That’s all from me today. Here’s a rundown of the day’s biggest stories:
- The White House warned “another terror attack in Kabul is likely,” a day after a suicide bombing killed 13 US servicemembers and dozens of Afghan civilians. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received a briefing this morning from their national security team on the situation in Afghanistan. The president said of the ongoing evacuation effort in Kabul, “We will complete the mission.”
- Pentagon press secretary John Kirby pledged that the US military would “fly out evacuees right up until the last moment” of the Kabul operation, which is still expected to end by August 31. The Pentagon also offered a correction to its reports on the attack yesterday. Officials now believe there was only one suicide bomber at the Kabul airport. “We do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber,” Maj Gen Hank Taylor said.
- The Biden administration denied reports that the Taliban has taken control of parts of the Kabul airport, as the US military looks to leave the city in the next few days. “I saw that report. It’s false,” Kirby said. “The Taliban are not in charge of any of the gates.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki also claimed there was no truth to the reports.
- The US intelligence community remains divided and uncertain about the origins of Sars-Cov-2. The various intelligence agencies are in agreement that the virus was not developed as a biological weapon and that the Chinese government did not have foreknowledge of it. However they are divided on whether the outbreak was due to natural spillover of an animal virus to humans or a “lab leak”. Both the agencies and Joe Biden criticized the Chinese government for stonewalling the US’s investigation.
- A Florida judge has blocked Republican governor Ron DeSantis’ order against mask mandates in schools. Leon county circuit Judge John C Cooper said DeSantis’ order, which gave parents the sole right to decide whether their children would wear masks in school, “is without legal authority”.
- The Texas House passed a sweeping elections bill that would impose restrictions on voting access The bill’s passage ends a weeks-long standoff between Texas House Republicans, who are in the majority, and their Democratic colleagues, some of whom fled the state to block the legislation. The bill now heads to the Texas Senate and then to the desk of Republican governor Greg Abbott, who has already indicated he will sign it.
- Hurricane Ida, a category 4 hurricane with winds expected to reach up to 140mph, is barrelling toward the Gulf Coast and expected to hit Mississippi and Louisiana on Sunday. The mayor of New Orleans has ordered those who live outside the city’s system of levees to evacuate.
Sirhan Sirhan, Bobby Kennedy killer, granted parole
The man who assassinated Robert F Kennedy has been granted parole after two of the former US attorney general’s sons spoke in his favor, paving the way for his possible release.
Sirhan Sirhan, 77, shot and killed the then-presidential candidate on 6 June 1968, moments after he delivered a victory speech for the California presidential primary.
Douglas Kennedy, who was a toddler when his father was killed, appeared at the parole hearing.
“I’m overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr Sirhan face-to-face,” he said. “I think I’ve lived my life both in fear of him and his name in one way or another. And I am grateful today to see him as a human being worthy of compassion and love.”
Friday’s decision is still subject to review by the California parole board and the governor. If Sirhan is released, he faces deportation to Jordan.
Read the full report here:
Updated
A new CDC case study details how an unvaccinated teacher with Covid-19 caused an outbreak at a school after they came to work while symptomatic and read aloud to students unmasked.
The outbreak occurred in May at an elementary school in Marin county, California, among students who were two young to be eligible for vaccination. The teacher developed symptoms on 19 May, but continued working until 21 May, when they tested positive for the Delta variant of Covid-19, which is highly transmissible.
The school required teachers and students to wear masks inside, but the teacher reportedly removed their mask while reading aloud to the class. Half of the teacher’s 24 students subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.
Notably, 80% of the students who sat in the rows of desks closest to the teacher caught Covid, compared to 28% of students who sat farther away from the teacher.
None of the affected people had to be hospitalized.
The authors of the study noted the “elevated risk” for schools as children are not yet eligible for vaccination. “New evidence of the Delta variant’s high transmissibility, even among fully vaccinated persons supports recommendations for universal masking in schools,” the wrote.
Opposing mask mandates in schools has become a partisan rallying cry for certain rightwing politicians and parents as schools embark on the third school year since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Earlier on Friday, a judge in Florida blocked governor Ron DeSantis’s order barring school districts from requiring masks. The Republican had said that parents should decide whether their children should wear face coverings. At least 10 school boards defied DeSantis’s order, which the judge ruled was not within his authority to make.
A US Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who posted a video demanding accountability from military leaders over the evacuation of Afghanistan has been relieved of his duties and will leave US service, the Marines and the officer involved said on Friday.
Stuart Scheller posted his video to Facebook and LinkedIn on Thursday, the day 13 US service members, 11 of them Marines, and reportedly as many as 170 Afghans, were killed in a suicide bomb attack at the airport in Kabul.
