Monday, Oct. 3

• President Joe Biden announced $60 million in aid to Puerto Rico to help the island repair and strengthen its infrastructure, cover the cost of debris removal, and compensate people for damaged or destroyed homes after Hurricane Fiona last month.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a week-long tour of Latin America that included stops in Colombia, Chile and Peru. Blinken met with regional leaders for talks on challenges like the migration crisis, drug trafficking, pandemic recovery, and climate change.
• The federal trial began for Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the right-wing extremist group the Oath Keepers, and four associates, who planned an “armed rebellion” to stop the transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021. The five are charged with seditious conspiracy and other felonies.

· The Supreme Court began a new term with new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on the bench and public trust in the United States’ highest court at record lows. The court heard arguments in an environmental case that could limit the scope of the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972.

· Biden released a statement saying his administration will impose “further costs” on those responsible for the increasingly violent crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran in outrage over the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini who was arrested in September for wearing “unsuitable attire” in Tehran. “We will continue holding Iranian officials accountable and supporting the rights of Iranians to protest freely,” Biden said.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

• U.S. climate envoy John Kerry announced that the Biden administration has asked the Democratic Republic of Congo to abandon 30 oil blocks that it put up for auction in environmentally sensitive areas of the African nation.
• Former President Donald Trump filed a request with the Supreme Court asking that it halt the Justice Department’s review of classified documents that the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in August. Trump’s lawyers argued that the review should be paused while a neutral arbiter vets classified files for privileged content.
• After North Korea fired ballistic missiles over Japan, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Blinken held calls with their counterparts in South Korea and Japan to assure the regional allies that the U.S. strongly condemned North Korea’s “dangerous and reckless” actions.

Wednesday, Oct. 5

• The Biden administration announced it is sending $625 million to Ukraine in additional weaponry including high mobility artillery rocket system launchers to bolster the offensive in the country’s southern and eastern regions to liberate areas occupied by Russia.
• Biden extended the major disaster declaration for Florida to 60 days, allowing the federal government to cover the cost of debris removal and sheltering for people who lost their homes in Hurricane Ian. “I want the people of Florida to know you have my commitment and America’s commitment that we’re not going to leave,” Biden said.
• Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado would acquire nearly 3,500 acres of additional land, expanding the size of a site memorializing the massacre of more than 230 Native Americans by U.S. soldiers in the 1860s.

Thursday, Oct. 6

• Biden announced a presidential pardon for anyone convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. “There are thousands of people who have prior federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” he said. “My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.” The pardon does not apply to non-citizens convicted in the U.S. on marijuana possession charges.
• U.S. Central Command revealed that special forces carried out an operation in Syria “targeting Rakkan Wahid al-Shammri, an ISIS official known to facilitate the smuggling of weapons and fighters to support ISIS operations.” The ISIS official was killed in the operation, while others were wounded or captured.
• The Biden administration issued new sanctions against Iranian officials, including its interior and communications ministers and the head of its cyber-police force, over the government’s violent suppression of protests in Tehran. “The rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly are vital to guaranteeing individual liberty and dignity,” said Treasury Department official Brian Nelson.
• Following an outbreak in the country, the Biden administration announced it will test incoming travelers from Uganda for the Ebola virus by funneling them into five major U.S. airports.
• Jeremy Joseph Bertino became the first member of the far-right group the Proud Boys to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last year.
• In a speech to Democratic Party donors, Biden warned that risk of nuclear warfare is at its highest since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s potential use of tactical nuclear weapons. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre later said, “We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture, nor do we have indications that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons.”

Friday, Oct. 7

• The Defense Department added over a dozen Chinese companies including the world’s largest drone manufacturer, DJI Technology, to a blacklist of firms with alleged ties to the Chinese military. Blacklisting gives Biden the authority to impose economic sanctions on these companies.
• The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan joined in another round of naval drills with South Korean warships. “We will continue to strengthen our operational capabilities and readiness to respond to any provocations by North Korea through joint drills,” said South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• The Biden administration released a set of export controls that includes a measure to cut China off from semiconductor chips made with U.S. tools even if they’re manufactured outside the U.S. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the controls “maliciously block and suppress Chinese companies” to maintain U.S. hegemony in the tech industry.

Saturday, Oct. 8

• No news to report.

Sunday, Oct. 9

• No news to report.