randrange

[randrange]

How ridiculous was the Trump administration? Another former White House official is blowing the whistle.

The White House announced lately that the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States had reached 1 million, which evolved into a grim milestone. The US government cannot absolve itself from the blame for the pandemic that broke out and spread rapidly across the United States in just two years. An increasing number of insiders have begun to reflect on and criticize its bizarre handling of the pandemic in its early days.

The White House announced lately that the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States had reached 1 million, which evolved into a grim milestone. The US government cannot absolve itself from the blame for the pandemic that broke out and spread rapidly across the United States in just two years. An increasing number of insiders have begun to reflect on and criticize its bizarre handling of the pandemic in its early days.  

In her book, Deborah, who points her finger at the Trump administration, recounts how the administration played down the harm, delayed data collection, failed to recognize the importance of asymptomatic transmission, and acted anti-intellectually to spread misinformation facing the pandemic.

Trump watches TV while listening to the briefing

Trump himself compared it to the common flu on Twitter, facing the pandemic. In Deborah's view, Trump's administration and himself were unprepared for the pandemic and even shrugged off predictions of possible damage of the pandemic.

Birx describes her first meeting with Trump, on March 2, 2020, when she tried to explain to him that the virus “is not the flu”. Trump listened for a minute, briefly challenged her, then literally changed the channel on one of the TV screens he had simultaneously been watching.

Trump and Deborah Birx, April 22, 2020. AP  

After joining the panel in March 2020, Deborah found that the United States was "dangerously behind the eight ball" on virus data collection.

In 2020, she wrote, data in some states was often being sent by fax and then passed along to the CDC.

Trump thundered: The virus is under control

In the early days of the pandemic, the Trump administration focused on patients with flu symptoms. The ignorance of asymptomatic infected people led to the hidden spread of the virus and the rapid spread of the epidemic.

Birx wrote that even before she signed on to the White House team, she suspected that asymptomatic spread was contributing to the quick rise in COVID-19, although the evidence was slim.

That view is becoming clear as New York City has seen a surge in cases.

Deborah Birx and Trump,  AP  

In August 2020, after Deborah told CNN that the virus was "extraordinarily widespread," Trump called her and thundered: "It's under control."

After Birx told CNN in August 2020 that the virus was "extraordinarily widespread," Birx wrote, Trump called her and demanded the name of the person who booked the interview, saying "That's it! Do you understand me? Never again! The virus is under control."

Trump: There are more cases because there are more tests

At the time, the United States, which lacked precise data on COVID-19 and did not recognize the stealthily spreading of the virus among asymptomatic patients, urgently needed large-scale testing.

Deborah saw the worst caused by the Trump administration's sluggish efficiency.

Writing about a meeting with American COVID-19 testing manufacturers early in her tenure, Birx said that learning that the White House had dragged its feet on meeting with manufacturers, on top of limited tests and slow test processing, represented a "worst-case scenario."

Later on, Trump's rhetoric on testing shifted — he suggested that the United States had high case numbers because it tested so many people.

Trump and Deborah Birx ,  Getty Images

“Try disinfectant injections”

Trump has also made many anti-intellectual claims.

At a White House press conference on April 23, 2020, DHS officials said that Novel Coronavirus survival rates are significantly lower in high-light, high-temperature conditions;   Some disinfectant components have a noticeable effect on killing Novel Coronavirus.

Trump promptly suggested some "astonishing" treatments, including "ultraviolet radiation" and "disinfectant injections " to kill the virus.

"So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it's ultraviolet or just a very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn't been checked. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you're going to test that, too."

"I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? " Trump continued.

When Trump asked if we could use high temperature and high lights to kill the virus, Deborah, who was also in the room, responded: "It's not as a treatment..."

Deborah's face as Trump talked about his treatment advice Recalling the day, Deborah said she wanted to disappear.

Birx froze, hands clenched on her lap. “I looked down at my feet and wished for two things: something to kick and for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.”

Since the pandemic began, the number of people infected with COVID-19 in the United States has repeatedly exceeded worst-case predictions.

On May 21, Popular Science reported that the death toll of COVID-19 in the United States in a single day is now around 300, which is three times the daily death toll from car accidents in the United States.

[randrange]

How ridiculous was the Trump administration? Another former White House official is blowing the whistle.

The White House announced lately that the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States had reached 1 million, which evolved into a grim milestone. The US government cannot absolve itself from the blame for the pandemic that broke out and spread rapidly across the United States in just two years. An increasing number of insiders have begun to reflect on and criticize its bizarre handling of the pandemic in its early days.

The White House announced lately that the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States had reached 1 million, which evolved into a grim milestone. The US government cannot absolve itself from the blame for the pandemic that broke out and spread rapidly across the United States in just two years. An increasing number of insiders have begun to reflect on and criticize its bizarre handling of the pandemic in its early days.  

In her book, Deborah, who points her finger at the Trump administration, recounts how the administration played down the harm, delayed data collection, failed to recognize the importance of asymptomatic transmission, and acted anti-intellectually to spread misinformation facing the pandemic.

Trump watches TV while listening to the briefing

Trump himself compared it to the common flu on Twitter, facing the pandemic. In Deborah's view, Trump's administration and himself were unprepared for the pandemic and even shrugged off predictions of possible damage of the pandemic.

Birx describes her first meeting with Trump, on March 2, 2020, when she tried to explain to him that the virus “is not the flu”. Trump listened for a minute, briefly challenged her, then literally changed the channel on one of the TV screens he had simultaneously been watching.

Trump and Deborah Birx, April 22, 2020. AP  

After joining the panel in March 2020, Deborah found that the United States was "dangerously behind the eight ball" on virus data collection.

In 2020, she wrote, data in some states was often being sent by fax and then passed along to the CDC.

Trump thundered: The virus is under control

In the early days of the pandemic, the Trump administration focused on patients with flu symptoms. The ignorance of asymptomatic infected people led to the hidden spread of the virus and the rapid spread of the epidemic.

Birx wrote that even before she signed on to the White House team, she suspected that asymptomatic spread was contributing to the quick rise in COVID-19, although the evidence was slim.

That view is becoming clear as New York City has seen a surge in cases.

Deborah Birx and Trump,  AP  

In August 2020, after Deborah told CNN that the virus was "extraordinarily widespread," Trump called her and thundered: "It's under control."

After Birx told CNN in August 2020 that the virus was "extraordinarily widespread," Birx wrote, Trump called her and demanded the name of the person who booked the interview, saying "That's it! Do you understand me? Never again! The virus is under control."

Trump: There are more cases because there are more tests

At the time, the United States, which lacked precise data on COVID-19 and did not recognize the stealthily spreading of the virus among asymptomatic patients, urgently needed large-scale testing.

