Pentagon retrieving second ‘car size’ ‘object’ shot down by F22 jets over Alaska

China spy balloon shot down – latest news

The White House says that Joe Biden ordered that a new high-altitude “object” that appeared in the skies above Alaskan waters to be shot down by US fighters.

John Kirby, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications, told a Friday briefing that the object was floating above US territory at 40,000ft and was a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian air traffic.

Bad weather could delay the recovery of the payload with strong winds of up to 35mph in the region.

Debris recovered so far has been taken to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.

To date, US intelligence has revealed that the balloon, which spent eight days over US airspace, is “part of a larger Chinese surveillance balloon program” – something which Beijing continues to deny.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said that the balloon incident “confirms a pattern of Chinese behaviour” using “different types of intelligence and surveillance platforms” around the world.

Source: Pentagon retrieving second ‘car size’ ‘object’ shot down by F22 jets over Alaska

Biden to release 15M barrels from oil reserve, more possible

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce the release of 15 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve Wednesday as part of a response to recent production cuts announced by OPEC+ nations, and he will say more drawdowns are possible this winter, as his administration rushes to be seen as pulling out all the stops ahead of next month’s midterm elections.

Biden will deliver remarks Wednesday to announce the drawdown from the strategic reserve, senior administration officials said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to outline Biden’s plans. It completes the release of 180 million barrels authorized by Biden in March that was initially supposed to occur over six months. That has sent the strategic reserve to its lowest level since 1984 in what the administration called a “bridge” until domestic production could be increased. The reserve now contains roughly 400 million barrels of oil.

Source: Biden to release 15M barrels from oil reserve, more possible

President Biden formally accepts invitation to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

President Biden will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral service on Sept. 19 and formally accepted the invitation on Sunday morning.

He will be accompanied by the First Lady, Jill Biden, the White House also announced.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.

In a statement following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said that she was “more than a monarch” and was someone who “defined an era.”

QUEEN ELIZABETH II’S COFFIN ARRIVES IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (R) speaks with US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden and leaders of the G7 during a reception at The Eden Project in south west England on June 11, 2021.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (R) speaks with US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden and leaders of the G7 during a reception at The Eden Project in south west England on June 11, 2021. (Photo by Jack Hill/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-formally-accepts-invitation-queen-elizabeth-funeral

President Biden to visit Pittsburgh | TribLIVE.com

President Joe Biden is planning a Labor Day trip to Pittsburgh, the White House announced.

The location wasn’t specified, but in a statement, the White House on Monday said Biden “will deliver remarks to celebrate Labor Day and the dignity of American workers.”

Biden will also travel to Milwaukee that day.

Source: President Biden to visit Pittsburgh | TribLIVE.com

Biden to sign Inflation Reduction Act into law – CNNPolitics

 

President Joe Biden will sign a sweeping $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill into law at the White House on Tuesday — marking a major victory for his administration and the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm elections.

(CNN)President Joe Biden will sign a sweeping $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill into law at the White House on Tuesday — marking a major victory for his administration and the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm elections.

Tuesday’s ceremony in the State Dining Room is just one of many events that will follow focused on the roll out of the new law, according to the White House.
“In the coming weeks, the President will host a Cabinet meeting focused on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, will travel across the country to highlight how the bill will help the American people, and will host an event to celebrate the enactment of the bill at the White House on September 6,” a White House statement said.
The Inflation Reduction Act accomplishes several key Biden legislative agenda items, representing the largest climate investment in American history and making major changes to health policy by giving Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs and extending expiring health care subsidies for three years. The legislation will reduce the deficit, be paid for through new taxes — including a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% tax on stock buybacks — and boost the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to collect.

Source: Biden to sign Inflation Reduction Act into law – CNNPolitics

U.S. intel shows Russian military officials given order to proceed with invasion of Ukraine

“As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision. We have reason to believe that,” President Joe Biden said Friday, citing U.S. intelligence.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has picked up intelligence showing that Russian military officials were given an order to go ahead with an invasion of Ukraine, a U.S. official and another person with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

The intelligence, which was developed very recently, informed President Joe Biden’s startling declaration Friday that the U.S. believes President Vladimir Putin has already decided to invade, the people said.

