Axios

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is opening an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats' candidate for vice president.

Why it matters: The panel has spent the last year and a half trying to bring to light damaging information about President Biden. Now, it is setting its sights on the new Democratic ticket.

Protests against Venezeulan President Nicolás Maduro's widely disputed claims that he won re-election are expected around the world on Saturday.

Why it matters: Since declaring victory after the July 28 elections, Maduro's autocratic government has arrested hundreds of protesters, raising concerns about human rights abuses as the the opposition continues to say its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won by a wide margin.

OpenAI said Friday it deactivated a cluster of ChatGPT accounts this week that were using the AI chatbot to craft fake news articles and social media comments as part of an Iranian disinformation campaign.

Why it matters: Nation-state adversaries have already shown a vested interest in disrupting the 2024 U.S. elections — and experts fear AI tools like ChatGPT could speed up their ability to craft disinformation.

Iran, not Russia, is proving to be the biggest nation-state threat to the U.S. presidential election in November.

Why it matters: Russia and Iran have grown more brazen and hungrier in their attacks on the U.S. elections, officials say, and the final stretch of the presidential election could see even more chaos.

The U.S. presented a new bridging proposal to Israel and Hamas on Friday in an effort to close the remaining gaps in the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement.

Why it matters: The latest round of negotiations underway in Doha, which Israeli officials have said is "the last chance" to get a deal, comes amid intense regional tensions and threats by Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel in retaliation for the recent assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Tehran and Beirut.

With the support of the Biden White House, the United Steelworkers Union (USW) has established a beachhead in the domestic solar industry, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: For organized labor, it's a deeper step in unionizing an industry that's expected to explode with new positions and products, bolstered by billions of dollars in tax breaks from Biden's signature climate and clean tech legislation.

Some progress was made on Thursday during the first day of the latest round of negotiations on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said. Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators and Israeli negotiators decided to continue the talks for another day.

Why it matters: The summit in Doha, which Israeli officials have said is "the last chance" to get a deal, comes amid intense regional tensions and threats by Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel in retaliation for the recent assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Tehran and Beirut.

CIA director Bill Burns earlier this week awarded the head of the Qatari State Security Agency, Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, the "George Tenet" medal for his work on strengthening intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and Qatar, according to two sources with knowledge of the issue.

Why it matters: The ceremony at CIA headquarters earlier this week took place amid intense diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and Qatar to reach a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

1. The UN has concluded that Venezuela's elections cannot be classified as free or fair, adding a relevant international voice to calls for the regime of Nicolás Maduro to back up its claims that he won a third straight term.

• The brief from UN experts who were in Venezuela during the July 28 elections comes as the country's Supreme Court, led by Maduro allies, is close to certifying the alleged results despite the outcry.
• The International Criminal Court also announced this week that, following its case into probable human rights violations in Venezuela, it is monitoring the reports of mass arbitrary arrests and the torture of protesters.

An effort by three Texas-based scholars involved in a global movement to diversify the works of William Shakespeare is growing, with more performances and a second volume of plays.

Why it matters: The scholars are making Shakespeare more accessible to U.S.-Mexico border communities and beyond.

Once the epicenter of the Chicano Movement, Central California is at risk of losing its Latino history amid broad political shifts and lack of preservation.

Why it matters: As the Latino population grows and becomes more diverse in the region, past lessons are being lost, depriving a new generation of activists of stories on how people once battled poverty and inequality — issues that persist in the Central Valley.

Latinos and Native Americans are more likely to be killed by police than white Americans and are much younger at the time of their deaths, according to newly released data.

The big picture: A mapping initiative by Campaign Zero, an organization that advocates against police violence, found that nearly 13,400 people have been killed by law enforcement in the U.S. since 2013, and Hispanics and Indigenous people account for around 22% of those deaths, probably more.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is promoting Caitlin Gubbels to head of global private equity. She succeeds Suyi Kim, who's been in the role since 2021 and with CPPIB for 17 years.

Why it matters: CPP is one of the world's largest investors in private equity, including both company and fund stakes, with around US$100 billion in assets.

A Russian court on Thursday convicted a Russian-American woman on treason charges and sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

The big picture: Ksenia Karelina, 33, was detained in Russia in February while visiting family. She was not included in the historic prisoner swap that freed fellow Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan earlier this month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement Thursday that he did not speak with former President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Why it matters: A crucial round of negotiations with senior U.S., Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli officials is set to take place in Doha on Thursday to try to close the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas.

Columbia University president Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday following months of criticism from students, donors and members of Congress over how she handled pro-Palestinian protests on campus, she announced in a letter addressed "to the Columbia community."

Why it matters: Shafik is the third Ivy League president to step down following backlash to congressional testimony earlier this year on alleged campus antisemitism. Elite colleges have struggled to balance the right to protest with student safety — none more so than Columbia, which became the epicenter of the student protest movement.