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The stories that most affect the U.S. Latino community on both sides of the border, in collaboration with Noticias Telemundo.

Latin America and Latinos

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned in a speech Thursday that despite the current focus on Russia and the war in Ukraine, China poses the "most serious, longterm challenge" to the international order. 

What he's saying: “China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order — and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it,” Blinken said. The U.S., however, is "not looking for conflict or a new Cold War." 

“Beijing’s vision would move us away from the universal values that have sustained so much of the world’s progress over the past 75 years," Blinken said.

"Under President Xi, the ruling Chinese Communist Party has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad."

“We cannot rely on Beijing to change its trajectory. So we will shape the strategic environment around Beijing to advance our vision for an open and inclusive international system.”

The big picture: Blinken laid out the U.S. approach to China, including investing in domestic infrastructure, education and working training, and research and innovation.

The Biden administration has sought to reengage with U.S. allies and partners, as well as international organizations, as it tries to "advance a shared vision for the future," Blinken said.

The secretary of state pointed to U.S. cooperation with G7 partners, and rejoining of the World Health Organization and UN Human Rights Council, as indicative of this approach.

Blinken also spoke of the asymmetrical access that Chinese companies have to the U.S., saying "this lack of reciprocity is unacceptable and it's unsustainable." Instead the U.S. will "push back on market distorting policies and practices" to even the playing field and ensure fair competition.

"We're sharpening our tools to safeguard our technological competitiveness," including new and stronger export controls, increased protections for academic research and improved cyber defenses, Blinken said. 

Worth noting: Days after President Biden seemingly diverged from the U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity” regarding Taiwan, Blinken stressed that U.S. policy "has not changed." 

Blinken also slammed China's record on human rights, referring to the genocide and crimes against humanity being carried out against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, the mistreatment of Tibetans, and the use of "anti-democratic measures" in Hong Kong.

"Beijing insists that these are somehow internal matters that others have no right to raise. That is wrong," he said.

In a repudiation of anti-Asian hate in the U.S., Blinken firmly stated that differences with China are between "governments and systems" and that Chinese nationals in the U.S., Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans have claims to the U.S. that are "equal to anyone else's."

"Mistreating someone of Chinese descent goes against everything we stand for as a country."

What to watch: Blinken expressed support for the creation of a China House at the State Department to "coordinate and implement our policy across issues and regions."

Our thought bubble via Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: The speech makes clear that the Biden administration’s China strategy will continue to echo many of the same points as the Trump administration.

During his seminal speech on U.S. policy towards China in 2018, then-Vice President Mike Pence defined the U.S.-China relationship as one driven by competition and confrontation.

Pence accused China of using its military, spies, economic power and propaganda prowess to undermine the U.S. around the world and influence its domestic politics.

Blinken: China poses "most serious, longterm challenge" to world order

China is the "only country" with the both the intent and ability to reshape the international order, Blinken said.

Antony Blinken speaks about US policy towards China at George Washington University on May 26. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Tony Blinken

Politics & Policy

Axios from Tel Aviv

Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata will travel to Washington, D.C., next week for talks with his White House counterpart Jake Sullivan on Saudi Arabia, President Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel, and the stalled nuclear talks with Iran, three Israeli officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Hulata is the Israeli point of contact as the White House quietly meditates between Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt on finalizing security arrangements for two strategic islands in the Red Sea. 

Israel and the U.S. hope that if a deal is reached, it could create trust and momentum and lead to separate normalization steps by Saudi Arabia towards Israel. 

Driving the news: Hulata will travel to Washington with a delegation of national security, foreign policy and intelligence officials who will hold another round of talks at the U.S.-Israel strategic forum on Iran, the Israeli officials said.

Hulata and his team want to continue discussing a possible “Plan B” for a scenario in which the U.S. does not return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in the near future.

Israeli officials say they want the U.S. and its European allies to push for a censure resolution against Iran at the upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors meeting in June.