Source: U.S. intel shows Russian military officials given order to proceed with invasion of Ukraine

Biden defensive in rare solo news conference ahead of 1-year mark in office – ABC News

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of his inauguration, President Joe Biden held a formal news conference at the White House Wednesday, fielding reporter questions on his handling of the pandemic, the economy and his legislative agenda, characterizing the country as unified — but not as much as it could be — and raising eyebrows by saying Russia was likely to invade Ukraine.

“It’s been a year of challenges, but it’s also many years of enormous progress,” Biden said to begin, ticking through his administration’s successes before fielding questions from reporters.

With Biden facing the limits of what he can accomplish with an evenly-divided Senate, unable to get either his signature social spending package or major voting rights reform through Congress in recent weeks, and with the pandemic still raging well into its second, his approval rating in polls has hit an all-time low. A Jan. 12 Quinnipiac poll found his approval rating to be 33%, a 3-point drop from November.

“Should we have done more testing earlier? Yes,” Biden said in his opening remarks. “But we’re doing more now. We’ve gone from zero at-home tests a year ago to 375 million tests on the market just this month.”

He said the bottom line on COVID-19 is the country is “in a better place than we’ve been and have been thus far” and reiterated his position not to go back to lockdowns and school closures.

“Some people may call what’s happening now a new normal. I call it a job not yet finished,” Biden said with confidence. “We’re moving toward a time that COVID-19 won’t disrupt our daily lives or COVID-19 won’t be a crisis, but something to protect against and a threat. Look, we’re not there yet. We will get there.”

Source: Biden defensive in rare solo news conference ahead of 1-year mark in office – ABC News

Federal court blocks Biden administration’s vaccination mandate – POLITICO

A federal court in Louisiana has blocked the Biden administration’s mandate that millions of workers get vaccinated against Covid-19 or be tested weekly, ruling in a suit filed by several states, companies and conservative religious groups.

“Because the petitions give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the Mandate, the Mandate is hereby STAYED pending further action by this court,” a panel of judges for the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Saturday.

The states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah are among the plaintiffs.

Source: Federal court blocks Biden administration’s vaccination mandate – POLITICO

Biden claims first job offer from Idaho lumber company, ‘no record’ of it

President Biden said at a wildfire-focused event in Idaho that his “first job offer” came from the local lumber and wood-products business Boise Cascade.

President Biden said at a wildfire-focused event in Idaho Monday that his “first job offer” came from the local lumber and wood-products business Boise Cascade, but the company says it has “no record” of that being true.

Biden, who is renowned for sharing memories that did not happen, said that he regularly mentioned the job offer to his Senate colleague from Idaho, the late Democratic Sen. Frank Church.

“I used to tell Frank Church this, I got a — my first job offer, where I wanted — my wife, deceased wife and I wanted to move to Idaho because we — not a joke — it’s such a beautiful, beautiful state. And I interviewed for a job at Boise Cascade,” Biden said.

He added: “And in the meantime there was a war going on. Anyway. But the whole point was that I used to always kid Frank.”

But Boise Cascade spokeswoman Lisa Tschampl told The Post, “We have no record of President Biden’s application or of him having worked for the company. “

Tschampl said that “we checked our system internally and nothing has turned up.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: Biden claims first job offer from Idaho lumber company, ‘no record’ of it

Biden calls Xi as US-China relationship grows more fraught

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden spoke with China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday amid growing frustration on the American side that high-level engagement between the two leaders’ top advisers has been largely unfruitful in the early going of the Biden presidency.

Biden initiated the call with Xi, the second between the two leaders since Biden took office. It comes at a moment when there is no shortage of thorny issues between the two nations, including cybersecurity breaches originating from China, Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and what the White House has labeled as “coercive and unfair” trade practices by the Chinese.

