Monday, July 11
- Secretary
of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
announced that the United States has extended its Temporary Protected
Status for Venezuelan citizens who have resided in the U.S. since before
March 2021, which shields foreign nationals already in the country from
deportation, for an additional 18 months. Over 6 million people have fled
Venezuela in the face of escalating violence, political upheaval and lack
of supplies including food and medicine.
- Secretary
of State Antony Blinken gave a speech on the
1-year anniversary of anti-government street protests in Cuba. Ò[W]e stand
with you as the Cuban regime, instead of welcoming the voices of the
people, has condemned hundreds of protesters to decades-long prison
sentences,Ó Blinken said. In response, Cuban
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the U.S. of being involved in
efforts to Òsubvert law and orderÓ in Cuba.
- The
Associated Press reported that the National Security Council is continuing
to seek the extradition of a Palestinian woman named Ahlam
al-Tamimi from Jordan. She was convicted of aiding a bombing attack in
Jerusalem in 2001 that killed two U.S. citizens. Al-Tamimi
was released by Israel in a 2011 prisoner exchange with the Palestinian
group Hamas and sent to Jordan.
Tuesday, July 12
- The
House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol held
its seventh hearing. Two of the most significant findings were that former
President Donald Trump set the date of the protest and that Trump tried to
contact committee witnesses, per Vice Chair Liz Cheney. The public session
also featured video snippets from the closed-door testimony of former
White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who confirmed
that he rejected TrumpÕs theory that former Vice President Mike Pence
could overturn the election. Furthermore, the committee drew more links
between far-right groups and Trump.
- Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen met with Japanese Finance
Minister Shunichi Suzuki for a discussion in which they pledged to work
together to address rising food and energy prices, pointing to RussiaÕs
war in Ukraine as the cause of exchange rate volatility.
- Central
Command announced that the U.S. military killed Maher al-Agal, a top ISIS
leader, in a drone strike outside Jandaris, northwest Syria, with another
senior ISIS official Òseriously injured.Ó ÒThe removal of these ISIS
leaders will disrupt the terrorist organizationÕs ability to further plot
and carry out global attacks,Ó said Col. Joe Buccino.
- NASA
released photos taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, which it
described as Òthe deepest, sharpest infrared view of the universe,Ó saying
the telescope marks Òthe dawn of a new era in astronomy.Ó
- The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called on people to get booster
shots and renew their caution about COVID-19 in light of highly contagious
new coronavirus variants, BA.4 and BA.5.
ÒCurrently, many Americans are under vaccinated, meaning they are not up
to date on their COVID-19 vaccines,Ó said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. ÒStaying up to date on your COVID-19
vaccines provides the best protection against severe outcomes.Ó
- The
Treasury Department, the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International
Development sent Ukraine an additional $1.7 billion in assistance to pay
the salaries of its healthcare workers and to provide other essential
services.
Wednesday, July 13
- Vice
President Kamala Harris gave a video address in Fiji to the Pacific
Islands Forum, a key regional summit, in which she announced $600 million
in funding to be distributed over the course of 10 years for maritime
security, the establishment of two new embassies in Tonga and Kiribati,
the re-opening of the U.S. embassy in the Solomon Islands, and the
appointment of the U.S.Õs first-ever envoy to the Pacific.
- The
U.S. sent a ship, the USS Benfold, through the
South China Sea near the disputed Paracel
Islands, which are occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, in
a move that drew condemnation from China. The U.S. said it was a Òfreedom
of navigation operationÓ that was necessary to assert rights and freedoms
under international law.
- John
Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and ex-White House
national security advisor under Trump, admitted in a CNN interview, while
fielding a question about TrumpÕs ability to stage a coup, that he helped
plan coups in foreign countries. ÒAs somebody who has helped plan coups dÕetat — not here but, you know, [in] other
places — it takes a lot of work,Ó Bolton said.
- President
Joe Biden arrived in Israel on his first tour of the region since taking
office in 2021. In his opening remarks, Biden said ÒYou donÕt need to be a
Jew to be a Zionist. The connection between the Israeli and American
people is bone deep É I am proud to say that U.S. relations with Israel
are deeper and stronger than they have ever been.Ó
Thursday, July 14
- Biden
and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint declaration toward preventing
Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In reply, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that
Iran would have a Òharsh and regrettable responseÓ to any ÒmistakeÓ
committed by the U.S. or its allies.
- Joshua
Schulte, a former Central Intelligence Agency software engineer, was
convicted of leaking classified information to whistleblowing
website WikiLeaks, one of the biggest data
thefts in CIA history. Schulte was convicted of eight espionage charges
and one obstruction charge over the so-called ÒVault 7Ó leak.
- Texas
sued the Biden administration over federal guidelines directing doctors to
perform emergency abortions in cases where the life of a pregnant patient
is at risk. The lawsuit accuses the Biden administration of attempting to
Òtransform every emergency room in the country into a walk-in abortion
clinic.Ó
Friday, July 15
- NASA
and the Russian space agency Roscosmos signed an
agreement to integrate flights to the International Space Station,
allowing Russian cosmonauts to fly on U.S.-made spacecraft and vice versa.
Roscosmos said the deal Òis in the interests of
Russia and the U.S. and will promote the development of cooperation within
the framework of the ISS program.Ó
- Biden
claimed that the U.S. is pushing Israel on accountability for the May
killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by the
Israeli army. ÒThe United States will continue to insist on a full and transparent
accounting of her death and will continue to stand up for media freedom
everywhere in the world,Ó Biden said at a conference, although he made no
mention of the Israeli militaryÕs responsibility.
- Biden
met with senior Saudi officials including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He said he brought up the murder of Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi. ÒAs I always do, I
made clear that the topic [of human rights] is vitally important to me and
to the United States,Ó Biden said. ÒWith respect to the murder of Khashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting,
making it clear what I thought of it at the time, and what I think of it
now.Ó
- The
House voted to restore abortion rights following the Supreme CourtÕs
overturning of Roe v Wade, passing a bill to codify Roe with 219 votes in
favor and 210 against. The bill still has little chance of becoming law
because it lacks support in the evenly divided Senate.
- The
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced the
U.S.Õs first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline: the
9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The service is aimed at putting Òcrisis
care more in reach for people in need.Ó
Saturday, July 16
- The
U.S. and Saudi Arabia released a joint statement expressing their
commitment to ensuring the stability of global energy markets after Biden
held talks with senior Saudi officials.
- Biden
spoke to the leaders of the six countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council
— Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab
Emirates — as well as Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. He said the U.S.
Òwill not walk awayÓ from the Middle East and leave a vacuum to be filled
by Russia, China or Iran. ÒWe will seek to build on this moment with
active, principled, American leadership,Ó Biden said.
- The
Iranian government blacklisted 61 current and former U.S. officials over
their backing of the Mojahedin-e Khalq, a group that openly calls for overthrowing the
current Iranian establishment. Iran considers the group to be a terrorist
organization. Officials include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy,
Senators Ted Cruz and Cory Booker, and former National Security Advisor
Lincoln Bloomfield.
Sunday, July 17