Deborah saw the worst caused by the Trump administration's sluggish efficiency.

Writing about a meeting with American COVID-19 testing manufacturers early in her tenure, Birx said that learning that the White House had dragged its feet on meeting with manufacturers, on top of limited tests and slow test processing, represented a "worst-case scenario."

Later on, Trump's rhetoric on testing shifted — he suggested that the United States had high case numbers because it tested so many people.

Trump and Deborah Birx ,  Getty Images

“Try disinfectant injections”

Trump has also made many anti-intellectual claims.

At a White House press conference on April 23, 2020, DHS officials said that Novel Coronavirus survival rates are significantly lower in high-light, high-temperature conditions;   Some disinfectant components have a noticeable effect on killing Novel Coronavirus.

Trump promptly suggested some "astonishing" treatments, including "ultraviolet radiation" and "disinfectant injections " to kill the virus.

"So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it's ultraviolet or just a very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn't been checked. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you're going to test that, too."

"I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? " Trump continued.

When Trump asked if we could use high temperature and high lights to kill the virus, Deborah, who was also in the room, responded: "It's not as a treatment..."

Deborah's face as Trump talked about his treatment advice Recalling the day, Deborah said she wanted to disappear.

Birx froze, hands clenched on her lap. “I looked down at my feet and wished for two things: something to kick and for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.”

Since the pandemic began, the number of people infected with COVID-19 in the United States has repeatedly exceeded worst-case predictions.

On May 21, Popular Science reported that the death toll of COVID-19 in the United States in a single day is now around 300, which is three times the daily death toll from car accidents in the United States.

[randrange]

Us air strikes against Iranian backed militants in Iraq and Syria

On Sunday (june27,2021), the United States launched air strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iranian backed militants in response to what the Pentagon said were drone attacks by these militants on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq.

The British based Syrian Observatory for human rights said Monday that the US military struck at relevant military targets in Eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing at least five Iranian backed militia militants and injuring many others.

The official Syrian news agency said that a child was killed and at least three people were injured in the US air strike on Sunday.

The Pentagon said the U.S. military targeted combat and weapons storage facilities, including two locations in Syria and one in Iraq.

"As tonight's air strike shows, President Biden has made it clear that he will take action to protect American personnel," the Pentagon said in a statement

This is the second time since President Biden took office in January this year that he has authorized the U.S. military to strike at militias supported by Iran in Syria.

In recent months, US personnel and facilities in Iraq have been under constant attack. The United States has long accused Iranian backed groups of carrying out these attacks.

[randrange]

Biden approaches economic point of no return

In our crowded media ecosystem, the biggest story of the week is one the White House is hoping you won’t notice. Inflation grew by 5 percent last month, the sharpest increase in 13 years. American families have noticed, with prices of gas, building materials, cars and food shooting upward significantly. Inflation is a scourge with a simple solution, but one the Biden administration feels it cannot afford: cutting spending and money-printing at the Federal Reserve. The latest inflation numbers are a blaring red warning sign that is both valuable and honest — it is the last point in which President Biden can put the brakes on before the specter of 10 percent (or higher) inflation.

This week’s inflation numbers should alarm the White House even more than the lackluster jobs report or the looming crisis on the southern border. Rampant money-printing and spending since the beginning of the pandemic is the direct cause of the COVID-19 panic and one exploited by politicians using the pandemic as a veneer for social engineering writ large. Our economic troubles will only get worse if Biden moves forward with his $6 trillion budget.

Everyday expenses are climbing almost across the board. Chipotle announced that it hiked prices by 4 percent to cover higher employee expenses. That rate tracks with the increase last month in the cost of food at restaurants. The price of used vehicles shot up nearly 30 percent, and airline fares were not far behind. Used car prices are expected to spike even further later this year. Home and rental prices increased, as well — a deceptive figure, considering that in many parts of the country the housing market is seeing an enormous surge in demand while others still lag from the pandemic. While the topline Consumer Price Index numbers are alarming, the “flexible” inflation rate of goods that are more vulnerable to price changes is up 12.4 percent — the highest since the Carter era.

The causes of the current situation remain simple, just as Ronald Reagan and Paul Volcker understood in the early 1980s. The fiscal year 2021 budget deficit is already more than $2 trillion, and it follows last year’s mind-boggling $3.13 trillion budget. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is continuing its inflationary policies, with its held assets breaking $8 trillion for the first time. Each of these problems underlines the faults in traditional Keynesian economic approaches. Washington, D.C. has been pumping out printed and borrowed money, while the Fed has kept interest rates artificially low. A rate increase and an end to supplemental coronavirus unemployment bonuses would solve both the unemployment lag and potential new inflation. However, this is politically unfeasible. Democrats show no appetite to give up the radical economic model they previously justified by the pandemic — nor do they seem to view the current lackluster employment and surging inflation numbers as priorities.

The president does not appear to be concerned about the most recent figures. In fact, this week lawmakers came to a tentative deal on a potential $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Not only would it further increase the deficit spending, but it will create demand competition for construction goods that are already shooting through the roof. With spending levels higher than World War II, Biden risks the most severe inflationary crisis since the 1970s.

This will be Joe Biden’s make or break year. He will either get the federal budget under control to avoid high unemployment and inflation, or plunge the nation into a decade of economic struggles, similar to the Malaise period. So far, the latter seems far more likely. The president’s current trajectory of continuing enhanced unemployment benefits is keeping Americans out of the workforce while goosing inflation. There are currently 9.3 million job openings and 10 million are unemployed. Some states are ending the federally-funded enhanced unemployment program early, but the White House is talking about a federal expiration in September. By that point, many workers will have been out of their jobs for a year and a half. This is not to mention that increased federal unemployment money will likely cost more than $1 trillion.

Biden’s apparent plans for a second Great Society would dash any realistic hope of a spending freeze. Just as Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society was a major factor in the 1970s stagflation, the 2020-2021 coronavirus-Biden print-tax-and-spend period likely will be a cautionary tale for future economists and politicians who believe the solution to any societal problem is running the presses overtime.

While inflation remains mainly a historical curiosity for now, the increasing price of goods and services will get Americans’ attention soon enough. Unfortunately, by then it likely will be too late. Joe Biden is the only politician who served in the Senate through the mistakes of the Carter years — and apparently learned nothing from them.      

Kristin Tate is a libertarian writer and an analyst for Young Americans for Liberty. She is an author whose latest book is “How Do I Tax Thee? A Field Guide to the Great American Rip-Off.” Follow her on Twitter @KristinBTate.

[randrange]

Missouri becomes newest COVID-19 hot spot as variant spreads

Missouri has become the latest COVID-19 hot spot in the U.S., recording the country’s highest rate in new infections, a surge health officials have largely attributed to the highly transmissible delta variant and vaccine hesitancy.

