President-elect Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and met Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), two sources with knowledge of the meeting told Axios.
Why it matters: It was the first meeting between MBS and a member of the incoming Trump administration since the November elections.
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju has made chess history by becoming the youngest world champion after his surprise win over the defending champion, China's Ding Liren, on Thursday in Singapore.
The big picture: The 18-year-old from the southeast Indian city of Chennai's FIDE World Chess Championship win means he's surpassed Garry Kasparov's record set in 1985, when the Russian grandmaster won the title at age 22.
Missing American traveler Travis Timmerman was found outside of Damascus, Syria, after being imprisonedfor months.
Why it matters: His capture in Syria earlier this year was not widely known, but his discovery and release from prison followed the stunning collapse of the Assad regime earlier this week.
Primero Sueño Press was launched this year with the goal of getting more authors of Latino heritage published in both English and Spanish.
Why it matters: Only between 5% and 8% of people who work in the U.S. publishing identify as Hispanic or Latino, per a Government Accountability Office report and an industry survey from Lee & Low.
That makes it practically the "worst field in media for Latino representation," according to a statement last year from Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas).
It can also make it harder for Latino authors to find a traditional publisher.
State of play: Primero Sueño Press is an imprint within Atria, which is part of Simon & Schuster, making it one of very few non-independent publishing houses focused on Hispanics.
The imprint came to be after an influx of funds last year.
Since launching in February, the imprint has published "The Witches of El Paso," from first-time author Luis Jaramillo, which got rave reviews after its October release, and Caro de Robertis' "The Palace of Eros," which feeds into the popular trend of fantasy and mythological retellings.
What they're saying: "When there's a direct line of communication to the community, stories land much more powerfully and are consumed much more broadly," says Michelle Herrera Mulligan, the vice president and associate publisher for Primero Sueño Press/Atria.
That led her to "create a supported effort to expand to new audiences and bridge the gap between the [Latino] community and the publishing industry," she says.
Zoom in: Herrera says the imprint is in search of works from "disruptive voices that we think are radically fresh and original people," and who haven't always gotten a publishing opportunity in the past.
"There's a huge opportunity for Latine writers to break out," especially in genres like romance and thrillers, as well as in self-help for non fiction.
Part of the work of Primero Sueño has included seeking out self-published authors who could otherwise struggle to get in pitches to traditional imprints, as well as establishing relationships with small publishers from Latin America to bring their work to the U.S.
Leveraging the growth of podcasts and of platforms like BookTok and Bookstagram can also lend a major hand to get support for these newer voices, Herrera says.
Between the lines: Reading not only improves cognition, but also self-esteem and empathy when finding stories both similar and dissimilar to our own, studies show.
"So the stakes are really high for us to continue to publish, in English and in Spanish, stories that are very special and targeted to our experience as Latines, even despite all the attacks that may exist and all the challenges to continue," Herrera says.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show Rep. Joaquin Castro is a Democrat (not a Republican).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday that he wants to conclude the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Israeli and U.S. officials said.
Why it matters: There are 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, including seven Americans.
Why it matters: Dystopian fiction around climate chaos and neo-fascist, theocratic regimes has boomed since the 2010s, but in recent years, more writers have tackled dystopian visions around human migration that serve as warnings.
Giving Ukraine a green light to launch missiles into Russia was "a foolish decision" by the Biden administration, President-elect Trump said in an interview with Time magazine.
President-elect Trump did not commit to pursuing a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict, telling Time magazine in a new interview that it's only one of several options in the region.
Why it matters: Trump presented a peace plan in January 2020 that was based on a two-state solution. But he did not recommit to that proposal as his second term approaches.
President-elect Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration ceremony, incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.
Why it matters: Trump's outreach comes after he threatened imposing major tariffs on the country and tapped a bevy of China hawks to join his incoming administration.
The director of the Israeli Mossad met with Qatar's prime minister in Doha on Wednesday for talks about a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal, according to two sources familiar with the visit.
Why it matters: The Mossad director's trip to Qatar was part of an effort to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas before the inauguration of President-elect Trump in January.
