Axios

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said more should be done to protect civilian lives in Gaza as Israel continues its bombardment and ground offensive against Hamas in the enclave.

Driving the news: "Far too many Palestinians have been killed; far too many have suffered these past weeks," Blinken told reporters in New Delhi. "We want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them."

President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in San Francisco, where the APEC summit begins this weekend, the White House announced Friday morning.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has been working behind the scenes to improve communication between the superpowers as tensions rise over Taiwan and other military and economic issues.

The complexity of Americans' views about the Israel-Hamas war has been playing out at city halls across the country.

Driving the news: Many officials taking stands in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack have been met with protests, hours of public comment and personal attacks — mostly from those demanding acknowledgment of the Palestinian perspective and, increasingly, a ceasefire.

All U.S. House members will have an opportunity on Tuesday to view footage of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel before receiving a briefing on the war in Gaza, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The 43-minute compilation has been described as an "unceasing display of horrors" from the assault that killed over 1,400 Israelis.

Under U.S. pressure, Israel agreed to begin "tactical localized humanitarian pauses" in the fighting in northern Gaza neighborhoods for four hours a day, Israeli and U.S. officials said Thursday.

Why it matters: The decision is a shift in policy for Israel, which for weeks had largely resisted the Biden administration's push for pauses in Israeli forces' assault on Gaza for humanitarian reasons. Israeli officials initially saw the pauses as a pathway to a ceasefire that the Israeli public doesn't want.

Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill and in the Biden administration are rallying around the president for his support of Israel, amid protests and criticism from the party's left wing.

Why it matters: The protests have highlighted divisions among Democrats but also have prompted an outpouring of support for the president from Jewish politicians and leaders across the country.

President Biden said Thursday it has taken Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a little longer than I hoped" to meet Biden's request to briefly pause the fighting in Gaza, after saying he doesn't believe a full ceasefire is possible.

Why it matters: The criticism was unusual for Biden, who has publicly given Netanyahu his full backing since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7,

The mainstream success of artists like Bad Bunny has opened the door for U.S audiences and the music industry to discover different and diverse Latin music genres, sources tell Axios Latino.

Why it matters: U.S. venues are starting to book more Latino artists from non-mainstream genres, illustrating audiences' more welcoming attitudes toward varied Latino music and creators.

A new bill introduced in the House Thursday would require the U.S. intelligence community to share unclassified, open-source intelligence with other government agencies and Congress.

Why it matters: A growing number of offices and agencies across the U.S. government are now focusing on sustained competition with China, but many lack in-house Chinese language and regional expertise. Greater access to translated unclassified U.S. intelligence could help bridge that gap and improve policy-making and implementation.

Transgender people can be baptized in the Catholic Church and serve as godparents, per an official Vatican document published Wednesday.

Why it matters: The decision builds on Pope Francis' support for LGBTQ+ people, who have faced marginalization from the church — though the pope has previously approved a Vatican doctrine that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions because God "does not and cannot bless sin."

The U.S. military conducted an airstrike on Wednesday on a facility controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups in eastern Syria, the Pentagon said.

The big picture: This is the second such airstrike in recent weeks and it comes after 41 attacks by pro-Iranian militias against U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq since the Israel-Hamas war started, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Dana Stroul told reporters on Wednesday.