The Hill Articles: August 31, 2021

Idaho governor activates National Guard to combat surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations Walgreens boosts minimum wage to $15 an hour Charge your iPhone with this wireless power bank that’s MagSafe compatible and just $40 Klain: ‘I don’t know if we will ever recognize’ Taliban Tapper presses top Biden aide on Afghanistan: ‘How are you going to get those Americans out?’ Here’s a pill box with an amazing smart upgrade Matt Stoller: Consultant class should learn from mistakes of military operations in Afghanistan GOP lawmaker threatened officials while trying to enter Afghanistan: report UN chief says ‘humanitarian catastrophe looms’ in Afghanistan, calls for international aid Judge orders Jan. 6 rioter to remain in prison until trial Overnight Defense & National Security: War ends, but finger pointing continues Florida developer charged in alleged $25M scheme to extort Gaetz’s family On The Money — Companies consider making unvaccinated workers pay Overnight Health Care — FDA vaccine scientists depart amid booster drama Lawmakers push to award Congressional Gold Medal to fallen service members Overnight Energy & Environment — Presented by the American Petroleum Institute — Trump water pollution rule loses in court House lawmakers introduce bill to increase special immigrant visa cap by 10K for Afghan partners ‘Not this time’: Sanders blasts lobbyists plans targeting Democrats’ spending bill McCarthy says GOP ‘will not forget’ if firms hand records to Jan. 6 panel Consumer confidence falls to six-month low as COVID-19 infections soar House Democrats to offer amendment to limit transfer of military-grade gear to police Here’s how to increase Latino voter turnout The Memo: Defensive Biden tries to put Afghanistan behind him Hurricane Ida: The collision of climate and COVID-19 havoc Bonnaroo music festival canceled due to weekend weather in Tennessee Hillicon Valley: Agencies on alert for ransomware attacks ahead of Labor Day weekend Nike gives employees a week off to destress Companies eye financial penalties for unvaccinated workers Unvaccinated people shouldn’t travel over Labor Day: CDC Senate drug pricing bill may not apply to those with job-based insurance Texas school puts its first Black principal on leave in furor over critical race theory Florida restaurant owner tells Biden supporters to ‘take your business elsewhere’ GOP-led states sue Biden administration over transgender rights Overnight Equilibrium/Sustainability — Presented by Schneider Electric — Deadly Ida floodwaters grip southeast US Medicare reserves unchanged despite COVID-19 pandemic Former Guatemala generals to face genocide charges Pentagon pushes back on reports military dogs were abandoned in Afghanistan Carbon monoxide poisoning from generator sends 9 people to Louisiana hospital House panel, Commerce Department reach agreement on census documents Texas legislature approves voting overhaul US service members injured in Kabul attack now recovering at Walter Reed Democrats, unions pour cash into California recall fight Virginia Supreme Court rules in favor of teacher who opposed transgender rules Improving your odds in the COVID-19 lottery Arrest warrants issued for man who accosted NBC reporter covering Hurricane Ida Agencies warn of ransomware threats ahead of Labor Day weekend 80-pound cougar illegally kept as pet rescued from New York City apartment Texas school temporarily closes after two teachers die of coronavirus complications Manhattan DA charges 15 in fake COVID-19 vaccination card conspiracy Environmental group warns hydrogen is a ‘false solution’ for renewables Dolphin swims through Louisiana neighborhood in Hurricane Ida floodwaters 5G Rising Infrastructure: Not Just Better But Smarter Summer of extremes: Hurricane Ida and climate security Biden lauded Afghan military in last call with Ghani, discussed ‘perception’ problem: report Kiss postpones tour dates as Gene Simmons tests positive for COVID-19 Georgia anti-vaxxers shut down mobile vaccine event Judge rebuffs red states’ challenge to Biden’s ‘social costs’ of greenhouse gases Biden digs in with fervent defense of Afghanistan withdrawal Interior Department posts new lease sales a week after resumption announcement Social Security reserves estimated to be depleted earlier than previously expected Pentagon denies leaving