Monday, Aug. 15
- A group of lawyers
and journalists filed a lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency
and its former director, Mike Pompeo, over
allegations that the spy agency violated the privacy rights of these
private citizens when they were put under surveillance while and after
meeting with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
Plaintiffs include journalists Charles Glass and John Goetz and lawyers
Margaret Kunstler and Deborah Hrbek, who have
represented Assange.
- The State
Department announced that the United States has engaged with Syrian
officials on the detention of journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in
Syria 10 years ago and is suspected of being held by the Syrian
government. ÒWe have engaged extensively, and that includes directly with
Syrian officials and through third parties,Ó said State Department
spokesperson Ned Price.
- The Justice Department
opposed a request by several news outlets to unseal the affidavit that
backed the search warrant for former President Donald TrumpÕs Mar-a-Lago
home, saying the document contains sensitive material that could
compromise its ongoing investigation.
- First Lady Jill
Biden tested positive for the coronavirus.
Elizabeth Alexander, her communications director, said ÒThe first lady is
double vaccinated, twice boosted and only experiencing mild symptoms.Ó
Tuesday, Aug. 16
- Biden signed the
Inflation Reduction Act, a $740 billion climate change, healthcare and tax
bill, into law. ÒThe American people won and the special interests lost,Ó
Biden said. ÒThis bill is the biggest step forward on climate ever.Ó
- A federal judge
threw out the plea agreements for Jonathan and Diana Toebbe,
a Maryland couple who tried to sell nuclear submarine secrets to Brazil,
because he felt the proposed prison sentence was too low.
Wednesday, Aug. 17
- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, announced that the organization would undergo a ÒresetÓ to
address its shortcomings in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
MPX, or monkeypox, outbreak, and other public
health threats. The changes include internal staffing shifts and steps to
speed up data releases.
- Former Vice
President Mike Pence called on Republicans to stop attacking the FBI over
its search of Mar-a-Lago. ÒOur party stands with
the men and women who stand on the thin blue line at the federal and state
and local level, and these attacks on the FBI must stop,Ó said Pence.
- TrumpÕs former
lawyer Rudy Giuliani appeared before a Georgia special grand jury
investigating attempts by Trump and his associates to overturn his 2020
election defeat in the state.
- NASAÕs new 322-foot
moon rocket, the Space Launch System Artemis 1, arrived at its launch pad
in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of its debut flight. The Artemis program
will mark the first time the U.S. has traveled to the moon in 50 years.
- A federal judge
awarded $650 million in damages to two Ohio counties, Lake and Trumbull,
after they won a landmark lawsuit against national pharmacy chains CVS,
Walgreens and Walmart, arguing that the way
these corporations distributed opioids to local
customers caused serious harm. Attorneys for the counties had originally
requested $1 billion in damages.
Thursday, Aug. 18
- The U.S. and Taiwan
announced that, against ChinaÕs wishes, they have agreed to move forward
with the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, which is a planned
set of trade talks that seek to boost trade and establish common standards
in key areas like environmental regulation and anti-corruption policy. ÒWe
plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard
commitments and meaningful outcomes covering the eleven trade areas in the
negotiating mandate that will help build a fairer, more prosperous and
resilient 21st century economy,Ó said Deputy Trade Representative Sarah
Bianchi.
- The Biden
administration announced that the U.S. will add 1.8 million additional
doses to its supply of MPX vaccines.
- Magistrate Judge
Bruce Reinhart said he is in favor of releasing some of the evidence
submitted by the Justice Department to justify its request for a search
warrant for TrumpÔs Mar-a-Lago resort, saying that Òthere are portions of
the affidavit that could be unsealed.Ó He gave the Justice Department a
week to provide proposed redactions to the affidavit that justified the
search.
Friday, Aug. 19
- Secretary of State
Antony Blinken announced a new $775 million
military aid package for Ukraine that will include Òadditional arms,
munitions, and equipmentÓ from the Defense Department.
- A federal judge
sentenced El Shafee Elsheikh,
33, a member of a British-born ISIS cell known as ÒThe Beatles,Ó to life
in prison without parole over a hostage-taking plot that led to the
beheadings of U.S. journalists and aid workers. ÒThe behavior of this
defendant can only be described as horrific, barbaric, brutal and of
course criminal,Ó District Court Judge TS Ellis said.
Saturday, Aug. 20
Sunday, Aug. 21
- Jill Biden left
isolation after testing negative for the coronavirus
nearly a week earlier. ÒAfter isolating for five days and receiving
negative results from two consecutive COVID-19 tests, the first lady will
depart South Carolina later today for Delaware,Ó a statement said.