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Home , Anatoly Antonov, Antony Blinken, Ned Price, Rahm Emanuel

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08/20/21 Friday

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'Both Stick and Carrot': US Threatens Afghan Taliban With Terrorist List if it Repudiates Promises by Morgan Artvukhina \ US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Friday that listing the Taliban* as a terrorist organization was one tool in several that Washington could use to lure the Afghan militant group into living up to its promises, which include renouncing terrorism and ending support for terrorist groups. Asked at a Friday press conference about whether the threat of being placed on the State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list was a pressure tool Washington was using to get results from the Taliban, Price responded that it was. “We have a number of tools at our disposal. The Taliban, right now, is a specially designated global terrorist group. They’re on the SDGT designation list. That is one tool. It’s both a stick and ...a carrot, a potential inducement, to induce the Taliban to uphold those basic international norms, the basic rights of its people," Price said. "But the FTO list, other sanctions, that’s one single tool.” The SDGT list, maintained by the US Treasury, is used for applying financial sanctions to groups that frustrate their operations, while the FTO prohibits material support for them and is much higher profile. The Taliban was added to the SDGT list in 2002, but while the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, is listed as a foreign terrorist orqanizationunder Executive Order 13224, the Afghan Taliban is not. According to US state-funded media outlet Voice of America, "political expedience has obligated keeping the group off the list" in order to ease negotiations with the group, which has fought an 18-year insurgency against the US occupation and US-backed Afghan government. "There is no doubt that the Taliban occasionally attacks civilians intentionally, not accidentally, and that's the definition of terrorism," James Dobbins, a former US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told VOA in 2017. "And, thus, the designation would be accurate enough. The question is whether or not it would serve the US and Afghan government purposes for that step to be taken." The Haqqani Network, another Islamic extremist group allied to the Taliban, is on the FTO list, though. However, in 2012, when the US State Department added the Haqqani Network to the list, the Taliban said there was "no separate entity or network in Afghanistan by the name of Haqqani" and that the group's purported leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani, is a member of the Quetta Shura, the Taliban's top leadership council across the border in Pakistan. After capturing the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban promised to form an inclusive government and invited women to join it, while promising amnesty to government employees who worked with the US-backed regime. However, in speaking about women's rights, a Taliban spokesperson said other nations must respect their cultural values. The last time the Taliban

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were in power, from 1996 until 2001, women were essentially deprived of social and political rights. The Taliban has also made promises about not allowing groups to use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack other countries. That promise was aimed partly at the United States, which invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the first Taliban government in October 2001 in retribution for the Taliban allowed al-Qaeda to operate and train in the country, including planning and executing the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. However, their promise was also aimed at China, which is concerned about the Taliban's past refuge for the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a terrorist organization in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region that seeks to separate the province from China. However, the US has already taken some measures against the Taliban since it seized power, including freezing Afghanistan's assets in US banks, arguing there had been no "formal transfer of power to the Taliban." *The Taliban is listed as a terrorist organization in Russia.

They Succeeded Before, But Can the Taliban Clamp Down on Afghanistan’s Opium Crops Again? by Morgan Artvukhina

In the 1980s, the US encouraged the Mujahedin to use the opium trade to help finance their anti-communist insurgency, even as it launched a War on Drugs crusade at home and across Latin America. When the US later invaded Afghanistan in 2001, it found uprooting opium impossible. Afghanistan is presently the world’s largest source of opium and drugs derived from opium, such as heroin. While the Taliban* attempted to eradicate the plant in its final years of power, after the US invasion the group encouraged poppy cultivation as a way to finance their insurgency. However, as the Taliban outlines its new plans for governance after seizing power on Sunday, the issue of the narcotics trade has once again come up. "We are assuring our countrymen and women and the international community, we will not have any narcotics produced," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday. "From now on, nobody's going to get involved (in the heroin trade), nobody can be involved in drug smuggling." Mujahid also asked for "international assistance" in combating cultivation of the flowers, which are picked before they bloom in order to harvest the powerful painkiller from their seed pods. The Taliban is seeking to replace them with other crops, as has been implemented with some success in places like Colombia, with respect to the coca plants used to produce cocaine. According to a 2020 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), poppies are cultivated in 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, where some 224,000 hectares of them were sown that year. That volume of cultivation increased by 37% from 2019, with the most dramatic increases in the southern and western regions.

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Between 2002 and 2017, the US spent some $8.62 billion on counternarcotics operations in Afghanistan with little effect, according to a report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). In another report this past July. SI GAR noted that “Drug interdiction and arrests continue to have a minimal impact on the country’s opium-poppy cultivation.” "The Taliban have counted on the Afghan opium trade as one of their main sources of income," Cesar Gudes, head of the UNODC’s Kabul office, told Reuters. "More production brings drugs with a cheaper and more attractive price, and therefore a wider accessibility." With the insurgents entering Kabul on Sunday, "these are the best moments in which these illicit groups tend to position themselves" to expand their business, Gudes said. The US CIA and Pakistani ISI began encouraging Mujaheddin leaders to push poppy cultivation in Afghanistan during their insurgency against the socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and their Soviet allies in the 1980s as a way to supplement their incomes, according to MintPress News. The trade grew to a huge 4,600 tons by 2000, before the Taliban quickly moved to stamp out the trade, declaring the use of heroin and hashish and the cultivation of opium to be against the Prophet Mohammad’s teachings in an attempt to win international legitimacy. At this they were quite successful, with just 185 tons being harvested the following year, earning them praise in Washington and the pages of the New York Times. Gretchen Peters, author of the book "Seeds of Terror: How Heroin Is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda,” told Agence France-Presse that the Taliban’s ban was “a ploy” made possible by their incredible profits in the 1990s. "They are not going to get rid of the drug trade because they are too tied up with it,” she said. "Afghanistan cannot survive without opium. It is simultaneously killing Afghanistan while also keeping a huge number of people alive." As Sputnik has reported, a flurry of meetings and discussions have taken place between Afghanistan’s neighbors and other regional powers in the week since the Taliban took Kabul without a fight and then-President Ashraf Ghani fled into exile. Iranian and Chinese diplomats have both met with the Taliban recently to discuss their terms of recognition and trade, which includes renunciation of terrorism, and the US has similarly indicated that it could lower financial sanctions against the Taliban if it complies with its promises of renouncing terrorism and building a diverse government that respects human rights. With the Taliban seemingly more interested in international legitimacy following its recent conquest of power than during its first time in power, it seems likely they could clamp down once again, even if it’s nothing more than a shrewd political ploy.

Gwadar Protests Against China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Culminate in Bomb Killing Two Children by Morgan Artyukhina

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Pakistan has long accused India and Afghanistan of supporting separatist groups in the country, including in Balochistan, a province that forms 40% of Pakistan. One separatist leader, Jumma Marri Baloch, told Sputnik that India had hijacked their struggle to undermine Pakistan’s ability to hold onto its part of Kashmir. Protests in Pakistan’s western province of Balochistan have culminated in a terrorist attack on a Chinese convoy on Friday that killed two people. Baloch separatists have long objected to Islamabad’s joint project with Beijing to develop infrastructure through the region, including the deep-water port at Gwadar. The Friday blast by a suicide bomber occurred on the Eastbay Expressway to the Gwadar port and struck the rearmost vehicle in the convoy. According to Pakistani daily Dawn, the explosion killed at least two children and injured three others who were playing nearby, and three people in the targeted vehicle, one of whom is a Chinese national, were also injured. "Strongly condemn suicide attack on Chinese nationals' vehicle in Gwadar," Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said in a statement on Twitter. A journalist for Balochistan Voices later reported that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group regarded as terrorist by the Pakistani, US and British governments, claimed responsibility for the attack. He noted the group had also claimed it killed nine Chinese personnel in the attack. The attack has followed weeks of protests in Balochistan over the increasing Chinese involvement in the region’s economy, including the development of Gwadar and construction of highways in the area. The demonstrators have blocked roads and shut down parts of the coastal city to draw attention to their demands, which include an end to shortages of water and electricity and to Chinese trawlers fishing in nearby waters. “It has been more than a month, we have been protesting and rallying against the Chinese trawlers, shortage of water and electricity. The government never paid heed to our demands, and we had to observe a complete shutdown strike and we were attacked by the district administration,” Faiz Nigori, a local political worker, told the UK daily The Guardian. In 2015, Beijing and Islamabad signed a deal for a massive $60 billion infrastructure investment, part of the Eurasia-spanning Belt and Road Initiative to make the continent increasingly connected by sea, air, road and rail. That has included the development of a special economic zone at Gwadar, a port that was long known for its artisanal fishing industry, and the displacement of thousands of Baloch fishermen for the new port. However, some of the problems driving the protests have nothing to do with the Chinese presence there. For example, being so far from the rest of Pakistan, Gwadar gets its electricity from Iran, which is just 32 miles away. Last month, Mostafa Rajabi-Mashhadi, the deputy managing director of Iran’s national power grid, said domestic demands for air conditioning in the hot summer months had impacted its ability to export power, but that Iran would soon boost its exports to Pakistan, including to Gwadar. The city has long struggled to get adequate amounts of drinking water, with the clumsy system of water tanks filled at nearby dams being slowly replaced by new water pipelines, like the one

