Monday, May 16
- Vice
President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken,
along with top military and intelligence officials, traveled to the United
Arab Emirates after the death of President Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nahyan to
offer their condolences.
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President Joe Biden authorized the deployment of
American troops to Somalia, reversing a decision by former President Donald
Trump to remove nearly all forces previously operating there. The decision was
made based on a request made by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Òreestablish
a persistent U.S. military presence in Somalia to enable a more effective fight
against al Shabab,Ó per White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
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The State Department announced that it would
ease some restrictions on Cuba, including the reintroduction of a family
reunification program, expand authorized travel, increase support for Cuban
entrepreneurs, and Òensure that remittances flow more freely to the Cuban
people while not enriching those who perpetrate human rights abuses.Ó
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Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) introduced a resolution to recognize the
Palestinian Nakba, the term for the forced
displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the lead-up to the
establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. ÒWe must acknowledge that the
humanity of Palestinians is being denied when folks refuse to acknowledge the
war crimes and human rights violations in apartheid Israel,Ó Tlaib said.
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The Air Force released a statement saying it
conducted a successful test of a hypersonic weapon, which flew at five times
the speed of sound, on the previous Saturday. The test was conducted off the
coast of Southern California when a B-52 bomber released an Air-launched Rapid
Response Weapon, or ARRW.
Tuesday, May 17
- Biden
met with the victimsÕ families, local officials and first responders after
a gunman killed 10 people at a market in a majority Black neighborhood in
Buffalo, New York. During this meeting, Biden publicly condemned the
ÒpoisonÓ of white supremacy. ÒHate and fear are being given too much
oxygen by those who pretend to love America but who donÕt understand
America,Ó Biden said.
- Two
top United States military officials — Ronald Moultrie, the defense
under-secretary for intelligence and security, and Scott Bray, the deputy
director of naval intelligence — testified in the first public
congressional hearing on Òunidentified flying objectsÓ in more than 50
years, which comes 11 months after a government report detailed 144 UFO
sightings by the military since 2004.
- The
Department of Homeland Security announced the discovery of a major drug
smuggling tunnel with railways, electricity, and ventilation systems that
extends from Tijuana, Mexico to a warehouse in an industrial area of San
Diego.
- Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen called for large-scale
economic assistance to Ukraine as the Eastern European country deals with
an ongoing assault from Russia. ÒEventually, Ukraine will need massive
support and private investment for reconstruction and recovery, akin to
the task of rebuilding in Europe after 1945,Ó Yellen
said. ÒWhatÕs clear is that the bilateral and multilateral support
announced so far will not be sufficient to address UkraineÕs needs, even
in the short term.Ó
Wednesday, May 18
- The
State Department announced it reopened the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine,
nearly three months after withdrawing American diplomats and suspending
work in the Ukrainian capital in advance of RussiaÕs invasion. ÒThe
Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their
homeland in the face of RussiaÕs unconscionable invasion, and, as a
result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the Embassy once again,Ó
Secretary of State Blinken said in a statement.
- The Office
of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released a
report showing that the withdrawal of U.S. forces and military contractors
last year was Òthe single most important factorÓ in triggering the
collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in Aug. 2021
and the subsequent Taliban takeover.
- Following
an internal review, the Pentagon announced that U.S. troops did not
violate the law of war or act negligently when they launched a 2019 air
attack in Syria that killed dozens of civilians.
Thursday, May 19
- Biden
invoked the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law first implemented
to support defense production during the Korean War, to give baby formula
manufacturers first priority from suppliers, requiring suppliers of
formula manufacturers to fulfill orders from those companies before other
customers, in an effort to eliminate production bottlenecks and address
major shortages across the country.
- The
Senate approved the nearly $40 billion military and humanitarian aid
package for Ukraine that the House passed last week, by an overwhelming
86-to-11 vote. The legislation includes $6 billion for weapons, training
and financial support for UkraineÕs military; $4 billion in military
financing over the next five months through the end of September; $9
billion to replenish U.S. stocks of weapons being sent to Ukraine and
nearly $4 billion for expanded U.S. military operations in Europe; among
other expenses.
- The
Treasury Department announced that it imposed sanctions on a Lebanese
businessman named Ahmad Jalal Reda Abdallah, who it accuses of acting as a Òfinancial
facilitatorÓ for Lebanese group Hezbollah. The sanctions targeted Abdallah, five of his associates, and eight of his
companies in Lebanon and Iraq.
- Dozens
of legislators signed onto a letter demanding the FBI investigate the
killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,
following news that IsraelÕs military would not launch a criminal inquiry
into the incident. Abu Akleh was fatally shot by
Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank last week.
- An
advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 11
to one in favor of recommending COVID-19 vaccine booster jabs for children
aged five to 11, at least five months after completing their primary
vaccination course.
Friday, May 20
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The State Department delisted the a violent,
far-right Israeli organization Kahane Chai from its
list of Òforeign terrorist organizationsÓ because it considers it defunct,
triggering Palestinian rights advocates to raise alarm and warn that such a
move may embolden Kahane ChaiÕs supporters.
- Attorney
General Merrick Garland held a news conference at which he said the
Justice Department will issue guidance to help law enforcement agencies,
government officials and community groups raise awareness of the problem
of hate crimes. ÒConfronting unlawful acts of hate is a matter of moral
urgency for all of us here today,Ó Garland said. He pledged $10 million in
grant funding to go to community-based approaches to preventing and
addressing hate crimes; to develop better reporting to the FBI, and to
Òfund states to establish and run reporting hotlines for victims of hate
crimes.Ó
- District
Judge Robert Summerhays blocked the Biden
administrationÕs plan to end Title 42, a contentious immigration policy
that allows U.S. authorities to turn away most asylum seekers arriving at
the countryÕs border with Mexico, which was expected to
be rescinded on May 23.
- Biden
arrived in South Korea in the first stop of an Asia tour aimed at
reinforcing the U.S.'s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and
countering ChinaÕs influence. The trip includes a summit with his South
Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and talks with
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
- The
Biden administration placed Cuba on a shortlist of countries the U.S.
alleges are Ònot cooperating fullyÓ in its fight against Òterrorism,Ó
joining with Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Syria.
Saturday, May 21
Sunday, May 22
- A
military cargo plane carrying the first shipment of infant formula,
weighing 77,000 pounds, landed in the U.S. as part of the Biden
administrationÕs ÒOperation Fly FormulaÓ to import the product from Europe
and address a critical shortage.