Russia and North Korea signed a pact Wednesday in Pyongyang pledging mutual defense if either country is attacked, multipleoutletsreported.
Why it matters: The agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un came during Putin's first trip to North Korea in more than two decades as both counties face increasing animosity from Western countries, including the U.S.
The White House canceled a high-level U.S.-Israel meeting on Iran that was scheduled for Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video on Tuesday claiming the U.S. was withholding military aid, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: President Biden's top advisers were enraged by the video — a messageU.S. envoy Amos Hochstein delivered personally to Netanyahu in a meeting hours after it was published, two U.S. and Israeli sources say. Then the White House decided to go a step farther by canceling Thursday's meeting.
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.