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completed last month from the Swad Dam. Another from Akra Kaur Dam is under construction. However, a large desalination plant built in China’s special economic zone has become a point of tension amid the continued shortages in the city. Friday’s attack against Chinese nationals in Balochistan is just the latest in a string of deadly incidents. Last month, a bus carrying Chinese miners in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province crashed into a ravine after being hit by an explosion, killing nine Chinese nationals and four other people. While the Pakistani government initially said the bus had suffered a mechanical failure, Chinese officials said the bus was hit by an explosion. Islamabad soon changed its tuneand accused the intelligence agencies of India and Afghanistan of supporting the Baloch nationalists blamed for the attack. India has denied the accusation, although numerous instances of Baloch insurgents seeking medical help in Indian hospitals are known. Police in the coastal city of Karachi also blamed Indian foreign intelligence for helping the BLA to plan a 2019 attack on the Chinese consulate that killed two police and two civilians outside the diplomatic compound. Last week, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle exploded in heavy traffic in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, killing two police officers and injuring 10 other people. India has its own port complex under construction along the northern coast of the Arabian Sea not far from Gwadar, just across the border in the Iranian city of Chabahar. The project is intended to play much the same role as China’s Gwadar port, including giving India access to the interior of the region, such as Afghanistan, in a way that circumvents its regional rival Pakistan.

Biden: ‘I Cannot Promise What the Final Outcome Will Be’ in Afghanistan Amid Withdrawal Efforts by Gabv Arancibia

US President Joe Biden has come under fire over the last several days following the Taliban's* swift takeover of Afghanistan as US forces remain in the war-torn nation while trying to evacuate fellow Americans and visa-carrying Afghan nationals. He has stood firm that the withdrawal was a necessity as staying longer was not a valid option. US President Joe Biden offered the American public an update on the ongoing withdrawal efforts in Afghanistan on Friday, ultimately admitting that he is unable to say exactly what the "final outcome will be" in the Central Asian nation. Biden told reporters at the White House that while the US was doing "everything" it could to provide "safe evacuations," troubles were unavoidable amid the mass evacuation efforts. "Any American who wants to go home, we will get you home," Biden said. "I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or that it will be without risk of loss but as commander-in-chief, I will mobilize every resource necessary."

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However, he also acknowledged that sending additional American troops to retrieve US forces would inevitably prompt "an awful lot of unintended consequences" when asked whether a perimeter would be implemented around Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai International Airport. He did go on to reject claims that Taliban forces were preventing Americans from arriving at the airport, saying he has received "no indication" of such claims but that "we will do whatever needs to be done." The president later backtracked his remarks slightly and explained that large crowds at the airport were the result of a "mad rush." "This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history," the president said. He did reiterate his past statement that the US could stay past the August 31 deadline, but that he also believed the evacuation of all Americans and visa-carrying Afghan nationals will be completed within the set timeline. "We're going to make that judgment as we go," he said. Asked about the reaction of NATO allies to the US withdrawal process, Biden noted that they had been made aware of the US' plans and that he had received their support on the US pullout. "I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world," he said, underscoring that he had not seen any criticism from allies of the US' handling of the evacuations. It's worth noting that over the last several days, US allies have been vocal about the troop pullout and how it may lead to the further deterioration of Afghanistan. In fact, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace earlier stated that the US withdrawal would create an environment for new extremist groups to emerge. Biden further stated that an official G7 meeting would be convened in the coming week to "coordinate our mutual approach ... on Afghanistan and moving forward." However, he also revealed that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had held a meeting earlier in the day with G7 foreign ministers to coordinate potential responses on the withdrawal. The Friday address came just hours after reports surfaced detailing that evacuation flights departing from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul had been temporarily halted after it was determined that Qatar needed to pull back on in-takes. Dramatic scenes in Kabul and more specifically at the international airport began to surface shortly after Taliban forces reclaimed the capital city on Sunday. Fearing what a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan would bring, many rushed to the tarmac with the hopes of boarding evacuation flights being scheduled by the US. In light of the chaotic scenes that unfolded, Biden earlier addressed the nation to explain and underscore that an extended stay in Afghanistan was no longer in the cards for the US, and that it would be sticking to its August 31 deadline. The president had stressed that the little resistanceshowed by US-trained Afghan forces against the Taliban proved that the US needed to pull out. The US initially began its nearly 20-year military occupation of Afghanistan weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks once Taliban officials failed to turn over Osama bin Laden and shut down its al-Qaeda* training camps. *The Taliban and al-Qaeda are listed as terrorist organizations in Russia. This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

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Biden ‘Should Be Impeached’ If He Fails to Evacuate All Americans & Afghan Allies, Graham Warns by Gaby Arancibia

The Taliban’s near-immediate takeover of Afghanistan has prompted rising concerns regarding the fate of Afghan nationals and those who helped American troops during its occupation. Now, some lawmakers who oppose US President Joe Biden’s continued withdrawal push are calling for impeachment if allies are left stranded. Tossing niceties aside, US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is calling for US President Joe Biden to be impeached if he ultimately fails to live up to his side of the withdrawal deal by abandoning allies in Afghanistan. Graham backed a potential impeachment initiative during a Friday interview on Fox News after he was asked about reports that detailed Taliban* forces were going “door-to-door” to round up any Afghan nationals who provided support to US troops. “If we leave any Americans behind - if we leave thousands of those Afghans who fought along our side behind bravely - Joe Biden deserves to be impeached for a higher crime and misdemeanor of dereliction of duty,” the Republican senator told host Steve Doocy. “We’re duty-bound to get every American citizen out, we’re honor-bound to get those Afghans who fought along our side out.” “If we leave one American behind. If we don’t get all those Afghans who stepped up to the plate to help us out then Joe Biden, in my view, has committed a high crime and misdemeanor under the Constitution and should be impeached,” he stressed. The congressman further pointed out that the UK and French governments had both undertaken their own efforts to evacuate their respective nationals as well as Afghan allies who had assisted soldiers. The UK deployed some 900 troops to Afghanistan whereas France deployed an unspecified number of forces to aid in evacuation operations. Graham had similarly criticized former US President Donald Trump when it was decided in 2019 that US forces would be pulled out of northeastern Syria, as Turkey launched its own military incursion into the region. At the time, while the American lawmaker accused the administration of having “shamelessly” abandoned Kurdish forces, he stopped short of calling for actual impeachment. In fact, Graham, who had long been one of Trump’s most loyal backers, never once threw his support behind either of the two impeachment proceedings that were taken up against the Trump White House. The “Fox & Friends” appearance came just one day after Graham wrote an opinion oiecefor the Wall Street Journal on Thursday alongside co-author Jack Keane, who previously served as the US Army’s vice chief of staff. The op-ed saw both Graham and Keane argue in favor of extending the US military occupation in Afghanistan, noting that “anything less would be dishonorable.”

Biden has repeatedly explained that his decision to continue with the withdrawal deal, which was signed and sealed by the Trump White House, would not be stopped as he had no intention

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to pass the war onto another US president or send American forces to fight the Taliban when even Afghan forces willingly let the militant group gain control of the nation. Although Biden remains adamant that forces will be gone by the August 31 deadline, he has also indicated that US troops could possibly stay a little longer to ensure all Americans and Afghan allies are evacuated. *The Taliban is designated as a terrorist organization in Russia.

