Monday, July 4

• The State Department said Israeli military gunfire was “likely responsible” for the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, but that independent investigators could “not reach a definitive conclusion” regarding the origin of the bullet that killed her. “Ballistic experts determined the bullet was badly damaged, which prevented a clear conclusion,” the department said in a statement.
• United States basketball star Brittney Griner, who is incarcerated in Russia, appealed to President Joe Biden to do all he can to secure her release, saying that she is “terrified” she might remain imprisoned forever. Griner was arrested at a Russian airport in February on charges of carrying vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage.
• A federal judge sided with three major American drug distributors — AmerisourceBergen Drug Company, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corporation — who were defendants in a lawsuit that accused them of driving the opioid epidemic in Cabell County, West Virginia, by distributing 81 million pills over eight years there. “While there is a natural tendency to assign blame in such cases, they must be decided not based on sympathy, but on the facts and the law,” District Judge David Faber wrote. “Plaintiffs failed to show that the volume of prescription opioids distributed in Cabell/Huntington was because of unreasonable conduct on the part of defendants.

Tuesday, July 5

• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to discuss economic issues including international trade and supply chains. Yellen called China’s economic policies “unfair” and “non-market.”
• The Justice Department awarded a $98,000 payout to be divided among six men who filed a lawsuit over two decades ago after they were rounded up by the government in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and held without charges in a federal jail in conditions that the department’s watchdog called abusive and harsh.

Wednesday, July 6

• Biden spoke with Cherelle Griner, the wife of basketball star Brittney Griner, to assure her that he is working to win Griner’s freedom as soon as possible and offered “all possible assistance” to her family.

Thursday, July 7

• FBI Director Chris Wray joined his United Kingdom counterpart Ken McCallum to raise alarm about Chinese economic espionage, warning that the Chinese government’s “covert pressure across the globe” amounts to “the most game-changing challenge we face.” Wray claimed that China is determined to steal technology from Western tech firms for competitive gain.
• The Pentagon disclosed that General Mark Milley held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Li Zuocheng, emphasizing the need to “responsibly manage competition” and “maintain open lines of communication” between the two world powers.
• The Labor Department reported that more Americans applied for unemployment benefits for the week ending July 2 an increase of 4,000 from the previous week, while layoffs remained low. This was the fifth consecutive week that unemployment claims topped the 230,000 mark, rising to 235,000, the most in almost six months.
• Internal Revenue Service spokesperson Jodie Reynolds revealed that the Treasury Department’s inspector general has been ordered to review the circumstances surrounding the intensive tax audits that targeted two former FBI officials who were frequent targets of former President Donald Trump’s vitriol: ex-FBI Director James Comey and ex-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
• The U.S. charged Haitian citizen Jean Pelice for his alleged role in the gang kidnapping of 16 American missionaries near Port-au-Prince last year.

Friday, July 8

• Biden signed an executive order to help secure abortion access and reproductive health services in the U.S. two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to protect and expand access to abortion services such as out-of-state travel and federally approved medication, and to ensure women have access to emergency medical care, family planning services, and contraception, among other directions.
• Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone testified behind closed doors to the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The interview was videotaped but not publicly broadcast. Cipollone has been described by others in Trump’s White House as a voice of reason who tried to stop Trump’s attempt to undermine the 2020 election.

Saturday, July 9

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken met for in-person talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Blinken said he raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia. “Despite the complexities of our relationship, I can say with some confidence that our delegations found today’s discussions useful, candid and constructive,” Blinken said.
• Customs and Border Protection released a report that determined U.S. border agents used “unnecessary force” against Haitian migrants along the U.S. border with Mexico near Del Rio, Texas, last year. CBP blamed a “lack of command control and communication” for agents using their horses to forcibly block and move migrants back. Agents were also recorded whipping migrants.

Sunday, July 10

• Steve Bannon, a former Trump ally, sent a message to the Jan. 6, 2021, panel, saying that he is willing to testify. Bannon has long resisted requests from the panel to testify, even going so far as to face criminal charges in contempt of Congress — charges still pending — instead of complying with the committee’s subpoena.