The baffling leakof classified U.S. intelligence documents on social media is swiftly unfurling into a debacle for the Biden administration, which is struggling to provide answers to Congress, the public and U.S. allies.
Why it matters: As President Biden kicks off his latest overseas trip — this time in Ireland, his ancestral homeland — the leak is threatening to undermine two defining planks of his foreign policy: strengthening U.S. alliances and supporting Ukraine.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva departed Tuesday for a visit to China that will include a meeting with President Xi Jinping on Friday.
Why it matters: Lula is seeking to elevate Brazil's role in international diplomacy after a period of relative isolation under his nationalist predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. He's expected to raise with Xi his idea for a "peace club" of countries including Brazil and China to help mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.
China's military ended three days of live-fire drills around Taiwan on Monday, after a show of force intended to intimidate Taiwan.
Why it matters: The drills signal Beijing's resolve but they also alienate neighboring countries and strengthen the U.S.' own resolve to support Taiwan.
Researchers are conducting what they call a first of its kind clinical trial to study how Hispanic and Black patients respond to a common medication for multiple sclerosis.
The big picture: Much remains unknown about MS, a chronic illness of the central nervous system, especially how it affects non-white people.
The Biden administration tried to reassure Israeli officials in recent days that Washington is committed to its security relationship with Israel after details contained in a trove of purported secret Pentagon documents leaked on social media appeared to suggest that the U.S. had spied on some of its closest allies, including Israel, two Israeli officials said.
Why it matters: The leak, which also included sensitive details from U.S.-Israeli consultations, could have major implications for the vast intelligence sharing between Israel and the U.S., especially if Israeli secrets are at risk of being shared due to any kind of security breach.
Northern Ireland remains at peace 25 years on from the Good Friday agreement, but sectarian divides are rearing their heads.
The big picture: President Biden will visit Belfast Tuesday to mark the anniversary of an agreement that is heralded as a triumph of peacemaking and power-sharing. However, the Northern Ireland Assembly created under the accords has not convened since February 2022.
The U.S. and Philippines militaries launched their largest-ever joint exercises on Tuesday, a day after Chinese forces finished drills around Taiwan.
The big picture: More than 17,600 military personnel are taking part in the scheduled annual bilateral exercise that runs through April 28 and will include live-fire drills — twice the number that took part last year, per the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
Thailand’s May 14 election pits Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and the militaryestablishment against the youthful scion of the country’s most famous political dynasty, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Why it matters: Thailand has been in quasi-democratic limbo since 2019 when Prayuth was elected after stacking the deck in his own favor while leading a military junta. Since then, Thailand has seen dramatic protests and Prayuth's approval ratings have plummeted.
The State Department said on Mondaythat Secretary of State Tony Blinken has formally determined Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was "wrongfully detained" by Russia.
Why it matters: The formal determination transfers supervision of the case to the State Department's Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which will work with other government and non-government agencies and organizations to "develop a strategy to secure" Gershkovich's release.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reversed his decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who was initially sacked after calling on the government to suspend its judicial overhaul plan.
Why it matters: Netanyahu’s decision to keep Gallant in place is seen by many as a major achievement for the anti-government protesters, who held spontaneous demonstrations in support of the defense minister after his firing was announced two weeks ago.
China on Monday sentenced two leading human rights defenders each to more than a decade in prison, according to the family of one of the activists.
Driving the news: The 14-year sentence for legal scholar Xu Zhiyong and 12-year sentence for human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, who were both convicted on "subversion" charges, are the latest move in the Chinese government's yearslong crackdown on dissent.
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into reports that a trove of apparently classified U.S. intelligence documents was leaked online from the Pentagon, the Defense Department said on Sunday night.
Driving the news: Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in an emailed statement that officials are assessing the validity of the material, which the New York Times reports indicates that U.S. intelligence has penetrated Russia's military and also apparently spied on allies including Israel, South Korea and Ukraine.
Tesla will open a "Megafactory" in the Chinese city of Shanghai, the electric vehicle maker announced Sunday.
The big picture: The factory "will initially produce 10,000 Megapack" battery units per year, equal to about 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, to be sold globally, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua first reported on Sunday.