Nigeria’s Showdown With Twitter May Soon End as Ban Could Be Lifted by Year’s End, Says Minister by Gabv Arancibia

The Nigerian government and Twitter have remained at odds for months after the company deleted a tweet by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and was subsequently ordered to cease operations in the African nation. At the time, it was specified that the ban was imposed because Twitter was being used to undermine the nation’s “corporate existence.” Nigeria may soon wind up lifting its ban against social media giant Twitter before the end of the year if the company manages to deliver on a few requests from the Nigerian government, it was recently revealed. Lai Mohammed, who serves as Nigeria’s minister of information and culture, made the revelation in comments to Reuters on Thursday, while adding that the Nigerian government was just waiting for the company to deliver on three concerns that had been raised by officials. The outlet specified that a total of 10 requests had been made of the platform, three of which still needed to be settled. Those three snags stemmed from the establishment of a local Twitter office, the payment of local taxes and the company’s cooperation on the regulation of content and tweets it considers to be harmful. "We certainly want to put this behind us before the end of the year," Mohammed said, largely echoing statements he made during an early August cabinet meeting in which he indicated negotiations were “getting close” to wrapping up. The Nigerian minister previously detailed that talks had hit a bump after Twitter representatives indicated officials could set up an office in the West African nation, but that it would not be done until 2022. The showdown between government officials and the tech giant unfolded in early June, shortly after Twitter removed a post by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that had violated that company’s abusive behavior policy. The singled-out post was deemed by many as threatening violence against separatists within Nigeria. Buhari’s account was also suspended for a period of 12 hours. Buhari’s suspension came on the heels of months’ worth of growing tensions between the two parties, especially as government officials took note of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey using his platform to encourage donations to the #EndSars demonstrations. The platform was also widely used to organize anti-police brutality protests that emerged in 2020.

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At the time, the government stated that actions were taken against Twitter because the company had been repeatedly used to “undermine Nigeria’s corporate existence.” Buhari expanded on the decision and informed Reuters during the Thursday interview that Twitter had become the “platform of choice for separatists,” and that it had been threatening Nigeria’s national unity. It remains uncertain whether the ban will in fact be lifted by year's end. Twitter, although it initially blasted Nigeria’s suspension as “deeply concerning,” has not yet commented on Mohammed’s latest remarks. The information minister is presently in Washington, DC, as part of his efforts to “counter misunderstandings” about reports of deteriorating freedom of speech in Nigeria, which ranks 120 in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

Hurricane Grace Nears Second Landfall in Mexico as Henri Prepares to Unleash Mayhem on New England by Gaby Arancibia

Prior to the start of the 2021 hurricane season, forecasters and eagle-eyed storm watchers revealed that this year's set of storms would see renewed intensity across the Atlantic, with as many as five major hurricanes above a Category 3 status emerging. Having gained renewed strength in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Grace is set to make its second landfall on mainland Mexico late Friday, as the ever-growing Tropical Storm Henri gears up to wallop much of the New England region as a possible hurricane. In its latest advisory, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) revealed that Grace is currently "intensifying" about 105 miles east of Tuxpan, a coastal city within the Mexican state of Veracruz. Officials have detected maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 miles per hour, effectively marking Grace as a Category 2 cyclone. The system is currently inching toward the mainland at a pace of 10 miles per hour, but is expected to undergo "rapid weakening" once it begins to move over the mountains of central Mexico. At present, Grace's hurricane-force winds are stretching about 25 miles from the system's eye and tropical-storm-force winds are extending some 125 miles. Officials have warned that the hurricane will bring with it a dangerous storm surge that may raise water levels by as much as 6 feet along the coastline, which will more than likely be battered by "large and destructive waves." In terms of rainfall, officials are forecasting that parts of Mexico could get up to 12 inches of rain, with isolated totals nearing 18 inches. "Heavy rainfall from Grace will result in significant flash and urban flooding as well as mudslides," reads the latest NHC bulletin. "These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions." Hurricane Grace made its first landfall early Thursday on the Yucatan Peninsula, near the popular tourist destination of Tulum. It had come ashore as a Category 1 storm as it brought sustained winds of 80 miles per hour to the region.

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Damages from the initial landfall appeared to be minimal as many images being shared from the ground showed downed street signs, flailing palm trees, some flooded roadways and outages. Ding, Ding - Your Turn New England However, as many keep their focus on Grace, forecasters are also tracking Tropical Storm Henri, which is expected to be upgraded into a hurricane before unleashing mayhem all along the New England region over the weekend. The US hurricane agency detailed in a separate advisory that Henri is expected to "become a hurricane tonight or Saturday, and be at or near hurricane strength when it makes landfall in Long Island or southern New England" on Sunday. Officials have noted that Henri's arrival to New England marks the first such cyclone in about 30 years. Churning some 270 miles from North Carolina's Cape Hatteras, Henri has so far maintained maximum sustained wind speeds of 70 miles per hour while moving at a pace of 7 miles per hour. The latest readings indicate that tropical-storm-force winds can be felt as far as 115 miles from the cyclone's center. With powerful winds and heavy rainfall forecasted for much of the area, officials all along the New England coast, especially in New York City, have urged residents to stay indoors.

Scandal-Ridden 'Jeopardy!' Host Abruptly Steps Down Before Game Show Even Airs by Evan Craighead

Mike Richards, an executive producer of "Jeopardy!," was recently named as a permanent presenter for the game show, alongside "The Big Bang Theory" actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik. Since the announcement of Richards' new gig, past cases of misconduct and clips from his own podcast have landed the 49-year-old in hot water with netizens. Richards announced on Friday that he will be stepping down as host of "Jeopardy!" - just nine days after accepting the position once filled by the late Alex Trebek. "As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role," Richards wrote in a statement. "However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately." The 49-year-old will retain his position as executive producer of "Jeopardy!" Additionally, production has been canceled and the game show will resume testing out guest hosts to fill the position. The show plans to release more information on the guest spots in the coming days. "I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence," Richards concluded. Aside from a February test-run, the 49-year-old has had the opportunity to host the show. Reruns highlighting Trebek's tenure have instead been airing for the past several days.

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'Price is Right' Models Allege Gender-Based Discrimination Prior to Richards' acceptance of the role, questions arose regarding allegations leveled against him during his 10-year run as executive producer of "The Price is Right," the longest-running game show on television. Models Brandi Cochran and Lanisha Cole respectively filed lawsuits in 2010 and 2011, alleging that Richards was involved in gender-based discrimination against them. According to Variety. Cochran's suit went to trial in California's Los Angeles Superior Court, and targeted Richards, production company Fremantle Media and others with the company. Cochran alleged that she was the victim of wrongful termination after she announced that she was pregnant with twins. Cochran was initially awarded $8 million in damages, but the decision was later overturned following a 2014 appeal. A settlement was ultimately reached between the parties. In 2013, Richards was dismissed from Cole's harassment and wrongful termination suit, which eventually settled out of court. The now-49-year-old addressed his past litigation in a statement issued to "Jeopardy!" staffers earlier this month, arguing that his alleged conduct in "these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am." "We embraced and celebrated each pregnancy and birth both in front of and behind the camera," Richards wrote. "It was a joy to watch their families grow and highlight their happiness as part of the show." His claims were somewhat backed up by "The Price is Right" host Drew Carey, who also advocated for Richards to host "Jeopardy!" Richards Deletes Podcast Episodes After Questionable Comments Unearthed Earlier this week several episodes of "The Randumb Show" - Richards' podcast that ran from 2013 to 2014 - were parsed by The Ringer, bringing about more questions concerning the 49-year-old's temperament and past actions. Richards, who has a past in stand-up comedy, was characterized as having a "tendency to turn bawdy and sometimes vulgar." In one case, Richards referred to his former assistant Beth Triffon as a "booth ho" and "booth slut" in reference to her work as a model at the CES tech show. Both Richards and "Let's Make a Deal" announcer Jonathan Mangum would later go on to refer to Triffon as a "boothstitute." He also grilled his female assistant and cohost on whether they have ever taken "booby pictures." The outlet detailed that he later requested to go through one of their phones and, once rejected, asked whether the picture was "of [her] boobies." Additional soundbites revealed that the female body was a constant subject on his short-lived, 41-episode podcast series. He also made unsavory remarks about the Jewish community. Richards told The Ringer that their reporting was "humbling" and allowed him to "confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago." He argued that the podcast was supposed to be a "series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around." Richards, who is married and has two children, claimed that he intends to live up to the "serious obligations" he has as a role model to his sons.

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Sony Pictures Television, which produces and distributes the trivia game show, claimed to The Ringer that it was unaware of the existence of Richards' podcast. Social Media Users Rejoice, Offer Suggestions for New Host Netizens unhappy with Richards' alleged conduct, as well as those peeved with his selection as host of "Jeopardy!," took to social media to celebrate. Even Dictionary.com took a dig at the 49-year-old. James Holzhauer, who won 32 consecutive games in 2019 and took home more than $2.4 million from the game show, also weighed in on the developments, siding with netizens who questioned how Richards was tapped for the job in the first place. "I was really looking forward to the season premiere where after an exhaustive 61-clue search for the next Jeopardy champion, the show looks past the three obvious candidates and declares Mike Richards the winner," the "Jeopardy!" champ tweeted on Friday.