In Missouri, which reported more than 800 new cases on Wednesday, just about 44 percent of residents have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, with 38 percent fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, USA Today noted Wednesday that most southern and northern counties in the state have not even reached close to 40 percent of citizens with at least one shot.

In one Missouri county, just 13 percent have received at least one dose.

Mercy and Cox South hospitals in the southwestern Missouri city of Springfield had a combined 153 patients hospitalized on Tuesday, an increase from just 31 a few months ago, according to USA Today.

Those hospitalized are also much younger than those who previously required medical treatment due to COVID-19 in the state, with about 60 to 65 percent of those in intensive care units over the weekend at Mercy under the age of 40.

Mercy’s chief administrative officer, Erik Frederick, told USA Today that he hopes Missouri’s current conditions amid the pandemic will serve as a cautionary tale for others throughout the country.

“If people elsewhere in the country are looking to us and saying, ��No thanks’ and they are getting vaccinated, that is good,” he said. “We will be the canary.”

In Missouri counties with relatively low vaccination rates, the delta variant first identified in India has been able to spread rapidly, with the state’s Sewershed Surveillance Project detecting the delta variant in the wastewater of at least 10 Missouri counties.

This comes as health experts have warned against the rapid spread of the delta variant even as vaccination rates have reached higher levels across much of the U.S.

On Tuesday, White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci identified the delta variant as “the greatest threat in the U.S. in our attempt to eliminate COVID-19.”

Fauci said at the time that the variant now accounts for more than 20 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

However, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert pointed out that vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S. have shown to be effective against the highly transmissible strain.

[randrange]

Biden is playing a long game with Putin. Will it work?: ANALYSIS

In Geneva and in the weeks that follow, President Joe Biden is testing his own approach to Vladimir Putin's Russia and his aggression -- on the world stage, in cyberspace and against his domestic opposition.

After their afternoon summit in the Swiss capital, Biden said give him time to see if his approach works -- trying to play to Putin's long desire to have Moscow seen as a key power, respected and feared around the globe.

For his part, Putin reveled in the role of world statesman again and the platform the summit gave him -- smiling before the cameras, fielding questions from several reporters, and defending his government on human rights, foreign interventions, and cyber space.

MORE: Biden-Putin summit: Key takeaways from their high-stakes meeting In contrast, Biden seemed to go to lengths to boost Russia's importance. During their first photo op, the president called the U.S. and Russia "two great powers" -- an equal standing that Putin has long sought since coming to power in 2000 in the turbulent -- and to many Russians, ignominious -- post-Soviet years. In the days before their meeting, he called Putin a "worthy opponent" and "bright."

Putin seemed to respond to the compliments, too, telling his own post-summit press conference that Biden “perfectly knows the matter” and “what he wants to achieve, and he does it very shrewdly.”Even holding the summit itself, which many critics called a concession by Biden, and so early in his term -- before meeting China's President Xi Jinping, for example -- could play to the self-importance that Putin desires.

But whether that will change any of the destabilizing behavior that U.S. officials have tried to counter through sanctions and other penalties for years seems unlikely, according to critics and some analysts, who argue that the instability and unpredictability that Biden says he wants to tamp down is so critical to Russia's power.

"It is clear to me that Putin could care less about how he's viewed by others and, quite frankly, would enjoy the reputation of being able to successfully interfere in the internal matters of other countries," according to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

But to other analysts, the summit is about achieving pragmatic steps on issues of deep concern, while laying out in advance for the Russian president clear red lines and threats of retaliation.

"None of this means that the U.S.-Russian confrontation is on the way out or even being eased. However, there is some expectation that from now on it might be better managed or even regulated," said Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Moscow Center.Out of the summit, the two sides agreed to hold further talks on nuclear arms control, cybersecurity, diplomatic relations, and a possible prisoner exchange.

Biden urged patience on all those fronts, telling reporters Wednesday, "This is about practical, straightforward, no-nonsense decisions that we have to make or not make. We'll find out within the next six months to a year."

Biden ally: Wait-and-see approach won't work

Some critics, like the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, said that giving Putin that stage was a concession alone, especially given that the increasingly authoritarian Russian leader has not changed his behavior for years in the face of U.S. and Western pressure.Even Biden allies like Ben Rhodes, former President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser, said that his wait-and-see approach won't work.

"We made a lot of judgments that were actually quite similar to what Biden was describing in the press conference yesterday. … And I don't think that's the right way to think about Putin," he said Thursday. Instead of wanting "certain standing on the world stage," he added, Putin "wants to do things on the world stage that are either disruptive to democracy itself or disruptive to international order in ways that will force people to reckon with him."

But Biden's approach is different in rhetoric from Obama's, which could make a difference in Moscow.

Obama was repeatedly dismissive of the threat from Russia. During a 2012 presidential debate, he jabbed his opponent Mitt Romney for calling Russia the greatest geopolitical threat, saying, "The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War has been over for 20 years."Two years later, after Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and eastern provinces known as the Donbas, Obama dismissed Russia as "regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors - not out of strength, but out of weakness" in 2014.

In contrast, Biden seemed to go to considerable lengths to boost Russia's importance. During their first photo op, the president called the U.S. and Russia "two great powers" -- an equal standing that Putin has long sought since coming to power in 2000 in the turbulent, and to many Russians, ignominious post-Soviet years. In the days before their meeting, he called Putin a "worthy opponent" and "bright."

Even holding the summit itself, which many critics called a concession, and so early in his term -- before meeting China's Xi Jinping, for example -- could play to the self-importance that Putin desires.Could small steps lead to larger agreements?

Whether or not that flattery will win him any changes in Russian behavior remains to be seen. But even small ones on the few areas of talks that both sides agreed to could be baby steps towards stabilizing relations and letting Biden focus his foreign policy elsewhere at times.

They could also grow into substantial agreements, especially on nuclear arms control. Both leaders have not only expressed interest in it, but also demonstrated it already by agreeing to extend the last nuclear arms control pact known as New START in early February.

The takes could not be higher, too. With just that one nuclear arms deal between them, the U.S. and Russia possess more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons at a time when the total number of bombs around the world is growing and still capable of destroying the planet many times over.

In a joint statement afterwards, the two leaders agreed, "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought" -- echoing former President Ronald Reagan, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, and their 1985 summit in Geneva.

More important, to some analysts, is that after Wednesday, Putin now knows directly from Biden that progress on these issues will have specific consequences. Although he declined to share details with reporters afterwards, Biden said he warned Putin in detail about U.S. red lines, including 16 kinds of targets in critical U.S infrastructure that if hit by Russian or Russian-supported cyber attacks would result in "significant" responses.

