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 | | | Biden won't boost benefits | | Enhanced unemployment benefits won't be extended past Sept. 6. And Hurricane Grace made landfall. It's Thursday's news. | | |
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| The Biden administration won't look to extend weekly enhanced unemployment benefits. A bomb threat suspect surrendered peacefully after an hours-long standoff near the U.S. Capitol. And Hurricane Grace made landfall. |
| 👋 It's Thursday. It's Laura. It's time for Thursday's news. |
| But first, double turtle power! 🐢 A super rare two-headed baby sea turtle was found alive on a beach in North Carolina. It got two names – one for each noggin. |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here. |
Biden won't seek to extend enhanced $300 unemployment benefits |
| President Joe Biden's administration won't look to reinstate enhanced weekly $300 unemployment benefits set to expire on Sept. 6 and is instead urging states that want to continue the extra payments to use their share of COVID-19 rescue funds . The enhanced benefits, designed to help Americans who lost jobs because of the pandemic, were enacted last year in the federal CARES Act under then-President Donald Trump. The boost, originally $600 but later cut in half, was extended twice, most recently to Sept. 6 under Biden's American Rescue Plan that Congress passed in March. For states that want to keep extra benefits going, the administration is emphasizing that states can use their portions of $350 billion in direct aid from the American Rescue Plan. |
| • | Panicked cities pressed for COVID-19 funds. Now, some are slow to spend. | | • | At least 9 states are dropping federal unemployment programs Here's why. | |
Bomb threat suspect surrenders after standoff near US Capitol |
| After an hours-long standoff with authorities that prompted an evacuation, a 49-year-old North Carolina man who claimed to be carrying a bomb in a pickup truck parked near the U.S. Capitol peacefully surrendered to police . U.S. Capitol Police identified the suspect as Floyd Ray Roseberry, who ultimately crawled from the cluttered cab of his pickup, ending an unusual confrontation – some of it livestreamed on Facebook by Roseberry. Officials first seized on the vehicle Thursday morning after it had been driven on the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress building by Roseberry, who claimed to have a device and what appeared to be a detonator in his hand. Roseberry livestreamed part of the standoff, where he repeatedly appealed to President Joe Biden, referred to an approaching "revolution" and warned of four other devices that had been planted across the city. |
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 | | Police investigate a possible bomb threat near the US Capitol and Library of Congress in Washington, DC, on August 19, 2021. Police said Thursday a suspicious vehicle was being investigated for possible explosives and that people were told to leave the area. "The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress," the US Capitol Police said on its Twitter feed. "This is an active bomb threat investigation." The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has also joined the probe. | | Eric Baradat, AFP via Getty Images | |
What everyone's talking about |
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Afghans protest Taliban takeover |
| In the days after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the Afghan people are starting to push back against their new rulers . A day after a protest in Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, drew a violent Taliban rebuke, demonstrations grew on Thursday. Afghan people pushed their new rulers by waving the national flag and marking the nation's 102nd anniversary of independence from Britain. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden held firm on his stance on why he chose now to withdraw from the country after nearly two decades. "There is no good time to leave Afghanistan. Fifteen years ago would have been a problem, 15 years from now. The basic choice is, am I going to send your sons and your daughters to war in Afghanistan, in perpetuity?" Biden said on "Good Morning America." |
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 | | Taliban fighters gather around a vehicle during a protest in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. Taliban militants have attacked protesters in eastern Afghanistan who dared to take down their banner and replace it with the country's flag. At least one person was killed in the attack that fueled fears about how the insurgents would govern this fractious nation. | | AP | |
Vaccine efficacy wanes over time, but protects against severe effects |
| Protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines declines over time, but protection against the most severe effects of the disease — including hospitalization and death — remains strong, according to three studies published Wednesday by the CDC . The research shows the vaccines' effectiveness against the delta variant is also "generally decreased," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. The drop in effectiveness varies depending on the cohort, but the data consistently demonstrate a reduction. What about variants? Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that the data indicate that antibody levels decline over time regardless of the variant, but a booster dose increases antibody levels tenfold. Higher levels of antibodies correspond with higher levels of vaccine efficacy and may be needed to protect against the delta variant. |
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 | | Students wait in a queue to receive a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre at the Hunter Street Health Centre in London on June 5, 2021. | | Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP via Getty Images | |
Real quick |
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Hurricane Grace makes landfall |
| Hurricane Grace made landfall early Thursday in Mexico, bringing heavy rain and harsh winds to the Yucatan Peninsula . Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Henri looms in the Atlantic, threatening the Northeast. With winds up to 80 mph, Category 1 Hurricane Grace came ashore early Wednesday south of Tulum, Mexico. "After final landfall in mainland Mexico, Grace should quickly weaken and dissipate over the mountains of Mexico by 72 hours, if not sooner," the National Hurricane Center said. In central Mexico, rainfall totals could reach 15 inches in some areas, likely causing flash flooding and mudslides. And while Henri is currently far off from the U.S., the storm "could approach southeastern New England on Sunday," forecasters said. The storm was about 810 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Thursday morning. |
| • | 20 missing after severe flooding in North Carolina, tornado warnings issued in New York. 👉 Catch up on the latest updates on Fred. | | • | Photo gallery: Hurricane Grace churns toward central Mexico. | |
 | | Workers cover shop windows with plywood in Tulum, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. | | Marco Ugarte, AP | |
A break from the news |
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