Monday, July 26

· President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi agreed to formally end the United States combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021, closing out the ground troop presence in the country after more than 18 years. Biden said the U.S.’s new role will be “to be available, to continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS as it arises.”

· In a meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng blamed the U.S. for the “stalemate” in relations between the two major powers and urged it to “change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy” that attempts to “reignite the sense of national purpose by establishing China as an ‘imaginary enemy.’”

· A Securities and Exchange Commission official said as part of their regular reporting obligations, Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock exchange must disclose the risks of the Chinese government interfering in their businesses.

Tuesday, July 27

· Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave a speech in Singapore during which he said he is committed to having a “constructive, stable relationship” with China. “We will not flinch when our interests are threatened,” Austin said. “Yet we do not seek confrontation.”

· The special committee formed in the House to probe the causes, events and aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol heard testimony from four police officers who faced off against rioters. “I was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country,” DC Police Officer Michael Fanone recounted. “I was at risk of being stripped off and killed with my own firearm as I heard chants of ‘Kill him with his own gun.’”

· The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised people in areas where COVID-19 infections are surging should resume wearing masks indoors even if they are fully vaccinated.

Wednesday, July 28

· The Senate reached a deal on Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. “This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver and do big things,” Biden said in statement.

· The Justice Department announced it will return to Iraq about 17,000 antiquities, many of which were seized from the billionaire owner of the arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby. Iraqi Cultural Minister Hassan Nazim said “This is the largest return of antiquities to Iraq … I hope that in the near future we will be able to recover the rest of our goods, especially in Europe.”

· State Department officials held “substantive and professional” talks with Russian diplomats on arms control and related issues. “We remain committed, even in times of tension, to ensuring predictability and reducing the risk of armed conflict and threat of nuclear war,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

· The Treasury Department sanctioned eight Syrian prisons run by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence apparatus where human rights abuses are said to occur.

Thursday, July 29

· Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Afghanistan will become a “pariah state” if the Taliban seizes power there.

· Biden announced that all civilian federal workers will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be regularly tested one to two times a week, socially distance, wear masks at all times and face travel limits.

· An emergency spending bill unanimously passed the Senate increasing the number of visas for allies who worked with the U.S. in the Afghanistan war. It also loosened some requirements for the visas. It allows 8,000 additional visas and provides $500 million for Afghans’ emergency transportation, housing and other services.

· Attorney General Merrick Garland warned Texan Governor Gregg Abbot to “immediately rescind” his executive order aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from entering the state under the guise of COVID-19 protection. “The order violates federal law in numerous respects,” Garland said, “and Texas cannot lawfully enforce the executive order against any federal official or private parties working with the United States.” If Abbot refuses, Garland said the Justice Department would “pursue all appropriate legal remedies.”

· Nearly 100 members of Congress signed a letter calling on Attorney General Garland to investigate the Justice Department’s alleged racial profiling of Asians. “Over the years, multiple people who happened to be of Asian descent have been falsely accused by the Department of Justice of espionage,” the letter said.

Friday, July 30

· The Justice Department sued Abbot to halt his new order targeting undocumented immigrants.

· The Biden Administration announced new sanctions against Cuba’s National Revolutionary Police and two top officials, increasing pressure on Cuba’s community government following months of protest on the island. “The United States is taking concerted action to bolster the cause of the Cuban people,” Biden said.

· The White House confirmed that 221 Afghans arrived as the first of about 2,500 people who worked on the U.S. side in the Afghanistan war evacuating to the U.S. under threat of reprisal from the Taliban.

· Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte reversed course on his plan to cancel the Visiting Forces Agreement, a pact allowing the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines, instead restoring it. A spokesman said Duterte’s decision was “based on upholding the Philippines strategic core interests.”

· The New York Times reported that internal memos from the CDC indicate the Delta variant of COVID-19 is as contagious as chickenpox and could cause severe illness.

Saturday, July 31

· National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urged Tunisian President Kais Saied to return to the “democratic path” after Saied invoked a national emergency over the pandemic to dismiss Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, freeze parliament for a month and seize executive power.

· The federal eviction moratorium, an 11-month ban on people being forced from their housing, expired at midnight amid a tremendous spike in coronavirus infections. The expiration is expected to place millions at risk of being left out on the streets.

· The Justice Department said the U.S. seized a Singapore-owned oil tanker used to make oil deliveries to North Korea, which violates international sanctions.

Sunday, Aug. 1

· Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the country is set to experience more “pain and suffering in the future” as coronavirus cases surge among the unvaccinated. “The solution to this is get vaccinated and this would not be happening,” Fauci said.