State of play: Hulata is expected to discuss with Sullivan Biden's upcoming visit to the Middle East. He will also be briefed about the visit by Biden's advisers to Saudi Arabia and on the progress of the talks the U.S. had with Saudi officials on the Red Sea islands and possible normalization steps, Israeli officials said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Hulata's expected visit. 

Behind the scenes: In the last year, Hulata was the main point of contact for the Israeli government with the White House, primarily on Iran.

Hulata has led a tough line on Iran, but at the same time encouraged Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to avoid public clashes and maintain good relations with the Biden administration.

Israeli officials said Hulata stressed in a security cabinet meeting that Israel will have to continue working closely with the Biden administration on Iran with or without a return to a deal. 

Hulata led the Israeli diplomatic campaign against removing the Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps from the U.S. foreign terrorist organizations list.

Israeli officials say the campaign contributed to President Biden’s decision not to remove the IRGC from the terror blacklist without reciprocal moves from Iran.  

What’s next: No final date for Biden’s visit to Israel has been set yet, but Israeli officials said they hope to lock it down during next week’s talks.   

Go deeper: U.S. negotiating deal among Saudis, Israelis and Egyptians

Key Israeli official to travel to U.S. for talks on Biden visit, Iran and Saudi Arabia

Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata will meet with his White House counterpart Jake Sullivan.

Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata speaks in Bahrain on Nov. 21, 2021. Photo: Mazen Mahdi/AFP via Getty Images

Painful memories of the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed 23 and wounded dozens are flooding back for city residents and leaders, who say Uvalde will have a lot of work to do to heal from Tuesday's massacre. 

Flashback: A gunman who authorities say was motivated by hate for Hispanics killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso on Aug. 3, 2019.  The alleged shooter, a young white supremacist who drove to El Paso from the Dallas area, has yet to face trial. 

What they're saying: El Paso County Judge Ricardo A. Samaniego, one of the leaders who helped lead the city after the 2019 shooting, said it took him a couple hours to regain his composure after he learned about Uvalde. 

"You have a healing garden, you have a vigil, and (you think) something great will happen and then all of a sudden, you feel like you didn't do anything because it just happens again," Samaniego said. 

Samaniego said it's crucial to talk about those feelings that resurface when there are other shootings. "We can't keep it in our chest."

Former El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, who was at the city’s helm during the shooting, struggled to hold back tears while talking to Axios.

“I just get emotional every time time I think about or talk about our August 3, and somebody said, ‘Maybe you got PTSD,’ and maybe I do,” Margo said. 

Margo said Uvalde would need to work together to move forward. 

The big picture: Although much smaller, the city of Uvalde in many ways is like El Paso. It’s over 80% Hispanic, full of tight-knit families, devout Catholics and hardworking people.

As more information about the Uvalde shooting emerges, El Paso City Council member Cassandra Hernandez said it's hard not to think about the grief experienced in 2019. 

“I think El Pasoens, when we hear about shootings, it takes us to that time. Even though a lot of us were not directly impacted, we still mourn and we still try to take every day day by day,” said Hernandez, who represents the district where the tragedy took place. 

Tuesday's shooting also prompted Hernandez to talk to her children about how to protect themselves, something many parents are grappling with. 

 Subscribe to Axios Latino and get more news that matters about Latinos and Latin America, delivered right to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Uvalde shooting stirs up painful memories for El Paso residents

“When we hear about shootings, it takes us to that time," one El Paso leader said.

A girl is seen holding hands with another person while they are in a circle prayer group in Uvalde, Texas

Mourners pray in Uvalde, Texas. Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images

Mass shootings

A young girl holds hands with others during an outdoors prayer circle in Uvalde, Texas

Uvalde, Texas, may have been unknown to most Americans before Tuesday's mass shooting, but this town has deep roots in the Mexican American struggle for civil rights.

The big picture: The massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead on Tuesday took place in a school district home to one of the most crucial school walkouts in civil rights history.

Uvalde also has educated Latino journalists, historians and intellectuals for generations. 