"That specificity is far more likely to succeed in deterring Russian bad behavior than a generic warning about violating international norms," Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told the New York Times Wednesday.Even simply returning ambassadors to the other's capital could help improve relations, with the tit-for-tat cuts in staffing and consulate closures by both sides making the work of diplomacy more difficult and the opportunities for dialogue less frequent.

"If we're able to start normalizing the situation of the embassies, it would contribute to not only more comfortable conditions for our diplomats, but also it would contribute to a better climate for U.S.-Russian dialogue because angry people on both sides -- it's not quite constructive in terms of addressing serious and complex subjects," said Dimitri Simes, president and CEO of the Center for the National Interest in Washington.

Both sides have now confirmed their envoys -- U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan and Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov -- will return by the end of the month.

But one issue that could swiftly unravel Biden’s gamble is the fate of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who Putin had poisoned and threw in jail upon his return to Russia. The strongman wouldn’t even reference his name Wednesday, dismissing questions from ABC News and others about political opposition.

Biden told reporters after the Geneva meetings that the death of Navalny in Russian government custody would bring “devastating” consequences — one red line for which he’ll be expected to follow through.

[randrange]

Austin backs change in military sex assault prosecution

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for the first time, said Tuesday he will support long-debated changes to the military justice system that would remove decisions on prosecuting sexual assault cases from military commanders.

In a statement, obtained by The Associated Press, Austin said he supports taking those sexual assault and related crimes away from the chain of command, and let independent military lawyers handle them. The Pentagon has long resisted such a change, but Austin and other senior leaders are slowly acknowledging that the military has failed to make progress against sexual assault, and some changes are needed.

Austin pledged to work with Congress to make the changes, saying they will give the department “real opportunities to finally end the scourge of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military.” His public support for the shift has been eagerly awaited, sending a strong signal to the military and boosting momentum for the change.

The statement came a day before Austin testifies to the House Armed Services Committee amid escalating pressure from Congress to take concrete steps to address sexual assault. Austin’s memo, however, does not express any view on legislation that would make broader changes to the military justice system and require that independent lawyers handle all major crimes.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has the support of 66 senators for a bill that would have independent prosecutors handle felonies that call for more than a year in prison. But other key lawmakers and leaders of the military services have balked at including all major crimes, saying stripping control of all crimes from commanders could hurt military readiness, erode command authority, and require far more time and resources.

Until now, Austin has said publicly that he was open to changes recommended by an independent review commission that he appointed to take a look at sexual assault and harassment in the military. The panel said sexual assault, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, stalking, retaliation, child sexual assault and the wrongful distribution of photos should be removed from the chain of command.

In the statement, Austin finally makes public that he supports the change, and says those additional crimes should be included because there is a strong correlation between them and the prevalence of sexual assault. According to a defense official, Austin has reservations about the more expansive change outlined in Gillibrand’s bill, similar to those expressed by his senior leaders. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

In recent weeks military service secretaries and chiefs, in memos to Austin and letters to Capitol Hill, said they were wary about the sexual assault change, and laid out greater reservations on more broadly revamping the military justice system.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said removing commanders from prosecution decisions “may have an adverse effect on readiness, mission accomplishment, good order and discipline, justice, unit cohesion, trust, and loyalty between commanders and those they lead.”

In a letter to Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Milley acknowledged the military hasn’t made sufficient progress in combating sexual assault. He has repeatedly said, though, he’s open to the sexual assault change.

The independent review panel on Monday presented Austin with an expansive set of recommendations to combat sexual assault in the military, including prevention, command climate, victim care and support.

“Generally they appear strong and well-grounded,” Austin said in his statement. “I have directed my staff to do a detailed assessment and implementation plan for my review and approval.”

Austin said he will present his recommendations to President Joe Biden in the coming days. But he also noted that the changes will require additional personnel, funding and authorities. The ones that can be done under existing authority will be give priority, he said, and other changes may take more time and will need help from Congress.

“As I made clear on my first full day in office, this is a leadership issue. And we will lead,” he said. “Our people depend upon it. They deserve nothing less.”

In a recent interview with the AP, Gillibrand said the wider change is necessary to combat racial injustice within the military, where studies have found that Black people are more likely to be investigated and arrested for misconduct.

Gillibrand has argued against limiting the change to sexual assault, saying it would be discriminatory and set up what some call a “pink” court to deal with crimes usually involving female victims.

“I’m deeply concerned that if they limit it to just sexual assault, it will really harm female service members. It will further marginalize them, further undermine them, and they’ll be seen as getting special treatment,” she told the AP.

[randrange]

Biden approaches economic point of no return

In our crowded media ecosystem, the biggest story of the week is one the White House is hoping you won’t notice. Inflation grew by 5 percent last month, the sharpest increase in 13 years. American families have noticed, with prices of gas, building materials, cars and food shooting upward significantly. Inflation is a scourge with a simple solution, but one the Biden administration feels it cannot afford: cutting spending and money-printing at the Federal Reserve. The latest inflation numbers are a blaring red warning sign that is both valuable and honest — it is the last point in which President Biden can put the brakes on before the specter of 10 percent (or higher) inflation.

This week’s inflation numbers should alarm the White House even more than the lackluster jobs report or the looming crisis on the southern border. Rampant money-printing and spending since the beginning of the pandemic is the direct cause of the COVID-19 panic and one exploited by politicians using the pandemic as a veneer for social engineering writ large. Our economic troubles will only get worse if Biden moves forward with his $6 trillion budget.

Everyday expenses are climbing almost across the board. Chipotle announced that it hiked prices by 4 percent to cover higher employee expenses. That rate tracks with the increase last month in the cost of food at restaurants. The price of used vehicles shot up nearly 30 percent, and airline fares were not far behind. Used car prices are expected to spike even further later this year. Home and rental prices increased, as well — a deceptive figure, considering that in many parts of the country the housing market is seeing an enormous surge in demand while others still lag from the pandemic. While the topline Consumer Price Index numbers are alarming, the “flexible” inflation rate of goods that are more vulnerable to price changes is up 12.4 percent — the highest since the Carter era.

The causes of the current situation remain simple, just as Ronald Reagan and Paul Volcker understood in the early 1980s. The fiscal year 2021 budget deficit is already more than $2 trillion, and it follows last year’s mind-boggling $3.13 trillion budget. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is continuing its inflationary policies, with its held assets breaking $8 trillion for the first time. Each of these problems underlines the faults in traditional Keynesian economic approaches. Washington, D.C. has been pumping out printed and borrowed money, while the Fed has kept interest rates artificially low. A rate increase and an end to supplemental coronavirus unemployment bonuses would solve both the unemployment lag and potential new inflation. However, this is politically unfeasible. Democrats show no appetite to give up the radical economic model they previously justified by the pandemic — nor do they seem to view the current lackluster employment and surging inflation numbers as priorities.

