U.S. aid to Ukraine is emerging as the biggest potential casualty from Kevin McCarthy's ouster as House speaker, as GOP candidates jostle for support from a conference that has grown increasingly hostile to the war effort.
Why it matters: Publicly, McCarthy toed a skeptical line on Ukraine, keenly aware that any misstep would trigger a backlash from the right flank that ultimately sealed his fate. Privately, he struck a tone far more aligned with the national security establishment.
A group of 20 Democratic senators sent a letter to President Biden on Wednesday, raising concerns about a possible mega-deal with Saudi Arabia and calling on him to demand Israel make "meaningful and enforceable" concessions to the Palestinians as part of any such agreement.
Why it matters: If a mega-deal is reached, some parts of it will likely have to be approved by the Senate. That means the Biden administration will need the support from Democrats, including those who are critical of the Saudi or Israeli governments or both.
Senior Biden advisers quietly visited Saudi Arabia last week to continue talks on a potential mega-deal that could include a peace agreement between the kingdom and Israel, two sources with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.
President Biden in a conference call Tuesday morning stressed to the leaders of nearly a dozen U.S. allies and partners that he is committed to continue giving military assistance to Ukraine as long as it takes, according to the White House.
Why it matters: There are mounting fears among America's allies, particularly in Europe, that the U.S. may stop providing aid to Ukraine amid opposition from a growing number of Republicans in Congress.
Brazil's highest court is debating whether to decriminalize abortions that occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Why it matters: InBrazil, Latin America's most populous country, religion runs deep, yet polling shows support for a total ban has waned. The country could follow in the footsteps of other major Latin American countries that have expanded abortion rights over the past few years.
Latinas with bachelor'sor professional degrees have to contend with a wider pay gap between them and their non-Hispanic white male peers than do other working Hispanic women, per a National Women's Law Center analysis.
The big picture: Although educational attainment is seen a means to economic stability, college-educated Latinas are still paid less than their white male peers and in some cases less than white men with less education.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (D) in a letter to President Biden on Monday said "the federal government's lack of intervention and coordination" over migrants at the border "has created an untenable situation" for the state.
Driving the news: Pritzker wrote that governors and mayors from border states had in the past 13 months transported 15,000 people to Illinois "like cargo in a dehumanizing attempt to score political points."
The Biden administration is scrambling to try to assure U.S. allies that war aid to Ukraine will continue despite the growing number of Republicans in Congress who oppose it, four sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Ukraine's government, U.S. allies in Europe and NATO officials are increasingly worried that if the aid doesn't continue, Ukraine's ability to resist Russian forces could be weakened dramatically.