VP Harris to Campaign for Newsom as Polls Show California Governor May Be Recalled by Evan Craighead

As California's 2021 gubernatorial recall election draws near, recent polls have stoked fears that Governor Gavin Newsom (D) may in fact be in danger of being recalled. Additionally, a poll conducted in part by the LA Times found that 80% of Republicans planned to vote in the upcoming election, while only 55% of Democrats plan to do the same. While conducting a series of local interviews earlier this week, Newsom expressed that he believes his COVID-19 mitigation measures, including the nation's first stay-at-home order, saved lives, while GOP-backed efforts will likely do the opposite if they became state-wide mandates. The GOP candidates up against Newsom "support eliminating mask mandates in our public schools," Newsom told Los Angeles-based outlet ABC7 in a one-on-one interview. He added that his Republican opponents also back "eliminating vaccine verifications." "The leading [GOP] candidate, Larry Elder, says he'll do that day one," Newsom asserted, reiterating a position made clear by the campaign of the conservative talk radio host. "I have no interest in taking us off the COVID cliff," the sitting California governor expressed. According to an Emerson College/Nexstar Media poll conducted in mid-July, the COVID-19 pandemic was one category Californians were divided on, with 20% rating his performance as excellent and 28% giving the governor a "good" score. Comparatively, on the issue of homelessness in California, only 7% of respondents rated his performance as excellent, while just 16% gave him a "good" score. A total of 1,085 registered California voters were surveyed. Another survey, conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found that 50% of the nearly 6,000 respondents intend to vote "no" to a recall election in order to keep Newsom in office, while 47% of those surveyed would vote to replace the sitting California governor.

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Newsom Receives Assistance From Former CA Governors and the White House During his press run, Newsom also revealed that former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offered him words of wisdom ahead of the election slated for September 14. "I appreciate his advice and counsel," Newsom said of the 74-year-old actor-turned-politician. "All the former governors have been very helpful throughout this pandemic." Schwarzenegger is the most recent Republican governor of the Golden State, and notably took office in 2003 following a recall election. US Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, is also expected to swoop in and assist Newsom, according to a Friday statement from the sitting California governor. "I am excited to join my friend and our Vice President next week," Newsom said of Harris. "The stakes of this election couldn't be higher." Harris first announced last month that she intended to join Newsom on the campaign trail, stating that she supports him 100%. US President Joe Biden has also thrown support behind Newsom, urging eligible voters to keep the sitting California governor in office. 8/23/2021 9:15:59 AM -04:00 Biden Orders Emergency Assistance to Vermont Amid Tropical Storm Henri - White House WASHINGTON, August 23 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden has approved the emergency declaration and federal assistance to support the state of Vermont after tropical storm Henri hit the state on the weekend, the White House said on Monday. "Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Henri beginning on August 22, 2021, and continuing," White House said in a release. The US Department of Homeland Security and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) will coordinate the disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering of the local population resulting from the emergency conditions, the release said. Emergency protective measures, which include evacuation and shelter support, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding and will be distributed at the discretion of FEMA, the release added. Tropical storm Henri is the second storm that hits the Northeast region of the United States this season following Elsa storm in July. On Sunday, Henri began its descent on the state of Vermont and is expected to bring the most precipitation and possible flooding on Monday. Besides Vermont, the storm came down on the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut on Sunday and prompted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to declare a state of emergency on Saturday.

RPT - US Vets May Doubt Afghan War Was Worth Fighting After Chaotic Evacuation - Advocacy Group

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WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) Barrington M. Salmon - US troops who served in Afghanistan might start doubting the war was worth fighting amid the ongoing chaotic and poorly planned evacuation process, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) advocacy group told Sputnik. The Biden administration came under fire this week as scenes went viral of chaos and desperation at Kabul airport amid a rushed US evacuation, including images of Afghans falling off aircraft and refugees packed like sardines in a transport plane. On Friday, the Pentagon confirmed nearly 170 Americans were ferried to the Kabul airport in military helicopters. "Ws've surveyed our members, the last time a year ago, and vets thought that their service [in Afghanistan] was worth it," IAVA Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Tom Porter said. "My chief concern is that vets and some families will doubt it." Porter, a Captain in the US Navy Reserve with service since 1996, said most people he has talked to are surprised at the speed at which the Taliban took over. "Whenever you withdraw from a country it’s not going to be pretty but the level of chaos was avoidable. They could have planned much better. The Pentagon is a planning agency. Planning is its forte," Porter said. "I’ve talked to so many people and no one thought it was going to play out the way it did. We got rid of the bases, withdrew from Bagram and then evacuated. It’s unfortunate." While he said it is disappointing that some veterans and their families may think otherwise, Gold Star wives, Gold Star parents and service members enabled a generation of Afghans to go to school. "In 2001,3,000 men were in college. A few months ago, we found that 330,000 men and women were in college. Millions of Afghans were allowed to get an education," Porter noted. "People who graduated from university ended up in countries around the world." Porter, who served in Afghanistan for a year, said he saw people join because they wanted to fight back - they wanted to do something after the 9/11 attacks. "It's very important to me. I trained people over there. I believe the service was worth it. I thought it was worth it because of my friends who were service members who were there. I had their backs," Porter said. The Taliban seized control of Kabul on Sunday, August 15, after overrunning the rest of the country in 11 days as the majority of American forces withdrew and dispirited and disheartened police and military melted away. With the collapse and the ongoing evacuation by the US military, questions are swirling about whether 20 years of war, the deployment of 775,000 troops, 2,300 deaths, 20,589 wounded in action and a $2.4 trillion price tag was worth it.

US Vets May Doubt Afghan War \Afes Warth Fighting After Chaotic Evacuation - Advocacy Group

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) Barrington M. Salmon - US troops who served in Afghanistan might start doubting the war was worth fighting amid the ongoing chaotic and poorly

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planned evacuation process, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) advocacy group told Sputnik. The Biden administration came under fire this week as scenes went viral of chaos and desperation at Kabul airport amid a rushed US evacuation, including images of Afghans falling off aircraft and refugees packed like sardines in a transport plane. On Friday, the Pentagon confirmed nearly 170 Americans were ferried to the Kabul airport in military helicopters. "We've surveyed our members, the last time a year ago, and vets thought that their service [in Afghanistan] was worth it," IAVA Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Tom Porter said. "My chief concern is that vets and some families will doubt it." Porter, a Captain in the US Navy Reserve with service since 1996, said most people he has talked to are surprised at the speed at which the Taliban took over. "Whenever you withdraw from a country it's not going to be pretty but the level of chaos was avoidable. They could have planned much better. The Pentagon is a planning agency. Planning is its forte," Porter said. "I’ve talked to so many people and no one thought it was going to play out the way it did. We got rid of the bases, withdrew from Bagram and then evacuated. It's unfortunate." While he said it is disappointing that some veterans and their families may think otherwise, Gold Star wives, Gold Star parents and service members enabled a generation of Afghans to go to school. "In 2001,3,000 men were in college. A few months ago, we found that 330,000 men and women were in college. Millions of Afghans were allowed to get an education," Porter noted. "People who graduated from university ended up in countries around the world." Porter, who served in Afghanistan for a year, said he saw people join because they wanted to fight back - they wanted to do something after the 9/11 attacks. "It’s very important to me. I trained people over there. I believe the service was worth it. I thought it was worth it because of my friends who were service members who were there. I had their backs," Porter said. The Taliban seized control of Kabul on Sunday, August 15, after overrunning the rest of the country in 11 days as the majority of American forces withdrew and dispirited and disheartened police and military melted away. With the collapse and the ongoing evacuation by the US military, questions are swirling about whether 20 years of war, the deployment of 775,000 troops, 2,300 deaths, 20,589 wounded in action and a $2.4 trillion price tag was worth it.

Biden, Italian Prime Minister Spoke About Afghanistan Evacuation - White House

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi spoke about coordinating on safely evacuating citizens and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan, the White House said in a readout of the call. "They discussed the importance of continued close coordination between their military and civilian personnel in Kabul, who are working together tirelessly to safely evacuate their citizens,

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Afghans who courageously supported us and NATO in the war effort, and other vulnerable Afghan nationals," the release said on Friday. The two leaders also welcomed the opportunity for the G7 to plan a common approach to Afghanistan policy at next week’s virtual summit, the release added.