For decades, residents of the town, named after Spanish military commander Juan de Ugalde, lived with economic and racial divisions between whites and Mexican Americans. 

Flashback: In 1970, a small group of Mexican American students in Uvalde staged a walkout to protest the district's refusal to renew the contract of Josue “George” Garza, a popular Mexican American teacher.

The students gave an all-white school board a list of 14 demands, including hiring more Mexican American educators and offering Chicano history courses.

The school board refused to negotiate, and the walkout grew from 20o or so students to 500 people. It would last for six weeks and became one of the longest school walkouts in U.S. history.

What they're saying: “We were tired of the discrimination,” former student Sergio Porras told the Voces Oral History Center. “We said, 'We’ve had enough of this. Why don’t we do a huelga, or just walk out?' It just happened.”

The intrigue: The white Uvalde leaders brought in the Texas Rangers to help squash the protests. Texas Rangers stood on buildings with rifles pointed at demonstrators as helicopters flew low.

The protest was eventually quashed, and students were flunked for a year. Many left and completed school elsewhere.

Yes, but: Mexican Americans in Uvalde were mobilized as the Chicano Movement grew. They ran for office and slowly took over the city's political offices.

Genoveva Morales, a mother of 11, successfully sued the Uvalde school district for discrimination and led a 40-year fight to get the district to integrate schools.

The walkout also influenced Latino students in other parts of Texas to demand an end to discrimination. 

Alfredo R. Santos, one of the participants of the Uvalde walkout, later became a labor organizer for Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, and then a journalist. 

Legacy: Monica Muñoz Martinez benefited from the Uvalde walkout years. Educated in the Uvalde, the future historian said she was influenced by the activism and turned her attention to the violence Mexican Americans faced along the border.

Martinez was recognized as one of 25 MacArthur fellows for 2021 and was awarded a  $625,000 “genius grant.” 

The Mexican American civil rights links in Uvalde

The town is home to one of the most important school walkouts in civil rights history.

Uvalde resident Olga Muñoz Rodriquez protesting discrimination against Mexican Americans in 1970s. 

Uvalde resident Olga Muñoz Rodriquez protesting discrimination against Mexican Americans in 1970s. Photo: Voces Oral History Center/University of Texas

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Two Russian soldiers on Thursday pleaded guilty to war crimes in the second such trial of the unprovoked war in Ukraine.

Driving the news: State prosecutors asked for Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov to be jailed for 12 years for shelling a town in eastern Ukraine, a violation of the laws of war, Reuters reports.

The two captured Russian soldiers acknowledged that they were involved in shelling in the Kharkiv region, which destroyed an educational establishment in the town of Derhachi.

The defense lawyer asked for leniency for the soldiers, saying they were following orders.

"I am completely guilty of the crimes of which I am accused. We fired at Ukraine from Russia," Bobikin said in court proceedings, per Reuters.

"I repent and ask for a reduction in the sentence," Ivanov said. 

The big picture: Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian soldier, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for committing war crimes during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Shishimarin was found guilty of firing several shots at and killing an unarmed resident in a Sumy village near the Russian border.

Shishimarin's trial is believed to be the first war crimes trial since Russia's invasion began in February.

What to watch: The final verdict is set to take place on May 31, per Reuters. 

Go deeper ... What counts as a war crime and why they're so hard to prosecute

Two Russian soldiers plead guilty in war crimes trial

The final verdict is set to take place on May 31.

A view of school destroyed after the Russian attacks in the village of Vilhivka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine on May 25, 2022.

A destroyed school after Russian attacks in the village of Vilhivka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine on May 25. Photo: Sofia Bobok/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban are moving to make women "invisible in society" with gender segregation and strict clothing policies, a United Nations official warned during a visit to the country on Thursday.

Driving the news: Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, in a statement criticized other measures, including the suspension of girls' high school education, "severe barriers to employment, no opportunities to participate in political and public life, limits on freedom of movement, association, and expression."

