A White House spokesperson responded bluntly on Tuesday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claim that the Biden administration is withholding weapons from Israel: "We genuinely do not know what he is talking about."
Why it matters: Netanyahu's remarks, made on video in English, were one of his harshest public criticisms of the Biden administration since the war in Gaza began on October 7. They come despite the fact that the U.S. has only withheld one weapons shipment since the war began, while providing billions worth of arms and ammunition.
My great-great-grandmother,Francisca Martinez, was a woman of mystery who may have been born to parents who escaped slavery.
The big picture: An unknown number of Mexican Americans are the descendants of fugitive enslaved people who went south of the border for freedom. As we approach Juneteenth on Wednesday, I am thinking about how I am likely one of them.
Half a million undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens may get an easier path to citizenship with a new program announced by President Biden on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Biden has been in hot water with immigrant advocates after restricting asylum access at the border earlier this month.
U.S. authorities have temporarily halted avocado inspections in Mexico after Department of Agricultureinspectors were held and physically assaulted last week during a local protest.
Why it matters: A vast majority of avocados in the U.S. are imported from Mexico. Most are grown in the state of Michoacán.
The U.S. warned China on Monday that it is obligated to protect the Philippines following a collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
Why it matters: The incident is the latest in the disputed waterway, ratcheting up the potential for conflict at a time when U.S.-China relations are increasingly tense.
Over the past eight years France has watched with schadenfreude as its ancient rival, England, fell into political and economic chaos. Now, however, the tables are turned.
Why it matters: Both French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called surprise early elections to take place in the next couple of weeks. But while a stable U.K. outcome is easy to predict, France is much more likely to enter a period of discord and turmoil.
U.S. and Israeli intelligence agenciesare looking into new information about computer modeling byIranian scientists that could be used for research and development of nuclear weapons, two U.S. officials plus one current and one former Israeli official told Axios.
Why it matters: The purpose of the modeling is unclear. Some U.S. and Israeli officials said the intelligence is a worrying signal about Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, but other officials on both sides said it as a "blip" that doesn't represent a shift in Iran's policy and strategy towards weaponization. Iran has repeatedly denied wanting nuclear weapons.
An Indian national accused of plotting to kill a U.S. citizen in New York pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal court on Monday after being extradited to the U.S.
Why it matters: The Department of Justice alleged last year that the thwarted murder-for-hire plot Nikhil Gupta, 52, participated in was directed by an Indian government employee.
China's rise to global economic powerhouse was propelled in part by a historic property boom. Now, a yearslong housing crisis keeps dragging the economy down — a notable reversal in the economic dynamics between the China and U.S.
Why it matters: China's government stimulus measures to shore up its property sector have yet to produce results. Efforts to offset that pain by boosting manufacturing and exports face intense pushback from other global powers, such as the U.S.
Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich's trial on espionage charges in Russia will begin on June 26, Russian state news agency TASS reported Monday.
Why it matters: The closed proceeding is likely to be a mere formality, resembling the sort of sham trials faced by other critics of the Kremlin.
Alarmed by repeated warnings from top FBI and military officials, a former acting CIA director and a legendary foreign policy thinker write bluntly in Foreign Affairs: "The United States faces a serious threat of a terrorist attack in the months ahead."
Why it matters:Michael Morell and Graham Allison write that there are striking echoes of the run-up to 9/11 — including warnings about Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda by then-CIA director George Tenet.