Three US Army CH-47 Helicopters Pick Up 169 Americans Outside Kabul Airport - Reports

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US military used three CH-47 "Chinook" helicopters to bring 169 Americans to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Fox News reporter Lucas Tomlinson tweeted. Earlier on Friday, US officials from both the State Department and Pentagon declined to confirm the veracity of the helicopter mission earlier in the day amid reports that nearly 100 were ferried away amid the turmoil in Afghanistan. Kirby said that US operations continue to take place primarily within the confines of the airport itself, although there was one successful mission to rescue 169 Americans from shortly outside the airport’s perimeter. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price deferred to Kirby’s answer on the subject when presented with the same question, but he did add that the US will do everything they responsibly can to assist Americans.

Three US Army CH-47 Helicopters Pick Up 169 Americans Outside Kabul Airport - Reports

US Issuing Documents to People Seeking to Flee Afghanistan - State Dept.

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WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US officials are in contact with individuals trying to leave Afghanistan and are issuing the necessary documents to ensure their safe transit to the airport in Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. "To all of these individuals [trying to leave Afghanistan], whether or not they have a blue passport, we’re providing them with an official document that it is our expectation will facilitate their safe passage to the airport," Price said during a press briefing on Friday. Price explained that the US government has established online call centers around the world to talk to people on the ground in Afghanistan about their location and their intentions about leaving the country. US officials have repeatedly said that the Taliban terror group (banned in Russia) appears to be staying true to their promise of ensuring safe passage for Americans to the Kabul airport. However, several reports have emerged that the Taliban has acted contrary to their pledges.

Latest Sanctions Prove US Continues Course of Undermining Relations With Russia - Antonov

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The latest US sanctions against Russia are evidence that Washington is sticking to its course of undermining relations with Moscow, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in statement. "The actions of the American side confirm that the administration continues to blindly follow the course of further 'undermining' relations with Russia,” Antonov said on Friday. "Washington doesn't think about the consequences. Instead of focusing on real threats and problems of global security, the United States is engaged in moralizing, seeking to cling to the country's pseudo-leading role in democracy and international law.” Earlier on Friday, the US Treasury Department announced that it had introduced sanctions against nine Russian persons and two entities linked to the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny a year ago. The Treasury Department said the new sanctions will permanently restrict the import of certain Russian firearms to the United States. In addition, the sanctions will restrict the export of certain Russian nuclear and missile related goods. Antonov said it is unlikely that the United States' "unconstructive steps" will help strengthen global stability during a difficult time for all states. "The pretext for the next sanctions is absolutely far-fetched. No evidence of the use of chemical warfare agents was provided. Moreover, Russia, in contrast from the United States, back in 2017, it completely eliminated all its stocks of chemical weapons, which was confirmed by the OPCW," Antonov said. A year ago today, Navalny fell ill on a domestic Russian flight and was initially treated in the Siberian city of Omsk, where the plane made an emergency landing. Two days later, Navalny was flown to the Berlin-based Charite hospital, where he recuperated from the incident. The German government said that doctors found traces of a nerve agent from the Novichok group in

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his system. The statement led a number of countries and media outlets allege foul play by Moscow, despite Moscow's multiple statements to the contrary. In January, Navalny was arrested upon arrival to Russia from Germany. A Russian court rescinded his suspended sentence in the 2014 Yves Rocher fraud case over multiple breaches of probation and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison. Navalny is serving his prison sentence in the Vladimir region.

US Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Violate International Law - Antonov

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project violate international law, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in statement. "From the very beginning, V\feshington strove to prevent the development of normal energy cooperation between Russia and Europe," Antonov said on Friday. "The unilateral actions of the Americans against the project violate international law and contradict the principle of free market relations. This is nothing more than an attempt to gain a competitive advantage for its fuel and technology suppliers." Antonov also said Russia believes that the format for using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should be determined in Europe, primarily in Germany, and not in the United States. Earlier on Friday, the Treasury Department said the United States had imposed sanctions on two Russian companies and two vessels over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. "In general, today's anti-Russian attacks demonstrate Washington's lack of will to implement the important understandings that were reached between the presidents of the two countries at the June summit in Geneva,” Antonov said. The new sanctions target the Russian insurance company Konstanta and the company Nobility, along with the Ostap Sheremeta vessel linked to Nobility, the Treasury Department said. Also targeted is the Russian-flagged vessel Ivan Sidorenko. The United States has also re-issued a license that will allow businesses and individuals to conduct limited transactions with Russia's Federal State Budgetary Institution Marine Rescue Service (MRS), provided that these are not related to the Nord Stream 2 project, the Treasury Department said. The Nord Stream 2 project, which is 99 percent completed, provides for the construction of a 745-mile offshore twin pipeline aimed to supply up to 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia directly to Germany. Ukraine and several eastern European states have called on the European Union to abandon the project, citing the bloc's perceived energy over-dependence on Moscow. Russia has insisted that the Nord Stream 2 is an entirely commercial undertaking, urging critics to stop politicizing the project.

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General Motors Expands Chevy Bolt Electric Vehicles Recall at $1 Bln Cost - Statement

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - General Motors (GM) is recalling an additional 73,000 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) because of battery issues at a cost of nearly $1 billion, the company announced. "General Motors is voluntarily expanding the current Chevrolet Bolt EV recall to cover the remaining 2019 and all 2020-2022 model year vehicles, including the Bolt EUV [Electric Utility Vehicle]," the company said in a statement on Friday. In rare circumstances, the batteries supplied to GM for these vehicles may have two manufacturing defects - a torn anode tab and folded separator - present in the same battery cell, which increases the risk of fire, the statement said. "Out of an abundance of caution, GM will replace defective battery modules in Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs with new modules, with an expected additional cost of approximately $1 billion," the statement said. After further investigation into the manufacturing processes at the South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation LG and disassembling battery packs, GM discovered manufacturing defects in certain battery cells produced at LG manufacturing facilities beyond the Ochang, Korea plant, the statement added. GM and LG are working to rectify the cause of these defects, according to the statement.

US Raising Reports About Taliban Harassing Press at All Levels - State Dept.

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US government is raising with Taliban officials whom it engages "at all levels" the growing number of reports that the Islamist movement (banned in Russia) is harassing the press following its occupation of the Afghan capital Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. "We’re raising them on all levels with our interlocutors," Price said at the daily State Department press briefing on Friday when asked about reports of Taliban harassing media. Earlier in the day, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told US Representatives that Americans had had run-ins with the Taliban (which is banned in Russia) in Kabul, contradicting President Joe Biden's claims that nationals were making their way to the airport unimpeded. Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby later acknowledged that the US military was aware of reports of Americans being harassed and sometimes beaten by Taliban forces, calling the reports deeply troubling.

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US Thinks Taliban Might Do Things in Exchange for Being Taken Off Terror List - State Dept

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The United States may utilize the placement of the Taliban (banned in Russia) on its Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list as an incentive to protect basic human rights in Afghanistan, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. "The Taliban right now is a specially designated global terrorist group, they're on the SDGT designation list. That is one tool. It’s both a stick and a carrot, a potential inducement to induce the Taliban to uphold those basic international norms, the basic rights of its people," Price said during a press briefing on Friday.

Taliban Assured US Will Not Impede People From Accessing Kabul Airport - State Dept.

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The Taliban (banned in Russia) have assured the United States that they will not impede people from accessing the Kabul airport nor interfere with US operations, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. "The Taliban have told us the same they said publicly - that they have no intention of impeding our operations or standing in a way of those who are seeking passage to the airport," Price said during a press briefing on Friday.

SPUTNIKTOP STORIES OF THE DAY WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik)

NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE * The United States has imposed sanctions on two Russian companies and two vessels over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, the Treasury Department said on Friday. * US President Joe Biden said that he has issued an Executive Order to undertake additional actions against certain Russian energy export pipelines and block property or interests in property of entities who have facilitated the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. * Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said the US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline violate international law.

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* The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is just 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from being completed, President Vladimir Putin said. * German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she discussed with Putin the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and agreements Germany has reached with the United States regarding the project.

NAVALNYCASE * The United States and United Kingdom released a joint statement on the anniversary of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Friday, saying that the two countries are taking further action to hold those responsible. * Russian President Vladimir Putin said Navalny was convicted not for his political activity but for committing criminal offenses against foreign partners. * The US Treasury Department on Friday announced that it has introduced sanctions against nine Russian persons and two entities linked to the alleged poisoning of Navalny a year ago. * The new sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia in response to the alleged poisoning of Navalny will permanently restrict the import of certain Russian firearms to the US, the Treasury Department said.