But Biden’s aim with the 90-minute call was less focused on any of those hot-button issues and instead centered on discussing the way ahead for the U.S.-China relationship after it got off to a decidedly rocky start in his tenure.

Source: Biden calls Xi as US-China relationship grows more fraught

Biden slammed for measles outbreak among Afghan evacuees in U.S. | One America News Network

 

 

Critics have bashed the Biden administration for its latest mistake as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced several Afghan evacuees tested positive for a deadly disease inside the U.S. On Friday, Psaki confirmed an outbreak of measles cases among Afghan escapees has temporarily halted new flights from bringing more people into the U.S.

Critics have continued to slam the Biden administration for seemingly failing at every point in their botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Despite a measles vaccine being required for entry, Psaki said the cases still happened.

“Let me give you the information we have at this point, or I have I should say. Operation ‘Allies Welcome’ flights into the United States have been temporarily paused,” she announced. “…These individuals are being quarantined in accordance with public health guidelines and the CDC has begun full contact tracing. All arriving Afghans are currently required to be vaccinated for measles as a condition of entry into the United States.”

Meanwhile, Americans were still reportedly stranded in Afghanistan as the Biden administration called the Taliban “business-like and professional.”

Source: Biden slammed for measles outbreak among Afghan evacuees in U.S. | One America News Network

Second Amendment groups on Biden mandate: If he can force a needle in your arm, can he take your gun? | Fox News

Second Amendment supporters are expressing concern over President Biden’s move Thursday forcing large employers to vaccinate their employees, fearing that the logic behind the federal edict could be applied to confiscating guns or drastically limiting gun rights.

Biden announced that he is instructing the Department of Labor to mandate that all companies with 100 or more workers must vaccinate their employees or force them to be tested weekly.

WHITE HOUSE TO WITHDRAW CONTROVERSIAL ATF NOMINEE DAVID CHIPMAN

“This is not about freedom or personal choice,” Biden said. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you, the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love.”

Some supporters of the Second Amendment fear that Biden’s comments, downplaying freedom and touting federal government control of public health, represent a danger to the rights of gun owners.

20 GOP STATES PUSH BACK AGAINST BIDEN GUN REGULATIONS

“If Biden is allowed to impose regulations without a vote by Congress simply because he decides it helps ‘public safety,’ there is no limit to what he can do,” gun advocate John R. Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told Fox News. “He could use this same reasoning to impose any gun control regulation that he wanted.”

Alan Gottlieb, Chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, also expressed concern over Biden’s announcement.

Source: Second Amendment groups on Biden mandate: If he can force a needle in your arm, can he take your gun? | Fox News

Biden plan for forced vaccinations doesn’t include illegal immigrants | Fox News

Biden announced a sweeping plan that could force millions of unvaccinated Americans to get the COVID-19 shot

“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Biden said of the roughly 80 million Americans who have yet to get the shot. “While America is in much better shape than it was seven months ago when I took office, I need to tell you a second fact: We’re in a tough stretch and it could last for awhile.”

But Biden stopped short of mandating the vaccine for illegal immigrants attempting to cross America’s border, even though about 30% of immigrants held at federal detention facilities are refusing to be vaccinated — and they have the option to refuse

Meanwhile, more than 18% of migrant families who recently crossed the border tested positive for COVID before being released by Border Patrol. Another 20% of unaccompanied minors tested positive for the virus.

Source: Biden plan for forced vaccinations doesn’t include illegal immigrants | Fox News

Biden dismisses protesters who heckled him as he toured storm-damaged northeast: ‘They don’t understand’ | Fox News

President Joe Biden addressed hecklers who shouted at him about his chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, claiming that they don’t actually live in the area he was touring and suggesting that they were upset about his climate change position.

After New York Sen. Chuck Schumer introduced Biden as the man who will “lead us out of darkness in this present moment,” the president began his remarks in New York City by saying he received a warm reception in the area he had been touring.