The president does not appear to be concerned about the most recent figures. In fact, this week lawmakers came to a tentative deal on a potential $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Not only would it further increase the deficit spending, but it will create demand competition for construction goods that are already shooting through the roof. With spending levels higher than World War II, Biden risks the most severe inflationary crisis since the 1970s.

This will be Joe Biden’s make or break year. He will either get the federal budget under control to avoid high unemployment and inflation, or plunge the nation into a decade of economic struggles, similar to the Malaise period. So far, the latter seems far more likely. The president’s current trajectory of continuing enhanced unemployment benefits is keeping Americans out of the workforce while goosing inflation. There are currently 9.3 million job openings and 10 million are unemployed. Some states are ending the federally-funded enhanced unemployment program early, but the White House is talking about a federal expiration in September. By that point, many workers will have been out of their jobs for a year and a half. This is not to mention that increased federal unemployment money will likely cost more than $1 trillion.

Biden’s apparent plans for a second Great Society would dash any realistic hope of a spending freeze. Just as Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society was a major factor in the 1970s stagflation, the 2020-2021 coronavirus-Biden print-tax-and-spend period likely will be a cautionary tale for future economists and politicians who believe the solution to any societal problem is running the presses overtime.

While inflation remains mainly a historical curiosity for now, the increasing price of goods and services will get Americans’ attention soon enough. Unfortunately, by then it likely will be too late. Joe Biden is the only politician who served in the Senate through the mistakes of the Carter years — and apparently learned nothing from them.      

Kristin Tate is a libertarian writer and an analyst for Young Americans for Liberty. She is an author whose latest book is “How Do I Tax Thee? A Field Guide to the Great American Rip-Off.” Follow her on Twitter @KristinBTate.

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Congressional agency report: U.S. Commerce Department falls short in preventing sensitive technology from falling into Chinese military

WASHINGTON — An agency of the U.S. Congress said in a report on Tuesday (June 1) that the U.S. Commerce Department failed to do its part in protecting national security and preventing sensitive technology from falling into the hands of the Chinese military.

The Commerce Department has been slow to develop a list of sensitive technologies, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) said in the issue brief titled "Unfinished Business: Export Controls and Foreign Investment Reform." These technologies should be carefully scrutinized before being exported to China.

In 2018, Congress tightened U.S. efforts in 2018 as Chinese entities sought to acquire sensitive U.S. technology and as the U.S. became more aware of the risks posed by China’s military-civilian integration strategy and industrial policies like “Made in China 2025,” the report noted. China’s export policies and procedures for reviewing foreign investments, passed the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) and the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) to make it harder to export key technologies to adversaries such as China.

Defining a list of "emerging and foundational" technologies is a key part of implementing the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act and the Export Control Reform Act, the report said.

“Since the bills became law in 2018, there has been a significant delay in the development of the list and unclear procedures and methods. The list will support the development of new controls guided by the two bills, as well as the identification of existing control lists. Other national security risks not covered. In enacting the Export Control Reform Act, Congress entrusted the Commerce Department with its intent to strengthen U.S. export control laws, but the Commerce Department has so far failed to do so,” the report concluded.

The report argues that the lack of clear definitions of what constitutes emerging and foundational technologies hinders the ability of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to meet its responsibilities, while years of delays in developing these definitions could exacerbate national security risks.

Under the law, a range of technologies, defined as emerging and foundational technologies, would make certain transactions subject to filing, which would result in CFIUS scrutiny of high-risk transactions, the report said. In the absence of such a comprehensive list, CFIUS continues to operate without this additional guidance and may be limited in its ability to review transactions.

In a statement, Reuters reported that the Commerce Department did not directly respond to questions about the lack of such a list, but said it had issued four rules on emerging technology controls, with more coming soon.

The Commerce Department also said it has expanded end-military user rules and added some companies to its Entity List. The entity lists would restrict U.S. suppliers from selling to companies such as Huawei Technologies and Hangzhou Hikvision.

The Biden administration's Commerce Department on April 8 added seven Chinese supercomputer companies to its "entity list" for engaging in "acts that endanger the interests of U.S. national security or U.S. foreign policy." Under the Trump administration, the Commerce Department has included dozens of Chinese companies on the Entity List, including Huawei and SMIC.

The report mentions some of the Commerce Department's actions, including proposals to regulate gene-editing software that would make it easier to develop biological weapons, but the rule has not yet been finalized. The Commerce Department also issued interim rules for geospatial imagery involving artificial intelligence neural networks.

Advanced surveillance technology has received some attention as it is used to detain Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, the report said, including export controls to promote human rights, but the Commerce Department still has no export controls for newer types of advanced surveillance software .

The report argues that cross-agency coordination and leveraging expertise from the private sector and academia can help develop this list. It mentioned that the Ministry of Commerce has strengthened the role of relevant expert advisory bodies and solicited public comments on the preparation of a list of emerging and foundational technologies, but it has not been clear how, if and when expertise in these technologies will be included.

It also said that coordinating national security risk assessments among other agencies could also lead to faster completion of the list, and encouraged agencies to fill in the gaps in comprehensive protection technology.

The report raises questions about whether the Commerce Department's inspector general should investigate the more than two-year delay in developing the list and whether the power to enforce export controls should be handed over to another government department.

The U.S. Congress established the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission in 2000. According to the legislation, the agency's mission is to observe and study the impact of U.S.-China bilateral economic and trade relations on U.S. national security and submit an annual report to Congress on this. The agency also makes recommendations to Congress on legislative and executive measures, as appropriate.

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Arizona police shoot driver who crashed into charity bike ride

A man in a pick-up truck drove into cyclists taking part in a charity bike ride in Arizona, leaving six of them in a critical condition.

The incident happened at about 07:25 (14:25 GMT) in Show Low, a city about 180 miles north-east of Phoenix.

Police said the suspect, described as a 35-year-old white male, fled the scene and was pursued by officers.

Police then shot him behind a hardware store over a mile away, leaving him in a critical but stable condition.

Kristine M Sleighter, a spokeswoman for the Show Low Police Department, told reporters: "Our community is shocked at this incident and our hearts and prayers are with the injured and their families at this time."

The department added that the Navajo County Sheriff's Office was assisting them, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety was investigating the shooting of the suspect.Six cyclists were rushed to hospital after the crash, four of whom are in a critical condition, while the other two are critical but stable. Police said another two or three victims took themselves to hospital and are in a stable condition.

Local cycling shop owner Mike Godwin, who sponsored the race, told the New York Times that the group of cyclists who were hit by the vehicle were in the men's master class group, aged 55 and above.

The race, Bike the Bluff, is a 58-mile (93 km) cycle ride through eastern Arizona to raise money for Mountain Christian School, a religious primary school in Show Low.

