Your guide to how Washington shapes business and the economy
 | TUE, JUL 06, 2021 | | | Hello, We hope your holiday weekend was fun, safe and relaxing. Now, back to business. Yes, folks, they're still working on that infrastructure bill in Washington. Today, a group of bipartisan lawmakers created yet another complication in the process, but largely we're still in wait-and-see mode. President Biden wants Americans to pick up the Covid vaccine pace. And the Defense Department has pulled the plug on a long, drawn-out cloud technology contract fight. Here's what's happening: - The lost JEDI: After several years, a court fight and some political controversy involving former President Trump, the Defense Department has finally canceled its $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, cloud computing contract. But there is still the potential for more fighting between tech giants Amazon and Microsoft. The Pentagon says it still needs a cloud revamp, and that it will solicit both companies for proposals. The new contract is called Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability. JWCC just doesn't have the same ring as JEDI, but it will require multiple vendors.
- Just the vax, Jack: The White House is unveiling a new plan to get more people vaccinated against Covid as the delta variant spreads mainly among unvaccinated people. Biden had hoped for 70% of the eligible population to have received at least one shot by July 4. Instead, it was 67%, according to CDC data. Key parts of this new initiative: More emphasis on community-level vaccination efforts, helping workplaces get their employees the shots, and getting kids aged 12-18 vaccinated before school picks up again this fall.
- Almost out of Afghanistan: The American withdrawal from Afghanistan is nearly complete and ahead of schedule. The Pentagon said today that more than 90% of troops and equipment are now out of the country, site of America's longest war. Biden set a deadline of Sept. 11, the 20-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that led to the Afghanistan war, for the withdrawal to be finished. As U.S. forces leave, however, there is growing worry that the country will fall into a civil war, particularly as the hardline Islamist Taliban seizes power.
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