Other directives such as male family member chaperones, the enforcement of a strict form of Hijab that was introduced earlier this month and strong advice to stay at home also "fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation and are aimed at making women invisible in society," he added.

The big picture: The Taliban last year responded to concerns that women could lose hard-won rights and freedoms after their takeover of Afghanistan by saying they would honor women's rights, but within the "frameworks" of Islamic law.

Over nine months after the Taliban seized power, the Ministry of Virtue and Vice has expanded its reach and is now enforcing gender segregation and other restrictions, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

What they're saying: "Afghanistan is facing a plethora of human rights challenges that are having a severe impact on the population," Bennett said, per the statement. 

"The de facto authorities have failed to acknowledge the magnitude and gravity of the abuses being committed — many of them in their name — and their responsibility to address them and protect the entire population," he added.

The bottom line: "The Taliban stands at a crossroads. Either the society will become more stable and a place where every Afghan enjoys freedom and human rights, or it will become increasingly restrictive," Bennett said. 

"If benchmarks are met such as the urgent opening of [high] schools for girls, the establishment of an inclusive administration that genuinely represents every segment of the Afghan society, and a platform is provided for dialogue and avenues for redressing grievances, the risks of further instability and suffering in Afghanistan may be mitigated."

UN official: Taliban are making Afghan women "invisible"

The Taliban have claimed they would honor women's rights, but within the "frameworks" of Islamic law.

Women stich garments at the workshop of a women run company in Kandahar on May 21

Women stich garments at the workshop of a women-run company in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Photo: Javed Tanveer/AFP via Getty Images

Taliban

Axios Media Trends

Axios World

Just 12% of Americans think companies should be operating in Russia as normal, while nearly one third (31%) say multinational firms should never do business in Russia again, according to new data from the annual Axios Harris Poll 100.

The big picture: The vast majority of Americans think companies should place some limitations on their operations in countries with authoritarian regimes, according to the poll.

The Axios Harris Poll 100 is an annual survey to gauge the reputations of the most visible brands in the country.

Russia's war with Ukraine is forcing companies that would rather operate apolitically to take a stand.

The remaining respondents mostly think companies should resume operations once Russia withdraws from Ukraine (27%) or only if there's a change in government in Moscow (30%).

Major global brands like Disney, Ikea and Starbucks have suspended operations in Russia, while McDonalds is selling its restaurants and withdrawing entirely. Still, many others are hedging or staying put.

Zoom out: In general, 82% of Americans agree that “companies should place limits on their business targets in countries with authoritarian governments in order to be able to divest more rapidly and limit impact on their overall financial performance.”

Meanwhile, 79% agree companies should set certain red lines before engaging in joint ventures or investments in authoritarian states.

Just under half (45%) of Americans would have a worse opinion of a company if they knew the company was sourcing supplies and materials from authoritarian countries — though Gen Z (35%) and Millennial (28%) respondents were significantly less likely to hold that opinion than older generations.

The findings were largely bipartisan, though Democrats tend to look less favorably on companies operating in authoritarian countries.

Between the lines: While nearly all Americans (88%) say there are circumstances in which companies should speak out against governments overseas, they're more divided over which specific circumstances.

65% say companies should speak out when the government poses a threat to the company's local employees, while 43% say they should do so when the government violates the company's values. 

Three-quarters (74%) of Americans agree that "companies must largely accept that authoritarian countries present unforeseen and uncontrollable risks that are part of doing business.”

What's next: To operate in countries that oppress free speech and the rights of women and minorities, 55% of Americans expect a trend toward more companies taking "pre-emptive action to define rules and red lines that cannot cross their values and codes of conduct.”

The remaining 45% think companies will prioritize maximizing their profits without setting policies that restrain trade or investment.

Friendly corporate brands poisoned by politics

Authoritarianism is risky business

Just 12% of Americans think companies should be operating in Russia as normal.

Illustration of a briefcase wearing epaulettes.

