Monday, Aug. 23

á           The Food and Drug Administration gave full safety approval to the Pfitzer COVID-19 vaccine, the first to achieve full federal approval, which will make it easier for employers and universities to mandate vaccination.

á           In response to the TalibanÕs threats that the United States will see ÒconsequencesÓ if American military forces remain in the country beyond the Aug. 31 deadline to leave negotiated by former President Donald Trump, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, ÒUltimately, it will be the presidentÕs decision how this proceeds. No one elseÕs.Ó

á           Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. is Òsingularly focusedÓ on evacuations of American citizens and allies in Afghanistan, and that there will be time later Òto analyze what has happened and what has taken place in the context of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.Ó

á           An investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police exonerated the police officer who shot insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6 for his use of force, saying in a press release that the officerÕs actions were withindepartment policy.

á           The Treasury Department blacklisted the Eritrean Defense ForceÕs chief of staff General Filipos Woldeyohannes, accusing him of engaging in serious human rights abuses including massacres, rapes and executions in the ongoing conflict in EthiopiaÕs Tigray region.

Tuesday, Aug. 24

á           The House passed, along party lines, the John Lewis voting rights bill, which would restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. It is expected to stall in the Senate.

á           In an attempt to rally Asian countries against China as part of a seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam, Harris accused China of using coercion and intimidation Òto make claims to the vast majority of the South China SeaÉ BeijingÕs actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations.Ó

á           The House passed President Joe BidenÕs budget plan, which includes proposals to expand childcare, education, clean energy initiatives and other social programs.

á           The Washington Post and the Associated Press reported that Central Intelligence Agency chief Williams Burns held a secret meeting with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul the previous day which, if true, would mark the highest level meeting between the Taliban and the Biden administration.

Wednesday, Aug. 25

á           The Supreme CourtÕs conservative majority denied BidenÕs effort to rescind TrumpÕs hardline Òremain in MexicoÓ policy, or the Migrant Protection Protocols program, that forced thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico as they applied for asylum in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security said it regretted the decision and would Òvigorously challengeÓ the district court ruling that triggered it.

á           In response to video footage circulated by media outlets showing Afghan refugees crowded together in appalling, unsanitary conditions in a U.S. airbase hanger in Qatar, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is working to improve conditions there.

á           China criticized the U.S. ahead of its release of its coronavirus origin report for the ÒpoliticizationÓ of how the pandemic began. ÒScapegoating China cannot whitewash the U.S.,Ó said Fu Cong, director-general of ChinaÕs Ministry of Foreign AffairsÕ arms control department. The report considers different theories about how the virus emerged including the possibility that it was caused by a Chinese laboratory accident.

á           Biden met with tech executives, including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Apple CEO Tim Cook, to urge them to cooperate with the federal government in fighting against threats to cybersecurity. ÒThe federal government canÕt meet this challenge alone,Ó Biden said. ÒÉ WeÕve seen time and again how the technologies we rely on, cell phones, and pipelines and the electric grid, can become targets of criminals.Ó

á           Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that although the military will be leaving Afghanistan by Aug. 31, the U.S.Õs efforts to help its citizens and allies leave the country will continue beyond that deadline. ÒThere is no deadline on our work,Ó Blinken said. He added that about 1,500 Americans were still waiting to be evacuated.

á           During a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Harris pledged to provide Vietnam with one million additional COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to five million already donated, in a bid to gain favor with the country against China.

á           Qatar received the first shipment of its new model F-15 combat aircraft, produced by the U.S. and Boeing, which Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah said were for defense purposes.

á           District Judge Linda Parker sanctioned Sidney Powell and other Trump lawyers who sued Michigan to overturn the 2020 election results, saying that they should have investigated the voter fraud claims more carefully before filing a ÒfrivolousÓ lawsuit.

Thursday, Aug. 26

á           The U.S., along with Australia and the United Kingdom, issued warnings urging people to move away from the international airport in Kabul due to the threat of an attack from an ISIS off-shoot in Afghanistan: the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K.

á           At least 175 people, including 13 U.S. soldiers and 28 Taliban members, were killed in attacks at Kabul airport including twin bombings and shootings claimed by ISIS-K. Over 100 people were also injured. Biden warned the perpetrators, ÒWe will hunt you down.Ó

á           Seven Capitol police officers filed a suit in federal court against Trump, accusing him of conspiring with Òwhite supremacists, violent extremist groups and campaign supporters to violate the Ku Klux Klan ActÓ by intentionally sending a mob to interrupt the congressional certification of the 2020 election Òthrough the use of force, intimidation and threats.Ó

Friday, Aug. 27

á           The Supreme CourtÕs conservative majority blocked BidenÕs temporary ban on evictions, allowing landlords to resume evicting tenants. Roughly 3.5 million people in the U.S. are facing eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data. ÒIf a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue,Ó the court wrote, ÒCongress must specifically authorize it.Ó

á           Harris ended her week-long tour of Southeast Asia with a final jab at China: ÒWe welcome stiff competition, we do not seek conflict but on issues such as the South China Sea, we are going to speak up É We are going to speak up when there are actions that Beijing takes that threaten the rules-based international order.Ó

á           The National Intelligence Council released its report assessing the origins of COVID-19 with uncertain results. It determined that the virus was not developed as a biological weapon, but found the intelligence community was divided on whether it came from an infected animal or a Chinese laboratory. All agencies determined that both were plausible. China again criticized the U.S. for politicizing the origin of the coronavirus and scapegoating China.

Saturday, Aug. 28

á           Ahead of talks regarding resuming the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei called Biden a Òpredatory wolfÓ who was no different than Trump.

Sunday, Aug. 29

á           Central Command spokesperson Bill Urban claimed its drone strikes against a vehicle of suicide bombers linked to ISIS-K foiled another Kabul airport attack. Eyewitnesses told Al Jazeera that at least three children were among six civilians who were killed by the drone strikes.

á           Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with the families of the 13 soldiers killed in an attack on Kabul airport Thursday to pay their respects.