Monday, Nov. 29
- President
Joe Biden urged Americans not to panic about the new omicron variant of
COVID-19. ÒThis variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,Ó he
said at the White House. ÒIf you are vaccinated, but still worried about
the new variant, get your booster. If you arenÕt vaccinated, get that
shot. Go get that first shot ... WeÕll fight this variant with scientific
and knowledgeable actions and speed, not chaos and confusion.Ó
- Secretary
of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a review of United States military
bombings in Syria that occurred on March 2019. The announcement followed a
New York Times report detailing how the bombings killed dozens of
civilians. The probe will be led by General Michael Garrett, head of Army
Forces Command.
- Nine
House legislators, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
and Rashida Tlaib,
sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to take
Òimmediate actionÓ to release environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, who was sentenced to six months in prison in
October on a federal criminal contempt conviction after spending decades
battling Chevron Corp over alleged pollution in the Ecuadorian rain
forest.
Tuesday, Nov. 30
- Secretary
of State Antony Blinken announced that the U.S.
revoked its Òforeign terrorist organizationÓ designation for the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a Marxist rebel group.
- Rep.
Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6
Capitol insurrection, announced that former President Donald TrumpÕs
ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows
agreed to cooperate with the committee's investigation by producing
records and providing a deposition.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
- The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the U.S.Õs first
confirmed case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus:
a person in California who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22.
- A Food
and Drug Administration panel voted to recommend MerckÕs antiviral pill to
treat COVID-19 on a 13-10 vote. Research on the pill shows it reduces the
risk of hospitalizations and death related to COVID-19 by 30%.
- Secretary
of State Blinken said he obtained evidence
showing that Russia has plans to take Òsignificant aggressive movesÓ
against Ukraine soon, after he participated in a meeting of NATO ministers
in Latvia.
- Russian
foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
announced that U.S. embassy staff in Moscow for more than three years were
ordered to fly home by Jan. 31, apparently in retaliation for U.S.
officials voicing their concern over a Russian troop build-up near
Ukraine.
- The
U.S. and Mexico announced the ÒPlanting OpportunitiesÓ project, intended
to address the root causes of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El
Salvador. Migrants from these three countries have dramatically fueled
record numbers of people apprehended crossing the U.S.-Mexico borders.
Thursday, Dec. 2
- The
Biden administration announced it would resume the Trump-era ÒRemain in
MexicoÓ policy forcing asylum
seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court hearings. The Department of
Homeland Security said the program would restart on Dec. 6. Biden had once
pledged to reverse Trump's hard line immigration policies.
- Army
General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, said that Russian military activity near Ukraine triggers
Òa lot of concern.Ó ÒThereÕs significant national security interests of
the United States and of NATO member states at stake here if there was an
overt act of aggressive action militarily by the Russians into a nation
state that has been independent since 1991,Ó Milley
said.
- Reuters
reported that the iPhones of at least nine State
Department employees based in Uganda were hacked using spyware developed
by an Israeli firm called NSO Group.
- Congress
approved a stopgap funding bill averting a government shutdown, with the
Senate moving to fund federal agencies through Feb. 18 by a vote of 69-28.
Biden signed the bill the next day, saying that while praiseworthy,
Òfunding the government isnÕt a great achievement — itÕs the bare
minimum of what needs to get done.Ó
- The
Federal Trade Commission sued to block chip supplier NvidiaÕs
planned $75 billion acquisition of British chip design provider Arm. The
FTC argued this deal would be anti-competitive, giving one of the largest
chip companies control over technology and designs that competitors rely
on.
- Speaking
in Seoul, South Korea, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said ChinaÕs pursuit
of hypersonic weapons Òincreases tensions in the regionÓ and promised that
the U.S. would keep its military equipped to deter threats posed by China.
- Secretary
of State Blinken met with his Russian
counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a
summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in
Stockholm, Sweden. Blinken reportedly told Lavrov that Ukraine poses no threat to Russia and
there would be Òsevere costs and consequencesÓ to pay if Russia invaded
Ukraine.
Friday, Dec. 3
- Biden
said he is preparing Òthe most comprehensive and meaningful set of
initiativesÓ to make it
difficult for Russia to invade Ukraine.
- The
U.S. and the European Union released a joint statement expressing Òstrong
concernÓ over ChinaÕs allegedly Òproblematic and unilateral actionsÓ in
the South China Sea, East China Seas and Taiwan Strait, such as developing
artificial islands and military outposts in the disputed waters. The U.S.
and E.U. argue such actions Òundermine peace and security in the region
and have a direct impact on the security and prosperity of both the United
States and European Union.Ó
Saturday, Dec. 4
- The
U.S., the E.U. and 20 other countries condemned the Taliban over
allegations of summary killings of at least 47 members of the Afghan
National Security Forces, as reported by Human Rights Watch. ÒReported
cases must be investigated promptly and in a transparent manner, those responsible
must be held accountable, and these steps must be clearly publicized as an
immediate deterrent to further killings and disappearances,Ó the statement
said.
Sunday, Dec. 5
- Bob
Dole, five-term senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, died at the
age of 98.
- Rep. Ilhan Omar said she is confident House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi will take Òdecisive actionÓ against Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert for joking at an event that Omar could have
been carrying a bomb in a backpack while the two shared an elevator. Omar,
a Somali-born American Muslim, says the joke perpetuates a harmful
stereotype of Muslims as terrorists.