employees of Russian propaganda broadcaster RT America have taken over its old studios in downtown D.C. and are ramping up a new media venture, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: RT was a key node in a Russian-backed media apparatus that U.S. intelligence agencies described as integral to Kremlin foreign influence operations.

Its U.S. broadcasting arm announced it would shut down shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This week, French authorities seized RT assets in the country, citing EU sanctions over disinformation related to the invasion.

What's happening: Former RT America employee Georgy Zalevskiy formed a new company, GlobalTek LLC, in April 2022, shortly after RT America announced its wind-down. Corporate filings list the address of RT America's old Washington office.

In an interview, Zalevskiy confirmed his company is operating out of those studios.

Zalevskiy described GlobalTek as a technology company that provides broadcast services to clients and does not create any editorial products itself.

He declined to name any GlobalTek clients.

Zalevskiy also would not name any other individuals involved with the company, but confirmed: "Some people who worked for RT America work for GlobalTek."

Between the lines: Job listings show GlobalTek is working to build out a production staff in Washington.

It's currently looking to hire a broadcast engineer, according to online job postings.

An earlier job listing sought an audio operator to "set up, operate and maintain the electronic equipment used to transmit television newscasts."

The intrigue: T&R Productions, RT America's old production company, was forced to register as a foreign agent for its work with RT's Russian parent, ANO TV Novosti.

After RT America's close, Novosti inked a new deal with a U.S. company run by an ex-Atlanta news anchor to air RT content in India, China and South America.

That company, Rebel Media Productions, also registered as a foreign agent, and reported receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars last year to pay former RT America staffers laid off by T&R Productions.

Zalevskiy would not say whether GlobalTek is working with Rebel Media, telling Axios: "I will not comment on that."

Rebel Media has looked to sell additional content to RT as well as state media in China and other countries, according to a booking request email sent to a potential guest last year and obtained by Axios.

The email was sent by Mona Zughbi, a former NBC producer who co-founded the firm Petra Star Media. Its other co-founder was previously an RT booker.

In an email to Axios, Zughbi did not address questions about Rebel Media's or Petra Star's relationship with GlobalTek.

Scoop: Russia state propaganda alums launch new D.C. media venture

Former employees of RT America have taken over its old studios in downtown D.C.

Illustration of a TV flickering between no signal and a Russian flag

Russia

Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading

Meg Medina says she hopes to "serve as an example of Latinos' contributions to the U.S. literary landscape."

Author Meg Medina sits with a bookcase behind her 

Meg Medina, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature 2022-2024. Photo: Noticias Telemundo

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Latin America and Latinos

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday designated the Wagner Group, private Russian mercenary force that has become a key player in the war in Ukraine, as a significant transnational criminal organization.

Driving the news: The designation was made due to Wagner Group's work in "Kremlin-backed combat operations" and due to having "meddled and destabilized countries in Africa" the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"Wagner personnel have engaged in an ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity, including mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali," the department said.

The Treasury also announced a spate of new sanctions against individuals and entities across multiple continents that support the Wagner Group’s operations. 

The Treasury's actions coincided with a set of additional sanctions announced by the State Department Thursday, intended to “target a range of Wagner’s key infrastructure — including an aviation firm used by Wagner, a Wagner propaganda organization, and Wagner front companies.”

Zoom in: Together, the new sanctions are intended to target the infrastructure supporting Russia's operations in Ukraine, according to the Treasury Department.

The Treasury has also sanctioned individuals and entities who support Russia's defense industrial complex as well as other allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The State Department also sanctioned "three individuals for their roles as heads of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service," which has been believed to help Wagner Group recruit prisoners into its ranks.

The State Department also sanctioned other individuals and entities in connection to their status as government officials, their involvement with other designated persons, and their ties to Russia's military industrial complex.

U.S. designates Russia's Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization

The Wagner Group has an "ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity," the Treasury Department said.

Treasury Department building is seen in Washington, DC. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine

Share of parents who say they are worried their kids may face select challenges

Reproduced from Pew Research Center; Chart: Axios Visuals

It's not just your abuelita — many Hispanic parents worry a lot more than other parents about certain things, according to new data from Pew Research Center. 

