House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) are expected to visit Israel on separate trips later this month, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Why it matters: The visits by Republican and Democratic congressional leaders will take place amid tensions between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Israeli government's judicial overhaul plan and its policies toward the Palestinians.
The big picture: Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán urged Trump to "keep on fighting," while El Salvador President Nayib Bukele suggested the charges against Trump make the U.S. look hypocritical. Very few other world leaders have weighed in, however, and some international media outlets are treating the case more as a political curiosity.
The number of U.S. colleges and universities classified as federal Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSI) rose to its highest number ever last year, a new analysis has found.
Why it matters: The increase in HSIs shows that Hispanic college student enrollment has rebounded from the pandemic and now appears to be expanding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly pointed to NATO's post-Cold War enlargement as one of the many reasons for his invasion of Ukraine. But Russia's war has ultimately pushed the alliance to expand.
The latest: Finland became the 31st member of NATO on April 4, dramatically changing the security landscape in Europe. Finland's membership more than doubles the alliance's border with Russia.
Finlandbecame the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday— a once-unthinkable stepthat significantly changes the security landscape in Europe.
Why it matters: Finland's membership more than doubles NATO's borders with Russia and formally ends Helsinki's decades of official nonalignment. It's also a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin who, in launching the Russian invasion of Ukraine, vowed to block the alliance's eastward expansion.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Current Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the U.S. and former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's unprecedented tripto China have reignited debate within Taiwan about the island's future — and the nature of its relationship with mainland China.
Why it matters: With Taiwan's next presidential election less than a year away — and pressure from China growing — Taiwanese voters will soon face a choice between keeping the close U.S. ties forged by Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party and reverting to the rival Beijing-friendly stance of Ma's Kuomintang party.
Leading Republicans across the ideological spectrum are rallying behind an aggressive and controversial new approach to the fentanyl crisis: Bomb the cartels, with or without the permission of the Mexican government.
Why it matters: The once-fringe idea, championed in private by former President Trump, is becoming a mainstream policy priority within the GOP — including among congressional Republicans and 2024 presidential candidates.
As much of the world backs awayfrom Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is providing cheap oil, a friend on the UN Security Council and sensitive military technology to those partners still standing by it.
Why it matters: According to the White House, Russia is swiftly moving toward a “full-fledged defense partnership” with Iran, and now plans to dispatch a delegation to negotiate with North Korea. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to fear that China will abandon its supposed "neutrality"and back Russia more directly.
The Biden administrationdiscussed with its European and Israeli partners in recent weeks a proposal for an interim agreement with Iran that would include some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran freezing parts of its nuclear program, according to 10 Israeli officials, Western diplomats and U.S. experts with knowledge of the proposal.
Why it matters: The new approach by the Biden administration shows just how concerned the U.S. is about recent advances in Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. has not ruled out diplomacy on reaching an agreement to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement but did take it off the agenda last year over Iran's military assistance to Russia and Tehran's crackdown on anti-government protests.
