Afghanistan | July 24, 2021

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US Conducted Airstrikes to Support Afghan Forces: Pentagon | TOLOnews

Pentagon spokesman says the US continues to be able to conduct airstrikes in support of the ANDSF.

Jul 23 - The Pentagon on Thursday confirmed that the US carried out airstrikes across Afghanistan in the last several days as part of an effort to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in their fight against the Taliban.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby in an off-camera press briefing refused to provide details about the airstrikes.

“Without speaking to specifics, I can say that in the last several days, we have acted through airstrikes to support the ANDSF, but I won't get into tactical details of those strikes,” Kirby said. “But we continue to be able to and we continue to, as the Secretary said yesterday, conduct airstrikes in support of the ANDSF. General McKenzie has those authorities.”

The Afghan Defense Ministry in a statement on Friday said that 17 Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike by Afghan Air Force on Thursday night. Another airstrike was conducted in Nijrab district in Kapisa province in which 10 Taliban fighters on Thursday night, the Defense Ministry said.

​But the ministry has not mentioned anything in its statements about US airstrikes on Taliban targets.
Taliban has rejected the figures provided by the Ministry of Defense.     source from

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US Airstrikes in Afghanistan Continue Despite Peace Deal Progress

US President Joe Biden with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani 
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Biden reassures support for Afghan security forces over phone
call with Ghani

Jul 24 -  US President Joe Biden pledged to continue support for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), said President Ashraf Ghani on Friday as both leaders during a phone call noted the importance of preserving the gains of past decades.

"This evening, I spoke with President Biden over a phone call. We discussed the evolving but continuing relationship between the two countries. President Biden reassured me that support for the ANDSF will continue. We have confidence that they will protect & defend Afghanistan," Ghani tweeted.

Both leaders reiterated the enduring partnership, continued diplomatic and economic support for the Afghan government, security forces and the importance of preserving the gains of the last twenty years.

"We stressed on the importance of the Afghans coming together for peace and security. And reiterated the enduring partnership, continued diplomatic and economic support for the Afghan government, security forces and the importance of preserving the gains of the last twenty years," Afghan President added.

The US military in the past few days conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan to support Afghan security forces, the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday...     more

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JULY 23, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
​White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing on the Biden administration’s policy agenda. A variety of topics were discussed including the rise in cases of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant, vaccination efforts, raising the debt ceiling, negotiations on transportation infrastructure, and continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan. Ms. Psaki also answered questions on gun violence and the recent shootings in Washington, DC.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, July 23, 2021

JULY 23, 2021•PRESS BRIEFINGS

​James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
 
MS. PSAKI:  Hi everyone.  Happy Friday.  Okay, a couple of notes for you at the top.
 
Today, the Biden-Harris administration took additional steps to provide stability and relief to homeowners who are still feeling the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
HUD, USDA, and the VA announced details to help people with government-backed mortgages stay in their homes through monthly payment reductions and potential loan modifications.
 
Homeowners could see reductions in their monthly payments of roughly 20 to 25 percent, allowing them to remain in their homes and build long-term equity.
 
We’re working hard to get the word out to Americans who may benefit from these new programs.  And thanks to the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and today’s actions, most servicers of mortgages are required to provide borrowers information about these options...     more

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Slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise Laid to Rest​
Jul 23, 2021
The body of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise was laid to rest in the northern port city of Cap-Haitien today. Moise was gunned down in his home in Port-au-Prince on July 7. The assassination underscored the continuing influence of foreign actors in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.  VOA’s Laurel Bowman has our story.

People attend the funeral for slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise at his family home, where smoke in the background rises from where Moise's supporters burn tires to protest his murder and not being allowed into the funeral 

Gunfire, Protests Disrupt Funeral of Haiti's Assassinated President

Jul 23 - ...hundreds of protesters gathered outside the site of the state funeral in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, burning barricades and shouting, prompting police to fire tear gas.

VOA Creole reporters on the scene said some guests panicked and foreign diplomats left the scene as smoke wafted into the Moise family's private compound, where the funeral was taking place.

No one attending the funeral was reported injured.

The funeral was held amid heavy security. National police officers and private security guards protected the A-list guests.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who led the U.S. delegation, left before Moise's widow spoke.

