House narrowly passes $3.5 trillion budget blueprint, paving the way to enact Biden’s expansive agenda. Mr. Biden gave reporters a barrage of figures about the accelerating evacuation effort at the Kabul airport, saying 70,700 people had been airlifted out so far. Officials said military officials could slow the departure if Mr. Biden extended the date. The Taliban warned Monday that there would be “consequences” if Mr. Biden chose to leave forces in their country beyond that date. The rising pressure from Congress came as President Biden said that he intended — for now — to stand by the end of the month deadline.

Source: International New York Times August 24, 2021 12:29 UTC