Domestic

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that the United States will coordinate with NATO allies to withdraw all U.S. military personnel from Afghanistan. Currently, the United States has roughly 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden has stated that all troops will be brought home by Sept. 11, 2021 to mark the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

Extremely rare but lethal cases of blood clots have forced U.S. health authorities to recommend a pause of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Medical personnel in the United States emphasize that the Pfizer-bioNTech and Moderna vaccines have proved safe so far, and still encourage populations to take those vaccinations when their opportunity presents itself.

International 

The British Royal Family announced that Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away at the age of 99 on April 9, 2021. Prince Philip is survived by Queen Elizabeth II and their four children.

Hideki Matsuyama has won the Masters Tournament, making him Japan’s first man to win a golf major. Matsuyama finished 10-under, 278. Matsuyama said that “Up until now, we haven’t had a major champion in Japan, and maybe a lot of golfers or younger golfers, too, thought, well, maybe that’s an impossibility.” He followed up by saying, “But with me doing it, hopefully that will set an example for them that it is possible and that, if they set their mind to it, they can do it too.”