service dogs in cages at Kabul airport Health officials defend boosters after top FDA scientists announce retirements Ida death toll rises to four following Mississippi highway collapse Supreme Court could undermine freedom of the press Biden: ‘No deadline’ for Americans still in Afghanistan who want to leave Patients in U.S. health care facilities are speaking a broader array of languages than ever before Pennsylvania reverses course, will issue mask mandate for K-12 schools Stanford students demand school expel classmate over racist, sexist posts Indian ambassador holds first meeting with Taliban Judge sides with Illinois hospital refusing to treat man with ivermectin Canada will resettle 5,000 Afghan refugees evacuated by the US, immigration minister says There’s more to a greener grid than turbines and transmission wires George W. Bush, Bono praise Fauci in trailer for new NatGeo doc For first time in the world, Google and Apple payment systems opened to competition Vaccinated NFL players to be tested weekly As ICUs reach capacity, pregnant women must get vaccinated Lawyer defending 17 Capitol rioters reportedly on ventilator with COVID-19 Nearly half of LGBT renters behind on rent fear eviction in next two months: research 180 COVID-19 cases linked to Illinois church camp and conference: CDC Jersey Shore lifeguard killed in lightning strike, seven others injured Wicker says he’s recovered from coronavirus American describes being left behind in Kabul: ‘I don’t believe in anybody anymore’ The coming taper tantrum Montana governor issues rules requiring schools to consider ‘parental concerns’ about masks Colorado requiring vaccinations for health care workers Afghan interpreter who helped extract Biden, other senators in 2008 asks president to save him 35 governors willing to accept refugees from Afghanistan, 2 aren’t: analysis Louisiana governor tells residents not to return without OK from officials Washington’s heavy regulatory hand will hurt thriving state economies Black community leaders meet with DaBaby after artist’s homophobic comments about HIV Dallas police officer placed on leave after allegedly killing cat Google pushes back mandatory return to office into 2022 US pledges $60M in military aid to Ukraine ahead of Zelensky visit Virginia governor posthumously pardons seven Black men executed for 1951 rape of white woman Florida reported ‘artificial decline’ in COVID-19 deaths as cases were surging It is time for everyone to have a healthier home Labor Dept. forms new office to modernize, reform unemployment insurance system What you need to know about the new COVID-19 variant C12 detected in South Africa Biden administration negotiated with Taliban to escort Americans to airport: report Australian reporter clashes with Sidney Powell over 2020 election claims McConnell invokes own polio fight while urging Americans to get vaccinated Senators call on VA to help veterans struggling with mental health Paul Ryan says it’s ‘really clear’ Biden won election: ‘It was not rigged. It was not stolen’ AFL-CIO chief warns of election consequences for pro-filibuster Democrats Thirty years after the Cold War ended, we still have too many nukes Watch live: White House press briefing Who authorized Afghanistan in the first place? Giuliani communications director resigns for role with tech startup Moderna vaccine creates twice as many antibodies as Pfizer: research Johnson & Johnson HIV vaccine trial fails GOP demands keeping troops in Kabul until all Americans evacuated Why the price of your morning coffee is soaring Missouri city: People who attended public meeting on masks ‘likely exposed’ to COVID-19 Saints to be away from New Orleans through September as city recovers: report The Harlem Hellfighters awarded Congressional Gold Medal a century late Trump complains about media coverage of Hurricane Ida Election Hail Mary — California recall law unconstitutional? New Orleans flight cancellations to stretch into Wednesday Watch live: Biden delivers remarks on Afghanistan McAuliffe up by 5 points in Virginia governor race: poll The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by AT&T – What happens now in Afghanistan? Facebook to weigh user feedback to reduce political content Former child actor’s death ruled suicide Former education secretary says anti-maskers are like Kabul suicide bombers   Mike Richards out as ‘Jeopardy!’ producer Ominous warnings from Afghanistan’s last men standing Louisiana man missing after alligator attack in area flooded by Ida What America’s Thinking: August 31, 2021 Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson among those joining campaign to deny Taliban recognition EU hits target with 70 percent of adults vaccinated Satellite imagery signals resumption of work on North Korea nuclear reactor Fired Chicago-area CEO pleads guilty in Jan. 6 Capitol rioting Home prices rose 18.6 percent annually in June, a third straight record high Interior Secretary Haaland gets married in New Mexico Watch live: White House COVID-19 response team holds press briefing US withdrawal from Afghanistan creates challenges for China, Russia and Iran After selling out in just 1 hour, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ice cream is available again Legislation extending medication abortion restrictions advances in Texas As US national parks are overwhelmed, ‘selfie stations’ pop up to help Kid Rock forced to cancel shows after most of his band gets COVID-19 Oklahoma NAACP challenging protest law How Trump broke the system that offers protection to Afghan allies Accused Michigan kidnapping plotters seek to subpoena Twitter over troll account Lawyer for 17 Jan. 6 rioters reportedly on ventilator with COVID-19 infection Puerto Rico limiting alcohol sales, gatherings as coronavirus cases rise Watch live: House GOP holds press conference on Afghanistan 11 ISIS militants killed in raid, Pakistan says Access to safe, affordable medication is a casualty of the war on opioids Harris presides over Senate passage of bill assisting Americans fleeing Afghanistan Honolulu requiring vaccine or negative test at restaurants Man attacked by alligator in raging floodwaters of Hurricane Ida Biden administration to ‘revise’ regulations for solar, wind on public lands Six crew members evacuated from cargo ship amid COVID-19 outbreak Watchdog says USPS regularly cheats workers of pay IRS sees surge in reports of stimulus check scams Democrats’ Jan. 6 subpoena-palooza sets dangerous precedent Rising: August 31, 2021 Surprising new study finds Moderna creates more antibodies than Pfizer doses Rand Paul says ‘hatred for Trump’ is stopping study of horse and human drug to treat COVID-19 Father of Marine killed in Kabul blast says meeting with Biden ‘didn’t go well’ Republican trust in media cut in half since 2016: poll Future of American University of Afghanistan students, relatives, staff ‘unclear,’ official says South Korea passes bill aimed at app store dominance Small Business Recovery: Miami Creating American hostages, abandoning Afghan allies Prominent female Afghan politician under house arrest flees country Baby baptized at funeral of unvaccinated mother who died of COVID-19 Doctor allegedly tried to hire Hells Angel to silence witness in opioid case One way to address the wealth gap: Stop ‘MacGyvering’ Social Security LA teachers call for mandatory student vaccinations, stricter quarantines Vaccine mandate opponents protest at LA council members’ homes As 9/11 anniversary looms, Biden surrenders America’s counterterrorism quest Florida withholds funds from two districts with mask mandates Biden’s falling poll numbers — both better and worse than you think More K-12 parents lean toward mask mandates than oppose them: Gallup Tulane students being sent to Houston for flights home Kerry travels to Japan in bid to cut emissions Can the United States be trusted anymore? 2 killed in Mississippi highway collapse after Hurricane Ida blows through Liberty University shifts to online classes due to rise in COVID-19 cases Feehery: Seizing the radical middle Percentage of Americans who say they won’t get vaccinated drops to record low in new poll In Afghanistan, President Biden had to play the losing hand his predecessors dealt him Taliban declare victory after US troops depart: ‘Everything is safe’ Middle-class values and humanitarianism both have roles in foreign policy The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by AT&T – Twenty years after invading, US exits Afghanistan Biden faces unfinished mission of evacuating Americans Scientists detail role of climate change in Ida’s intensity The Memo: COVID-19 frustrations rise alongside delta surge, school reopenings Why the COVID-19 origin report came up inconclusive Bottom line