Axios

Moscow and Kyiv are on high alert as a series of explosions on both sides of the border, including over the Kremlin, herald a new phase of the war.

The big picture: Tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops — equipped with new Western tanks, artillery and training — are preparing for a critical offensive.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited U.S. citizen Paul Whelan in a remote Russian penal colony on Thursday, according to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

Why it matters: It marked Tracy's first visit with Whelan, a former Marine who has been jailed in Russia since being arrested by on espionage charges in December 2018. The U.S. has rejected the charges against Whelan and has accused Russia of wrongfully detaining him.

Mexico is debating shortening its workweek from 48 hours to 40, but not everyone is on board.

Driving the news: The Mexican bill made it out of committee last week, and it likely has the votes to pass when the legislative session restarts in September.

Hispanics with disabilities in the U.S. have reached a record employment rate, in part thanks to remote work.

By the numbers: About 35.5% of U.S. Latinos ages 16 to 64 with a disability were employed between April 2022 and March of this year, according to the National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) project from the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire.

The mental health crisis among Latinos is not letting up, and experts tell Axios it's time for political leaders and others to step up and promote seeking help in a more culturally relevant way.

The big picture: The pandemic exacerbated mental health needs in the U.S., especially among Latinos, whose rates of depression, anxiety and suicide grew.

President Biden on Thursday called the fighting in Sudan between the forces of two rival generals "a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy."

The big picture: Biden also signed an executive order authorizing potential sanctions on Sudanese officials involved in "destabilizing the country and undermining the democratic transition."

Russia on Thursday blamed the U.S. for an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin, a claim that National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby dismissed as "ludicrous."

Driving the news: "We don’t even know exactly what happened here," Kirby said Thursday on CNN. "But I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever."

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.