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Rash of mass shootings stirs US fears heading into summer

CHICAGO (AP) — Two people were killed and at least 30 others wounded in mass shootings overnight in three states, authorities said Saturday, stoking concerns that a spike in U.S. gun violence could continue into summer as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize.

The attacks took place late Friday or early Saturday in the Texas capital of Austin, Chicago and Savannah, Georgia.

In Austin, authorities said they arrested one of two male suspects and were searching for the other after a shooting early Saturday on a crowded pedestrian-only street packed with bars and restaurants. Fourteen people were wounded, including two critically, in the gunfire, which the city’s interim police chief said is believed to have started as a dispute between two parties.No arrests were reported by late Saturday in the two other shootings.

In Chicago, a woman was killed and nine other people were wounded when two men opened fire on a group standing on a sidewalk in the Chatham neighborhood on the city’s South Side. The shooters also got away and hadn’t been identified by mid-afternoon Saturday. In the south Georgia city of Savannah, police said one man was killed and seven other people were wounded in a mass shooting Friday evening, police said. Two of the wounded are children — an 18-month-old and a 13-year-old.

Savannah’s police chief, Roy Minter, Jr., said the shooting may be linked to an ongoing dispute between two groups, citing reports of gunshots being fired at the same apartment complex earlier in the week.

“It’s very disturbing what we’re seeing across the country and the level of gun violence that we’re seeing across the country,” he told reporters Saturday. “It’s disturbing and it’s senseless.” The attacks come amid an easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in much of the country, including Chicago, which lifted many of its remaining safeguards on Friday. Many hoped that a spike in U.S. shootings and homicides last year was an aberration perhaps caused by pandemic-related stress amid a rise in gun ownership and debate over policing. But those rates are still higher than they were in pre-pandemic times, including in cities that refused to slash police spending following the death of George Floyd and those that made modest cuts.

“There was a hope this might simply be a statistical blip that would start to come down,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “That hasn’t happened. And that’s what really makes chiefs worry that we may be entering a new period where we will see a reversal of 20 years of declines in these crimes.”

Tracking ups and downs in crime is always complicated, but violent crime commonly increases in the summer months. Weekend evenings and early-morning hours also are common windows for shootings.

Many types of crime did decline in 2020 and have stayed lower this year, suggesting the pandemic and the activism and unrest spurred by the reaction to Floyd’s death didn’t lead to an overall spike in crime.

According to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, only three mass shootings occurred at public places — the lowest total for that category in a decade — out of 19 total mass shootings in 2020.

The database tracks all mass killings including shootings, defined as four or more people dead not including the perpetrator.

According to that definition, there have been 17 mass killings, 16 of those shootings, already this year, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University.

The Gun Violence Archive, which monitors media and police reports to track gun violence, defines mass shootings as those involving four or more people who were shot, regardless of whether they died. Overall, according to its database, more than 8,700 people have died of gun violence in the U.S. this year.

The GVA also found that mass shootings spiked in 2020 to about 600, which was higher than in any of the previous six years it tracked the statistic. According to this year’s count, there have been at least 267 mass shootings in the U.S. so far, including the latest three overnight Friday into Saturday.

“It’s worrisome,” Fox said. “We have a blend of people beginning to get out and about in public. We have lots of divisiveness. And we have more guns and warm weather. It’s a potentially deadly mix.”

___

This story has been corrected in the 13th paragraph that three mass shootings in public places in 2020 for lowest annual total in a decade, according to a database tracker.

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Biden promulga ley de día feriado por libertad de esclavos

WASHINGTON — El presidente Joe Biden promulgó una ley que establece un nuevo feriado federal que conmemora el fin de la esclavitud en Estados Unidos, y dijo creer que será uno de los mayores honores que tendrá al ejercer la presidencia. El mandatario firmó la ley que hace del Juneteenth, o 19 de junio, el feriado 12 federal.

La Cámara de Representantes aprobó la medida el miércoles por 415 votos a favor y 14 en contra, y de allí pasó al despacho de Biden, luego que el Senado la aprobó unánimemente un día antes.

“Este es un día de profundo peso y profundo poder, un día en el que recordamos la mancha moral, el saldo terrible que cobró la esclavitud en el país y que continúa cobrando”, dijo Biden. El Juneteenth conmemora el 19 de junio de 1865, cuando soldados de la Unión anunciaron la noticia de la libertad a esclavos negros en Galveston, Texas, dos meses después de que se rindiera la Confederación. Eso sucedió unos 2 años y medio después de la Proclamación de Emancipación con la que se declaró la libertad de los esclavos en los estados del sur.

Es el primer feriado federal nuevo desde la creación del Día de Martin Luther King Jr. en 1983.

Biden destacó el apoyo abrumador que tuvo la propuesta por parte de los legisladores de ambos partidos.

“Espero que esto sea el inicio de un cambio en la forma en que nos tratamos unos a otros”, dijo el presidente.

Biden firmó la ley rodeado por miembros del Caucus Negro del Congreso, al igual que por los principales promotores del proyecto de ley en el Senado, el senador demócrata Edward Markey y su colega republicano John Cornyn. También estuvo presente la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris.

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More charges are possible for breach of the Capitol

Law enforcement authorities are considering prosecutions for alleged participants in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol that go beyond such crimes as unlawful entry, theft and destruction of property, striking an officer, and homicide [“Jan. 6 defendant faces rare weapons charge,” Metro, June 18]. An insurrection, after all, could lead to the overthrow of the government. One would think that there are laws making it a crime to advocate or participate in that activity. And there are such laws.

Sign up for a weekly roundup of thought-provoking ideas and debates Title 18 of the U.S. Code is about federal crimes. Chapter 115 of Title 18 is about the crimes of treason, sedition and subversive activities. For example, whoever assists or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the United States or gives aid or comfort for that purpose is subject to 10 years imprisonment. If two or more people conspire to overthrow the government, or hinder the execution of any law, they are subject to 20 years of imprisonment. Advocating the overthrow of the government can also be punished by 20 years imprisonment. The list of related crimes and their punishments goes on.

I expect more public discussion of the crimes associated with the insurrection soon.

Richard F. Kaufman, Rockville

The writer, a former congressional aide, was general counsel of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

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Why does Biden hate the flag, family, grace, God and America?

It was a good day for the insurrectionists.

Senate Republicans voted in lockstep on Tuesday to block the landmark voting rights bill, in effect embracing the disenfranchisement of non-White voters under the “big lie” justification that widespread voter fraud denied Donald Trump reelection.

Sign up for a weekly roundup of thought-provoking ideas and debates Even as they did so, Senate Republicans also embraced the latest Fox-News-generated conspiracy theory: that a shadowy network of America haters — suspiciously similar to antifa, BLM and the deep state — had taken over the Biden administration with a nefarious ideology known as critical race theory, or “critical theory.”