​"The Presidential Delegation to the funeral of President Moise is safe and accounted for, and those traveling from Washington, D.C. have arrived safely back in the United States," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
"We urge everyone to express themselves peacefully and refrain from violence," Thomas-Greenfield said on Twitter Friday...     quoted from

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Crime Victims Fund Act | July 23, 2021

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President Joe Biden signs H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in the East Room of the White House.

​Biden signs crime victims fund replenishment bill

Jul 23 - President Joe Biden celebrated what he called "a day of hope" Thursday before signing the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill that aims to provide assistance for crime victims, including counseling expenses, medical bills and lost wages.

Biden thanked lawmakers of both parties in the room, including Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

​"This bill is going to allow us to make sure that all the fines and penalties that are from federal cases go to the victims, the Crime Victims Fund, to rebuild this fund, because it's badly needed," Biden told those gathered in the East Room of the White House. "This is going to enable us to provide more help and support to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking and other crimes all across America"...     more

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JULY 22, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
​White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki talked about the president’s agenda with reporters. Reporters asked several questions about the administration’s pandemic response. Other topics discussed included policy in Iraq, the infrastructure deal and Hunter Biden’s meeting with potential art buyers.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, July 22, 2021

JULY 22, 2021•PRESS BRIEFINGS
 
MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  Happy Thursday.  Okay, we have a special guest.  Happy to welcome back Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. 
 
Today, she will be telling us about a new economic development initiative that the Department is launching, thanks to the American Rescue Plan.  She’ll take a couple of questions.  After that, as always, I’ll be the bad cop. 
 
With that, I’ll turn it over to Secretary Raimondo.
 
SECRETARY RAIMONDO:  Thank you, Jen.  Let’s see here.  Thank you, Jen. 
 
Good afternoon, everybody.  So, as the President often says and as we all know, we’re on the road to recovery.  And today, with this announcement, we mark a real step forward in that recovery. 
 
As Jen just said, the President signed the American Rescue Plan into law, intended to get our country back on its feet.  And thanks to that law, I’m thrilled right now to be announcing the launch of a transformative $3 billion economic development initiative that will be running out of the Department of Commerce.  I’m even more excited to say that, starting today, this afternoon, every community in America can begin applying for that funding. 
 
We believe that this is the largest local economic development initiative that the Commerce Department has ever made.  And it’s a testament to the President’s commitment to do far more than simply recover, but to build back better and make sure every community and every American is included in our comeback.
 
Everybody ought to benefit from this $3 billion initiative — from working mothers working to balance multiple jobs; to young adults looking for work; to factory workers or retail workers who lost their job in the pandemic — many of them mid-career and they’re wondering, “What happens to me now?  What happens to me next?”
 
These funds — this initiative has been specifically designed to make sure that we are going to be providing high-quality, real jobs for you and for your community...     more

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JULY 22, 2021
President Biden Signs Crime Victims Fund Act
President Biden signed the Victims of Crime Act fix into law. The bill would use money collected as legal penalties to pay for victim compensation and assistance programs. After signing the bipartisan legislation the president said, “This is one of those deals where what they did is literally, not figuratively, will change the lives of women and children and some men out there. Thank you.” 

Remarks by President Biden at Signing of H.R. 1642, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021

​JULY 22, 2021•SPEECHES AND REMARKS

East Room 
 
(“Hail to the Chief” is played.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Every time I hear that, I wonder when he’s coming.  (Laughter.)  Please, everybody sit down.  Thank you.
 
Let me begin by doing something no speaker should ever do — by apologizing.  I got a little tied up in that other office I work in, Pat, and I apologize for keeping you waiting because I know you’re all as equally busy as I am.  And I want to thank you.
 
Today, I think is a day of hope.  And I mean that.  A day of hope and healing for victims or crime and organizations that support those victims of crime.
 
And I want to thank the Vice President and the Second Gentleman, Senators Durbin — I think he’s here; I thought I saw him.  Senators Durbin and Baldwin and Grassley and Graham and Murkowski.  Representatives Nadler and Fitzpatrick and Jackson-Lee and Wagner and Scanlon.  And everyone who has helped make possible this moment, including so many of you who are here today that I haven’t mentioned.
 
When someone commits a crime, it’s — it’s not enough to bring the predator to justice; we also need to support the victims.  And it’s something that, way back — 150 years ago, when I was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, we spent a lot of time working on and setting up victims’ funds.  That’s what this Crime Victims Fund does...     more 

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JULY 22, 2021
​Representative Scalise and House Republican Doctors Caucus on COVID-19 Delta Variant
Representative Steve Scalise and the House Republican Doctors Caucus hold a press conference on the COVID-19 Delta variant.

