Axios

More than 100,000 people rallied in front of the Israeli parliament building on Monday in a sign that opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan is growing.

Why it matters: The right-wing government’s plan to weaken the Supreme Court and other democratic institutions has created an unprecedented constitutional crisis in Israel, with growing fears that the confrontation between the government and the opposition will escalate into violence and chaos.

China's Foreign Ministry claimed Monday that the U.S. has sent high-altitude balloons into its airspace more than 10 times since the start of 2022.

Why it matters: It's the first time China has made such an allegation since the U.S. shot down a suspected surveillance balloon sent by the Chinese government off the coast of South Carolina.

Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into contractors allegedly linked to deadly building collapses that occurred after a massive earthquake and aftershocks struck last Monday.

The latest: Turkish rescuers were still pulling survivors from building rubble alive on Monday. Among them was a 40-year-old woman, who was found among wreckage in Islahiye, Gaziantep province, some 170 hours after the quake, per AP.

Another unidentified object has been shot down in the U.S. — this time by an F-16 jet over Michigan's Lake Huron at the direction of President Biden, the Pentagon said Sunday.

Why it matters: The object shot down on Sunday afternoon marks the fourth to be spotted in North America since late January and the third unidentified object to be shot down in the past three days. A suspected surveillance balloon sent by China's government was shot down by the U.S. military on Feb. 4.

The Israeli Security Cabinet on Sunday decided to legalize nine illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank and turn them into new settlements, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Why it matters: The decision — the first legalization of illegal outposts by the Israeli government since 2012 — was approved despite objections by the Biden administration. It is expected to create tensions between the U.S. and Israel.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a speech to the nation on Sunday laid out a proposal for solving the constitutional crisis around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to weaken the Supreme Court and called on the government to suspend the legislation process and enter talks on judicial reforms that will garner broad consensus.

Why it matters: Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan has prompted mass protests in Israel and concerns from the Biden administration about what it could mean for the U.S. ally's democracy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) acknowledged it was "wild" the U.S. didn't know about the Chinese government's use of balloons "until a few months ago," during an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

Catch up quick: Last week, the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had traversed the U.S. and is believed to have been capable of collecting communications.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) emphasized the importance of maintaining a "thorough and robust" line of communication between the U.S. and China in light of recent events during an interview on Fox News Channel's "Cavuto Live" on Saturday.

Catch up quick: Last week, the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had traversed the U.S. and is believed to have been capable of collecting communications.

The death toll from this week's massive earthquakes and aftershocks in Syria and Turkey surpassed 33,000 on Sunday, as hope for finding survivors trapped under toppled buildings began to fade.

The big picture: Freezing winter weather conditions and the sheer scale of the destruction have hampered rescue efforts for days after the 7.8-magnitude quake hit Monday.