Axios

Algerian Imane Khelif won her semifinal match on Tuesday advancing to the gold medal match in the women's welterweight boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics.

Why it matters: Khelif, who is not transgender and has long competed in women's boxing — including at the Tokyo Olympics — has nonetheless found herself the center of an international firestorm amid questions about her gender.

Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who is the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, to head its political bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh by Israel last week in Tehran, according to an official statement.

Why it matters: The move anchors Sinwar's status as the top — and perhaps even sole — decision maker in Hamas both inside the Palestinian territories and in the diaspora.

Editor's note: This is part of a monthly series spotlighting Latinos who are making a mark in their communities.

Ricardo Cervantes is a co-founder and the CEO of La Monarca Bakery, which includes 12 retail locations in Los Angeles and nationally distributed products. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, he has a degree from Stanford Business School and lives in Los Angeles with his spouse.

Why do you do what you do? My co-founder Alfredo and I met in school in the U.S. and we both shared fond memories of growing up eating pan dulce in Mexico. We started our company not just to make pan dulce, but to create a welcoming place with a distinctive cultural social mission and advancement opportunities in Hispanic communities.

1. Venezuela's regime yesterday started a criminal investigation against opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, opening the door to their arrest.

• The attorney general's office says Machado and González committed alleged insurrection in a statement yesterday asking for the armed forces to refrain from repressing anti-government protesters.
• The Venezuelan government, which claims President Nicolás Maduro was re-elected for a third term without showing proof, has in the past jailed several opposition candidates and figures.

2. Mexican journalist Alejandro Martínez Noguez was killed Sunday in Guanajuato state.

A stellar final round from Australian Arisa Trew allowed the 14-year-old to grab the gold medal in women's park skateboarding, finishing ahead of Japan's Cocona Hiraki and Britain's Sky Brown, who both matched their medal results from Tokyo.

Why it matters: The sport features some of the Olympics' youngest competitors, some of whom aren't yet teenagers.

A slew of new and upcoming books show the growing strength of works by and about Latinos in literature for children and teens.

Why it matters: Latinos and other people of color are finally breaking through various genres in the publishing industry while authentically portraying stories not given much weight before.

Team USA runner Nikki Hiltz finished third in their preliminary heat of the 1500-meters on Tuesday, advancing to Thursday's semifinals.

Why it matters: Hiltz, who was assigned female at birth and competes in the women's category, identifies as transgender and nonbinary and is among just a few such athletes competing at the Paris Games.

The growing risk of twin calamities — recession and war — is suddenly looming over the U.S. election.

• Neither life-altering event is inevitable. But each could imperil Vice President Kamala Harris' ascendant campaign at a critical moment.

Why it matters: For the next 90 days, Republicans intend to treat Harris as the incumbent. That means saddling her with every crisis consuming the headlines, even when her role as vice president is murky or minimal.

President Biden and Vice President Harris were told by their national security team on Monday that it is still unclear when Iran and Hezbollah are likely to launch an attack against Israel and what specifically the attack might entail, three U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Biden administration officials say they are working to prepare for countering the possible attacks and mobilizing diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah to try to minimize their retaliation for the assassinations by Israel of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah's top military commander in Beirut.

Some Paris Olympics athletes are utilizing the world stage to shed light on conflicts in their home countries.

The big picture: While the International Olympic Committee typically steers clear of geopolitics, they have imposed some restrictions regarding world affairs, including a ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus competing under their nation's flags due to Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Japanese stocks saw their worst day today since 1987 as Japan's currency soared to a seven-month high against the U.S. dollar — triggering a selloff in global stocks.

Why it matters: There's an unwinding of the popular "yen carry trade" happening "at lightning speed" that will continue to cause volatility until it's over, Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth, tells Axios.

Nine staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees may have been involved in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, a United Nations investigation found.

The big picture: The UN announced Monday that those nine staffers will be fired, following an internal investigation that was spurred by Israel alleging that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the terrorist attack.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has been outspoken against antisemitism and in support of Israel throughout the war in Gaza. His positions have attracted criticism from some progressives as the biggest point against him now that he's on Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate shortlist.

Why it matters: Pennsylvania is a key battleground in the presidential election. Harris is expected to announce her pick early this week ahead of an appearance in Philadelphia Tuesday to kick off a swing-state tour.

By water and land (and often air), Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles have cemented their status as the G.O.A.T.s of their sports in Paris.

The big picture: Ledecky won her fourteenth medal, a gold, on Saturday in the 800-meter freestyle and extended her record as the most-decorated female American Olympian in history.

Simone Biles captured the silver medal in the women's floor exercise on Monday, the final day of artistic gymnastics competition at Paris' Bercy Arena, with teammate Jordan Chiles grabbing the bronze.

Why it matters: Their floor medals marked the end of a strong, medal-laden performance for Team USA after major challenges in recent years.

PARIS — When judges needed to determine who won Sunday's Olympic 100-meter race, they drew on some fancy new technology — a camera from Omega that shoots 40,000 frames per second, aimed right at the race's last few millimeters.

The big picture: Omega, which has been the Olympics' official timekeeper for decades, is constantly looking for new ways to help measure athletes' performance and figure out just who won.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could start as early as Monday, three sources briefed on the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: Blinken convened the conference call to coordinate with close U.S. allies and try to generate last-minute diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah to minimize their retaliation as much as possible. He stressed that limiting the impact of their strikes is the best chance to prevent all-out war.