Axios

Journalist Alicia Menendez says she will use her new show on MSNBC to take viewers inside the policy decisions that most affect them.

The big picture: Menendez is one of few Latinas on national news networks. The underrepresentation of Latinos in media can lead to simplistic or inaccurate portrayals of the roughly 63.7 million Hispanics living in the U.S.

About 99% of all Americans live near at least one Mexican restaurant, a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from SafeGraph has found.

Why it matters: The proliferation of Mexican restaurants — once staples only of the Southwest and parts of the Midwest — highlights the growing influence of Mexican Americans on U.S. culture and the effects of increased migration from Mexico over the last 30 years.

More than $1 billion worth of weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine have not been properly tracked and remain "delinquent," according to a new Department of Defense Inspector General report.

Why it matters: The revelation comes as opposition to sending more aid to Ukraine has grown among Republicans in Congress in recent months, and Kyiv pleads for more aid to support its defense against Russian forces.

Nearly 10,000 people died from COVID-19 in December, fueled by holiday gatherings, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The big picture: The JN.1 variant has been the dominant COVID variant, and its rise suggests it's either more transmissible or better at dodging immune systems than other strains that are floating around.

U.S. Latino comedians have largely become successful by performing in English, but one Venezuelan comic is flipping the narrative by selling out shows and drawing a massive online following with his entirely Spanish-language sets.

The big picture: The surging popularity of 29-year-old Angelo Colina comes as demand for Spanish-language content grows.

The Biden administration will send an unofficial delegation including former senior officials to Taipei after this weekend's presidential election, senior administration officials said.

Why it matters: The visit will mark a show of support for Taiwan after months of intense pressure from China, which opposes Taiwan's self-governance, but is also likely to raise tensions with Beijing.

The International Court of Justice is set to hold two days of preliminary hearings beginning Thursday on South Africa's case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

The big picture: Israel has rejected the allegations as "atrocious and preposterous." But the case could have serious implications for its global reputation and set a legal precedent.

Senior Biden adviser Amos Hochstein is expected to visit Beirut on Thursday to continue efforts to calm tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border as skirmishes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah escalate, the White House said.

Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials told Hochestein in Tel Aviv last week that there is only a short window of time to find a diplomatic solution that will prevent an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The UN Security Council adopted a U.S.-led resolution on Wednesday demanding the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen immediately halt their attacks on merchant and commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Driving the news: The attacks "impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security," reads the resolution, which passed 11-0 with four abstentions.

The quick escalation of violence in Ecuador, where armed men broke into a TV station days after the country's most notorious criminal escaped from prison, points to a complex and prolonged conflict that's been slowly brewing.

State of play: President Daniel Noboa, who took office in November, declared an internal armed conflict on Tuesday and ordered the mobilization of military and police to "neutralize" criminals. Citizens were told to stay home and classes were suspended.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken told Israeli leaders on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia wants to normalize relations with Israel after the Gaza war ends, but it won't agree to any deal if the Israeli government doesn't commit to the principle of a two-state solution, two U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.

The big picture: Blinken also made clear to the Israeli officials that Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries won't get involved in day-after solutions for Gaza — mainly reconstruction — without a path to a future Palestinian state, the sources said.

A China-based company now has the ability to break the encryption surrounding Apple's AirDrop feature, according to a statement from China's Justice Bureau.

Why it matters: China-based law enforcement officials say they've already been able to identify a person who shared a video while on the Beijing subway "with inappropriate remarks" using the popular file transfer tool, per an English translation of the statement.

Voters in Taiwan say cross-strait relations is a top consideration as they cast their votes in Taiwan's presidential election this Saturday.

Why it matters: Taiwan's residents increasingly identify as "Taiwanese" rather than "Chinese," and surveys have also found a rise in the number of people who support moving the country closer to independence.

Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have more than tripled in the three months following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, according to new Anti-Defamation League (ADL) preliminary data.

Driving the news: Antisemitic cases involving incidents like physical assault, harassment and vandalism, were higher than the total number of antisemitic episodes tracked in almost every year since ADL started monitoring this data in the late 1970s, the group said Wednesday.

China will "never compromise or yield on the Taiwan issue," China's Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday after the conclusion of a U.S.-China military dialogue held in Washington, DC.

Why it matters: The stark language is standard for China but also underscores that the Chinese government is firmly committed to its core interests ahead of improved ties with the U.S. The statement also comes ahead of a key election in Taiwan, in which cross-Strait relations are a top issue for voters.

President Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk met in Doha on Tuesday with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdelrahman al-Thani and discussed regional tensions and efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, according to a U.S. source and two other sources familiar with the trip.

Why it matters: Qatar is a key U.S. ally in the region and is assisting the Biden administration with efforts to free the hostages held by Hamas. It is also passing messages to Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels to try to cool down regional tensions.

The American and British navies shot down at least 21 drones and missiles in the Red Sea that the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched from Yemen as commercial ships were passing through the region, U.S. Defense officials said Tuesday.

Why it matters: Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the key shipping route that began in protest of the Israeli offensive in Gaza threatens supply chains and the global economy, and prices of goods around the world are spiking due to the disruptions.