August & September

AUG. 04,2021

AUG. 24,2021 AUG. 26,2021

TOKYO OLYMPICS END WITH U.S. ON TOP

ANTI-ABORTION BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

The postponed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics wrapped up Aug. 4, 2021. The top 10 countries with the most medals were the United States, China, Japan, Great Britain, the Russian Olympic Committee, Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and France. The United States, China and Japan earned the most medals overall, with 39 gold and 113 total, 38 gold and 88 total, and 27 gold and 58 total, respectively. NEW YORK STATE GOV. ANDREW CUOMO RESIGNS HURRICANE IDA CAUSES WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION

AUGUFormer New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Aug. 24. The politician was accused of assaulting at least 11 women, both inside and outside the state government. On Aug. 3, President Joe Biden called for Cuomo to resign in light of the accusations against him, and a CNN article published Aug. 4 detailed the incidents. The investigation also revealed a pattern of inappropriate conduct and behavior.

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Between Aug. 26 and Sept. 4, the Category 4 Atlantic storm Hurricane Ida tore through Venezuela, Columbia, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the TGulf Coast, the northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada. Ida was the most destructive hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm caused approximately $75.25 billion in damage, making it the ffth-most costly hurricane in recorded history.

AUG. 30,2021 PRESIDENT BIDEN WITHDRAWS FROM AFGHANISTAN

After President Joe Biden took offce, he withdrew troops from Afghanistan. The last of the U.S. soldiers were withdrawn from the country Aug. 30, 2021. The move was wildly criticized for its disorganized nature. During this time, the Taliban began its offensive May 1 and took over the country by Aug. 15.

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The Texas Heartbeat Act, which is an abortion bill banning the termination of an embryo after six weeks, went into effect Sept. 1. Critics of the bill argue that the ban is a deliberate breach of women’s rights and is designed to punish victims of sexual assault.

MARVEL ACTOR BRINGS DISNEY TO COURT

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Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sued Walt Disney Studios in July 2021 over an apparent breach in her contract for the movie “Black Widow.” The lawsuit claimed that, by releasing the flm on Disney+ for an added fee at the same time as releasing it in theaters, the company caused Johansson to miss out on box-offce bonuses. The case was dismissed and settled.

RENT PRICES SKYROCKET IN SUN BELT CITIES In September, the national median rent rose to $1,302, increasing 15% from the year prior. Rent prices fell in 2020 but began steadily increasing at an alarming rate in 2021. Rents were increasing fastest in Sun Belt cities like Phoenix. The increase has been attributed to masses of people returning to urban centers for work and school at the same time. SEPTE M CALIFORNIA RECALL ELECTION COMES TO AN END In August 2021, there was a special recall election in California, calling for the reconsideration of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. On Sept. 14, 2021, voters chose not to recall Newsom, who was elected for the January 2019–23 term.

SEPT.01,2021

SEPT.11,2021 SEPT.14,2021

Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images Mike Groll/Offce of former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo