Axios

Former President Trump added to a baseless conspiracy theory he's peddled about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs during a Univision Noticias town hall in Doral, Florida, on Wednesday.

Why it matters: After Trump and other Republicans amplified the false rumors that began in Springfield, Ohio, and spread online, residents in the community faced security threats.

Israeli officials have been assuring their U.S. counterparts that Israel will act quickly to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza following an ultimatum from the Biden administration, two Israeli officials tell Axios.

Driving the news: Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin sent a letter to Israeli leaders on Monday warning that shipments of U.S. weapons to Israel could be affected if Israel does not take steps within 30 days to improve the conditions in Gaza, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) levied a record fine against German airline Lufthansa Tuesday for discriminating against Jewish passengers who were stopped from boarding a 2022 flight.

Why it matters: The $4 million fine is the largest that the DOT has slapped an airline with for a civil rights violation.

One year after joining SAIC, Lauren Knausenberger has thoughts — about artificial intelligence, information warfare, critical infrastructure, commercial innovation and, maybe most importantly, instantly hot water.

• Axios interviewed her at the company's corporate headquarters in Reston, Virginia.

Why it matters: Knausenberger previously served as the chief information officer at the Department of the Air Force, where she oversaw a portfolio totaling $17 billion. She is now the executive vice president and chief innovation officer at SAIC.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering a post-war plan for Gaza based on ideas developed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates that would be presented after the presidential election, U.S. officials say.

Why it matters: Several officials in the White House and State Department are concerned the plan would marginalize Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his government, which is what Israel and the UAE are pushing for in the immediate term.

1. New data revealed by Panamanian authorities shows an increase in the number of people crossing the Darién Gap last month.

• The increase is being attributed to more Venezuelans leaving the country after the results of the July 28 elections.
• President Nicolás Maduro says he won a third term, which international observers dispute, and has cracked down against protests demanding he show the vote count.

2. Former Bolivian President Evo Morales is threatening to call for street blockades and a massive strike in response to an arrest warrant against him.

• Morales is accused of statutory rape in a case stemming from 2020, charges he says are politically motivated to stop him from trying to run in next year's presidential election.
• Another march called for by Morales last month ended in skirmishes between his supporters and police in the capital, La Paz.

Children help with a tree plantation drive in Masca, northern Honduras. Source: via Noticias Telemundo

Fisherwomen and men in Honduras are taking it upon themselves to help repopulate a critical swamp area affected by erosion.

State of play: The loss of mangroves, or coastal tree areas, is happening at a faster rate than general forest loss, according to studies.

• That affects biodiversity and these tropical forests' capacity to help mitigate global warming.
• In response, a community dedicated to fishing in Masca, northern Honduras, has been planting new trees and shrubs in the area.

What they're saying: "We are just really hoping to help recover some of what's been lost, including fish and crab species," fisherman Mario Martínez tells Noticias Telemundo.

Former President Trump is saying that to carry out mass deportations he'd employ a 226-year-old law that was previously used to detain "enemy aliens" in times of war.

Why it matters: The use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in the 21st century could result in the unfair detention of lawful immigrants and their U.S.-born children, especially at a time when the outcome of a legal challenge is uncertain under the conservative-majority Supreme Court.

The Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli leaders on Monday demanding Israel take steps within 30 days to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel being affected, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios.

The big picture: Israel is highly dependent on U.S. military aid as it fights a war on several fronts and has been under intense scrutiny as warnings emerge again about the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny predicted that he would die in prison — almost two years before his death in a remote Arctic penal colony, according to excerpts of his posthumous memoir published by The New Yorker.

Why it matters: The book — called "Patriot" and out next Tuesday — acts as Navalny's "final letter to the world," publisher Penguin Random House said.

The Salt Typhoon cyberattack that reportedly targeted U.S. wiretap systems could be one of the most damaging China-backed cyber espionage campaigns ever, per The Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The hack may have given the Chinese government unprecedented access to U.S. foreign-intelligence surveillance systems and electronic communications that major internet service providers like Verizon and AT&T collect based on U.S. court orders.

Canada and India expelled top diplomats from each other's countries as a standoff between the two governments over the murder of a prominent Sikh community leader intensified on Monday.

The big picture: Officials in Canada say there's credible evidence linking Indian government officials to the shooting death on Canadian soil of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in June last year. Indian officials deny any wrongdoing.