Axios

Ukraine "expressed readiness to accept" a U.S. proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia, the two countries said in a joint statement after a key meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.

Why it matters: A ceasefire, if implemented, would be a major diplomatic breakthrough in the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine. But the Kremlin has yet to weigh in on the U.S. proposal.

Columbia University has not helped the Department of Homeland Security identify individuals the government claims engaged in "pro-Hamas activity," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Tuesday press briefing.

Why it matters: Columbia, which has already had $400 million in federal grants and contracts canceled over allegations of allowing antisemitism on campus, has said in statements it will continue to support its students and staff despite pressure from the Trump administration.

As we prepare for St. Patrick's Day in the United States, we wanted to examine how it's celebrated across the pond.

Why it matters: "It's a holiday created for immigrants by immigrants for us to put our best foot forward as Irish people on a global stage," Ireland native Clodagh Mai O'Callaghan tells Axios.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a new app that officials say will allow immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally to report when they "self deport."

Why it matters: The move comes after the Trump administration shut down the CBP One app that facilitated the legal entry of migrants at the border, and as immigrant removals in President Trump's first days in office fall behind the daily average in the final weeks of former President Biden's term.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to open negotiations to resolve longstanding disputes over the land border between the countries, two U.S. officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: The Trump administration successfully pushed the two sides to come to the table just months after Israel invaded Lebanon as part of its war against Hezbollah. The border talks are intended to help stabilize the ceasefire brokered by the Biden administration last November.

Ukraine launched a massive drone assault on Moscow Tuesday — its largest bombardment on the Russian capital of the war, officials said.

Why it matters: The attack underscores Kyiv's enduring aerial power as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss terms of a possible ceasefire with Russia.

President Trump calls nuclear weapons the "greatest existential threat" humanity faces, but he may be ushering in a world of more nuclear powers and fewer nuclear guardrails.

Why it matters: Trump on Sunday reiterated his urgent hope to halt the nuclear spiral in which China, Russia and the U.S. are developing ever-more sophisticated tools to end life on Earth.

Federal agents' arrest of Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil — a lawful permanent U.S. resident with a green card — is being criticized by free-speech advocates who see it as a chilling escalation of President Trump's immigration crackdown.

Why it matters: The White House doesn't see Khalil's arrest as a First Amendment issue. It says his actions — helping to lead campus protests against Israel's treatment of Palestinians last year — run afoul of President Trump's recent executive order banning antisemitism.

A federal judge ruled President Trump does not have "unbounded power" on foreign aid and ordered his administration to pay some congressionally appropriated funds that USAID owes grant recipients and contractors.

Why it matters: "The constitutional power over whether to spend foreign aid is not the President's own — and it is Congress's own," wrote U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in an order partially granting a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's moves to gut USAID.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody at Manila's international airport on an Interpol arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on Tuesday morning local time, local officials said.

The big picture: The ICC in 2021 formally authorized an official investigation into alleged crimes against humanity during Duterte's war on drugs when he was president.

Pope Francis' health condition continues to improve and he's no longer facing immediate threat of dying from pneumonia, according a Monday update from the Vatican.

The big picture: After nearly a month hospitalized, the 88-year-old Catholic church leader's "clinical condition remains stable," though he'll have to remain in a hospital to continue treatment, the Vatican said.

White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is planning to travel to Moscow later this week for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a source with direct knowledge confirmed.

Why it matters: The meeting with Putin is planned to take place several days after a key meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that will focus on a possible ceasefire in the war with Russia.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) spent the weekend in Ukraine gathering harrowing information on the impact of President Trump's pause on military aid and information sharing.

Why it matters: "When you negotiate the end of a conflict, you want to be negotiating from a position of strength," Kelly said. "What the administration did — cutting off weapons to Ukraine and cutting off intelligence — is the exact opposite of that."