AFGHANISTAN * The Taliban (banned in Russia) control almost the entire territory of Afghanistan, this should be taken into consideration and the collapse of the country must be prevented, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. * Although the US and NATO actions in Afghanistan cannot be qualified as successful, Russia is not interested in "dwelling" on the results of this campaign and wants the situation to stabilize, Putin said. * German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed regret that the Taliban took over Afghanistan and called on the global community to fight the resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan. * The US military has rescued 169 Americans outside of the perimeter of the Kabul airport, Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said. * A dozen countries have been engaged in US-led efforts to evacuate Americans, at-risk Afghans and third-country personnel from Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. * A total of 1,982 foreign citizens have been evacuated from Afghanistan through Uzbekistan in the recent days, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said. * NATO suspends all support to the Afghan authorities and insists that the future government must fulfill international obligations and safeguard human rights, NATO member states’ foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

CORONAVIRUS * The United States has extended the restrictions on its borders with Canada and Mexico through September 21 to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, the US Department of Homeland Security said on Friday. * The Biden administration is providing Kosovo with half a million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

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PAUL WHELAN CASE * The defense team of convicted US spy Paul Whelan filed a petition with the Moscow City Court, asking to let the former Marine serve his sentence in the United States, lawyer Olga Karlova told Sputnik on Friday. * The Whelan family said they hoped the prison authorities will stop prohibiting Paul access to his lawyers.

PREVIEW- Harris to Depart for Singapore and Vietnam, Will Discuss Health and Security With Leaders

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US Vice President Kamala Harris will be departing on Friday for a trip to Singapore and Vietnam, during which time she will meet with the countries’ political and civil society leaders to discuss issues ranging from global health to Indo-Pacific security. Expected to arrive in Singapore on Sunday, Harris is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting and subsequent press conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, according to a senior administration official via a telephone briefing. She will also deliver remarks to US sailors aboard the USS Tulsa, which is currently docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore. On Tuesday, Harris will deliver a speech on the importance of partnerships and the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. She will also participate in a roundtable discussion with supply-chain thought leaders to talk about supply chain resiliency. Harris will end her day on Tuesday by meeting with US Embassy Singapore staff and families before leaving for Vietnam, the senior official said. Harris will land in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on Tuesday evening and begin official events on Wednesday, including the launch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Southeast Asia Regional Office, a meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and discussions with government officials about pandemic response and global health. Thursday will be Harris’s last day of official events and will include a meeting with Vietnamese civil society leaders that the administration is calling a “Change Makers Event," as well as a meeting with US Embassy Hanoi staff and families. Harris will stop in Hawaii en route back to the US, where she will deliver remarks to service members at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

US Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Violate International Law-Antonov

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Latest Sanctions Prove US Continues Course of Undermining Relations With Russia - Antonov

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The Latest sanctions are evidence that Washington is sticking to its course of undermining its ties with Moscow, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in statement on Friday. "The actions of the American side confirm that the administration continues to blindly follow the course of further 'undermining' relations with Russia,” Antonov stated. “\Afeshington doesn't think about the consequences. Instead of focusing on real threats and problems of global security, the United States is engaged in moralizing, seeking to cling to the country's pseudo-leading role in democracy and international law.”

Police Officer Cleared on Killing Air Force Vet Ashli Babbitt in Capitol Riot - Reports WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - Capitol Police investigators have cleared the officer who shot dead US Air Force veteran Ashley Babbitt as she was breaking into the US Capitol during the January 6 riot, US media reports said on Friday. The unidentified officer who shot her was cleared after an internal investigation, NBC News reported, citing an internal departmental interview. Babbitt, 35, was a 14-year US Air Force veteran who had been decorated during her years of service and who had served in the 2003 Iraq war. After leaving the military Babbitt became a supporter of conspiracy theories including the QAnon group. Outgoing President Donald Trump referred to the police officer who shot her as a murderer. Video of the shooting recorded Babbitt, who was unarmed, in front of a crowd of rioters trying to break through a door that led to where members of Congress were being evacuated on the House of Representatives side of the Capitol building, NBC said. She was shot and killed without any apparent warning.

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The Department of Justice announced in April that no charges were being brought against the officer. The exoneration by the Capitol Police wraps up the last remaining investigation into the incident.

Biden Names Nicholas Burns as Envoy to China, Rahm Emanuel for Japan - White House

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden has nominated former State Department diplomat Nicholas Burns as US ambassador to China and Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago and chief of staff to President Barack Obama as US ambassador to Japan, the White House announced on Friday. “Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as US ambassadors,” the White House said in a statement. "Nicholas Burns, Nominee ...to the People’s Republic of China [and] Rahm Emanuel, Nominee for Ambassador ...to Japan.” Burns served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, ambassador to NATO and to Greece and on the National Security Council staff on Soviet and Russian Affairs as well as worked with the Chinese government on Afghanistan and US policy in the Indo-Pacific, the statement said. Emanuel advised Obama on all key national security decisions during his first two years in office. From 2003 to 2009, he served in the US House of Representatives and earlier served as Assistant for Political Affairs and Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy to President Bill Clinton, the statement said. Biden also nominated Michael Battle, a former State Department Bureau of African Affairs adviser, as the next as a Senior Advisor to the Bureau of African Affairs at the US Department of State Ambassador to Tanzania, the statement added.

US State Department Says 12 Countries Transiting Americans, Others From Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - Adozen countries have been engaged in US-led efforts to evacuate Americans, at-risk Afghans and third-country personnel from Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday. “Over the past several days, we have mobilized a global effort through diplomatic channels to evacuate US citizens, personnel from partner nations and, of course, at-risk Afghans from Kabul,” Price said in a regular briefing. “Bahrain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the UAE, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan have been, or will soon be, transiting Americans or... others through their territories to safety.”

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US Defense Secretary Tells Lawmakers Americans Beaten by Taliban in Kabul

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told US Representatives that Americans have had run ins with the Taliban (banned in Russia) in Kabul, contradicting President Joe Biden's claims that nationals were making their way to the airport unimpeded. "We're also aware that some people including Americans have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban. This is unacceptable and [we] made it clear to the designated Taliban leader," Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio quoted Austin as saying in the call on Friday. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby later acknowledged that the Pentagon was aware of reports of Americans being harassed and sometimes beaten by Taliban forces, calling the reports "deeply troubling." Kirby added, however that Americans are "by and large" getting through Taliban checkpoints. The Biden administration is leading an unprecedented global effort to coordinate safe transit out of Afghanistan for thousands of US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, vulnerable Afghans, and third-country nationals.

Video Showed US Marines Taking Afghan Baby to Airport Hospital for Treatment - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - A viral video of an Afghan baby being handed over the walled perimeter of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul showed US Marines taking the baby to be treated at a hospital at the facility, Defense Department Spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday. "The parent asked the Marines to look after the baby because the baby was ill, and so the Marine you see reaching over the wall took it to a Norwegian hospital that’s at the airport. They treated the child and returned the child to the child’s father," Kirby said. “It was an act of compassion.” Kirby said that it was the only such instance that he was aware of, and that it was an act of compassion and professionalism on behalf of the soldiers there. He added that he is not aware of where the baby is now, because they were handed back over to their father after receiving treatment.

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New US Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 Target 2 Russian Companies, 2 Vessels - Treasury

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The United States has imposed sanctions on two Russian companies and two vessels over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, the Treasury Department said on Friday. The new sanctions target the Russian insurance company Konstanta and the company Nobility, along with the Ostap Sheremeta vessel linked to Nobility, the Treasury Department said. Also targeted was the Russian-flagged vessel Ivan Sidorenko. The United States has also re-issued a license that will allow businesses and individuals to conduct limited transactions with Russia's Federal State Budgetary Institution Marine Rescue Service (MRS), provided that these are not related to the Nord Stream 2 project, the Treasury Department said. The Nord Stream 2 project, which is 99 percent completed, provides for the construction of a 745-mile offshore twin pipeline aimed to supply up to 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia directly to Germany. Ukraine and several eastern European states called on the European Union to abandon the project, citing the bloc's perceived over-dependence on Moscow. Russia has insisted that the Nord Stream 2 is an entirely commercial undertaking, urging critics to stop politicizing the project.

US Military Rescued 169 Americans Outside Perimeter of Kabul Airport - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US military has rescued 169 Americans outside the perimeter of the Kabul airport, Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday. "My understanding of what happened was they were really just outside the wall, it was not very far to go," Kirby said during a press conference. "It was in a relatively short period of time, it was not a rescue so much as assisting them getting on to the field."

US Defense Secretary Tells Lawmakers Americans Beaten By Taliban in Kabul - Reports

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"Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a briefing call with House lawmakers just now said Americans have been beaten by the Taliban in Kabul, according to multiple people on the call. Austin called it 'unacceptable',” Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio said in a Twitter message.