HURRICANE IDA DEATH TOLL RISES TO AT LEAST 66 NATIONWIDE AS RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE

“None of them were shouting or complaining,” Biden said. “Every one of them were thanking me as if it was something special… that I was here.”

Earlier in the day, Biden was heckled by protesters on the other side of a fence where he toured storm-damaged New Jersey with several people castigating him for his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Source: Biden dismisses protesters who heckled him as he toured storm-damaged northeast: ‘They don’t understand’ | Fox News

Tree of Life synagogue disputes Joe Biden’s claim he visited

President Biden on Thursday told Jewish leaders that he spent time at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after the October 2018 mass murder of 11 people there — but the synagogue told The Post he never visited.

“I remember spending time at the, you know, going to the, you know, the Tree of Life synagogue, speaking with them,” Biden said in a 16-minute virtual address ahead of the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Barb Feige, executive director of the Tree of Life, said that Biden did not visit the synagogue in the nearly three years since the anti-Semitic attack.

In a phone interview, Feige, executive director since July 2019, said firmly that “no” Biden didn’t visit, even before taking office when he had a lower public profile as a former vice president and then-Democratic presidential candidate.

Source: Tree of Life synagogue disputes Joe Biden’s claim he visited

Psaki snaps at male reporter over question about abortion, Biden’s faith: ‘You’ve never faced those choices’ | Fox News

White House press secretary Jen Psaki snapped at a reporter Thursday after he asked how President Biden can consider himself a Catholic while also supporting abortion.

Owen Jensen, a reporter with EWTN, a Catholic news network, asked Psaki during her daily press briefing why the president supports abortion “when his own Catholic faith teaches abortion is morally wrong.”

Source: Psaki snaps at male reporter over question about abortion, Biden’s faith: ‘You’ve never faced those choices’ | Fox News

Joe Biden’s call to Afghan president is impeachable: Devine

Miranda Devine

BY MIRANDA DEVINE

OPINION

Psst, Nancy Pelosi! Still looking for a phone call worth impeaching a president?

Do I have news for you.

Reuters has a bombshell report about a July phone call between Joe Biden and then-Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, in which the US president promises military aid in return for lies.

The “perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things aren’t going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban,” says Biden in the July 23 call. “And there’s a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.”

Whether it is true or not.

No, things weren’t going well, three weeks after the US abandoned Bagram Airfield in the dead of night.

Biden’s solution was to create the “perception” that all was fine. He wanted to keep the illusion going long enough to cover his Aug. 31 self-imposed deadline to withdraw US troops and have a victory lap on September 11th, when he would preen as the first president to end the forever war.

So he asked Ghani to trick up an event to make it look as if he had a plan to push back on the Taliban to reassure America’s allies who were beginning to question Biden’s timetable.

“I don’t know whether you’re aware,” said Biden, “just how much the perception around the world is that this is looking like a losing proposition . . . so the conclusion I’m asking you to consider is to bring together everyone from [ex-Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid] Dostum, to [ex-President Hamid] Karzai and in between. If they stand there and say they back the strategy you put together, and put a warrior in charge, you know a military man . . . in charge of executing that strategy, and that will change perception.”

Ghani tried to explain that the situation was dire: “Mr. President, we are facing a full-scale invasion, composed of Taliban, full Pakistani planning and logistical support, and at least 10-15,000 international terrorists.”

He begged for US air support. “What is crucial is, close air support . . . a very heavy reliance on air power.”

The Afghan army was based on the US model, which relies on air support for enemy strikes, ferrying the wounded, and so on. But the contractors who serviced Afghan aircraft had left, leaving the Afghan army exposed.

Biden offered conditional air support, in return for Ghani going along with his ruse, but only until his Aug. 31 deadline. After that, “who knows?”

Source: Joe Biden’s call to Afghan president is impeachable: Devine

Watch Live: Biden to deliver remarks on end of the war in Afghanistan

The final U.S. plan left Kabul at 3:29 p.m. ET, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said Monday.

