Monday, Aug. 16

á           President Joe Biden announced that his administration approved a permanent increase to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, starting Oct. 1, in a move to help low income families afford healthier food choices. The average benefits will now increase 25% above pre-pandemic levels: About $36, from $121 to $157. About one in eight people in the United States currently receive SNAP benefits.

á           Biden defended the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as the Taliban swiftly takes over the country. ÒAmerican troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,Ó Biden said.

á           The State Department laid out conditions for recognizing a new Afghan government that Òupholds the basic rights of its people, that doesnÕt harbor terrorists, and that protects the basic rights of its people, including the basic, fundamental rights of half of its population — its women and girls — that is a government that we would be able to work with,Ó according to spokesman Ned Price.

Tuesday, Aug. 17

á           The Taliban told the Biden administration that it will allow a Òsafe passage of civiliansÓ to the airport in Kabul, still under the control of American forces. ÒWe intend to hold them to that commitment,Ó National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

á           The Air ForceÕs Office of Special Investigations said that it is launching a probe into the deaths of civilians related to an American C-17 flight that departed Kabul, including reports of people falling from the airborne plane and human remains that were later found in a wheel well.

á           The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, John Sopko, released a report listing the failures of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, explaining that the U.S. Òstruggled to develop and implement a coherent strategy.Ó ÒIf the goal was to rebuild and leave a country that could sustain itself and pose little threat to U.S. national security interests,Ó Sopko wrote, Òthe overall picture is bleak.

á           The Treasury Department confirmed that it froze nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank and stopped shipments of cash to Afghanistan in an effort to keep the Taliban from accessing funds as it gained control of the country.

Wednesday, Aug. 18

á           The State Department and other agencies that have operated in Afghanistan and worked with Afghan citizens directed personnel to scrub their websites of information, articles and photos that could tie Afghan citizens to cooperation with the U.S. to protect them from the TalibanÕs retribution.

á           The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule banning the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on food crops. The pesticide has been linked to neurological damage in children. The rule overturns a 2017 decision by then-EPA administrator Scott Pruitt to keep the pesticide on the market.

á           Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and other health officials recommended that all Americans get a COVID-19 booster shot to reinforce their protection against the virus amid the surging delta variant. ÒRecent data makes it clear that protection against mild and moderate disease has decreased over time,Ó Murthy said. This new data revealed that the vaccineÕs antibody protection begins to diminish after about eight months.

á           Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said officials are working 24/7 in Òan enormously challenging and fluid situationÓ to get the countryÕs citizens and allies out of Afghanistan.

á           District Judge Miranda Du ruled that a 1929 law — Section 1326 of the Immigration and Nationality Act — that made it illegal for deported migrants to re-enter the U.S., is unconstitutional, based on Òracist, nativist rootsÓ and discriminates against Mexican and Latino people.

á           U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that permits for ConocoPhillipÕs Willow project on AlaskaÕs North Slope had been incorrectly approved because the analysis by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately analyze its climate impact or specify how polar bears would be protected.

Thursday, Aug. 19

á           Congressional committees like the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vowed to press the Biden administration on what the U.S. did wrong in Afghanistan to cause the Taliban to gain power so quickly during the U.S. ground troop withdrawal.

á           The Federal Trade Commission filed a new monopoly lawsuit against Facebook after a judge dismissed an earlier complaint in June. The FTC alleges that Facebook violated antitrust laws by buying Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate them as competitors.

á           Capitol police arrested a suspect who allegedly threatened to detonate a bomb near Congress.

Friday, Aug. 20

á           The Biden administration sanctioned two Russian entities — ship owner Nobility and insurer Constanta — over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, an oil pipeline that will run from Russia to Germany and is feared will give Russia a stranglehold on EuropeÕs energy grid.

á           The White House announced that Biden will nominate former White House chief of staff and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as ambassador to Japan and R. Nicholas Burns as ambassador to China.

á           The U.S. extended a one-month ban on nonessential travel along the borders with Mexico and Canada to slow the spread of COVID-19 until at least Sept. 21.

á           In a White House speech, Biden pledged to ensure the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan and said more than 18,000 people have been airlifted out of the country since July. National Security Advisor Sullivan reiterated this promise over the weekend.

á           A challenge to BidenÕs eviction moratorium brought by two chapters of the National Association of Realtors headed to the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court kept it in effect.

Saturday, Aug. 21

á           No news to report.

Sunday, Aug. 22

á           Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Singapore to start a brief tour of Southeast Asia to reassure countries in the region of the U.S.Õs commitment to resisting Chinese influence.

á           Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the Defense Department had activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet so U.S. airlines and charter carriers, totaling 18 planes for the first stage of mobilization, can transport Afghan evacuees currently in the Middle East or Europe to other parts of the world.