Monday, Sept. 13

• The United States launched an expanded effort to reunite migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance policy on illegal crossings. The program includes a web portal allowing parents to contact the U.S. government to begin the reunification process and a contract with the International Organization for Migration, which provides services and consultation concerning migration.

· Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department would improve its oversight of local police departments following criticism and resistance from police leaders, in particular looking into reforms on the use of violence and racial discrimination.

· At a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended President Joe Biden’s decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan by pointing to the fact that he inherited a Trump agreement with the Taliban to leave the country by the end of May. “We inherited a deadline; we did not inherit a plan,” Blinken said.

· Politico and the Washington Post reported that the U.S. will withhold $130 million in security assistance to Egypt this year — a portion of a $300 million withholding targeted by Congress and barely a dent in the $1.3 billion in aid the U.S. provides to Egypt annually — and will only release the funds if President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government ends the persecution of political dissidents and civil rights groups.

Tuesday, Sept. 14

· Reuters reported that the U.S. and the European Union agreed to cut methane emissions by about one-third by the end of the decade. Methane is the greatest climate change-causing emitter after carbon dioxide, Reuters said. A draft of the agreement read, “The short atmospheric lifetime of methane means that taking action now can rapidly reduce the rate of global warming.”

· Nuclear envoys from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea met in Tokyo to discuss North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. Sung Kim, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, said North Korea’s development of new long-range cruise missiles is “a reminder of the importance of close communication and cooperation from [the U.S., Japan and South Korea].”

· Secretary of State Blinken received bipartisan criticism before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the way the military withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled. Chair Sen. Bob Menendez said the execution of the withdrawal was “clearly and fatally flawed” and that it fell short of leaving a “durable political arrangement” in the country as intended.

· The Justice Department announced that three hackers for hire — two current and one former U.S. citizen — working for a company in the United Arab Emirates reportedly on behalf of its government, agreed to pay $1.67 million in penalties.

· On a tour of states in the west ravaged by wildfires and drought, Biden predicted that such extreme weather events are set to cost the U.S. more than $100 billion this year. “We have to make the investments that are going to slow our contributions to climate change today, not tomorrow,” Biden said.

· The Justice Department asked a federal court in Texas to temporary stop the enforcement of the state’s new ban on most abortions, known as SB8, prohibiting abortions after around six weeks. The request came as “a means of preventing harm to the movant before the court can fully adjudicate the claims in dispute” since the federal government filed a lawsuit in Texas the previous week to declare that SB8 unlawfully infringes on the rights of pregnant people.

Wednesday, Sept. 15

· The U.S. joined with Australia and the United Kingdom to form a new security alliance dubbed AUKUS wherein the U.S. and the U.K. will help Australia develop nuclear-powered submarines and support each other in areas like artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, long-range strike capabilities and underwater capabilities. The agreement will add to the Western military presence in the Pacific region even though sources allege it was not designed to counter China’s influence. The agreement has been criticized as an act of nuclear proliferation.

· White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden supports embattled U.S. General Mark Milley, who is facing pressure to account for what some have called an overstepping of his authority during Trump’s presidency. This came a day after an excerpt from an upcoming book from journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa was released claiming Milley called his Chinese counterpart twice in 2020 and 2021 to avert possible military conflict with China, believing that Trump was suffering a mental decline and might take such action.

· A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the National Security Agency’s practice of mass interception and searching of U.S. citizens’ international internet communications, called the “Upstream” surveillance program. The lawsuit was filed by the Wikimedia Foundation and claimed the program violated free speech rights and Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. The court ruled the lawsuit had to be dismissed after the federal government invoked “state secrets privilege,” meaning a full exploration of the issue would damage national security.

Thursday, Sept. 16

· In a joint news conference with Australian officials, Secretary of State Blinken reassured France in the wake of the AUKUS news that it remains a “vital partner” to the U.S. and that the U.S. is looking to “find every opportunity” to deepen its relationship with France, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia cancelled a multibillion-dollar deal with France for conventional French submarines after the agreement, fueling the French government’s resentment.

· The Federal Reserve announced it is reviewing its ethics policies after the Wall Street Journal reported that two regional Fed presidents traded millions of dollars in stocks and trusts, which they said was technically legal but is still seen as unethical lest such actions affect upcoming economic policy shifts.

Friday, Sept. 17

· A Food and Drug Administration panel approved a booster of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk individuals and people over 65 years of age. It rejected the widespread delivery of boosters to most Americans for the time being, however.

· Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. will “expand our access and presence in Australia” after forming AUKUS. While not giving exact numbers, Australia is set to receive 2,200 marines this year and its Defense Minister Peter Dutton said he had aspirations to increase that number.

· General Milley confirmed and defended his decision to call General Li Zuocheng to assure him that the U.S. was not planning to suddenly go to war with or attack China, saying that the action was “perfectly within the duties and responsibilities” of his position.

· Central Command leader General Frank McKenzie confirmed that a U.S. drone raid in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul late last month killed 10 civilians, including up to seven children.

Saturday, Sept. 18

· The Department of Homeland Security announced that it would step up its efforts to return thousands of migrants living in makeshift camps under a bridge in the Texas border city of Del Rio by accelerating the pace and increasing the capacity of removal flights to Haiti and other destinations over the following three days. The El Paso Times reported that this expedited process also involved Border Patrol agents on horseback charging into crowds of asylum seekers and cracking whips, telling them to go back to Mexico.

Sunday, Sept. 19

· In an interview, National Institute of Health director Dr. Francis Collins predicted that the U.S. would see more wide-ranging approval of COVID-19 booster shots in the next few weeks.