The big picture: Being a parent was already hard. But social media and the pandemic have made parenting a minefield.

Details: Last fall, Pew conducted an online survey of 3,757 U.S. parents — 872 of whom identified as Hispanic — with children younger than 18. 

Hispanic parents said they worry just about the same as all other parents when it comes to their kids' mental health, which Pew found was the overall top concern. 

But when it comes to concerns about their kids getting in trouble with police, getting pregnant, getting shot or having problems with drugs or alcohol, they worry at almost twice the rate as the rest of parents. 

By the numbers: 48% of Hispanic parents said they worry about bullying, compared to 35% of all parents.

43% of Hispanic parents said they worry their child will be kidnapped or abducted, compared to 28% of all parents. 

There's a variety of reasons for those differences, experts tell Astrid. 

For one, Latinos often practice collectivism over individualism: They prioritize the family over themselves, which leads to a lot of worrying.

"We're loving, we are warm, we express solidarity — that can go the other way," says Layla Sarquis, affiliate faculty at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. "And we tend to over-worry. We tend to assume responsibilities that are not ours. We tend to be fixers because of that collectivistic nature."

But Latinos also contend with structural racism and marginalization, says Manuel X. Zamarripa, co-founder of the Institute of Chicana/o/x Psychology in Austin, Texas. 

Zamarripa points to police violence against Latinos as one of the factors that may affect a parent. 

Yes, but: Hispanic parents find their roles rewarding and say being a parent is a crucial part of who they are. 

39% of Hispanic survey respondents said parenting is enjoyable all of the time, while 45% said it's rewarding all of the time.  

Meanwhile, 25% of all parents found it enjoyable all of the time and 36% said it was rewarding all of the time.

Bullying tops Latino parents' worries

A new Pew Research Center survey reveals Hispanic parents said they worry at nearly twice the rate of other parents.

Tel Aviv

Axios from Tel Aviv

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday suspended its security coordination with Israel after Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. 

Why it matters: The move is likely to escalate the situation in the West Bank even further and comes just days ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken's scheduled trip to the region, where he will meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the heightened tensions. 

What they're saying: “The security coordination is nonexistent starting from now," the Palestinian Presidency said in a statement announcing the move.

The statement said the Palestinians will go immediately to the UN Security Council and ask for UN intervention and resume their bid to join UN agencies as full members. 

The statement also said the Palestinian Authority will ask the International Criminal Court to add Thursday's incident in Jenin to its open investigation against Israel.

The Biden administration opposes the PA's decision to suspend security coordination with Israel, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East affairs Barbara Leaf said in a briefing with reporters ahead of Blinken’s trip to the region. 

“We don’t think it is the right move right now. It is very important that both sides maintain security coordination and even deepen it. We will continue talking to the parties until the Secretary arrives in the region," Leaf said. 

Leaf added that the Biden administration has been in close contact with both Israeli and Palestinian officials since early this morning and has encouraged them to de-escalate the situation and prevent further deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price stressed in a statement later Thursday the "urgent need for all parties to de-escalate, prevent further loss of civilian life, and work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank."

"We recognize the very real security challenges facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and condemn terrorist groups planning and carrying out attacks against civilians," he added.

"We mourn the loss of innocent lives as well as injuries to civilians, and are deeply concerned by the cycle of violence in the West Bank."

UN envoy Tor Wennesland had earlier warned Palestinian officials that suspending security coordination with Israel could have high negative consequences and urged them not to take that step, according to a Western diplomat with direct knowledge of the conversation. 

Wennesland also spoke to Israeli defense officials and passed them the message from the Palestinians and asked that Israel takes urgent steps to calm down the situation, the Western diplomat said. 

Catch up quick: Thursday's raid took place in the Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold where the Israeli military has intensified its raids and operations over the last year. 

The Israeli military said it carried out the raid after receiving intelligence about a group of Islamic Jihad operatives it suspected of carrying out armed attacks against Israeli soldiers. The group was planning more attacks, the Israeli military said.

At least 20 other Palestinians were injured. No injuries were reported among the Israeli special forces.

Palestinian officials called the operation a "massacre" and urged the international community to take action against Israel. 

