Axios Homepage

With Afghan cities falling to the Taliban day after day, the U.S. is sending in more troops — to help evacuate American diplomats.

Driving the news: The State Department announced today that it will shrink down to a "core diplomatic presence" in Kabul due to the deteriorating security situation. The Pentagon is sending 3,000 troops to Afghanistan's international airport to assist in that mission and help get Afghans who worked with U.S. troops out of the country.

The U.S. is more diverse, more urbanized and growing slower overall than in past decades, according to data from the 2020 census released on Thursday.

Why it matters: The decennial census provides a snapshot of the ever-changing demographics of the U.S. — and sets up the partisan fight over how states will redistribute electoral power for the next decade through redistricting.

Nearly 500 students in Palm Beach County, Florida, have been quarantined because of COVID-19 just two days into the school year, the district's superintendent said Thursday.

Why it matters: Superintendent Michael Burke's announcement comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has maintained his executive order banning school districts in the state from requiring the use of masks amid criticism and lawsuits.

The number of migrants detained along the U.S.-Mexico border exceeded 200,000 for the first time in 21 years in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement data released Thursday.

Why it matters: Biden officials had predicted that the summer heat would lead to a decline in the volume of migrants crossing the border. The CBP data tell a different story, reigniting concern about the administration's ability to accommodate migrants as Delta continues its spread.

The Taliban have captured Kandahar, the birthplace of their movement and the second-largest city in Afghanistan, the AP reports.

Why it matters: It's the 12th provincial capital overrun by the Taliban in about a week, delivering a hugely important strategic and symbolic victory for the insurgents.

More than half of Americans say more attention to the history of slavery and racism in the U.S. is a good thing — but only 25% of GOP-leaning voters agree, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center published Thursday.

Why it matters: The survey reveals deep partisan and racial divides over how the U.S. should remember its past to shape its future and gives clues on how fights over critical race theory in present are really about defining the past.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Thursday that Americans getting unauthorized booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine undermine the CDC's safety monitoring of recipients.

Why it matters: With booster shots a near inevitability, many Americans are eager to know when they will be able to get one. Some are now circumventing official CDC guidelines and getting a third shot.

Anita Dunn, one of President Biden's closest advisers during the campaign and as he built his administration, will depart the White House after today but remain a top confidant.

Why it matters: Dunn is one of the small handful of aides in the Oval Office who preps Biden before any major appearance. She helped place women in senior roles throughout the West Wing.

The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is promising to spend six figures on redistricting fights in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico — three states key to future partisan control of the U.S. House.

Why it matters: The move by CHC BOLD PAC, led by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), signals the aggressive role the political action committee intends to play ahead of the 2022 midterms.

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a press conference on Thursday that Israel and Morocco will move toward full diplomatic normalization by upgrading their diplomatic liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat to full embassies within two months.

The big picture: Morocco and Israel reestablished diplomatic relations last December as part of a three-way deal with the U.S., in which the Trump administration reversed decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over disputed Western Sahara.

President Biden on Thursday called on Congress to reduce the prices of prescription drugs, the White House said.

State of play: Biden asked Congress to create reforms that will prevent drug companies from raising their prices "faster than inflation." He also urged Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which it is currently prohibited from doing so by law.

The Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that it will require more than 25,000 members of its health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Why it matters: It's the latest federal agency to implement a vaccine mandate, joining the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon.

New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Thursday that she will run for governor in 2022 after completing outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's term.

Why it matters: Hochul, who will become governor in 12 days, is the first Democrat to jump into the 2022 race since Cuomo announced he would resign over the findings of a sexual harassment investigation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Politico that the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party "need each other" in order to have any hopes of passing their spending priorities with the narrowest possible majority.

Why it matters: Democrats have cleared the first hurdle in Schumer's risky "two-track" legislative strategy to enact President Biden's agenda, but just a single objection could derail the entire gambit.

Extreme heat and wildfires are plaguing the U.S. and Europe, along with northern Africa. Thursday marks the peak of the latest heat wave in the Mid-Atlantic states, with Washington, D.C. likely to reach or eclipse 100°F Thursday, with a heat index closer to 105 or 110°F.

Why it matters: Heat waves and wildfires are two clear manifestations of the growing risks and impacts of global warming, a conclusion reinforced by the authoritative U.N. IPCC's report published Monday.

The Biden White House increasingly views rising gasoline prices as a source of potential political peril — and is now asking some of the world's biggest oil producers to pump more oil.

Why it matters: This trend, combined with a fragile economic recovery threatened by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, and inflation beginning to bite consumers, could threaten the administration's ambitious congressional agenda for late summer and early fall.

Artificial intelligence and automation are the new farmhands as growers try to boost productivity amid soaring global demand for food, biofuels and other agricultural products.

Why it matters: Farmers one day will be able to manage their fields from their kitchen table, using a smartphone or tablet to drive machinery, inspect plants and irrigate or treat crops with fertilizer or insecticides.

Micropayments — the decades-old vision of a new way to support creators and businesses online — remain a dream in the U.S., despite 25 years of digital business innovation.

Why it matters: After all this time, the dominant revenue models of the internet — subscriptions and advertising — are exactly the same as they were in the pre-digital era.

Significant numbers of police officers across the country are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring mandates and leaning on their unions to back them up.

Why it matters: The Fraternal Order of Police, a national police union that represents 356,000 officers, estimates that more than 500 officers have died from COVID since the pandemic began.

The Biden administration is intensely scrutinizing coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness over time, facing the daunting task of timing booster shots right while still convincing the unvaccinated that getting the jab is worthwhile.

The bottom line: The vaccines still work incredibly well at protecting against severe disease and death, meaning the benefits of getting vaccinated are immense. But it's less clear how well they're working at preventing infection, which has huge public health implications with so many Americans still unvaccinated.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans Thursday to reopen the country's borders in 2022 while maintaining a COVID-19 elimination strategy — with vaccinated travelers from low-risk countries not required to quarantine.

Why it matters: New Zealand has some of the lowest coronavirus rates in the world, reporting fewer than 2,900 infections and 26 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began. It's detected no community cases for 166 days, containing COVID-19 to managed quarantine facilities.

Fresh evacuation orders were issued in California and Montana on Wednesday, as firefighters in U.S. Western states battled 105 large fires — and authorities warned more wildfires could ignite as a dangerous heat wave looms.

Driving the news: The National Interagency Fire Center said Wednesday fire managers could see an "[i]nitial attack and large fire activity could increase in the Northern California, Northwest, portions of the Great Basin and Northern Rockies areas due to hot, dry and windy conditions and the potential for lightning."

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday filed documents showing that his wife invested in Gilead Sciences, which makes antiviral drugs, shortly before COVID-19 was classified a pandemic, per the Washington Post.

Why it matters: Paul, who has repeatedly downplayed the severity of COVID-19, missed the filing deadline for such disclosures by 16 months, saying he did not know about the investment at the time.