US Flight Operations From Kabul Resume, Flights to Land in Germany Today - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US military has resumed flights out of Kabul after being delayed for between six and seven hours due to the refugee processing facility in Qatar reaching its maximum capacity, Army Major General Hank Taylor said on Friday at a news conference on Afghanistan. “We did pause flights earlier today leaving Kabul while we adjusted resources and personnel to ensure a temporary capacity issue at one of our stopover locations, although flight operations have resumed,” Taylor said. “We’re grateful for our allies including Germany, where flights will land today.” The allowance of flights into Germany and other locations such as Bahrain is expected to increase the number of people the US military will be able to evacuate from Afghanistan.

US Energy Secretary to Lead Delegation to Ukraine on Aug. 23-24 - White House

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will lead a delegation to Ukraine on August 23-24, the White House said in a statement on Friday. "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Kyiv, Ukraine to attend the Crimea Platform Summit and events of the 30th Anniversary of Independence on August 23-24, 2021," the statement read. "The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of Energy, will lead the delegation." The delegation also includes US embassy in Kiev Charge d’Affaires ad interim Kristina Kvien and Assistant Energy Secretary Andrew Light, the statement added.

US Capitol Bomb Threat Suspect Charged With Threat to Use WMD - Reports

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The suspect in Thursday's bomb threat incident near the Capitol in Washington is facing charges for threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, as

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well as use or attempted use of an explosive device, an NBC court reporter said via Twitter on Friday. Floyd Ray Rosenberry of Grover, North Carolina will be held in jail until trial, Scott MacFarlane said via Twitter, adding that he will also be screened for competency ahead of his trial. Rosenberry on Thursday engaged in an hours-long standoff with police before surrendering without incident. The bomb threat forced the evacuation of several nearby buildings, including three Congressional office buildings.

US Has Evacuated 13,000 in Kabul Airlift in Past Week - Biden Administration Official

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US Air Force has evacuated 13,000 people out of Afghanistan in the past week including 5,700 in the past 24 hours, a Biden administration official speaking on condition of background told reporters on Friday. “An operational update: we evacuated approximately 13,000 people on US military aircraft since August 14, and relocated approximately 18,000 people since the end of July,” the official said. “The US military evacuated 5,700 people in the last 24 hours alone." The US armed forces had evacuated 3,000 people as part of those overall figures since Thursday night's update. And it had secured a number of agreements for those passengers to temporarily transit through other countries, the administration official added. "We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our international allies and partners, including those who are working shoulder-to-shoulder with us on the ground in Kabul to support what is already one of the largest airlifts in history,” the official said. The Biden administration was leading an unprecedented and highly complex global effort to coordinate safe transit out of Afghanistan for thousands of US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, vulnerable Afghans, and third-country nationals, the official noted.

US Has Not Made Perimeter Outside Kabul Airport Because of Unintended Consequences - Biden

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US has not built any perimeter outside of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul due to the risk of unintended consequences, President Joe Biden said during remarks on Friday. "The reason why we have not gone out and set up a perimeter way outside the airport in Kabul is that it’s likely to draw a lot of unintended consequences, in terms of people who, in fact, are not part of the Taliban [banned in Russia],” Biden said.

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New US Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 Target Two Russian Companies, Vessel - Treasury

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The United States has imposed sanctions on two Russian companies and a vessel over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, the Treasury Department said on Friday. The new sanctions target Russian insurance company Konstanta and the company Nobility, along with the Ostap Sheremeta vessel linked to Nobility, the Treasury Department said. The United States has also re-issued a license that will allow businesses and individuals to conduct limited transactions with Russia's Federal State Budgetary Institution Marine Rescue Service (MRS), provided that these are not related to the Nord Stream 2 project, the Treasury Department added.

Biden Says US Commander in Afghanistan Has Given Order for Outbound Flights to Resume

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden said on Friday that the US commander in Afghanistan has ordered that outbound flights from the Kabul airport should resume. "We paused flights in Kabul for a few hours this morning to make sure we could process the arriving evacuees at the transit points, but our commander in Kabul has already given the order for outbound flights to resume," Biden said during a press briefing.

Biden Says US Has Over 6,000 Troops in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The United States has more than 6,000 troops in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said on Friday. “Now we have more than 6,000 troops on the ground,” Biden said in an address on the developments in Afghanistan from the White House.

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US State Dept. Denies Seeking Reimbursement From Those Fleeing Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US government does not intend to seek reimbursement from individuals fleeing Afghanistan, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told Sputnik on Friday. On Thursday, reports surfaced that the United States was charging evacuees thousands of dollars to escape the country. "In these unique circumstances, we have no intention of seeking any reimbursement from those fleeing Afghanistan," Price said. The US has seen a large influx of Americans, Afghans, and third country nationals alike come to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in hopes of leaving the country. However, flights were suspended on Friday when the refugee processing facility in Qatar reached capacity. They are expected to resume amid reports that Bahrain and Europe will begin allowing in flights from Afghanistan.

New US Sanctions on Russia to Take Effect Sept. 7, Last at Least 12 Months - Treasury

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The latest wave of sanctions that the United States imposed on Russia in response to the alleged poisoning of blogger Alexey Navalny will go into effect next month and remain in place for at least a year, the Treasury Department said on Friday. "These latest sanctions on Russia pursuant to the CBW (Chemical and Biological Control and \Aferfare Elimination) Act... will take effect upon the publication of a Federal Register notice expected on September 7, 2021, and they will remain in place for a minimum of 12 months," the Treasury said in a notice on its website.

New US Navalny Sanctions Restrict Exports of Nuclear, Missile-Related Goods - Treasury

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The latest wave of sanctions that the United States imposed on Russia in response to the alleged poisoning of blogger Alexey Navalny will restrict the export of certain Russian nuclear and missile related goods, the US Treasury Department said on Friday. "New sanctions imposed today under the CBW [Chemical and Biological Control and Warfare Elimination] Act include ... additional Department of Commerce export restrictions on nuclear

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and missile-related goods and technology pursuant to the Export Control Reform Act of 2018," the Treasury Department said in a notice.

New US Navalny Sanctions Restrict Permanent Imports of Certain Russian Firearms - Treasury

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The new sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia in response to the alleged poisoning of Alexey Navalny will permanently restrict the import of certain Russian firearms to the US, the Treasury Department said on Friday. "New sanctions imposed today under the CBWAct [Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Elimination Act] include ... restrictions on the permanent imports of certain Russian firearms. New and pending permit applications for the permanent importation of firearms and ammunition manufactured or located in Russia will be subject to a policy of denial," the Treasury said in a notice on its website.

Biden Issues Executive Order to Take Additional Actions Against Russian Export Pipelines

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he has issued an Executive Order to undertake additional actions against certain Russian energy export pipelines and block property or interests in property of entities who have facilitated the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. "I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order in order to take additional steps regarding certain Russian energy export pipelines to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14024 of April 15, 2021, with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by specified harmful foreign activities of the Government of the Russian Federation," Biden said in a document. “The order blocks the property and interests in property of foreign persons ... for engaging in certain activities or providing certain services to facilitate construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, among others,” the document said.

Deputy Secretary of State Discusses Afghan Rights With Top Uzbek Diplomat - State Dept.

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WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman discussed ways to protect human rights in Afghanistan in a political settlement following the swift Taliban (banned in Russia) takeover with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday. "Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman spoke today with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov,” Price said in a readout. “They discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive political settlement that protects human rights.” The Deputy Secretary thanked the Government of Uzbekistan for facilitating the repatriation of Americans and welcomed continued cooperation on the temporary relocation of vulnerable Afghans. Afghan military personnel fled to Uzbekistan amid the Taliban terror group's (banned in Russia) takeover in at least 46 US-supplied aircraft, the Wail Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing US officials. Some 585 Afghan service members fled in the aircraft to Uzbekistan, the report said. The report said the 46 aircraft that flew into Uzbekistan account for a large portion of the Afghan Air Force.

US to Sanction One Russian Vessel, Two Persons Linked to Nord Stream 2 Pipeline - Blinken WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday announced sanctions against one Russian vessel and two Russian individuals linked to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. "The Department of State has submitted a report to Congress pursuant to the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019 (PEESA), as amended. The report lists one Russian vessel and two Russian persons involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline," Blinken said in a statement. "Persons identified in the report will be sanctioned under PEESA. Additionally, the vessel listed in the report, as well as one additional Russian vessel involved in the project, will be identified as blocked property of one of the listed entities."

Blinken Talks to Qatar Deputy Prime Minister as US Flies Refugees to Doha - US State Dept.

