Monday, Aug. 10

á             China imposed sanctions on 11 U.S. citizens, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton, in response to U.S. sanctions on 11 Chinese and Hong Kong officials accused of curtailing Hong KongÕs political freedom.

á             White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the executive branch is certain President Donald Trump's executive order on coronavirus aid — which defers payroll taxes and extends expired unemployment benefits at a reduced rate — is within his presidential power even as it faces legal challenge from Congress.

á             The Secret Service shot someone outside the White House, prompting Trump to end a press briefing early.

á             According to his office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was cleared of wrongdoing in a disputed $8.1 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan last year. The report on the internal investigation has not yet been released.

Tuesday, Aug. 11

á             Pompeo began a five-day campaign in Central Europe to encourage nations like the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria and Poland to shun Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company leading 5G network construction, and to reduce Europe's energy dependence on Russia.

á             A Federal Register notice indicated goods produced in Hong Kong and imported to the U.S. will be labeled as ÒMade in ChinaÓ due to Òthe determination that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to China.Ó

á             Joe Biden, presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, announced that he had picked Sen. Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president, the first Black woman and the first Asian American to compete on a major partyÕs presidential ticket.

Wednesday, Aug. 12

á             The U.S. entered a $1.5 billion agreement with drugmaker Moderna to acquire 100 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine, part of a series of deals the nation has made with pharmaceutical companies to acquire potential COVID-19 vaccines in its Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to deliver a vaccine by the end of the year.

á             A bipartisan team of former heads of the Environmental Protection Agency called for a ÒresetÓ of the agency following TrumpÕs first term, during which time the president has aggressively deregulated environmental policy in favor of business interests.

á             The Trump administration asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit against the presidentÕs May executive order targeting social media companies Facebook, Google-owner Alphabet, and Twitter, for violations of First Amendment rights, calling it a Òprofound misunderstanding.Ó

Thursday, Aug. 13

á             Trump said his refusal to support Democratic efforts to provide federal relief to the Postal Service is tied to his disapproval of mail-in voting. ÒThe items are the post office and the $3.5 billion for mail-in voting,Ó he said. ÒIf we don't make the deal, that means they canÕt have the money, that means they canÕt have universal mail-in voting. It just canÕt happen.Ó

á             A U.S. diplomat announced the FBI was invited to join with Lebanese and other international investigators on a probe into the cause of the explosion at a port in Beirut that killed more than 170 people, injured thousands and devastated the city. The explosion was caused by nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, but the source of the fire that triggered the explosion is still a mystery.

á             White House officials dismissed TrumpÕs promise to permanently repeal payroll taxes if he wins another term, saying the administration has no plans to do so. Press Secretary McEnany said what he meant was he wants permanent forgiveness of the worker payroll taxes he deferred the previous week by executive action.

á             The Trump administration rolled back regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations. Joseph Goffman, former EPA senior counsel, said rolling back the rule will significantly hinder the fight against climate change.

Friday, Aug. 14

á             The U.S. Postal Service warned Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Missouri and Washington that there is "significant risk" voters will not have enough time to complete their ballots and return them by mail on time under current state laws.

á             Pompeo confirmed Trump wrote to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in March to propose Òdirect dialogueÓ regarding Austin Tice, a journalist who went missing after being detained at a checkpoint in Syria eight years ago. ÒThere is no higher priority in my Administration than the recovery and return of Americans missing abroad. The Tice family deserves answers. We stand with the Tice family and will not rest until we bring Austin home,Ó Trump said in a statement.

á             The Government Accountability Office, a government watchdog organization, determined Trump did not follow federal succession law in his appointments of Chad Wolf to acting secretary of homeland security and Ken Cuccinelli to acting deputy secretary of homeland security.

á             The U.S. and China postponed, for undetermined reasons, a planned weekend talk to review the progress of the two nationsÕ trade deal. TrumpÕs top economic advisor Larry Kudlow said the trade deal with China is going well.

Saturday, Aug. 15

á             The U.S. said it confiscated four Iranian fuel shipments bound for Venezuela, in defiance of U.S. sanctions, and redirected them to Houston, Texas.

á             The U.S. expanded its military presence in Poland when Secretary of State Pompeo and Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. ÒThis will also strengthen the guarantee that our soldiers will stand shoulder to shoulder in the case of any kind of danger, whether it be a threat to Poland or one for the USA,Ó Polish President Andrzej Duda said.

á             Trump threatened to trigger a ÒsnapbackÓ of international sanctions against Iran at the United Nations, using violations of the 2015 international nuclear arms deal as grounds, despite having withdrawn the U.S. from the agreement in 2018.

á             TrumpÕs younger brother Robert Trump died of unreported causes. ÒHe was not just my brother, he was my best friend,Ó Trump said.

Sunday, Aug. 16

á             Top Democrats in Congress including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote a letter calling for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major Trump donor who took over in June, and Postal Service Chairman Robert Duncan to testify in front of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Aug. 24. ÒThe President has explicitly stated his intention to manipulate the Postal Service to deny eligible voters access to the ballot in pursuit of his own re-election,Ó the letter said.