Biden Defiant Amid Afghanistan Debacle – Striking an unrepentant tone, US President Joe Biden said Monday that he stood “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan but acknowledged that the Afghan government’s collapse was quicker than anticipated. Biden said he was faced with a choice between sticking to a previously negotiated agreement to withdraw US troops this year or sending thousands more service members back into Afghanistan for a “third decade” of war. Biden said he would not repeat mistakes of the past and did not regret his decision to proceed with the withdrawal. “I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said in a televised address to the nation from the White House East Room. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.” Biden said he’d rather take the criticism over the fallout in Afghanistan than pass the decision to a fifth president. He said the decision to leave Afghanistan is “the right one for America.” He said keeping a US presence in Afghanistan was no longer a US national security interest.
WH Advises Booster Shots – The Biden administration is advising Americans who got a COVID-19 vaccine to receive a booster shot eight months after becoming fully vaccinated, officials said late Monday. The booster doses would likely not be made available until mid-to-late September after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to grant full approval to the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, sources told the Associated Press. The announcement is the clearest signal from health officials that the coronavirus is endemic in the US — and that flu season is now “flu and COVID-19 season” for the foreseeable future.
Suspect Arrested after Bomb Threat near Capitol – A suspect was taken into custody by law enforcement hours after police said he parked a pickup truck near the Capitol and claimed to have a bomb, sparking evacuations of several nearby buildings. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger confirmed at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that the man, whom police identified as Floyd Roseberry of North Carolina, had surrendered to authorities. Footage appeared to show the man exiting the truck and crawling from the vehicle on the ground following negotiations with law enforcement.
Judge Strikes Down Law Used to Prosecute Illegals as ‘Racist’ – An almost century-old federal law that makes it a crime for deported migrants to re-enter the U.S. was found unconstitutional by a judge who said its passage in 1929 was motivated, in part, by prejudice against Mexicans and other Latinos. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno, Nevada, ruled Wednesday the law, known as Section 1326, violates the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. “The federal government’s plenary power over immigration does not give it license to enact racially discriminatory statutes in violation of equal protection,” she said in the 43-page ruling.
Biden Plans to End UE Boost – The Biden administration said in a letter to lawmakers Thursday that it’s “appropriate” for expanded unemployment benefits to expire as scheduled in a little more than two weeks, but that states and local governments can use pandemic-relief funds for added help beyond the deadline amid the surge of the delta variant. “There are some states where it may make sense for unemployed workers to continue receiving additional assistance for a longer period of time, allowing residents of those states more time to find a job in areas where unemployment remains high,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh wrote. “The delta variant may also pose short-term challenges to local economies and labor markets.”
Judge Rules Against Biden Border Policy – A former Trump administration official is hailing a federal judge’s ruling that stopped the Biden administration from narrowing the categories of migrants that Immigration and Customs Enforcement can arrest or deport. “America First Legal has been working in close partnership with Texas, Louisiana, and states around the country in litigation against many of the Biden administration’s radical immigration policies, including the anti-ICE memos that free criminal illegal aliens en masse,” AFL President Stephen Miller wrote in a statement. “We are also proudly serving as outside counsel for Louisiana in this seminal case. Supporting this litigation — through our unique expertise on matters of homeland security — has been one of AFL’s highest priorities.”
Jobless Applications Hit Pandemic Low – The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for a fourth straight time to a pandemic low, the latest sign that America’s job market is rebounding from the pandemic recession as employers boost hiring to meet a surge in consumer demand. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 29,000 to 348,000. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, also fell — by 19,000, to just below 378,000, also a pandemic low. The weekly pace of applications for unemployment aid has fallen more or less steadily since topping 900,000 in early January. The dwindling number of first-time jobless claims has coincided with the widespread administering of vaccines, which has led businesses to reopen or expand their hours and drawn consumers back to shops, restaurants, airports and entertainment venues.