Axios

President Biden said he saw no way to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan "without chaos ensuing" in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that was previewed Wednesday evening.

Why it matters: Critics have slammed the Biden administration for failing to plan a measured and managed departure, which the Taliban used to their advantage. But in his first on-camera interview since the fall of Afghanistan, Biden defended the withdrawal, calling it "a simple choice."

U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means staying past the White House's Aug. 31 deadline, President Biden said in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that was previewed Wednesday evening.

Why it matters: Around 10,000 to 15,000 Americans are still in the country now controlled by the Taliban according to various reports; between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans and their families await evacuation assistance from the U.S, according to Biden.

The Federal Election Committee sent a letter to the campaign treasurer for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) inquiring about the suspected use of campaign funds for her personal expenses.

State of play: The FEC letter shows four Venmo payments totaling over $6,000 described as "personal expense of Lauren Boebert billed to campaign account in error." It is then noted that the expenses were reimbursed.

The Biden administration will use the Department of Education's civil rights office to discourage states from banning mask mandates in schools, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told the New York Times on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Several states have prohibited mask requirements from being implemented in schools, even as coronavirus cases continue to increase across the U.S. due to the Delta variant.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) are demanding a classified briefing from the Biden administration on the government's plan to ensure safe passage for U.S. citizens out of Afghanistan.

Why it matters: By demanding an official briefing for the so-called "Gang of Eight" on the immediate challenges facing the Biden administration, the top two congressional Republicans are indicating that they plan to press the White House on a range of issues.

The school board in Florida's largest school district voted Wednesday to require masks for students and teachers when schools reopen next week amid rising Delta-variant COVID-19 cases.

Why it matters: The mask mandate, which allows for medical exemptions, makes Miami-Dade the latest Florida school district to defy Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who issued an executive order that effectively prohibits school districts from imposing mask mandates and threatens to cut funding of those who do.

The America First Policy Institute, led by Trump administration alumni, on Thursday will announce a Center for Election Integrity, a nonprofit group it says will push policies in state legislatures to "help make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat."

Driving the news: CEI will hold a morning announcement event at Atlanta Metropolitan Cathedral, a nod to Georgia's swing-state status as a hotbed of election controversy.

President Biden will nominate Charles F. Sams III to be the next director of the National Park Service, where, if confirmed by the Senate, he'll face the growing toll of global warming on the U.S. iconic park system, the White House stated Wednesday.

Why it matters: Sams is of Native American heritage, and the Park Service has never been led by an enrolled tribal member before. In addition, the Park Service has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration, with four people serving in that role in an acting capacity during the Trump administration.

President Biden said Wednesday that nursing home and long-term care facilities must vaccinate their staff against COVID-19 to continue to receive federal Medicare and Medicaid funding in response to lagging vaccination rates and a surge of new cases from the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Federal data showed that 60% of nursing home staff and around 82% of residents had been vaccinated against the virus in early August, even though they were among the first groups in the country to gain access to vaccines earlier this year.

Wednesday's announcement that all Americans will be eligible for COVID-19 boosters eight months after their second dose was met with skepticism at home and opposition abroad.

Driving the news: Many public health experts criticized the decision as premature or even unethical, and that eight months is too long — vulnerability can return as soon as five months after the second dose.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that the U.S. military's intelligence did not indicate that Afghanistan would fall as quickly as it did to the Taliban.

The big picture: Milley's comments come as intelligence communities have pushed back on claims that the Afghan collapse was a surprise. Several leaks have asserted that the intelligence agencies provided substantial information regarding Afghanistan's potential fall.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday banned the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on food crops after it was linked to neurological damage in children.

Why it matters: Children who have chlorpyrifos, one of the most common pesticides, in their blood were reported to have more developmental delays and disorders than those who do not, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.

The Biden administration was scrambling to clear a backlog of thousands of Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications to the U.S. that had piled up in Afghanistan for a year after in-person interviews with applicants were suspended.

The big picture: They felt they were starting to make some progress — until Kabul suddenly fell — two senior officials familiar with the situation tell Axios.

The school year has just started, and already tens of thousands of students and school staff members across the U.S. are isolating or quarantining after testing positive or possibly being exposed to COVID-19, school districts and other officials said this week.

Why it matters: The announcements come as health officials report an alarming number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 and amid tense debates over whether masks should be mandated for students and teachers.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's first visit to the White House will come with President Biden attempting to manage the worst foreign policy crisis of his presidency.

Why it matters: Bennett will visit next Thursday, the White House confirmed, which will likely make him the first world leader to meet Biden during his "Saigon moment."

Personal data, including Social Security numbers, of more than 40 million former and prospective customers who applied for T-Mobile credit were exposed in a data breach, the company said Tuesday.

The big picture: About 7.8 million current T-Mobile postpaid customers were also affected. Some of the data accessed included names, dates of birth, SSN and driver's license/ID information.