“Critical theory is, in fact, very real,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the man who pumped his fist in solidarity with the people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, declared on the Senate floor on Tuesday. “It is very influential. And it appears to have become the animating ideology of this administration.”In short, Hawley explained, the Biden administration hates America. “President Biden is nominating for federal office individuals who do not share a view of America as a good and decent place,” Hawley announced. His nominees instead “believe that this is a country founded in racism and shot through with corruption.”

Image without a caption Follow Dana Milbank's opinions Follow So what is this “animating ideology” of the Biden administration, pray tell?

It holds that “the United States is rotten to its core,” Hawley alleged. “In our American flag, they see propaganda, and in our family businesses, they see white supremacy.” Those adhering to this animating ideology of the Biden administration, he elaborated, “allow no room for merit, for experience, or for grace in our life together. They pit Whiteness and Blackness against each other in a manner that reduces every American, no matter their character or creed, to their racial identity alone.”And that’s not all! The Biden administration’s animating ideology holds “that subjects like mathematics are inherently racist, that the Christian faith is oppressive” and “that the nuclear family perpetuates racism.” Looking straight into the TV camera above the Senate floor, Hawley said that Biden’s animating ideology tells children that “your dreams” are “unjust” and that “your family” are “oppressors.”

Hawley offered zero evidence for his claims, beyond Biden reinstating racial sensitivity training and his nomination of an Indian American woman, Kiran Ahuja, to run the Office of Personnel Management. Hawley alleged that critical race theory “appears to be her fundamental ideology.” This wild claim is based on a Boston University professor’s lecture on “antiracism” at the charity she ran, and her linking to an article of his claiming Trump’s election was an example of white supremacy.

But Republicans rallied behind Hawley’s demagoguery anyway. They voted unanimously Tuesday against her confirmation, requiring Vice President Harris to break the Senate’s tie. Ahuja was the latest of several non-White Biden nominees to run into Republican opposition.Critical race theory (at its core, the belief that racism in America is systemic) had been around for decades in academic circles without attracting much attention — until Fox News took it up last summer. As The Post’s Laura Meckler and Josh Dawsey report, a Fox News guest, Christopher Rufo, declared that critical race theory had “pervaded every institution in the federal government” — and Trump and his allies took it from there. They’ve redefined the obscure theory to include, as Rufo put it, “all of the various cultural insanities” and they’ve made it their latest front in the culture wars.

The irony, of course, is that Republicans are now proving that systemic racism exists — and they, along with Fox News, are the primary offenders. With their united stand against the voting-rights bill and their united votes against Ahuja on the bogus justification of critical race theory, they’re the ones reducing Americans “to their racial identity alone,” as Hawley put it. The Proud Boys who attacked the Capitol must be filled with pride anew.

The Republican leadership’s opposition to the voting-rights bill was so rote that they didn’t bother dividing up their talking points.“It would let Washington bureaucrats direct federal dollars into politicians’ campaign accounts, government money for yard signs and attack ads,” GOP leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) announced.

“Government dollars, money that belongs to the American taxpayer, would go to funding yard signs and attack ads,” GOP whip John Thune (S.D.) said a few minutes later.

Now that the Republican filibuster has blocked the voting-rights bill, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) will try to sell Republicans on a scaled-back version that addresses key GOP complaints. But McConnell made clear Tuesday that he isn’t interested in any voting-rights legislation. Asked why he wouldn’t even allow a debate on the bill, he told reporters: “This is not a federal issue.”

Republicans will instead focus on the real federal issue: accusing the Biden administration of opposing the flag, family businesses, merit, grace, Christianity, your dreams, your family and America.

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US and Canada heatwave: Pacific Northwest sees record temperatures

A heatwave has hit large parts of the US Pacific Northwest and Canada, sending records tumbling.

The US National Weather Service has issued heat warnings for much of Washington and Oregon states. Parts of California and Idaho are also affected.

On Saturday temperatures in Seattle, Washington State, reached 101F (38C), a record in the city for June.

Some cities have opened cooling centres, where residents can escape the heat in air-conditioned buildings.

The soaring temperatures are due to a dome of high pressure hovering over north-western United States and Canada.

Experts say climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, however linking any single event to global warming is complicated.As the climate changes, there could be an increase in the number of deaths from floods, storms and heatwaves, experts say.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said that even hotter temperatures were forecast for the coming days throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as parts of western Nevada and California.

Despite the warnings many people have been enjoying the sunshine, with lakes busy and pools running at full capacity.Temperatures are expected to soar 20 - 30F above average in Washington and Oregon states.

Life in the 'hottest place on Earth' How to look after yourself in hot weather "Residents are urged to avoid extended periods of time outdoors, stay hydrated and check on vulnerable family members/neighbours," the NWS said.

Shops have sold out of portable air conditioners and fans and a number of Covid vaccination drives have been cancelled.The area normally sees mild weather and many people do not have air conditioning.

Oregon's health authority has removed Covid capacity limits at large venues with air conditioning such as cinemas and shopping malls in order for people to take shelter from the heat.

In Canada, British Columbia recorded the hottest temperature in the country on Saturday - 43.2C. Parts of Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories are under a heat warning.

The heat there is also expected to continue through the week with records expected to fall.

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Biden: Afghans must now decide their own futureWHITE HOUSE- "Afghans have to decide their future," U.S. President Joe Biden said in his first face-to-face meeting with Afghan President Ghani.

The two leaders met in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday (June 25). Meanwhile, the U.S. military is continuing to withdraw its troops from the Central and South Asian nation of Afghanistan.

Biden insists that Washington's support for Afghanistan will not end. He said the United States will continue to support Afghan forces from abroad and continue to provide economic and political support.

"We will continue to be with you," Biden said.

Ghani, who is sitting next to Biden, said Afghanistan is grateful for the blood and wealth the United States has shed to defend the country over the past 20 years. Afghanistan is currently facing a direct confrontation with the Taliban.

Ghani compares his current situation to that faced by U.S. President Lincoln in 1861. The war between the northern states of the United States and the rebellious southern states was just beginning.

“It is a choice of values, between the values ​​of an exclusive system and the values ​​of an inclusive system. We are determined to maintain unity, coherence and national sacrifice, and we will spare no effort to do so,” the Afghan president said. He also said his government forces had "recaptured six areas in the south and north" from the Taliban on Friday.

Ghani added, "We will overcome all odds."

But these can be very big difficulties.

Earlier in the day, the Afghan president was meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Austin at the Pentagon when he was asked by a reporter about a reported U.S. intelligence analysis. The report concluded that Ghani's Afghan government could fall within six months of the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Ghani smiled back.

"There have been many predictions of this type, but they have all turned out to be wrong," Ghani replied.

