Monday, Aug. 3

á             The United States consulate in Chengdu, China was shut down after Chinese authorities orders it closure the previous Friday. The evacuation order was made in response to the U.S. ordering the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas. ÒWe are slipping, it appears, into a new cold war [with China],Ó Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant secretary of state, commented.

á             Chinese officials accused the U.S. of Òmonitoring, harassing and willfully detainingÓ Chinese students and researchers living abroad in the U.S.

á             President Donald Trump threatened to sue Nevada after state politicians passed a bill guaranteeing mail-in ballots to voters ahead of November's presidential election to curb the danger of in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump said this was an Òillegal late night coup.Ó

á             The House Intelligence Committee launched an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence office, scrutinizing its actions during protests in Portland, Oregon and other anti-racist, anti-fascist demonstrations across the country. Committee Chairman Adam Schiff wrote that Òthe reporting regarding the monitoring of peaceful protesters, creating and disseminating intelligence reports about journalists and protesters, and potential exploitation of electronic devices is deeply troubling.Ó

á             News outlets released information on an ongoing Federal Trade Commission investigation into Twitter for alleged privacy violations, such as the social media companyÕs use of user phone numbers for marketing purposes.

á             House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel subpoenaed four senior aides to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as part of an investigation of Trump's firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.

á             The White House imposed new rules for Òrandom mandatory testingÓ of staff as Trump continued to downplay the need for increased testing across the country.

á             Trump signed an executive order to boost struggling rural healthcare providers and proposed a permanent extension of policies allowing telehealth in lieu of in-person visits. ÒOne of the only good things that weÕve gotten out of this whole horrible situation is telehealth,Ó Trump said.

Tuesday, Aug. 4

á             Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, a piece of legislation overwhelmingly approved by Congress. The act will devote nearly $3 billion annually to conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands.

Wednesday, Aug. 5

á             The Trump campaign and the Republican Party sued Nevada to block the new law to send mail-in ballots to every registered state voter ahead of the November election, claiming the legislation will result in widespread voter fraud despite voter fraud being found Òexceedingly rareÓ in the U.S. by an April 2020 MIT University study.

á             Facebook and Twitter pulled a Fox News video from their platforms in which Trump falsely claimed children are Òalmost immuneÓ from the coronavirus.

á             Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis announced he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Thursday, Aug. 6

á             Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the U.S. economy needs an Òadditional boostÓ to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic despite his letting legislation passed by the House addressing this issue lay fallow in the Senate for months and declining to extend enhanced employment benefits.

á             Reuters reported on how the U.S. is negotiating the sale of at least four large aerial drones to Taiwan for the first time in a deal likely to raise tensions with China.

á             A bipartisan team of senators introduced legislation that would block sales of U.S. drones to countries not closely allied to the U.S., including Saudi Arabia in particular. This follows news in June that the Trump administration planned to misconstrue a Cold War-era international arms agreement to allow U.S. defense contractors to sell more drones to other nations.

á             Trump reimposed 10% tariffs on Canadian aluminum products with the goal of protecting domestic industry from a ÒsurgeÓ in imports. The Canadian deputy prime minister said Canada pledges Òto swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures.Ó

á             Trump issued an executive order banning transactions with the Chinese owners of the apps TikTok and WeChat as part of an effort to purge ÒuntrustedÓ Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks. The ban will take effect in 45 days.

á             House Democrats launched an investigation into a $765 million federal loan awarded to Eastman Kodak for the photography company to start producing drug ingredients.

Friday, Aug. 7

á             The Department of Labor reported the U.S. economy added 1.8 million jobs in July, pushing the unemployment rate down to 10.2%, although the increase is dramatically lower than the nearly 5 million jobs added in June.

á             Canada announced its intention to impose retaliatory tariffs on $2.7 billion worth of U.S. aluminum products following U.S. tariffs on Canadian aluminum announced Thursday.

á             A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee that subpoenaed McGahn in April 2019 in an investigation into potential obstruction of justice by Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

á             Postmaster General Louis DeJoy spoke to the United States Postal ServiceÕs dire financial position, saying that Òwithout dramatic change, there is no end in sight and we face an impending liquidity crisis.Ó DeJoy, who has business interests in the postal serviceÕs competitors, also said the USPS has a Òbroken business model.Ó

á             Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said an approved coronavirus vaccine could end up being only 50 to 60% effective and that public health measures will still be necessary to keep the pandemic under control.

á             Trump signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to purchase Òessential drugsÓ and medical supplies made in the U.S. rather than from overseas companies.

Saturday, Aug. 8

á             Trump signed executive orders partly restoring the enhanced unemployment payments to U.S. citizens who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, for instance providing $400 per week in unemployment instead of the $600 per week passed earlier in the crisis.

Sunday, Aug. 9

á             The number of confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases reached 5 million according to federal statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the highest tally in the world.