Power was being restored at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday afternoon after most terminals experienced outages earlier in the day.
Driving the news: TSA is expected to resume screenings by 3:30pm PST after halting operations in most terminals, the airport said, adding that conveyances will take longer to restart.
The new Israeli government is conducting a policy review of its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the possibility of supplying defensive weapon systems to Kyiv, three Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Israel is under growing pressure from the Biden administration, members of the U.S. Congress and other Western governments to provide military aid like missile defense systems to Ukraine.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken pressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept and implement a U.S. security plan aimed at reestablishing Palestinian Authority control over the cities of Jenin and Nablus, which have become centers of unrest in the occupied West Bank, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.
Driving the news: The Biden administration is looking for ways to de-escalate the situation in the West Bank and prevent it from deteriorating into a third intifada.
Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Déby after arriving in Jerusalem announced on Wednesday that his country will open an embassy in Israel — the latest step in the two countries' efforts to normalize relations.
Why it matters: Forty-seven years after Chad, a Muslim-majority nation, cut ties with Israel, the two countries in January 2019 reestablished diplomatic relations. But after former President Idriss Déby Itno, the current leader's father who ruled the country for 30 years, was killed in April 2021, relations with Israel cooled down.
President Biden will host Jordan's King Abdullah II for a private lunch at the White House on Thursday, a spokesperson for the National Security Council confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Thursday's visit, the king’s third to the White House since Biden assumed office, comes amid rising tensions in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken publicly reminded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the values of democracy this week — reflecting just how concerned the Biden administration is about the new Israeli government's plan to overhaul the country's judicial system.
Why it matters: It's rare that the U.S. weighs in on domestic legislation of such a close ally. But Blinken's public remarks — albeit diplomatic and polite — urging Netanyahu to get a broad consensus on the judicial overhaul plan highlights the growing anxiety U.S. officials have about what the legislation could mean for Israel's democracy.
Authorities in Western Australia announced Wednesday they've found a tiny radioactive capsule that went missing along a vast stretch of highway in the Outback earlier this month.
Why it matters: Authorities said it was possible the capsule containing a small amount of radioactive Caesium-137 would never be found after it vanished while being transported by truck from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine in the remote Pilbara region of W.A. to a storage facility about 870 miles away in the state capital Perth.
Nine Republican-led states asked a federal judge in Texas Tuesday to strike down a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program rule that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
Driving the news: The latest lawsuit challenging the Obama-era policy seeks to halt protections for renewing deportation protections and work permits for the immigrants, known as "Dreamers," and phase out the program over two years, arguing that the rule which affects some 800,000 people is unlawful.
Four men were extradited to the U.S. and charged for their alleged involvement in the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
Driving the news: Two Haitian-American citizens, James Solages, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57, and one Colombian citizen, German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 44, were each charged with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S.
Russia is violating the terms of the New START nuclear arms control treaty by refusing to allow on-site inspections, the State Department said Tuesday.
Why it matters: It's the first time the U.S. has accused Russia of breaching the terms of the agreement, which seeks to limit the long-range nuclear weapons programs of the U.S. and Russia, per the Wall Street Journal.
A proposed change to how the U.S. Census and other federal agencies ask what race Hispanic people are is drawing mixed responses, including concerns that Latinos' multiracial backgrounds will not be adequately measured.
Why it matters: The data collected from those forms is key to determining political representation and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funds.
Lusaka, Zambia — The first test for African debt restructuring in a post-COVID world is playing out in Zambia, a land-locked country bigger than Texas, rich in copper and loaded with Chinese debt — and so poor that most of its population lives on less than $2 dollars a day.
Why it matters: If Zambia, China and international creditors cannot come to an agreement on how to restructure Zambia's debt, other African countries might get a glimpse of their fate. It's not pretty.
Officials in Pakistan said Tuesday the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar has increased to 100, per AP.
Driving the news: At least 225 people were injured in Monday's attack, which took place as more than 300 worshippers were gathered inside the mosque. Most of those killed or injured were police officers, per Al Jazeera.
What to expect: The IMF expects global growth to slow from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.9% this year — up from the 2.7% it predicted in October when it said "for many people 2023 will feel like a recession."
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday defended the Biden administration's new border policy designed to curb illegal border crossings in the face of a lawsuit from Florida and 19 other states challenging the program.
Why it matters: The states argue in the suit against the Department of Homeland Security that the program allowing up to 30,000 migrants a month from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua to live and work in the U.S is an executive power overreach and in violation of federal immigration law.
