Russia will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 to focus on building its own outpost on the orbit. Russia and the US cooperated in space even at the height of the Cold War, improving US and Soviet relations.
The Biden administration is releasing more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after a failed effort to increase supply from Saudi Arabia. In a statement Tuesday, the White House said the Department of Energy would sell another 20 million barrels of oil from the reserves to stabilize the gas market.
The Federal Reserve has imposed another big interest rate hike in an effort to tackle runaway inflation. Chairman Jerome Powell announced Wednesday, the Central Bank is raising rates by an additional three-quarters of a percentage point. This is the fourth rate hike in five months, further stoking fears of a recession.
The White House has continued to play off concerns of recession. Both the President and his aides insisted Monday that their administration does not believe the economy will hit a recession despite widespread inflation. Their dismissal came ahead of the GDP report to be released this week, which will show whether the US has experienced two consecutive quarters of shrinking.
The Biden administration is looking to put pressure on Myanmar’s military junta. At a press briefing Monday, State Department spokesman Ned Price condemned Myanmar’s government, which has been run by it’s military since a coup in 2021, for executing four pro-democracy activists.
Six congressional staffers were arrested after protesting in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) office. On Monday, the progressive staffers confronted the lawmaker to restart so-called green energy negotiations with =Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
The Biden administration deployed Kamala Harris to Indiana as the state becomes the first to hold a special session to discuss abortion laws. On Monday, Hoosier lawmakers discussed a bill that would ban abortions except in cases of rape or incest.
At least 17 people were killed after a boat carrying Haitian migrants capsizes in the Bahamas. Authorities said the rescue teams pulled another 25 people out of the water on Sunday, adding that 60 were believed to be on board and more are presumed missing.
President Joe Biden’s corona-virus symptoms continue to improve. That’s according to a letter from Biden’s physician on Saturday, which said his primary symptoms “though less troublesome” include sore throat, runny nose, loose cough and body aches.
Two American volunteers in Ukraine died in the countries Donbas region. According to the US State Department, the two Americans were believed to have assisted Ukraine’s military defenses against Russia when they died. The department has offered to provide the victims families consular assistance and keep further details private.