Axios

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of the U.S. Central Command, that Israel will continue information and intelligence sharing with the U.S., despite concerns after a trove of top-secret Pentagon documentswas leaked online, two Israeli defense officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The leak of classified documents included sensitive details from U.S.-Israeli consultations and threatened to complicate the vast intelligence sharing between the two allies.

BEIRUT — The U.S. this week urged crisis-hit Lebanon to move “expeditiously” to elect an "appropriate" president six months after the last head of state departed the presidential palace.

Why it matters: Divisions between the different regional and world powers have stalled the country's presidential election, compounding the country's growing economic crisis that has plunged millions into poverty.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic lawmakers told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month that his government’s judicial overhaul plan makes it harder for them to defend Israel in the U.S., two people, including a member of Congress, who attended the meeting tell Axios.

Why it matters: Netanyahu suspended the judicial overhaul legislation in March after mass protests and pressure from the U.S., but Jeffries' message suggests there is still concern among Democrats that the process may resume before Israel has reached a broad consensus on judicial reform.

Federal police in Brazil searched former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's home and seized his phone on Wednesday in what they said was an investigation into fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

Why it matters: Police are investigating whether Bolsonaro, who has long denied being vaccinated, had false information inserted into a government database so that he and his family members could receive vaccination certificates, which they then used to travel to the U.S., the WSJ reports.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday for an official visit that included a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Why it matters: It is the first visit to Syria by an Iranian president since the country's civil war broke out in 2011. Iran has been one of the main backers of the Assad regime during the war and is now looking to play a key role in reconstruction efforts.

Mexico will continue taking Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians removed by the U.S. after the pandemic border policy Title 42 ends next week, according to announcements on Tuesday night.

Why it matters: Reaching an agreement with Mexico has been viewed as a critical piece of the Biden administration's preparation for a post-Title 42 migration surge.

A teenage boy opened fire on a school in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Wednesday, killing nine, including eight children, according to authorities.

The big picture: The suspected shooter, who police said was born in 2009 and is a student at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in the Vračar district, has been arrested, according to the Interior Ministry. At least six other children and a teacher were injured.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Prominent Palestinian detainee Khader Adnan died in Israeli custody on Tuesday after an 87-day hunger strike, prompting Palestinian factions in Gaza to fire dozens of rockets toward Israel and the Israeli military to respond with air strikes on the Palestinian enclave.

The big picture: Adnan was a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group and was perceived by many Palestinians as a symbol of resistance. His death and the rocket fire that followed could lead to a wider escalation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

President Biden is planning to nominate former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2022, as his ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, according to people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: Biden has been looking for a soft landing for the former lawmaker, who lost his seat in upstate New York after being pummeled by negative Republican ads, but helped minimized House Democrats' losses in the midterms.

The U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority recently sent the State Department a new report about the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, according to a senior U.S. official and a letter written by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and sent to Secretary of State Blinken.

Why it matters: Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin nearly a year ago. The killing has been a point of tension in the U.S.-Israel relationship and a sensitive political issue within the Democratic Party.

Data shows Afro Latinos have higher educational attainment rates but fewer markers of financial success when compared to other Latinos.

Why it matters: An analysis of the data in a report by UCLA's Latino Policy and Politics Institute is among the first to delve into the differences and disparities between Afro Latinos and Latinos who are not Black.

A new project at the University of New Mexico seeks to record oral histories and gather photos of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants in the U.S. who are the descendants of formerly enslaved Black people.

The big picture: The multi-state initiative is part of a growing number of international efforts investigating the often overlooked history and lives of Afro Mexicans.

A recent deep dive into how the criminal justice system's assumptions of who is Hispanic and who is not found that Latinos who are perceived to be racially white are much less likely to serve prison time.

The big picture: The study is the latest to indicate how Latinos, who can be of any race, may be treated differently by criminal justice institutions based on someone's assumption of their ethnic background. These studies could help inform how Latinos interact with the criminal justice system and lead to reforms.

Local governments and businesses across China are hoping to tap pent-up demand from Chinese consumers who are enjoying their first big holiday since the end of COVID restrictions and the resulting surge in cases in December and January that kept many at home.

Why it matters: Consumption has led China's economic growth so far this year, but manufacturing data unexpectedly dropped off in April, raising concerns about continued recovery. Record-breaking travel and consumption during the May Day holiday could offer a needed economic boost.

A war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan would be a nightmare scenario for America's allies in the Pacific, but it’s becoming increasingly clear what roles they might play if one breaks out.

The big picture: French President Emmanuel Macron declared last month that Europe should not get “caught up in crises that are not ours,” such as escalation over Taiwan sparked by U.S.-China rivalry. U.S. allies in the region don’t have that luxury.