GOP’s vaccine push comes with g words, few actions

Jul 23 - ...“These vaccines are saving lives,” said DeSantis, who recently began selling campaign merchandise mocking masks and medical experts.

The outreach comes as COVID-19 cases have nearly tripled in the U.S. over the last two weeks, driven by the explosion of the new delta variant, especially in pockets of the country where vaccination rates are low. Public health officials believe the variant is at least twice as contagious as the original version, but the shots appear to offer robust protection against serious illness for most people.

​Indeed, nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are now people who haven’t been vaccinated. Nonetheless, just 56.2% of Americans have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overall, only 51% of Republicans said in mid-June that they had received at least one vaccine dose, versus 83% of Democrats, according to an AP-NORC poll. And many appeared to have made up their minds. Forty-six percent of those who had not been vaccinated said they definitely would not. Among Republicans, even more — 53% — said they definitely wouldn’t; just 12% said they were planning to...    more details

RELATED TOPICS

• Joe Biden
• Health
• Government and politics
• Coronavirus pandemic

the Second White House Eviction Prevention Convening | July 22, 2021

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Housing activists erect a sign in October 2020 in Swampscott, Mass. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire soon. 
White House to hold second eviction-prevention meeting with local officials as housing concerns mount

​Gathering is set for July 21, 10 days before the final eviction moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expires

Jul 14 -  As concerns grow about a nationwide eviction crisis later this summer, the White House will once again convene city officials across the country to find ways to keep people in their homes and ramp up the amount of rental relief reaching tenants and landlords.

​The second meeting is set for July 21, according to a White House official — 10 days before the final eviction moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expires July 31. Similar to the initial meeting last month, the focus will be on bringing together state and local governments, courts, legal aid groups, landlords organizations and tenant advocates to make plans to keep evictions out of court, raise awareness about rental relief and expand other eviction-diversion programs...     more

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Readout of the Second White House Eviction Prevention Convening

JULY 21, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
​
Today, the White House hosted a second virtual convening to help cities quickly deliver emergency rental assistance and develop plans to prevent evictions. The convening highlighted actions taken by cities since the first summit on June 30th and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to ensure state and local governments disburse the more than $46 billion dollars in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) made available to them to assist households in need. Today, Treasury released new data on the ERA program, which showed that more than $1.5 billion in assistance was delivered to eligible households in the month of June—more than what was provided in the previous three reporting periods combined. The number of households served in June grew by about 85 percent over the previous month and nearly tripled since April.

​White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling opened today’s convening, reaffirming the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to do everything it can to make sure cities and states provide relief to renters and landlords as the CDC’s eviction moratorium comes to an end on July 31st. Sperling stressed that the Administration has provided new flexibilities to get emergency rental assistance out and that this is the time for state and local officials to step up...     more

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jen Psaki Aboard Air Force One En Route Cincinnati, OH

JULY 21, 2021•PRESS BRIEFINGS
 
MS. PSAKI:  Welcome to our trip to Cincinnati, Ohio — also known as the birthplace of my husband.  So, a special place in my heart.
 
A couple of announcements for you at the top:
 
Today, Treasury released new data on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which showed that more than $1.5 billion in assistance was delivered to eligible households in the month of June — more than what was provided in the previous three reporting periods combined.  The number of households served in June grew by about 85 percent over the previous month and nearly tripled since April.
 
The data demonstrates that the administration has heard from states and localities over the past months that ERA is helping develop a new national infrastructure for rental assistance and eviction prevention that did not previously exist.
 
I would also note that also today, as a part of this effort, the White House is hosting a second virtual convening on eviction prevention with over 2,000 participants from cities and states across the country, including the 46 cities that were the focus of the first summit on January 30th.  That is virtual; everyone can tune in...     more

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JULY 21, 2021
Hearing on U.S.-Turkey Relations
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Biden administration’s policy toward Turkey. She answered questions on a variety of topics including human rights concerns, sanctions against Turkey for purchasing and deploying a Russian missile defense system, and the guarantee of free and safe elections in the country. Also discussed was Turkish President Erdogan’s push for a two-state solution with Cypress, with focus on his recent visit to the U.N.-controlled, abandoned Cypress town of Varosha, which is in direct violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions. Secretary Nuland also took questions on the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline and the recent negotiations between the U.S. and Germany on the project. 