"We will continue our partnership with the Afghan government and the Afghan military. We will continue to work towards our shared goals in a new and different way," Austin said.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said after a meeting with Ghani and Afghan Coalition Chief Executive Abdullah on Thursday that Biden's decision to withdraw "leaves our Afghan partners alone with even him Teng)'s own senior advisers admit to being a serious and deteriorating threat. Emboldened by our decision to withdraw troops, the Taliban are on their way to taking Kabul, and they are repulsing the progress Afghanistan has made over the years, especially Afghan women. rights."

VOA asked the White House on Friday to respond to McConnell's concerns, and White House press secretary Saqi said that Biden "has made a decision to bring U.S. troops home after 20 years of fighting this war. Consistent with his view that this is an unwinnable war."

Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton called Ghani's visit to the White House "absolutely critical to Afghanistan's future," calling it possibly his last chance to "try to convince President Biden, even without changing his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops," At least provide more time to send some other signals that the United States will continue to provide support to convince the Afghan people that we have not given up on this country."

"We need to find other ways to show that the U.S. is not completely withdrawing, which is not what happened in Vietnam," Bolton, a former national security adviser in former President Trump's administration, told VOA Afghan. "

The hasty withdrawal of American troops from South Vietnam in 1975 was followed by a peace agreement that effectively handed South Vietnam over to the communists in Hanoi.

Biden has already said that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will end by September 11 of this year. September 11 this year marks the 20th anniversary of al Qaeda's coordinated suicide attack on the United States. Al Qaeda's base was in Afghanistan at the time, under the protection of the then-ruling Taliban.

The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, which officially began on May 1, has led to an unprecedented escalation of fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents, delivering a fresh blow to slow-moving peace talks between the two Afghan rivals.

Taliban insurgents have seized dozens of new areas in recent weeks, and both sides are said to have suffered heavy casualties, as Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of the prolonged war.

This has led to a sense of urgency that the United States must help the Afghans who have worked for the U.S. military for the past two decades—interpreters, translators, drivers, and other supporting civilians .

White House spokeswoman Shaqi told reporters on Friday that those who have applied for special immigrant visas "will be moved to a location outside Afghanistan to complete the visa application process until we complete the withdrawal in September."

About 650 U.S. soldiers may remain in Afghanistan as security personnel for diplomats, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The officials also told The Associated Press that hundreds of additional U.S. troops will remain at the Kabul airport, possibly until September. The officials told The Associated Press that the role of the troops would be to aid the Turkish troops that provide security there. Officials said it would be a temporary move until a more formal security operation led by Turkey is in place, according to the Associated Press.

The Afghan government and the Taliban have been holding peace talks in Doha, Qatar, since last September, with the host government and other countries playing a role in facilitating the talks. But the negotiation process has made no significant progress, with negotiating teams on each side accusing the other of being responsible for the deadlock.

(VOA's Pentagon correspondent Barbu and Islamabad correspondent Gul also contributed to this article, which also draws on the Associated Press report.)

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Encourage fans to fight in heaven and earth and escape infinitely in the face of fines The problem that running away from other countries can avoid responsibility and punishment will never happen again

People who have observed the ant Gang should know that in the ant Gang, there is a very complete ecological chain. Guo Wengui plans the great cause of fraud at the top, other swindlers fill their pockets in the middle, and little ants contribute funds at the bottom. This set of ecological chain is now very mature for Guo Wengui to play, "let others give it away, let yourself loose". Guo Wengui has always been two sets of standards for himself and little ants. In the recent round of fines about Guo Wengui, this set of "ecological chain" and "double standards" are reflected incisively and vividly.

For Lao Guo, just over a month after 2022, one threshold after another came to him. With the loss of soldiers and the failure to make money, as well as the reports and onlookers of the global media, I don't know whether those little ants who are firm in the position of destroying the Communist Party can accept the scammer set by brother Qi? However, unless the little ants can create a grand scene of "the world is drunk and only Guo is sober" in their minds, the reports of major mainstream media on Guo Wengui will shake Guo Wengui's position in the ant Gang again. The little ants' trust in Guo Wengui is based on the deep background of the seventh brother and the ability to destroy the Communist Party. But now Guo Wengui's "money" has been picked out layer by layer. Will the little ants still trust him?

The decline of little ant trust is only the smallest of many difficulties faced by Guo Wengui. The other "big ones" are the retribution Guo Wengui has suffered for more than four years. As we all know, the criminal Guo Wengui most often uses criminal thinking to consider problems. Whether dealing with "pseudo classes" or fishing for and hiding assets, Guo Wengui helps himself drill legal loopholes through a highly paid lawyer group, especially in many debt cases. After Guo Wengui left the United States, the debts he once owed in China will not be written off. Many creditors went to the United States to sue him, PAX is just one of them. However, Guo Wengui not only refused to repay the debt and delayed time by appealing and avoiding cross examination, but also directly transferred the yacht lady may to someone else's name and directly brought the boat to Europe after the court found it. This is the consistent embodiment of Guo Wengui's criminal thinking, which is entirely his careful thinking.

However, little smart can't go on the right path after all, let alone defeat justice. On the 9th, the U.S. Court has issued another injunction against Guo Wengui for transferring and hiding assets and owed a fine of $134 million, requiring Guo Wengui to pay the fine within five days, otherwise he will be criminally punished for contempt of court. This money is undoubtedly the "last piece of cement" for this old Lai who relies on the snowball of fine. A number of media followed up one after another to see how Guo Wengui ended and whether he could give full play to his "intelligence", copy the routine of "China's crime is exempted from punishment in the United States" with his criminal mind, and run to Europe again. However, judging from the coercive force of the US court, Guo Wengui's wishful thinking this time is likely to fail. Unless he, a "political asylum Black family", can instantly transfer to another country and run away directly, his criminal acts against American citizens are bound to make him stand in the dock of the US court again. This time, Guo Wengui, who is at a dead end, will no longer have the help of "elite lawyers".

Perhaps Guo Wengui has also seen through that his political shelter is hopeless and will eventually be investigated by the U.S. judiciary because of financial fraud, making rumors, interfering in the election and hiding assets. Therefore, he made such a coquettish operation in order to forcibly renew his life for himself who has "survived" before the trial, and he can cheat day by day. I wonder if the little ants have learned Guo Zhanshen's freedom of "seeing through the world of mortals" and completely forget the money that has been thrown into the "g quagmire"? But now that it's over, Guo Wengui will be tried for many crimes. If you can't remember where your money went now, I'm afraid you don't have to remember in a while. The illegal income retained by Guo Wengui will be returned to those who realize that they have been cheated and choose to report for refund. As for the "Linglong" God of war with huge money, I can only show my excellent English and the thick skin of the city wall to the prison friends in the United States.