Washington — President Biden will address the American people Tuesday afternoon following the end of the nation’s two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, which came to a close Monday with the departure of the final U.S. military aircraft from the main airport in Kabul.


The U.S. completed its historic airlift of tens of thousands of evacuees hours before Mr. Biden’s August 31 deadline for the military presence in Afghanistan to end. More than 122,000 people flown out of the country since late July by U.S. military and coalition aircraft, including more than 5,400 U.S. citizens.

Source: Watch Live: Biden to deliver remarks on end of the war in Afghanistan

Biden chooses the wrong Bible verse | The Week

Thursday’s suicide bombing at Kabul airport was the most deadly attack on American forces in Afghanistan since 2011. In remarks on the attack, President Biden honored the fallen soldiers by quoting the Hebrew Bible. “The American military has been answering for a long time. ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me,'” Biden said, in an allusion to Isaiah 6:8. “Each one of these women and men of our Armed Forces are the heirs of that tradition of sacrifice, of volunteering to go into harm’s way, to risk everything; not for glory, not for profit, but to defend what we love and the people we love.”

Biden’s point was that the Marines and other personnel overseeing the evacuation knew they were in danger of precisely the kind of attack that occurred but continued their duties anyway. In that respect, it was a fitting effort to honor their courage.

But the Biblical verse he used was a bad choice to make that point. Jews read Isaiah 6 as describing God’s calling to serve as prophet to the chosen people. For many Christians, it is seen as prefiguring the vocation of missionaries to promote the Gospel. In both interpretations, the phrase “Here I am” expresses willingness to participate in the fulfillment of divine purposes.

The conflation of foreign policy with a religious vocation is a recurring tendency in American history. It’s also a dangerous one, because it transforms agonizing calculations of risk and benefit into contests between good and evil. Biden is leading American forces out of Afghanistan and appealed to national interests elsewhere in his remarks. Yet the crusading attitude that the Bible quote expressed is part of the reason we have failed to secure those interests for the last two decades. To avoid similar disasters in the future, we need to remember that presidents are not prophets and the U.S. military is not the army of God.

Source: Biden chooses the wrong Bible verse | The Week

Biden admits admin may have given Taliban ‘kill list’ of Afghans who aided US

A potentially deadly blunder by President Joe Biden’s administration effectively handed the Taliban a “kill list” to target Afghans who aided the US, according to a report Thursday — and admitted it may have happened when asked later at a White House briefing.

Following the Taliban takeover of Kabul, US officials there gave the Islamic extremist group the names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies so they could be allowed to enter the Taliban-controlled perimeter around the Hamid Karzai International Airport, according to Politico.

The decision was reportedly made despite the Taliban’s notorious reputation for brutally executing Afghans who helped the US military and other Western forces during the war and occupation that followed the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Source: Biden admits admin may have given Taliban ‘kill list’ of Afghans who aided US

Joe Biden Unfit to Lead Nation | National Review Opinion

Joe Biden has badly, visibly bungled America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has compounded the problem with his sluggish and dishonest public statements. This has gone so badly that even people and institutions that are normally sympathetic to Biden and his party have noticed. American allies have been appalled, and vocal about it. What is slowly dawning on people is that Biden’s critics were right about him all along. Not since James Buchanan has America had a president who came so prepared by experience for the job, yet had so little clue how to do it. That reality will be shoved from consciousness soon enough by people with a professional stake in not acknowledging it, but a growing number of the American people are likely to remember. So will our allies and enemies around the world.

It was possible, if you did not look too closely, to construct a case on paper over the past year and a half for Joe Biden as an appropriate person to be president of the United States, commander in chief of its armed forces, and leader of the free world. Certainly, Biden did not lack for experience in high, national public office, exposing him to everything a man would need in order to be prepared for the job. He was a senator for 36 years, dating back to the closing days of the Vietnam War. He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee twice, including during the post–9/11 era when Congress authorized the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He served two terms as vice president. He traveled to war zones and met scores of foreign leaders. Biden was also a man who came up from humble means and was seasoned by personal tragedy. One could characterize his years in office as the record of a public servant who values important institutions, took many mainstream positions, and showed a willingness and ability to work with people across the aisle.

