U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators are intensifying their efforts to reach a hostage deal and temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas amid growing concerns of a violent escalation in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan, three U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The raging war and dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza add to a backdrop of violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinians in recent years during Ramadan, which is expected to begin Monday.
President Biden was caught on a hot mic after his State of the Union address telling a Democratic senator he'd told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu they were going to have a "a come to Jesus meeting" about the situation in Gaza.
Why it matters: Biden is under pressure from members of his own party to push Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza and do more to allow the flow of aid. In the exchange, Biden seemed to be boasting of having taken a tough line with Netanyahu on that issue.
Coral bleaching is expected to continue on "multiple, major" reef regions due to ongoing marine heatwaves — with the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, among the areas hardest hit.
The big picture: That's according to a NOAA forecast that notes reef areas in the central equatorial and southwestern Pacific and western Indian Oceans are among the worst affected. Its four-month outlook for the Great Barrier Reef predicts a 90% chance of bleaching.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on Friday it was monitoring reports of "imminent" extremist plans to target large gatherings in the Russian capital over the over the next 48 hours.
The big picture: The embassy did not disclose any other information about the reported threats but warned U.S. citizens to avoid crowds and to be aware of their surroundings.
Former President Trump came out in support of TikTok in the face of congressional legislation pushing for Chinese divestment from the app in a Thursday night post that also attacked Facebook.
Israel's government must take the humanitarian crisis in Gaza seriously and not use aid as leverage, President Biden said in his State of the Union address Thursday.
Why it matters: Biden's emphasis in the speech on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the more than 30,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict reflects the shift in the administration's view of the war over the last few weeks amidDemocrats' criticism of Biden's backing of Israel.