Flashback: The Palestinian Authority suspended its security coordination with Israel in May 2020 following the formation of a Netanyahu-led government that put a plan to annex large parts of the West Bank on its platform. 

The security coordination was restored several months later after the annexation was taken off the table as a result of the Abraham Accords.

What to watch: Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan told Al Jazeera on Thursday the group will do whatever it takes to defend the Palestinian people. Al Jazeera reported that the Islamic Jihad sent messages to Israel through mediators that it is ready and prepared for a confrontation.

Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, also said the “response of the resistance will not be delayed."

Two rockets were fired from Gaza and intercepted by Iron Dome, the Israeli military said late Thursday. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout. 

Palestinians suspend security coordination with Israel after deadly Jenin raid

Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

An Israeli military vehicle in Jenin, occupied West Bank on Jan. 26.

An Israeli military vehicle in Jenin, occupied West Bank on Jan. 26. Photo: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel

Recent excavations in Egypt have uncovered what could be the oldest mummy ever found in the country, a team of Egyptologists announced Thursday, AP reported.

Driving the news: An excavation near the Saqqara pyramids, about 19 miles south of Cairo, revealed several new ancient tombs dating back to the Fifth and Sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom (about 2686-2181 B.C.), per ABC News.

One of the tombs contained a limestone sarcophagus with a 4,300-year-old mummy inside, Zahi Hawass, director of the team and a former minister of antiquities, told reporters Thursday, per Reuters.

What they're saying: "This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," Hawass said.

“I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: A beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold," Hawass said, per AP.

The big picture: Among the other tombs discovered were ones belonging to a priest and a palace official, per ABC.

Numerous statues and amulets were also discovered in the tombs.

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass at a press conference to announce new discoveries at the Modir Bridge in Saqqara, on January 26

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass at a press conference on Jan. 26. Photo: Fadel Dawod/Getty Images

Egyptian antiquities workers observe recently discovered artifacts 

Egyptian antiquities workers observe recently discovered artifacts at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara on Jan. 26. Photo: Fadel Dawod/Getty Images

An Egyptian archaeologist restores antiquities 

An Egyptian archaeologist restores antiquities after the announcement of new discoveries on Jan. 26. Photo: Fadel Dawod/Getty Images

In photos: Egypt says it may have found oldest mummy to date

The mummy was "completely covered in layers of gold."

Egyptian archaeological workers excavating the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara 

Egyptian archaeological workers excavating the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara during the announcement of new discoveries on Jan. 26. Photo: Fadel Dawod/Getty Images

Egypt

Russia launched a new barrage of missile strikes on Ukraine Thursday, a day after the U.S. and Germany announced plans to send battle tanks to aid Ukraine's embattled military.

The latest: The strikes killed at least 11 people and wounded at least 11 others, Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, told national television.

Eleven regions of Ukraine were affected by the strikes, Khorunzhyi said. 

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 47 of the 55 Russian missiles launched, Ukraine's military chief Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote in a Telegram post Thursday.

Twenty of the Russian missiles were shot down in the area surrounding Kyiv, he added.

"The goal of the Russians remains the same – psychological pressure on Ukrainians and the destruction of critical infrastructure. But we cannot be broken!" Zaluzhnyi wrote.

Ukraine’s Air Force Command said in a Facebook post Thursday that it had shot down 24 Iranian-made drones that were launched overnight.

Zoom in: Explosions rocked Kyiv Thursday morning, with the missile strikes leaving one dead and two wounded, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

It is the city's first attack-related death in the new year, per AP.

The Russian strikes hit energy facilities in Ukraine's Odesa region as well as several other regions, Odesa Gov. Maksym Marchenko wrote in a Telegram post. No civilian casualties were reported in Odesa as a result of the strikes, he wrote in a subsequent post.

The strikes on energy facilities resulted in emergency power outages in several regions, with the Odesa, Kyiv and Vinnytsia regions most affected, Ukrainian Minister of Energy German Galushchenko wrote in a Facebook post.

The state prosecutor general’s office wrote on Telegram that three people were killed following strikes on critical infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia region.

The office also confirmed via Telegram that shells struck Kharkiv region, damaging several private houses.

Officials in the Kherson region said shelling over the past day had killed two people and injured five others, AP reported.