Axios-Harris Poll 100

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

World bank warns Ukraine war may trigger global recession

Ukraine charges 8 Russian soldiers, mercenaries in killings of mayor and family

EU chief: Sanctions against Russia "draining Kremlin's war machine"

Zelensky signs law to seize and sell Russian assets

Why Zelensky doubts he can deal with Putin

Russian UN diplomat resigns over invasion of Ukraine

Watch: Volodymyr Zelensky interviewed by Jonathan Swan

Russian invasion of Ukraine, as of April 8

The Institute for the Study of War with AEI’s Critical Threats Project; Map: Axios Visuals

The crisis in eastern Ukraine escalated drastically on Feb. 21 when Putin recognized two pro-Russian separatist "republics" and sent Russian "peacekeepers" to the territories.

Ukraine has been battling Russian-backed separatists in the east since 2014, when Russia also occupied and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. U.S. officials began warning in November that Putin could be planning another incursion, possibly to topple the pro-Western government in Kyiv.

The U.S. and its European allies had met with Russian officials in a variety of settings to try to build a diplomatic off-ramp, while also warning that an invasion could be imminent.

Russia had issued a series of demands, including a legal guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO. At the same time, Putin amassed more than 150,000 troops along Ukraine's borders and conducted unprecedented military drills — preparing the option to take military action if Russia didn't secure the concessions it was seeking.

What counts as a war crime and why they're so hard to prosecute

Why Ukraine wants a no-fly zone — but is unlikely to get one

The "kamikaze" drones the U.S. is giving to Ukraine

What Russia's war in Ukraine means for global economic growth

What global companies are abandoning Russia, and why

Divesting from Russia is easier said than done

How Russia's invasion of Ukraine is changing air travel

What to know about Ukraine's wartime president

Here are the Russian oligarchs speaking out against invading Ukraine

Why gas prices are so high and what Biden can do about it

Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine

Local musician Valeriy, 25, carries guitars to a friend's apartment while moving salvageable items from his damaged home on May 25, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. 

A local musiciancarries guitars to a friend's apartment while moving salvageable items from his damaged home on May 25 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

The World Bank is warning the Russian military invasion of Ukraine may cause a global recession as food and energy prices rise, per multiple reports.

What he's saying: "As we look at the global GDP ... it's hard right now to see how we avoid a recession," World Bank president David Malpass said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, according to Sky News. "The idea of energy prices doubling is enough to trigger a recession by itself."

The big picture: The World Bank last month cut its global growth forecast for 2022 by almost a full percentage point, to 3.2% from 4.1% due to the pandemic inflation and "policy uncertainty."

Malpass said Chinese officials' lockdowns in key industrial hubs such as Shanghai had added to the global uncertainty, the BBC reports.

"The waves of COVID-caused lockdowns ... further reduced growth expectations for China," Malpass said.

Meanwhile, developing countries have been affected by shortages in fertilizer, food stocks and energy supplies, Malpass said, according to Reuters.

Go deeper: How the war in Ukraine hurts the U.S. economy

World Bank warns Ukraine war may trigger global recession

"As we look at the global GDP ... it's hard right now to see how we avoid a recession," World Bank president David Malpass said.

COVID-19 in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2020.

World Bank president David Malpass. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

World Bank

U.S. and Japanese forces have held a joint fighter jet exercise over the Sea of Japan, Japan's Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Why it matters: Wednesday's flights took place a day after China and Russia sent military jets near Japanese airspace while President Biden was visiting Tokyo.  

What they're saying: Japan's and the United States' bilateral exercise was designed to "showcase combined capabilities to deter and counter regional threats," the U.S. military said, per Reuters.

The Joint Staff of the Japanese Self-Defense Force said in a statement the drill involving four American F-16 jets and four Japanese F-15 warplanes helped "maintain and reinforce readiness and the ability to contribute to peace and stability in this region."

Japan and U.S. fly fighter jets after Russia-China military drill

China and Russia sent military jets near Japanese airspace while President Biden was visiting Tokyo this week.

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