A school district in Paris, Texas, will change its dress code to require masks — finding a possible loophole around Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide ban on mandates.

Why it matters: The school district's decision comes after the Republican governor, who has fought vehemently against public health measures, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Pope Francis is encouraging people around the world to get the COVID-19 vaccine in a new public service advertisement.

What he's saying: "Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. And helping the majority of people to do so is an act of love," Francis says in the ad, which features other Catholic church leaders from the U.S. and Latin America.

President Biden's average approval rating has dropped below 50% for the first time since taking office, according to trackers from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics.

Driving the news: The dip in the president's approval rating is likely tied to the surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant. The downward trend precedes Biden's response to the crisis in Afghanistan, which has drawn intense criticism.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released (by coincidence) a new "Lessons Learned" report on Tuesday. My heart sank when I read the seven takeaways in "What We Need to Learn: Lessons from Twenty Years of Afghanistan Reconstruction." (The 11th in a series)

Why it matters: It's like we never knew or learned anything.

You saw this one coming: The more talk of an intelligence failure, the more likely that intel world would strike back. Sure enough, we now have a spate of leaks asserting that the intelligence agencies provided prescient reads on Afghanistan.

Driving the news: "Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted an increasingly grim picture of the prospect of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghan military," The New York Times reports (subscription).

The Biden administration is expected to soon recommend booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone, but that decision fails fundamental ethics tests, according to interviews with physicians and medical ethicists.

Why it matters: There is still a global shortage of vaccines. Even amid concerns of the spreading Delta variant, experts say it's difficult to justify a third dose for relatively healthy people in the U.S. when many others haven't gotten their first.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and senior White House officials met for 90 minutes on Tuesday to strategize how to ensure passage of major infrastructure spending, people familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: With the president's top legislative priority facing resistance among a Democratic caucus that's divided about how to proceed, top Biden aides and Pelosi (D-Calif.) are seeking to present a unified front.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said Tuesday he would hold hearings into the "flawed" U.S. troop withdrawal of Afghanistan.

Driving the news: Menendez, who blamed both the Biden and Trump administrations for the crisis unfolding in the Taliban-controlled country, is one of three top Democrats who head Senate committees who've vowed to investigate the Afghanistan crisis.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wrote to President Biden on Tuesday to offer his state's assistance in resettling Afghan refugees.

Driving the news: The Biden administration has yet to announce how many refugees the U.S. will take, but the Republican governor noted in his letter that Utah has a "long history of welcoming refugees" and the state was "eager to continue that practice and assist with the resettlement of individuals and families fleeing Afghanistan."

Western officials have stepped up evacuation efforts in Kabul, with over 2,200 diplomats and other civilians flown from Afghanistan on military flights Wednesday, per Reuters.

The big picture: The Taliban has said it will honor women's rights and an independent media within the "frameworks" of Islamic law. But many Afghan women and girls fear they will again face the threat of human rights abuses they endured when the Taliban last ruled in the 1990s — when it carried out public executions for "offenses" including adultery.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday that he and husband Chasten Buttigieg have become parents after a yearlong effort to adopt a child.

What they're saying: "For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We're overjoyed to share that we've become parents!" the transportation secretary tweeted.

One America News on Tuesday lost its appeal over its lawsuit against MSNBC and anchor Rachel Maddow, and will now have to pay the defendants $250,000 in legal fees.

Catch up fast: The conservative network sued Maddow for $10 million in 2019 alleging defamation after she said on air the network "really literally is paid Russian propaganda."

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday evening the state's House Democrats can be arrested if they don't attend the state Capitol due to their efforts to stop a Republican push to pass voting restrictions.

Why it matters: While the court has already blocked lower court orders in Travis and Harris counties protecting the Democrats, this ruling stipulates that under the state Constitution, House leaders can compel members to attend the chamber to conduct legislative business. Consequently, those who do not attend can be arrested.

The Florida Board of Education voted Tuesday to sanction two public school districts for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis' order barring mask mandates in school, per NBC News.

Why it matters: It marks the first punishment doled out against school officials who have clashed with the Republican governor on the issue. Nearly 6,000 students and over 300 staff members have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 in one district.

Former Vice President Mike Pence accused President Biden in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Tuesday of showing "weakness" toward the Taliban and insisted the crisis in Afghanistan wouldn't have happened if U.S. troops left the country sooner.

Why it matters: There's a hot debate about which U.S. administration owns this disaster. Biden blames his predecessor, former President Trump, for empowering the Taliban and leaving them "in the strongest position militarily since 2001." Now Pence says it's the fault of Biden alone.

People in New Mexico will be required to wear face masks in all public indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status starting on Friday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: The spread of coronavirus has "increased dramatically" due to the highly infectious Delta variant and still-unvaccinated populations, Lujan Grisham's office said. State modeling projects that New Mexico will reach 1,000 new cases per day by the end of August.