“Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building.”
— President Biden addresses the nation as U.S. troops head to Afghanistan to help evacuate Americans and allies.
“I’m adamant we focus on the threats we face today in 2021, not yesterday’s threats.”
— President Biden addresses nation after Afghanistan falls to Taliban.
“It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not.”
— President Biden doubles down on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan
Biden on Afghanistan: “I stand squarely behind my decision … But I always promised the American people that I would be straight with you. Truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”
President Biden: “How many more lives, American lives, is it worth … ? I’m clear in my answer. I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past.”
Biden’s message to the Taliban: “The U.S. presence will be swift, and the response will be swift and forceful. We will defend our people with devastating force, if necessary.”
The scene out of Kabul is what many terror experts, like @ColinPClarke of @TheSoufanGroup, have long worried about when it comes to withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Just minutes after the full jury was selected in Donald Trump's New York hush money criminal trial, someone appears to have set themself on fire outside the courthouse, per CNN's @thelauracoates.
CNN's @thelauracoates describes the emotions of seeing the apparent immolation:
The first 2024 debate is here: The GOP field's set to meet tonight (without Trump). But why do we do debates? Do they even matter? Sometimes, yes...a lot.
Here are 5 moments from recent primary debates that actually changed the trajectory of the nominating contest — and history.
2008: Hillary Clinton struggles to take a clear stance on giving driver's licenses to “illegal immigrants.”
Her attempt at nuance reinforced a central criticism of her candidacy — that she was overly cautious and poll-tested — helping fuel Barack Obama's ultimate victory.
2011: Rick Perry forgets the third federal department he was promising to eliminate.
Perry had already dropped steeply in polls after prior poor debate performances. The “oops” moment seemed to prove he lacked preparation and is regarded as his campaign's death knell.
Is Biden poised for a breakthrough on the economy?
Today, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points after a brief pause in June.
But by virtually any metric, inflation — and the economy as a whole — is in a very different place than when it met in July 2022.
The Fed has steadily raised interest rates since March 2022, playing catchup as inflation soared to 40-year highs. After its June pause, that campaign resumed today — with yet another rate hike.
Amid the Fed’s effort to drive down inflation, concerns have risen that the dramatic rise in interest rates could slow growth enough to tip the U.S. into recession.
But job growth has remained steady — raising hopes for what economists call a “soft landing.”
Donald Trump arraignment today:
• Court appearance takes place at 3 pm ET in Miami
• Expected to plead not guilty to 37 counts
• Will voluntarily turn himself in before that
• Will be fingerprinted digitally
• Mugshot will likely not made public
• Will not be handcuffed
THREAD: There was backlash to the backlash at a heated school board hearing in Florida’s deep-red Hernando County on Tuesday.
You should see what teachers, students, and parents said about right-wing culture wars and anti-LGBTQ policies that are driving some educators to quit.
“I have never seen such fear from my colleagues as I’ve seen in the last two months.”
— Social studies teacher Victoria Hunt says “the culture that has been created” in Hernando County, Florida, is driving teachers to leave “the county, the state, or the profession altogether.”
Parent at the Hernando County, Florida, school board hearing Tuesday: “I’m appalled by how many gay people are here.”