Two men were charged in Montana for allegedly killing 3,600 birds, including eagles, and selling them on the black market, per court documents.
Driving the news: Simon Paul of Montana and Travis John Branson of Washington were indicted last week on one count of conspiracy, 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count of violating the Lacey Act – a federal law that combats trafficking of illegally taken wildlife.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to discuss the Gaza crisis and the efforts to prevent a wider war in the region, two U.S. officials said.
Why it matters: U.S. officials see Saudi Arabia as key to preventing the Gaza crisis from expanding further into the region and as a major partner in any strategy for what comes next.
The Biden administration is again holding up the licenses for selling more than 20,000 U.S.-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The decision to send the rifle deal for another review by the State Department signals the Biden administration remains concerned the Israeli government isn't doing enough to curb violence by extremist settlers.
China's real estate boomover the past 20 years created new wealth at an astounding rate. But Chinese women were largely shut out of this real estate bonanza, academic and journalist Leta Hong Fincher writes.
The big picture: State-backed and social pressure to marry, the association of masculinity with home ownership, and China's real estate laws meant many women handed over their salaries to pay for a mortgage in their husband's name alone.
The House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party yesterday released a landmark report declaring China's economic system to be "incompatible with the WTO." The report proposes nearly 150 recommendations to restore U.S. economic and tech competitiveness.
Why it matters: The future of the World Trade Organization may be at stake. The committee calls for like-minded countries to form a new multilateral organization that excludes non-market economies if China's approach to economic governance can't be brought into line with WTO standards.
The COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, ended Wednesday after nearly 200 nations adopted a deal that calls for "transitioning away" from fossil fuels.
Why it matters: This is the first COP agreement to mention moving away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change — though it still does not include the term "phase out."
What they're saying: The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center said in a public service announcement that ongoing tensions over the conflict "likely heighten the threat of lone actor violence."
The average temperature in the Arctic this summer was the warmest on record, per a report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky'sdisappointing visit to Capitol Hill confirmed his worst fears: The future of U.S. aid to Ukraine has become firmly affixed to one of the most intractable debates in American politics.
Why it matters: Even Republicans sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause — with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) chief among them — have drawn a red line. There will be no further aid to Ukraine if Democrats do not agree to substantial changes to U.S. border policy.
Under mounting U.S. pressure, the Israeli government will "likely" soon reopen the Kerem Shalom border between Israel and southern Gaza to allow aid trucks to enter the enclave, senior Israeli officials told Axios on Tuesday.
Why it matters: If Israel reopens the crossing, it will represent a significant shift in its policy, which has been to refuse to allow any aid to enter Gaza through its territory since the Oct. 7 attack.
Top Israeli military officials are in Washington to show U.S. officials Israel's military strategy for Gaza, outline their plans to capture or kill Hamas leaders — and discuss the enclave's post-war future, three Israeli officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The meetings come as President Biden is pushing for Israel's aggressive ground attack against Hamas to end within a few weeks — and warning Israeli leaders that they're losing international support for the war in Gaza.
President Biden, during a fundraiser in Washington on Tuesday, called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to make changes to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why it matters: This is a shift for Biden, who has mostly refrained from openly criticizingthe Israeli leader and his policies since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, and it signals growing disagreement about what happens after the war.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Activists at COP28 in Dubai brought the war in Gaza to the forefront of the UN climate talks over the last two weeks, linking their calls for climate justice to their demands for a ceasefire.
The big picture: The theme — "there's no climate justice without human rights" — has for years been a common message of the climate justice movement, but activists this year were specifically focused on calling for the rights of Palestinians to be respected and the end to the war in Gaza as Israel's bombardment and ground offensive continue to intensify.
President Biden will meet on Wednesday at the White House with family members of Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, a White House official and a member of one of the families told Axios.
Why it matters: This is the first time Biden is hosting families of hostages at the White House and it comes amid renewed efforts by Qatari and Egyptian mediators to relaunch negotiations on a deal to secure the release of more hostages.
The future of border security includes robot dogs and AI-powered border inspectors.
Driving the news: U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced last week it had awarded Virginia-based Pangiam a contract to build an artificial intelligence tool to scan vehicles and cargo crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Lawyers for jailed Russian opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said they have not been able to contact him for at least seven days and that he did not appear at a now-postponed trial on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Navalny's disappearance coincides with the start of the Russian election season, as he went missing just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he'll run for another six-year term.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Capitol Hill on Tuesday to make a last-ditch plea for more U.S. military aid to support his country's defense against Russia's ongoing invasion.
Why it matters: Congressional Republicans have held up an aid package the Biden administration proposed for Kyiv. The White House has warned that previously allotted aid for Ukraine could run out by year's end without congressional action, as the country faces another tough winter of fighting.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Countries are headed for marathon climate negotiations, after receiving a draft decision text from the COP presidency on Monday that pleased virtually no one.
Why it matters: This summit is likely to be judged by its language on the future of fossil fuels, as well as provisions on climate adaptation and finance.
The U.S. government is building a "virtual wall" at the southern border by erecting hundreds of high-tech surveillance towers — some of which use artificial intelligence — to detect people in an effort to reduce drug smuggling and sky-high unauthorized migration.
Why it matters: A record-high number of people have entered the U.S. through the southern border this year, resulting in multiplecrises and exacerbating U.S. Customs and Border protection staffing shortages. But the new surveillance technology is giving rise to concerns over civil liberties, digital watchdogs say.
