U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week urging him not to move forward with legislation that would limit the ability of Israeli nongovernmental organizations to raise money from foreign governments, two Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Netanyahu took the legislation off the table for further review following U.S. and European pressure.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry will boycott a conference in Jerusalem next week that will focus on the growing wave of attacks by Jewish Israelis against Christians in Jerusalem, according to the organizers and Israeli Foreign Ministry officials.
Why it matters: It's a highly unusual decision. Israel's Foreign Ministry is the main government agency tasked with strengthening relations with the Christian world and Israel's ties with the different churches.
A bipartisan group of senators is introducing a bill to enhance cybersecurity cooperation between the Department of Homeland Security and Abraham Accords countries — Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, according to a statement shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The bill is aimed at boosting the partnerships between the U.S. and the Abraham Accords countries to help defend against shared cyber threats from Iran and other "hostile cyber actors," including targeting critical infrastructure and ransomware attacks, the senators said in the statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to give a speech next week at the Israeli Embassy's reception celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary, according to a White House official and an Israeli source.
Why it matters: Vice presidents, including Joe Biden and Mike Pence, have attended the reception in the past. But President Biden's decision to send such a high-level representative to the event carries extra weight considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still hasn't received a White House invitation — five months after taking office.
Asian American voters tend to lean away from the Democratic Party as their roots in the U.S. deepen, according to data from a Pew Research Center study published this month.
Why it matters: The latest findings show that ballots from the fastest-growing racial or ethnic segment of the population could be up for grabs in future elections — not unlike Latino voters.
America's biggest corporate titans are resuming trips to China and going out of their way to defuse — or at least downplay — tensions between the world's two largest economies.
Why it matters: D.C. and Beijing's growing antagonism contrasts sharply with business leaders who hope to showcase China's importance to economic growth.
Residential areas of Moscow came under attack on Tuesday for the first time since explosions first sounded in Kyiv 460 days earlier — the latest instance of the war in Ukraine coming home to Russia.
The big picture:Tuesday's drone attack was the second in Moscow this month after two drones exploded near the roof of the Kremlin on May 3. The Russian capital had previously been largely shielded from the conflict apart from the effects of sanctions.
Plumes of smoke from wildfires scorching southeastern Canada's Nova Scotia province are drifting across the Northeastern U.S. and prompting air quality alerts in several cities through Wednesday.
Environmental regulators in Italy on Monday identified a chemical that turned part of Venice's famous Grand Canal bright green.
Why it matters: The regional environmental agency for the state of Veneto said an initial analysis of water samples revealed that the chemical behind the color was fluorescein.
Brett McGurk, President Biden’s senior Middle East adviser, took a low-profile trip to Oman earlier this month for talks with Omani officials on possible diplomatic outreach to Iran regarding its nuclear program, according to five U.S., Israeli and European officials.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has said it is extremely concerned about the advances in Iran's nuclear program and the risk of it leading to a regional military escalation.
China announced it aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, highlighting another arena for competition with the U.S.
Driving the news: Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, announced the plans at a press conference on Monday, adding that the goal of a crewed Moon landing would be to carry out scientific exploration and technological experiments, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
The rate of Hispanics killed by law enforcement officers jumped nearly 45% in the last decade, according to newly released data reviewed by Axios.
The big picture: It's been three years since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police, resulting in a worldwide racial reckoning and protests against police brutality. But little data exists on how police violence affects Latinos.
A rare meetingbetween the U.S. and China's top commerce officials last week was followed by a failed attempt to get the countries' defense chiefs together, underscoring the difficulty of getting the two superpowers back on speaking terms.
Why it matters: The U.S.-China relationship has fallen to a new low point, and U.S. attempts this year to bring China back to the table have largely been rebuffed.
European countries are turning to existing laws to regulate cutting-edge technology like ChatGPT in the absence of legislation that deals directly with artificial intelligence.
Moscow came under attack from at least eight drones early Tuesday morning, Russian officials said,signaling that the Russian capital is no longer entirely shielded from the war in Ukraine.
Driving the news: Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of carrying out the "terrorist attack," but said all eight drones were shot down or had their systems jammed. Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnky, claimed Ukraine was not "directly involved" but was "watching with pleasure."
Fire evacuation orders are in effect across Canada as firefighters respond to dozens of wildfires in the country's east and west.
The big picture: Officials in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax said Monday evacuations had impacted some 18,000 people due to a wildfire that's burned some 200 properties in the Nova Scotia provincial capital, where a state of emergency was declared Sunday.
President Biden on Monday called for the "immediate repeal" of Uganda's severe new anti-gay law and warned he may impose sanctions and other penalties in response.
Driving the news: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed legislation Monday that Human Rights Watch notes criminalizes "merely identifying" as LGBTQ and imposes severe punishments for violations related to same-sex relations, including the possibility of the death penalty.