Source: Joe Biden Unfit to Lead Nation | National Review

Joe Biden & Afghanistan: Something Is Wrong with the President | National Review

Biden’s latest interview, insistence that he was incorrectly briefed, and low profile amid the Afghanistan crisis all raise troubling questions.

After making no public appearances for four days — during a major foreign crisis — President Biden read a 20-minute speech off a teleprompter on Monday afternoon and took no questions. He immediately returned to Camp David. He had no events on his schedule Tuesday. On Wednesday, he gave another 20-minute speech about vaccine boosters off a teleprompter from Camp David, and again took no questions. Also on Wednesday, the president sat for an on-camera interview with George Stephanopoulos that did not go well. According to the White House public records, Biden has had two phone conversations with foreign leaders in the past ten days — one with Boris Johnson and one with Angela Merkel.

As of this writing, Biden has no public events on his schedule for today. He is scheduled to receive the president’s daily briefing from the intelligence community and meet with his national-security team. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, he is scheduled to return to his house in Delaware today.

This is a highly unusual schedule for a president during a foreign-policy crisis. Yes, a president can perform his job anywhere, whether it’s Camp David or his own private residence.

Biden began the interview by insisting that the intelligence community had given him unclear and excessively optimistic answers about the state of the Afghan military and government:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Back in July, you said a Taliban takeover was highly unlikely. Was the intelligence wrong, or did you downplay it?

BIDEN: I think — there was no consensus. If you go back and look at the intelligence reports, they said that it’s more likely to be sometime by the end of the year.

The first problem is that there is no way to square what Biden said yesterday with his July 8 declaration that the intelligence community had not stated that the Afghan government would likely collapse:

Q: Mr. President, thank you very much. Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse.

THE PRESIDENT: That is not true.

Q: Is it — can you please clarify what they have told you about whether that will happen or not?

THE PRESIDENT: That is not true. They did not — they didn’t — did not reach that conclusion.

Then during the Stephanopoulos interview, Biden insisted that he himself had predicted that the Afghan government would collapse by the end of the year:

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you know that Senator McConnell, others say this was not only predictable, it was predicted, including by him, based on intelligence briefings he was getting.

BIDEN: What — what did he say was predicted?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator McConnell said it was predictable that the Taliban was gonna take over.

BIDEN: Well, by the end of the year, I said that’s that was — that was a real possibility. But no one said it was gonna take over then when it was bein’ asked.

The president either does not remember what he said on July 8, or he is simply trying to gaslight everyone into believing that he did warn of the Afghan government’s collapsing.

This morning, Douglas London, a former CIA counterterrorism chief and former member of Biden’s counterterrorism working group, writes that the president is lying: “Ultimately, it was assessed, Afghan forces might capitulate within days under the circumstances we witnessed, in projections highlighted to Trump officials and future Biden officials alike.”

Biden not only dodged questions — we’re used to politicians doing that — he offered a barely coherent word salad in some responses:

STEPHANOPOULOS: So when you look at what’s happened over the last week, was it a failure of intelligence, planning, execution or judgment?

BIDEN: Look, I don’t think it was a fa– look, it was a simple choice, George. When the– when the Taliban — let me back — put it another way. When you had the government of Afghanistan, the leader of that government get in a plane and taking off and going to another country, when you saw the significant collapse of the ta– of the– Afghan troops we had trained — up to 300,000 of them just leaving their equipment and taking off, that was — you know, I’m not– this — that — that’s what happened. That’s simply what happened.

