Americans urged to leave Ukraine immediately

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Tuesday 08.23.22

With inflation driving up the cost of nearly everything in the US, a growing number of Americans are crossing the border and making Mexico City their new home. Some expats are fleeing their expensive cities in search of cheaper rent and a better quality of life, but locals say gentrification is now pricing them out and forcing them to leave. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.

By Alexandra Meeks

The US embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukraine

The US government is urging Americans in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch attacks on civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days. The renewed US warning follows similar announcements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials that Moscow may carry out intense attacks, including missile strikes, to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day on Wednesday. In some areas of Ukraine, officials have issued a ban on all large gatherings between Monday and Thursday. Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing to try to secure the release of Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan from Russia, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday, adding that officials are working "with the utmost urgency."

Primaries

Primary season picks up again today with voters in Florida, New York and Oklahoma heading to the polls. In Florida, two Democrats are facing off in a closely-watched governor's race primary, and the winner will have a chance to challenge Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November. Voters in New York will cast their votes in several Democratic races today after the state's redistricting process pushed the congressional primaries from June to August -- and left some House incumbents in vulnerable positions. Oklahoma will also hold primary runoffs today, including the GOP contest for the special Senate election to replace Sen. Jim Inhofe when he resigns in January.

Student loans

The White House is leaning toward canceling $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers who make less than $125,000, according to sources familiar with the discussions. In addition to student loan debt forgiveness for people who fall below a certain income level, administration officials have also recently discussed the possibility of additional forgiveness for specific subsets of the population. The announcement could come as early as Wednesday, but it is not clear that a final decision on the details or the timing has been made. The White House is also expected to address in the coming days whether to extend again the current pause on federal student loan payments, which is set to expire on August 31.

Covid-19

Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted their application to the FDA for emergency use authorization of their updated Covid-19 vaccine booster that specifically targets Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. If approved, the updated vaccine could be available to the public by early to mid-September, according to White House officials. The new booster, which was designed for use in people age 12 and older, demonstrated a "strong neutralizing antibody response" against various Omicron variants, the companies said, citing pre-clinical data. A clinical study is expected to start this month. Separately, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced Monday that he is departing his government roles in December after decades as the nation's top infectious disease expert.

NASA

NASA's historic Artemis I rocket is ready to launch to the moon and back. After a review was conducted on Monday, the Artemis team received the "go" to launch the rocket and Orion spacecraft on Monday. It will be NASA's first return to the moon in 50 years. Once it launches, the uncrewed spacecraft will orbit around the moon, traveling 1.3 million miles over the course of 42 days. Artemis I will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on October 10, NASA says. Orion's return will be faster and hotter than any spacecraft has ever experienced on its way back to Earth. This mission will kick off NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface by 2025 -- and make way for human exploration of Mars.

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That's how many US flights were canceled nationwide on Monday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has been particularly hard hit after hundreds of flights to and from the area were canceled due to heavy rains and flooding. The major flood threat will begin to subside in the region today as the storms shift eastward toward Louisiana and Mississippi.

This matter has captured the attention of the American public.

-- Former President Donald Trump's legal team, asking a federal judge to appoint a "special master" -- a third-party attorney -- to ensure the Justice Department returns any of Trump's private documents seized during the search of his Mar-a-Lago residence two weeks ago. According to the new lawsuit filed on Monday, the former President argues his constitutional rights were violated and that there may have been privileged materials seized. The new suit marks the first legal filing by Trump's team after FBI agents carried out their search on August 8.

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