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The president’s approval rating on August 18 stood at 49.3 percent, according to poll tracker FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Biden’s popularity based on analysis of a wide range of polls and its own system of pollster ratings. This represents a decline of 0.5 percent since August 17 and 0.9 percent from one week ago. Biden’s approval rating stood at 50.2 percent on Wednesday, August 11—before the Taliban took the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday, August 15....

In a speech highlighting the importance of getting vaccinated, given at the Green Road Community Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, Biden said: “It’s awful hard, as well, to get Latinx vaccinated as well. Why? They’re worried that they’ll be vaccinated and deported.” Biden’s “Latinx” remark was made while speaking about a focus on “equity” and “access for people” as part of the country’s latest COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The president said: “Nationwide, we’re seeing the lowest number of daily cases and deaths since the first day of the pandemic....

Final tallies for the presidential election were not immediately available on Tuesday night as states continued to count mail-in and absentee ballots. A definitive election result will not be available until later in November. Biden called for Americans to be patient and wait for the election results. “We knew this was going to go long but who knew we were going to go into maybe tomorrow morning, maybe even longer,” Biden said....

D.C. Judge Rudolph Contreras threw out the sale of 1.7 million acres of oil and gas leases that took place last November, saying an Interior Department analysis of its impact had miscalculated the greenhouse gas emissions from drilling. “This should signal the Biden admin. to start taking the climate seriously and end all fossil fuel leasing,” tweeted Brettny Hardy, senior attorney for Earthjustice. Hardy added in a media statement that the administration “must meet this critical moment and honor the campaign promises President Biden made by stopping offshore leasing once and for all....

Biden stressed the importance of getting vaccinated and receiving a booster as the new, highly transmissible coronavirus variant spreads across the United States. Omicron has become the dominant variant in the U.S. since the first case was detected in California on December 2. It’s since spread to nearly all 50 states and threatens to overwhelm hospitals this winter. “I got my booster shot as soon as they’re available,” Biden said in his Tuesday address, “and just the other day former President Trump announced he had gotten his booster shot....

Asked whether Biden will prioritize his clean energy proposal or lowering gas prices, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that the administration “could do both at the same time.” “What we’re trying to deal with right now is how do we lower costs for American families,” she said during a Thursday briefing. “One of the things that we are seeing currently right now with oil refiners is they are using this moment—that there is a war in Ukraine—to actually make a profit....

“That’s playoff football. That’s Joe Flacco,’’ the Ravens head coach told reporters Saturday night after his team started off yet another January with a postseason win, 30-17 over the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the AFC wild-card round. “He’s the best quarterback in football. We’ll take him any day of the week, twice on Sunday. Or Saturday night,’’ he added with a laugh, “if that’s the case.’’ MORE: Bengals-Colts | Lions-Cowboys | Must-see photos | Patriots-Ravens opening line...

West Virginians associated with the Poor People’s Campaign, an activist group that has been pressuring Manchin over the issue, urged the senator to reverse his stance during a virtual “Moral Monday” event. Manchin is one of two moderate Senate Democrats that do not support the current effort to raise the minimum wage, which other Democrats hope to pass as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package....

President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have pushed to more than double the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15, but Manchin along with some other moderate Democrats and many Republicans have opposed the proposal. Democrats’ efforts to include the substantial wage hike in Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan were blocked after the Senate’s parliamentarian ruled that it could not be passed via the budget reconciliation process, which Democrats used to push through the bill without Republican support....

Manchin and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act to the Senate Wednesday. Manchin proposed a similar bill in 2019. The GOALS Act was co-sponsored by 11 other Democratic senators. Since no GOP senators have expressed support for the bill, it appears unlikely to reach the 60-vote threshold required to avoid a filibuster. The bill would block federal funding for the men’s 2026 World Cup—set to be jointly hosted by the U....

The business tycoon, 71, made the announcement during an interview with West Virginia MetroNews Radio. The Republican governor said: “I’m sure I would seriously consider running for Senate.” Justice added that he will “run through the finish line with being your governor,” before saying he wanted to help West Virginia “in any way, whether it be the Senate or the House or the next governor-to-be, whatever it may be.”...

Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, suffered an ischemic stroke in May and was subsequently fitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator. Despite the health scare, he continued to campaign and eventually beat TV personality-turned-politician Oz in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Last month, Oz and Fetterman took part in a televised debate that was deemed a “disaster” by some. On the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and his guest, comedian Neal Brennan, agreed that Fetterman shouldn’t have been put on the stage in the first place....

But in 1998, the Yankees didn’t need a DiMaggio Day. The Pinstripes were winning more ballgames than any AL club had ever won–that was baseball history. The Yanks were the darlings of New York, and the stands were full. Why not save DiMaggio Day for next year–say, early in the ‘99 season? It could put some fannies in the seats on some solemn Sunday when Minnesota or K.C. was in town....

Embiid exited the game in the first quarter a couple of minutes after taking a hard fall while driving to the basket against Robin Lopez. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Embiid is ‘doubtful’ for Game 5 against the Wizards. He noted that Embiid underwent an MRI on Tuesday on his right knee and that there will be further evaluation done on Wednesday. Here’s a look at the play that left Embiid with “right knee soreness” and rendered him unavailable....

Gonzalez, 28, won gold in the 2012 U.S. National Championships. He made his pro debut in 2012. A WBO-NABO featherweight champion, Gonzalez faced Shakur Stevenson in 2019 for the vacant WBO featherweight title. Gonzalez lost via unanimous decision. After a recovery win against Miguel Marriaga, Gonzalez lost to Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO title. His last fight was a TKO win against Jeo Santisima for the WBO International featherweight title....

Speaking with NPR in an interview published Friday, Bolton—who left the White House under a cloud in September—said Kim’s end-of-year deadline for the U.S. to break the deadlock on denuclearization and sanctions relief talk shows that Pyongyang is trying to bounce the president into a better deal. The North has returned to its characteristic belligerent statements in recent months as talks have floundered. Officials have indicated that if there is still no progress by the end of the year, the North will conduct a major weapons test, risking a significant escalation in regional tensions....

Wall says his excitement over the hiring of Scott Brooks has nothing to do with Durant, because there’s no guarantee Durant will sign with the team this summer. But that doesn’t mean the team won’t try to get him. MORE: Greatest photos from Finals | Durant short-term contract no sure thing “In my opinion, that’s not why we hired [Brooks],” Wall told The Vertical. “I feel if [Brooks] can make a pitch, and I can make a pitch and [Durant] comes, it’s great....

The house in Tyler, Texas, belongs to Paul Manziel, Johnny’s father, but officials won’t confirm whether it’s his dad’s house. They did confirm, however, that it is a Manziel family member’s home. Arson investigators will examine the residence. MORE: Johnny Manziel’s football career in photos “We have recovered evidence that points to suspicion,” Smith County fire marshal Jay Brooks said, via the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “We are conducting a thorough investigation and we are planning on calling in the state fire marshal’s office because we would like to have an accelerate-sniffing canine to go over the scene....

Manziel is trying to beat out Brian Hoyer for the starting job. The former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M had worked exclusively with Cleveland’s second-string offense until Monday. On his first play of 11-on-11 drills, Manziel completed a 40-yard pass to Travis Benjamin. The wide receiver came back to grab the underthrown ball. Moments later, Manziel’s tipped pass intended for Josh Gordon was intercepted by safety Donte Whitner....

And the sophomore quarterback didn’t stop there. Hill threw three TD passes and broke Johnny Manziel’s single-game school passing record with 511 yards as the Aggies routed No. 9 South Carolina on the road, 52-28. MORE: Box score | Gamecocks-Aggies photos | Spurrier’s time? | Sumlin the Ringmaster | Week 1 picks Hill finished 44 for 60 with 511 yards, the three scores and no interceptions. Manziel threw for 173, 294 and 174 yards in his first three games befor unleashing a 453-yard performance against Arkansas....