Stephanopolous continued, “We’ve all seen the pictures. We’ve seen those hundreds of people packed in a C-17. We’ve seen Afghans falling-”

“That was four days ago, five days ago!” Biden interjected. It was two days ago, but that’s not really what is important; what is spectacularly odd is that Biden is reacting as if he thinks Stephanopolous was bringing up irrelevant ancient history.

Perhaps most unsettling was President Biden’s insistence that nothing could have been done any differently, and that none of the horrors we are witnessing could have been prevented.

Source: Joe Biden & Afghanistan: Something Is Wrong with the President | National Review

Biden restates commitment to Afghan drawdown amid Taliban offensive – POLITICO

 

President Joe Biden showed no sign of backing away from his decision to withdraw all troops and a significant portion of the diplomatic corps from Afghanistan, restating his determination to leave the country in a statement released Saturday.

Biden authorized the deployment of some 5,000 U.S. troops to ensure “an orderly and safe” drawdown of U.S. and allied personnel in Afghanistan, which came after reports of the evacuation of U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul to the international airport as the Taliban rapidly close in on the capital.

Source: Biden restates commitment to Afghan drawdown amid Taliban offensive – POLITICO

Joe Biden heads to Camp David for the weekend as Jill is spotted wearing a walking boot and crutch | Daily Mail Online

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden left Friday from Delaware for a weekend at Camp David, as the president’s planned withdrawal from Afghanistan is becoming a crisis.

  • President Biden and first lady Jill Biden left Friday afternoon from Delaware for a long weekend at Camp David
  • Biden left and is set to stay until Wednesday while his planned withdrawal from Afghanistan turns into a crisis
  • Taliban fighters are closing in on Kabul, while 3,000 American troops are expected to arrive this weekend 
  • They have been sent in to help evacuate some US personnel from the Kabul embassy as situation deteriorates 
  • The White House said the president had been briefed about ‘the ongoing efforts to safely drawdown the civilian footprint in Afghanistan’  
  • A memo sent to embassy staff told them to prepare to destroy sensitive documents and computers  
  • The first lady was spotted with a walking boot and crutch, marking the first time she’s been seen publicly since she injured her foot on a Hawaii beach 
  • On Friday the insurgents claimed Kandahar, the country’s second biggest city, Herat, close to the Iranian border, and Ghazni, on the road south from Kabul 

Source: Joe Biden heads to Camp David for the weekend as Jill is spotted wearing a walking boot and crutch | Daily Mail Online

U.S. deploying 3,000 troops to help evacuate Afghan embassy staff as Taliban advances

The U.S. embassy warned its ability to assist Americans is “extremely limited even within Kabul” due to deteriorating security and reduced staffing.

The U.S. is deploying 3,000 troops to Afghanistan in order to facilitate the drawdown of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to a “core diplomatic presence,” as Taliban militants rapidly advance toward the Afghan capital.

The troops, which will consist of three infantry battalions total from the Marines and Army, will deploy to Hamid Karzai International Airport within 24 to 48 hours, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

“This is a very narrowly focused mission of safeguarding the orderly reduction of civilian personnel out of Afghanistan,” Kirby told reporters during a press briefing Thursday.

When asked if the troops going to Kabul had a combat mission, Kirby said U.S. forces maintain the right to self defense, but the mission is temporary with a focus on protecting the movement of civilian personnel. Kirby told reporters that the U.S. is still on track to complete its withdrawal by August 31.

In addition, a U.S. infantry brigade will be positioned in Kuwait in the event they are needed in Afghanistan to help secure Hamid Karzai International Airport, according to Kirby.

And a joint unit from the Army and Air Force, consisting of 1,000 personnel, will deploy to Qatar to help process visas for Afghans who helped the U.S., Kirby said.

The decision to deploy additional U.S. troops comes as the Taliban offensive makes rapid advances.

The militants captured the strategic city of Ghazni on Thursday, bringing their front line within 95 miles of Kabul, a staggering development that comes nearly two weeks before U.S. and NATO coalition forces exit.

The Taliban also claims to have captured Afghanistan’s third-largest city, Herat, in the northwest close to Iran. Fierce fighting has also been reported in Kandahar, the nation’s second-largest city.

“In light of the evolving security situation, we expect to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier Thursday to coordinate planning, according Price.

Source: U.S. deploying 3,000 troops to help evacuate Afghan embassy staff as Taliban advances

Biden filmed ‘ignoring’ Secret Service while entering White House | Daily Mail Online

  • In Biden’s latest bizarre gaffe, the president was filmed returning to the White House after spending time in Wilmington, Delaware
  • Secret Service agent points for him to follow the sidewalk path into White House
  • Instead, Biden is seen following the agent up the lawn and through the gardening into the presidential estate 
  • The video has left shocked critics of the president once again surmising whether Biden is suffering the effects of cognitive decline 
  • President Joe Biden was filmed seemingly ignoring the direction of a Secret Service agent tried to direct him to a path leading to the White House.

    In Biden’s latest bizarre gaffe, the president was filmed returning to the White House after spending time in Wilmington, Delaware when the agent points for him to follow the sidewalk path into the White House.

    Instead, Biden is seen following the agent up the lawn and through the garden into the presidential estate.

Source: Biden filmed ‘ignoring’ Secret Service while entering White House | Daily Mail Online

Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs seeks articles of impeachment against Biden | Fox News

An Ohio congressman on Friday asked his GOP House colleagues to consider filing articles of impeachment against President Biden for an “unconstitutional” order to extend the eviction moratorium and for his “dereliction” of duty in securing the southern border.

Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, sent a letter to his fellow Republicans urging them to seek impeachment because Biden “continues to disregard his constitutional duties and boundaries,” he said.

MCCONNELL RIPS BIDEN ADMIN FOR BOWING TO ‘FAR LEFT’ WITH EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENSION

Gibbs cites Biden bowing to progressive pressure this week to extend a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium even after the president acknowledged it likely won’t pass constitutional muster. The White House previously said its hands were tied by a recent Supreme Court opinion and couldn’t extend the protections for renters unilaterally, but Biden reversed course after outrage from the left.

Source: Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs seeks articles of impeachment against Biden | Fox News

9/11 families tell Joe Biden to stay away from memorial service if he doesn’t authorize release of records related to attacks – CNNPolitics

(CNN)More than 1,600 people affected by the September 11 attacks are asking President Joe Biden to refrain from coming to Ground Zero to mark the 20th anniversary of the event unless he releases documents and information related to the attacks, according to a letter released by the group.

“Despite numerous requests by Democratic and Republican members of Congress and hundreds of 9/11 family members imploring previous and now the current administration to bring transparency to the matter, these efforts have been rebuffed and the issue has remained inexplicably ignored,” the letter reads in part.
“We want to see tangible proof before the 20th anniversary of 9/11 that this Administration is truly committed to transparency,” said Brett Eagleson, the first signatory of the letter, in a statement. “These documents involve a terrorist attack that occurred 20 years ago, and there is no justification to withhold them.”
Eagleson’s father, Bruce, was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center.
“The 9/11 families deserve justice and closure. Matter of fact, all Americans deserve to know the truth behind what the Saudi Arabanian government’s role was in 9/11. And there’s significant evidence. The FBI has it. The DOJ doesn’t deny that it exists,” Eagleson told CNN’s Michael Smerconish on “Cuomo Prime Time” Friday.
“We need the President to be our hero. Be our champion, Mr. President. This is a direct appeal to you. Help us in this fight. Stand by our side. Allow us to have the justice and closure that we deserve,” he said.
Signatories of the letter claim that they have been used as a political bargaining chip for two decades.
“We had great hope that President Biden, who campaigned on bringing truth and trust back to the Oval Office, would value the lives and sacrifices of America’s citizens over diplomatic relations with a country accused of mass murder,” the letter reads.

Source: 9/11 families tell Joe Biden to stay away from memorial service if he doesn’t authorize release of records related to attacks – CNNPolitics

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