The Presidential Events: August 2021

Immigration:

The White House continued the policies of its previous inhabitant, partially by coercion, and partially by its own initiative. A quick rehash demonstrates that Biden revoked a few Trump policies, like the Muslim Ban and Remain in Mexico. But Biden retained pandemic restrictions, resumed family deportations, repeatedly told immigrants to turn back, and failed to pass any legislation to protect undocumented immigrants. In the month of August the public learned of continuing deplorable conditions at migrant teen shelters. When Biden abolished Trump's Remain in Mexico policy, a federal judge in Texas ordered the White House to reinstate it. The DOJ asked the Supreme Court to intervene, but in a 6-3 vote the justices sided against the administration. While the Supreme Court viewed President Trump's norm breaking behavior with exaggerated leniency, particularly on matters of foreign policy, they appear unwilling to continue the accommodation.

Climate Change:

The global catastrophes of climate change isn't solely Biden's fault. But at this critical time he is the President of one of the few countries that can prevent disaster. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a dire report on the threat of global warming. The UN insisted that the countries releasing the most greenhouse gasses needed to provide leadership by drastically cutting emissions. While no particular event can be tied directly to global warming, the number of extreme weather incidents, worsened by the phenomenon, increases by the day. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that July was the world's hottest month on record. In August scientists warned of a potential Gulf Stream collapse. A series of wildfires devastated northern California, while further afield, fire threatened the viability of the Amazon rainforest. The largest US reservoir shrank to its lowest level since its creation in 1930, forcing water reductions in the western states. Rain fell on the summit of Greenland's ice cap for the first time in recorded history. Hurricane Ida ravaged Louisiana, dumped rain over Appalachia, and swamped the Northeast.

The White House has failed to enact any serious climate agenda. In response to the above, Biden signed an executive order for half of US vehicle sales to be all electric by 2030. This seems like a political fig leaf, a shell game, for as the Audubon Society noticed, Biden promised to ban oil and gas permitting on federal land, but is signing permits at a faster rate than the last four years. And conservatives rightly derided the administration when it called on OPEC to increase oil production.

Infrastructure:

The most significant contribution the Biden administration can make to combat climate change (and it was insufficient when Biden proposed it during the primary), is an unwritten bill that may never come to fruition. The meager Manchin/Collins bill approached completion in the Senate. Meanwhile Democrats prepared a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, which would enable them to pass a bill through reconciliation. The bill is essential for reducing poverty and preventing catastrophic global warming. Nine House Democrats pledged to vote against the budget resolution, unless the House immediately passed the Manchin/Collins bill into law. Democrat leadership tried to coerce progressives and conservatives to work together; writing two separate bills to pass simultaneously. Neither faction has enough votes without the other, so they must collaborate. While progressives are committed to passing both bills, it isn't clear that conservative democrats are willing to cooperate. Unfortunately splitting the Democratic priorities made the process complicated, messy, and created a popular and a questionable bill. Enemies of the reconciliation bill, like medical insurers, began their assault.

The Coronavirus:

The situation deteriorated further in August, reaching levels not seen since mid-February. Daily cases rose to 160,000, equal to late January. Daily hospitalizations numbered 100,000, similar to early February. And the country recorded 1,500 deaths per day, comparable to early March. Amid this serious uptick, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the CDC's extension of the eviction moratorium. The Supreme Court, in an unsigned opinion, overturned the Court of Appeal decision, blocking the eviction ban. As Democratic House members demanded leadership find a solution, Pelosi, Schumer, and Biden dithered, conceding there wasn't anything they could do. Goldman Sachs estimated that nearly a million households could be evicted because of the Supreme Court.

As cases surged, the FDA and CDC approved a third dose for immunocompromised people. While the right wing media continued to promote false solutions; bleach, hydroxychloroquine, and ivermectin, scientists believe a cheap antidepressant, fluvoxamine, may prove a useful treatment.

States grappled with the increased deaths in their own way. As DeSantis threatened Florida schools with punishment if they defied his mask ban, Biden offered aid. The CDC reported that an unvaccinated elementary teacher in California infected half her class.

And the intelligence community reported their uncertainty about the origins of Covid in a declassified document.

Afghanistan:

As the US continued its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the diplomatic and military branches urged Afghans to defend their country. But resistance seemed negligible as the Taliban advanced rapidly from all corners. Desperate Afghans tried to flee. Evacuations continued as Kabul fell. Biden committed troops until the August 31^st deadline, repeatedly, but no further. An attack, by ISIS-K, on the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul killed 13 U.S. soldiers and over a hundred Afghan civilians. In retaliation the United States launched at least two drone strikes against ISIS-K. But an Afghan family, who had worked for the United States, and had hoped to evacuate to the US, claimed the second drone strike killed ten civilians, including seven children. The US takes reports of civilian casualties, “very, very seriously,” claimed Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. Imagine lying with as little conscious as Kirby. Airwars estimates that the United States murdered as many as 48,308 civilians by drone, and 363,000 in total during the two-decade long War on Terror. For the United States, the barbaric code of “An Eye for an Eye,” isn't sufficient.

As the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban gained the weapons given to the Afghan government. Fourteen million Afghans were likely to suffer extreme hunger as Western powers threatened to isolate the new regime. Biden took some responsibility for the chaotic withdrawal, partially blaming Trump and his presidential predecessors, but expressed his desire to end the United States' longest war. The world will shortly discover whether this is true, or whether the battlefield merely moves to new locations.

Ethics:

The Pentagon sold weapons to the military dictatorship of Egypt, claiming it strengthened US ties, and restricted China's influence.

Biden chose Rahm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan, and sent Nick Burns to China as the U.S. top diplomat. The White House excused Biden's top officials and aides from ethics rules, so they could work with Wall Street Banks, defense contractors, and national media outlets.

Other:

Progressive lawmakers insisted Biden not renew Powell as Fed chair when his term expires in 2022. They want the next Fed chair to implement policies to aggressively combat climate change.

In 2020 and into 2021, but no longer (with the ending of the extra unemployment insurance and eviction moratorium), Americans received exceptional assistance from the federal government. In spite of the pandemic, poverty dropped to its lowest level ever, from 15% in 2015 to 8% in 2021. The percentage of children living in poverty in the United States was sliced from 14% in 2018 to 6% in 2021. If 2019 was the year where the United States recognized, “Every billionaire is a policy failure,” then 2021 is the year we should realize, “Poverty is a policy choice.”

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