Victoria Nuland testifies during a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee June 20, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Nuland, now the undersecretary of state for political affairs, testified before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 21, 2021, about Turkey. Her 2018 testimony was about Russian Interference in the 2016 US elections. During the Obama administration's second term, Nuland was assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. 
US senator says Turkish actions against pro-Kurdish party like ‘if Biden banned the Republican Party’

Democratic and Republican senators voiced heavy criticism of the Turkish government to a State Department official during a Wednesday hearing. The lawmakers accused Ankara of abusing the international police system, being an “aggressor” toward Greece, and much more.

Jul 22 - ...Many observers expected Biden to usher in a cooler era of US-Turkey relations, in part due to Biden’s criticism of the NATO ally while he was running for president. Turkey opposed Biden's April recognition of the Armenian genocide. The relationship appeared to somewhat improve after Biden and Erdogan met in person in June. 

Nuland was somewhat upbeat about US-Turkey ties at times during the hearing. She called Turkey’s ambassador to Washington, Murat Mercan, “very engaging” and lauded his efforts to repair the “obviously deteriorating” relationship. 

The hearing touched on numerous other issues, including US opposition to Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, who is the ranking member of the committee, called the deal “very troubling.” Nuland assured the senator that the administration would continue to exclude Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in response. Nuland did not offer any updates on the imprisonment of Turkish employees of the US diplomatic mission in Turkey, but said their release is a “top concern” of the administration. 

She also declined to speak during the hearing about Turkey sending Syrian rebel forces to Azerbaijan last year during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, pledging to address the matter in a separate session. 

On US support for Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State in northeast Syria who are being targeted by Turkey, Nuland said, “At this stage, we’ve agreed to disagree.” She specifically referred to the People’s Protection Units, aka YPG, and the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces.     quoted from

​Following the agreement between Germany and the US over the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Ukraine may just become a major hydrogen exporter.
​Ukraine gets compensation in exchange for US-Germany deal on Nord Stream 2

Germany and the US struck a compromise on Wednesday (21 July) over the construction of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. According to the deal, Germany will provide assistance for Ukraine’s energy security, with an initial donation of €148.3 million.

Jul 22 - “Germany buys its way out,” titled German newspaper FAZ following the Germany-US deal over Nord Stream 2.
The agreement sees Germany funnel money towards Ukraine in exchange for the US withdrawing its threat to sanction the companies involved in the construction of the pipeline, which Washington sees as a menace to Europe’s energy security.

“It is good that we are once again pursuing our common goals and convictions with the USA, including in Russia and energy policy, and that we have also been able to agree constructive solutions on the issue of Nord Stream 2,” said Heiko Maas, Germany’s foreign minister.

For Ukraine, there is €2 billion of Russian gas transit income at stake. “For us, ‘energy security’ is not just a word,” said the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as reported by FAZ.

The agreement does not foresee Germany matching those €2 billion in their entirety. However, it does commit Germany to uphold Ukraine’s role as a gas transit country and “utilise all available leverage to facilitate an extension of up to 10 years” of the country’s current gas transit arrangement, which expires in 2024.

Washington sees the agreement as a pragmatic way to settle the dispute, since the pipeline is already 98% completed and of strategic importance to Germany’s future gas supply.

The deal also comes as a follow-up to the climate partnership that Germany and the US signed on 15 July, which laid out the objective to further “Ukraine’s energy transformation, energy efficiency, and energy security”.

​“Obama, Trump, nor Biden could convince Germany to abandon the project. It was going to be built. Unfortunate but true,” tweeted Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator. Without this deal, Ukraine would have got nothing, he added...     more

Related Articles:

US, Germany to vow action on Russia in Nord Stream 2 dealThe United States and Germany will take action against Russia if it uses the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to harm Ukraine or other Eastern European countries, according to sources familiar with a bilateral agreement expected on Wednesday (21 July).
​
EU, Ukraine sign ‘strategic partnership’ on raw materialsKyiv will be invited on Tuesday (13 July) to join EU industrial alliances on batteries and raw materials, with a view to develop an entire value chain of the extraction, refining and recycling of minerals in Ukraine to supply the EU market for electric cars and digital equipment.

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