Axios

President Biden laid out a plan to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas and end the war in Gaza in a speech on Friday, offering details of the Israeli proposal for the first time.

Why it matters: Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas reached a deadlock three weeks ago. Biden, CIA Director Bill Burns, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior U.S. officials have been personally involved in efforts to reach a breakthrough, but a deal remains elusive.

Most Western leaders have now given Ukraine permission to use advanced long-ranged weapons they've provided to strike targets in Russia, fulfilling a request Kyiv asked for weeks ago.

Why it matters: The move greatly increases Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's ongoing, unprovoked invasion, as Russia has exploited the West's embargo by organizing troops and equipment near Ukraine's border but out of range of more traditional weapons.

Former President Trump declared himself a "very innocent man" on Thursday and said the U.S. has "has gone to hell" after becoming the first American president to be convicted of a felony.

The big picture: Trump joins a long list of leaders across at least 78 countries who, since 2000, have left office and been jailed or prosecuted — including in democracies like France, Israel and South Korea.

In the wake of a deadly Israeli strike at a tent camp in Rafah earlier this week, an image calling for people to pay closer attention to the events in the Gazan city has spread like wildfire on social media.

Why it matters: Unlike other viral content throughout the Israel-Hamas war, the image appears to be AI-generated and has drawn criticism for sanitizing the catastrophic humanitarian toll of the war on Gaza.

The candidate who on Sunday will be elected as Mexico's next president faces an uphill battle in stemming violence.

The big picture: Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's security policies, which included creating the National Guard and giving it tremendous power — while staying mostly away from battles with cartels and focusing on employment and education instead — have largely failed to stem criminal activity, experts say.

Luckin Coffee's fortunes have perked up, four years after an accounting scandal cost the Chinese company its top executives, its Nasdaq listing, and $180 million in fines.

Why it matters: Many had left Luckin for dead, assuming its remains would get steamrolled by Starbucks.

The White House is set to hold a trilateral meeting between U.S., Egyptian and Israeli officials in Cairo next week to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing and a plan for securing the border between Egypt and Gaza, three U.S. and Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: A plan for reopening the crossing, preventing Hamas from smuggling weapons into the Strip from Egypt and maintaining a tenuous peace between Israel and Egypt are top priorities for the Biden administration.

Mexicans on Sunday are likely to elect their first woman president in a historic election that has centered around surging violence.

Why it matters: The new leader of Mexico, the U.S.' biggest trading partner, could make or break bilateral collaborations that have helped stem the flow of northbound migration.

A Hong Kong court found 14 of 16 prominent pro-democracy activists guilty of subversion charges on Thursday in a case that was condemned by rights groups.

Why it matters: The activists were among 47 charged in the largest trial concerning China's sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in the global financial hub four years ago.