Editor's note: This story was updated with new information.

Russian missiles kill 11 in Ukraine after U.S., Germany promise tanks

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 47 of the 55 missiles Russia launched at the country.

Rescuers at work after Russian missile strikes Kyiv 

Rescuers are at work following a Russian missile strike on the industrial zone of Kyiv on Jan. 26. Photo: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, on Thursday during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

The latest: Two rockets were fired from Gaza and intercepted by Iron Dome, the Israeli military said late Thursday. The Israeli military had said earlier that it was preparing for possible rocket fire from Gaza in retaliation for the Jenin raid. 

Driving the news: Earlier Thursday, the Israeli military said a gun battle with armed Islamic Jihad fighters took place when Israeli special forces entered the Jenin camp, a militant stronghold, in an attempt to arrest members of the armed Palestinian group. It's the deadliest single incident in the West Bank since the new Israeli government — the most right-wing in Israel's history — was sworn in a month ago.

The Israeli military said it carried out the raid after receiving intelligence about a group of Islamic Jihad operatives it suspected of carrying out armed attacks against Israeli soldiers. The group was planning more attacks, the Israeli military said. 

The Israeli special forces initially entered the camp undetected by hiding inside a dairy products delivery truck, Palestinian sources say. When they arrived at the safe house where three of the Islamic Jihad operatives were staying, a gunfight ensued, the Israeli military said. 

It was unclear exactly how many of the nine the Palestinian Health Ministry said were killed were militants. The Israeli military said its forces killed the three militants who were in the safe house and opened fire. Hamas said four of those killed were its fighters. Palestinian officials said one person killed was a 60-year-old woman. The IDF said it was examining that report. 

At least 20 other Palestinians were injured. No injuries were reported among the Israeli special forces. 

What they're saying: The Palestinian Presidency in a statement called the Israeli operation "a massacre." 

Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the international silence encourages the Israeli government to commit crimes against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian Authority later Thursday suspended its security coordination with Israel in response to the deadly raid. 

Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan told Al Jazeera the group will do whatever it takes to defend the Palestinian people. Al Jazeera reported that the Islamic Jihad sent messages to Israel through mediators that it is ready and prepared for a confrontation.

The big picture: Israeli forces have killed at least 28 Palestinians since the beginning of January. The Israeli military intensified its operations in some West Bank cities last year following several attacks inside Israel. 

Thursday's escalation comes ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken's scheduled visit to the region. 

Blinken is expected to meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the situation in the West Bank. 

FBI opens investigation into killing of Palestinian American Shireen Abu Akleh

Palestinian officials say the Abbas-Sullivan meeting was bleak

Israeli forces kill 9 during West Bank raid, Palestinian health officials say

A gun battle broke out in the Jenin refugee camp during an Israeli operation Palestinians described as a "massacre."

The Israeli raid took place in the Jenin refugee camp. 

The Israeli operation took place in the Jenin refugee camp. Photo: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Thousands of Australians protested Thursday the Australia Day national holiday marking the anniversary of a British fleet landing in the country for the first time on Jan. 26, 1788.

Why it matters: There are calls to change the date of the annual event that's also known as "Invasion Day," because of the devastating impact colonialism and its racist legacy had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who'd lived in the country for tens of thousands of years before the British arrived — or abolish it altogether. 

This year's protests are particularly poignant because of an upcoming referendum on whether to enshrine in the Australian constitution an Indigenous voice to Parliament.

Context: Australian Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney has said the Indigenous voice to Parliament would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide advice at all government levels on laws and policies affecting their lives and address longstanding "housing, health and educational" disparities and  incarceration and child removal," per the Guardian.

Of note: Some speakers at Thursday's Invasion Day protests in central Sydney dismissed the proposed Indigenous voice to Parliament as a "box-ticking exercise" that would not result in any meaningful changes, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Aboriginal Australians perform a traditional dance during the Invasion Day protest at Belmore Park on January 26, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. 

Aboriginal Australians perform a traditional dance during the Invasion Day protest at Belmore Park on Jan. 26, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Roni Bintang/Getty Images

People participate in an âInvasion Dayâ protest in Sydney, Australia, on January 26, 2023. 

