A developing economic crisis in Afghanistan is adding a fresh layer of turmoil in the country.
Why it matters: “[T]he value of the Afghan currency could collapse, inflation could accelerate and the mix of violence and chaos could be prolonged,” the AP writes.
A North Carolina state court panel ruled Monday to reinstate voting rights to people who are on parole, probation, or supervised release for a felony, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The ruling restores voting rights to more than 55,000 people who have left prison but are still being supervised — a group that is disproportionately Black.
A record 29 openly LGBTQ athletes are set to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics, which begin Tuesday, Outsports reports.
Why it matters: It's more than double the number of publicly out LGBTQ Paralympians who competed in Rio de Jainero in 2016. The athletes hail from multiple countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and Brazil.
Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio was sentenced to over five months in jail on Monday for burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a pro-Trump demonstration last December, NBC News reports.
Why it matters: Tarrio was arrested on Jan. 4 after the Proud Boys and other far-right groups marched through Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12. Federal prosecutors say Tarrio bragged about burning the banner, which was taken from a historic Black church.
Why it matters: The U.S. has seen a recent boost in vaccinations, reaching six million shots in the last seven days, according to Biden. "This is critical progress, but we need to move faster," he said in a brief address.
The Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol insurrection has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the department announced Monday.
Why it matters: Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from California, was among a mob of rioters who used a flagpole against the barricaded doors. The officer shot Babbitt as she attempted to force her way through a broken window into the Speaker's Lobby just off the House chamber floor.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized an independent investigation that found he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of federal and state law in a prerecorded farewell address released during his last day in office Monday.
Why it matters:Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be sworn as governor at midnight on Tuesday when Cuomo officially resigns; she will become the first woman to hold the position.
The U.S. Treasury on Monday sanctioned the Eritrean army's chief of staff for his connection to human rights abuses in the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.
Why it matters: Treasury said the forces are responsible for massacres, looting and sexual assaults. The Eritrean Defense Forces have also "raped, tortured, and executed civilians; they have also destroyed property and ransacked businesses," the U.S. department wrote.
Nobody said the transition to electric vehicles would be seamless, and the General Motors recall of every Chevy Bolt is the latest example of why it won't be.
Driving the news: GM's expanding Bolt recall over battery fire risks to include 2020-2022 models, and 2019 models that weren't covered by previous rounds.
A spokesperson for the Taliban told Sky News Monday there would be "consequences" if the U.S. extended its troop withdrawal beyond Aug. 31 to complete the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from the country.
Why it matters: The U.S. and its allies are quickly approaching the full withdrawal date with thousands left to still evacuate. President Biden has said troops will remain in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, and in remarks Sunday, he did not rule out the prospect of staying past the deadline.
Senate President Pro Tem Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) — Appropriations chairman, the most senior member of Congress, and the last of the "Watergate Babies" — will be out in April with a memoir, "The Road Taken."
Why it matters: Leahy, who presided overPresident Trump's second impeachment trial, "established himself as a moral leader and liberal pioneer over four decades spanning nine presidential administration," Simon & Schuster says in the announcement.
President Biden aimed three numbered messages at three specific audiences during Sunday afternoon remarks on Afghanistan.
To Fox News viewers: "One, planes taking off from Kabul are not flying directly to the United States. They're landing at U.S. military bases and transit centers around the world."
Experts who evaluate drugs are getting pushed into a corner.
The big picture: Months after the FDA approved a controversial Alzheimer's drug against the advice of an expert panel and its own statisticians, the Biden administration is pushing for nationwide coronavirus vaccine boosters before independent experts have weighed in.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that New Zealand's pandemic elimination strategy was working, as she announced an extension to the nationwide lockdown due to a growing COVID-19 Delta outbreak.
Why it matters: NZ locked down last Tuesday after detecting the first community case in nearly six months — marking the arrival of the Delta variant in the island nation. The cluster has grown to 107 cases, with 35 more people testing positive for the virus Monday.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were "responding positively" to treatment Sunday — one day after being hospitalized with COVID-19, their son said.
Details: Physicians at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago were "carefully monitoring" the 79-year-old civil rights leader and Jacqueline Jackson "especially because of their ages," said Jonathan Jackson in a statement Sunday.
President Biden said on Sunday that U.S. evacuation efforts from Afghanistan could be extended beyond Aug. 31.
Why it matters: Biden sought to address criticisms of much of the White House response to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, outlining why the administration was using commercial airlines to help relocate evacuees and the protocols in place to ensure that Afghans arriving to the U.S. have been thoroughly vetted.
