U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
US President Joe Biden recently announced new efforts to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 including the Delta variant of the virus in the midst of rising cases. Public health experts praised Biden’s new efforts to boost vaccination rates while Republicans have predictably criticized him.
Speaking with the Boston Globe, Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said that Biden “got it right” and that his six-part strategy to end the pandemic in the US has the measures needed to keep COVID-19 under control. Dr. Jha also predicted that while the vaccine mandates would boost vaccination rates, it would not be popular among most who refuse to get inoculated but will still inevitably follow.
Dr. Jha also praised hospitals that receive Medicaid or Medicare funds for mandating vaccinations for workers. Dr. Jha also pushed back on the right-wing backlash that Biden has received over the mandates who cited mandatory vaccinations as an infringement on their personal freedoms. “People also have the right to be able to go to work and not get infected and not get sick and not die,” said Dr. Jha.
In the midst of the country’s struggle to keep the coronavirus under control, infection and death rates have spiked in certain states for the past several months. The death toll as of late has gone over 650,000 Americans. Some hospitals are also struggling to accommodate patients suffering from COVID-19 and from other sicknesses.
The Biden administration mandated vaccinations for workers in most healthcare settings that receive reimbursement from Medicare or Medicaid. Biden is also requiring vaccinations for the staff in Head Start schools, Defense Department schools, and the Bureau of Indian Education-operated schools. Biden also called on states to also adopt these requirements for all employees working in the education sector.
In other news, Biden will be traveling to Sacramento, California this week to tour the West Coast to survey the damage done by wildfires. The US leader will be receiving a fire briefing from officials at the California Office of Emergency Service. The briefing would be followed by an aerial tour of the Caldor Fire damage area. Biden is also expected to give remarks on climate change, the infrastructure plan, and rebuilding.