People participate in an Invasion Day protest in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 26. Photo: Steven Saphore/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

People participate in an Invasion Day protest in Sydney on Jan. 26. Photo: Steven Saphore/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

People take part in a smoking ceremony during the Invasion Day rally on January 26, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. 

People take part in a traditional smoking ceremony during the Invasion Day rally on Jan. 26 in Melbourne. Photo: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Participants gather at the steps to Parliament house before the Invasion Day rally on January 26, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. 

Participants gather at the steps to Victoria's Parliament house before the Invasion Day rally on Jan. 26 in Melbourne. Photo: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Thousands protest "Invasion Day" across Australia

The Australia Day protests come ahead of a referendum to constitutionally enshrine an Indigenous voice to Parliament.

Protesters participate in the Treaty Before Voice Invasion Day Protest outside Parliament House on January 26, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. 

Protesters participate in the Treaty Before Voice Invasion Day Protest outside Parliament House on Thursday, Jan. 26 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Australia

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The U.S. and Germany separately announced on Wednesday they would send battle tanks to Ukraine after pressure from NATO allies and Ukraine to supply the advanced armored vehicles as Kyiv prepares for a possible new Russian offensive.

Why it matters: The U.S. decision to supply Abrams M1 tanks and the German announcement on the Leopard 2 tanks is a major boost for Ukraine, which has pleaded with the West for months to send more advanced weaponry as it tries to take back territory from Russia.

Details: The U.S. will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and will begin training Ukrainian troops on sustaining the tanks as soon as possible, Biden said at a press conference Wednesday.

Biden cautioned that delivering the tanks would "take time."

Biden said that prior to the announcement he had spoken to the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. “to continue our close coordination and full support of Ukraine."

During a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby called the Abrams tanks "the most capable, powerful tank in the world" and said it would help Ukraine "fight effectively on open terrain."

Kirby noted that no date has been set for the Abrams' delivery but that it would likely be "many months before they're actually there."

Germany will initially supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks from its own stock, as well as ammunition and logistical and maintenance support, its government said in a statement.  

Training Ukrainian forces on the Leopards is expected to begin soon. 

Germany will also quickly provide licenses to other European countries that wish to supply Leopards from their own stock, the statement added. Poland has already requested approval to send some of its Leopards to Ukraine. 

The goal, the German government said, was for Germany and its allies to supply two battalions with Leopards, which would be 88 tanks, per AP. 

Catch up quick: Debate among Western allies — particularly between the U.S. and Germany — over sending tanks to Ukraine had escalated over the last week. 

The Biden administration argued in recent days against sending Abrams, citing logistical issues. Instead, U.S. officials said sending German Leopard 2 tanks would be more beneficial since many European allies already have them and they're easier to maintain. 

"The M1 (Abrams) is a complex weapons system that is challenging to maintain ... that was true yesterday, that is true today and will be true in the future," Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday. 

Until Wednesday, Scholz had expressed reluctance to send Leopards, fearing it could escalate tensions with Moscow. German officials also reportedly privately linked its own commitment to providing its tanks to a U.S. decision to send Abrams as well. Publicly, however, U.S. and German officials denied any link between the two decisions. 

U.S. and Germany to send battle tanks to Ukraine

The decision is a major boost for Ukraine.

Thursday's world stories

Scoop: Russia state propaganda alums launch new D.C. media venture

Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading

U.S. designates Russia's Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization

Bullying tops Latino parents' worries

Palestinians suspend security coordination with Israel after deadly Jenin raid

In photos: Egypt says it may have found oldest mummy to date

Russian missiles kill 11 in Ukraine after U.S., Germany promise tanks

Israeli forces kill 9 during West Bank raid, Palestinian health officials say

Thousands protest "Invasion Day" across Australia

U.S. and Germany to send battle tanks to Ukraine

Palestinian officials say the Abbas-Sullivan meeting was bleak

Inside the Sullivan-Netanyahu meeting

Netanyahu's chaotic first month

Scoop: U.S. asked Israel for its Hawk missiles to send to Ukraine

Yellen on poaching in Africa: Follow the money

Pope Francis calls laws criminalizing homosexuality "unjust"