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked over the telephone with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani as the US government continues to fly Afghan refugees to an air base in Doha, the State Department said on Friday. "Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke yesterday with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani about the latest developments

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in Afghanistan," Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said in a readout of the conversation. Blinken thanked Al-Thani for Qatar’s assistance in facilitating the safe transit of US citizens, embassy personnel from Kabul and at-risk Afghans through Doha, and he commended Qatar for its strong partnership with Washington to promote regional security, Price said. US military evacuation flights have been landing at Doha at a high rate prompting incoming flights to be put on hold and other landing sites in other countries in the region to be sought, primarily Bahrein, according to media reports.

Whelan’s Family Hopes Russia to Allow Him Access to Lawyers - Statement

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The family of US citizen Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia on espionage charges, said on Friday they hoped prison authorities will stop prohibiting access to his lawyers. Earlier on Friday, Whelan’s defense team filed a petition with the Moscow City Court requesting to let the ex-Marine serve out his sentence in the United States. "We hope that Paul's wishes are clarified soon and that the FSIN [Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service] stops prohibiting access to his lawyer,” his brother David Whelan said in a statement. Some Russian media have indicated that "Whelan has requested a transfer to the US, he added. Whelan is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in Mordovia under a verdict that a Moscow court delivered last June. Whelan did not challenge the court verdict, as he hoped to be exchanged for some Russian citizen convicted in the US.

US Sanctions 9 Russians, 2 Entities in Response to Alleged Navalny Poisoning - Treasury

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US Department of the Treasury on Friday announced that it has introduced sanctions against nine Russian persons and two entities linked to the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny a year ago. "Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Department of State joined the United Kingdom in imposing additional sanctions on Russia in response to the state-sponsored poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny that took place one year ago today," the Treasury Department said. "Specifically, OFAC is designating nine Russian individuals and two Russian entities involved in Navalny’s poisoning or Russia’s chemical weapons program." 8/20/2021 12:28:55 PM -04:00

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US to sanction one Russian vessel and two Russian persons involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline - Binken Sputnik

Trudeau Pledges to Revamp Sanitary Conditions at Schools, V\/brkplaces if Reelected

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday pledged to introduce a slew of new measures to promote a "safe return to work and school" if his Liberal Party won the upcoming legislative elections in September. “Within the first 100 days of a new mandate, a re-elected Liberal government will introduce 10-day paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers,” Trudeau told reporters in Winnipeg. He promised to convene local authorities to discuss how to make the sick leave a reality and provincially regulated sectors as well. “We will invest another 100 million dollars [US$77.8 million] to help the provinces specifically on ventilation in schools," he said. The federal government also will provide a new tax credit to allow small businesses to upgrade their ventilation systems if the Liberal Party maintains its hold on power, Trudeau added. Canada is set to hold legislative elections on September 20.

US Stops Flights From Kabul as Qatar Processing Facility Hits Maximum Capacity - Reports

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US military has suspended flights from Kabul, Afghanistan, as a result of the refugee processing facility in Qatar reaching maximum capacity, CBS News reported on Friday. People on the ground at the Kabul airport described the situation as "pretty much a full-blown humanitarian disaster" due to the number of Afghans seeking to leave the country, the report said. The US government has been trying to persuade partner states to allow flights on their territory for processing of refugees. The United States reached and agreement with Bahrain earlier on Friday to allow up to 1,000 Afghan refugees to stay for up to 14 days. US officials were quoted as saying in the report that the State Department is expected to announce European states will be opening up for incoming flights soon. When contacted by Sputnik, the State Department declined to comment on the report.

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US Donates Half Million Coronavirus Vaccine Doses to Kosovo - Blinken

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The Biden administration is providing Kosovo with half a million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Friday. "Today the United States donated the first tranche of 500,000 Pfizer doses to Kosovo, bringing it 20 percent closer to reaching its vaccination goal,” Blinken said via Twitter. The vaccine doses were delivered through the so-called COVAX mechanism, the Blinken added. “[T]his gift represents the shared values and unwavering bonds between our people. Together we can defeat COVID-19," Blinken said. COVAX stands for COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access and is a worldwide initiative for equitable access to coronavirus vaccines. COVAX is directed by the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organization.

US Special Representative for North Korea to Visit Seoul August 21-24 - State Dept.

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - US Special Envoy for North Korea Sung Kim will visit Seoul over the weekend to coordinate policy with the government of South Korea, the State Department announced on Friday. "US Special Representative for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Ambassador Sung Kim will travel to Seoul, August 21-24," the State Department announced in a media note. During his visit, Kim will meet with South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk and other senior government officials, the State Department said. The two sides will "discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and continue close coordination on the way forward," the media State Department added. The Biden administration and South Korea remain committed to ongoing close collaboration on North Korea issues as they seek to advance complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to the State Department.

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US Moved Out 9,000 Troops From Afghanistan Since Takeover By Taliban - White House

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The United States has moved out from Afghanistan some 9.000 troops since the fall of Kabul, while the total number of those moved out from the country since July has reached 14,000, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said on Friday. "We are continuing to increase those numbers every day," Bedingfield said in a interview. "Overnight, we announced that we have now moved out 9,000 people since the fall of Kabul, and 14,000 since July. So, we are taking control of the airport, flights are leaving regularly." Earlier on Friday, the Air Mobility Command said a US Air Force C-17 Globe master aircraft flew a record 823 Afghan civilians on a single flight out of Kabul earlier this week - the largest number of people ever carried on such aircraft. The C-17 aircraft had carried out 640 civilians, but the number listed solely the adults and not the 183 children who were also there, according to reports. The Defense Department aims to undertake 20-30 flights per day that would airlift approximately 5.000 people out of Afghanistan daily.

US, UK Taking Action Against Those Responsible for Alleged Navalny Poisoning - Statement

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US and UK released a joint statement on the anniversary of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Friday saying that the two countries are taking further action to hold those responsible for the action accountable. "We welcome sanctions actions made by international partners and will continue to coordinate with international partners on further measures. Today the UK and the US join in taking further action against the individuals directly responsible for carrying out the poisoning of Mr. Navalny,” the joint statement said. The two countries condemned what they called an assassination attempt on Navalny's life using the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok. They called on Russia to fully comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which includes obligations to declare and dismantle chemical weapons programs. The UK announced on Friday that they will be freezing assets and issuing travel bans against seven Russian nationals who they believe to have been directly responsible for planning and carrying out the alleged poisoning.

US, UK Taking Action Against Those Responsible for Alleged Navalny Poisoning - Statement

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WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The US and UK released a joint statement on the anniversary of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Friday, saying that the two countries are taking further action to hold those responsible for the action responsible. “V\fe welcome sanctions actions made by international partners and will continue to coordinate with international partners on further measures. Today the UK and the US join in taking further action against the individuals directly responsible for carrying out the poisoning of Mr. Navalny,” the joint statement said.

US Flew 823 Afghan Refugees Out of Kabul on Single C-17 Flight - Air Mobility Command

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) -A US Air Force C-17 Globe master flew a record 823 Afghan civilians out of the Kabul airport on a single flight earlier this week, believed to be the largest number of people ever carried on one of the giant aircraft, Air Mobility Command (AMC) said on Friday. "[A] US Air Force C-17 Globe master III safely transported 823 Afghan citizens from Hamid Karzai International Airport Aug. 15, 2021,” AMC announced in a tweet. “This is a record for this aircraft.” Earlier reports said the C-17 had carried out 640 civilians but that only listed the adults on board, and did not include the 183 children who were also on the flight and were carried on the laps of adults, AMC said. The Department of Defense is aiming to fly 20-30 evacuation airlifts a day, which would airlift approximately 5,000 people out of Afghanistan daily.

FBI Has Little Evidence US Capitol Riot Coordinated, No Evidence Trump Involved - Reports

WASHINGTON, August 20 (Sputnik) - The FBI has found hardly any proof that the January 6 riot at the US Capitol was coordinated and has no evidence that former President Donald Trump was involved in the event, Reuters reported on Friday. The FBI considers the events of January 6 not to be an organized plot by far-right groups or supporters of then-President Donald Trump, the report said citing four current and former law enforcement officials. Ninety-five percent of the involved are "one-off cases," the report cited a former senior law enforcement official as saying. Of the remaining 5 percent, there were some militia groups that

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were more closely organized, but there was no grand scheme to storm the Capitol and take hostages, the report said. FBI has found, however, that some protesters, such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys groups, had aimed to break into the Capitol, but the investigators did not find any evidence these groups had serious plans on what to do inside, the report said. Senior lawmakers have been briefed in detail on the results of the FBI's probe and consider them credible, the report said. On January 6, a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump entered the US Capitol in a bid to protest the lawmakers certifying the 2020 election results from several states that Trump said were fraudulent. One protester was shot dead during the incident and the law enforcement authorities charged 500 people for participating in the event.

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