“I have been fighting for 17 years,” said Scheller, then commander of the advanced infantry training battalion. “I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders: ‘I demand accountability.’”
Scheller said he knew someone killed in Kabul, but was making his video “because I have a growing discontent and contempt for … perceived ineptitude at the foreign policy level, and I want to specifically ask some questions to some of my senior leaders.”
Scheller said he was “willing to risk my current battalion commander’s seat, my retirement, my family stability to say some of the things that I want to say”. Doing so, he said, would give him “some moral high ground to demand the same honesty, integrity, accountability for my senior leaders”.
Read more:
White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has released the latest numbers on evacuations from Afghanistan.
NEW: From 3:00 AM EDT to 3:00 PM EDT TODAY, roughly 4,200 people were evacuated from Kabul.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@KJP46) August 27, 2021
Since 8/14: roughly 109,200 people.
Since the end of July: roughly 114,800 people.
The 4,200 people who left over the 12-hour period flew on 12 US military flights and 29 coalition flights, Jean-Pierre said.
The Pulitzer Prize board has issued a special citation in honor of Afghan journalists “who have dedicated themselves at great personal risk to create and support journalism that has chronicled decades of life and war”.
“From staff and freelance correspondents to interpreters to drivers to hosts, courageous Afghan residents helped produce Pulitzer-winning and Pulitzer-worthy images and stories that have contributed to a wider understanding of profoundly tragic and complicated circumstances,” the board stated.
The board also donated $100,000 in emergency relief funds to assist journalists to either continue their work or seek resettlement, to be administered by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
CPJ has reported numerous attacks on journalists by the Taliban in recent weeks, including raids on their homes, the forcing of female journalists off air, and beatings.
The Guardian has published a series of reports by female journalists across Afghanistan as they face peril both for their work and their gender. You can read more of their work here:
A category 4 hurricane with winds up to 140mph is expected to hit Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday, prompting the mayor of New Orleans to order evacuations for people who live outside the city’s levees.
Hurricane Ida made landfall on Cuba on Friday afternoon, but it is expected to gain significant strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico tonight and tomorrow. In addition to dangerous winds, the storm could bring 8 to 16 inches of rain and 7 to 11 feet of storm surge in some areas, according to the AP.
“Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday,” said the National Hurricane Center in an advisory.
4PM CT Ida Update - The time to act is NOW. Hurricane Ida is now forecast to make landfall as a category 4 hurricane. This will bring SIGNIFICANT impacts to Southern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. No major changes to the track at this time, moved just a touch to the east. pic.twitter.com/MRIiBaHTFt
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) August 27, 2021
The hurricane comes as states across the south are struggling with a surge of Covid-19 infections. New Orleans officials decided against evacuating the city’s hospitals since there is little room for patients in nearby states, the AP reported.
Hello everyone, this is Julia Carrie Wong in Oakland, California, picking up the blog for the rest of the afternoon.
The US intelligence community remains divided and uncertain about the origins of the virus responsible for Covid-19, though it has reached “broad agreement” that it “was not developed as a biological weapon” and that “Chinese officials did not have foreknowledge” of it prior to the initial outbreak.
In May, Joe Biden ordered a 90-day review of intelligence about the origins of the virus that has killed nearly 4.5m people worldwide. At the time, the two leading hypotheses were either a natural spillover from animals to humans or an accidental leak from a lab.
The various intelligence agencies remain divided over the two hypotheses, which all say are plausible, according to an unclassified summary of the review released Friday.
Four agencies and the National Intelligence Council lean toward the natural spillover theory “with low confidence”, while one agency assesses with “moderate confidence” that the first human infection occurred by accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, according to the summary. Three other agencies were unable to choose.
The report notes that it will be impossible to reach a more definitive conclusion without new information, such as clinical samples and further information about the earliest Covid-19 cases, which would require cooperation from the Chinese government.
“Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries, including the United States,” the report states. “These actions reflect, in part, China’s government’s own uncertainty about where an investigation could lead as well as its frustration the international community is using the issue to exert political pressure on China.”
Today so far
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Julia Carrie Wong, will cover the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- The White House warned “another terror attack in Kabul is likely,” a day after a suicide bombing killed 13 US servicemembers and dozens of Afghan civilians. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received a briefing this morning from their national security team on the situation in Afghanistan. The president said of the ongoing evacuation effort in Kabul, “We will complete the mission.”
- Pentagon press secretary John Kirby pledged that the US military would “fly out evacuees right up until the last moment” of the Kabul operation, which is still expected to end by August 31. The Pentagon also offered a correction to its reports on the attack yesterday. Officials now believe there was only one suicide bomber at the Kabul airport. “We do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber,” Maj Gen Hank Taylor said.
- The Biden administration denied reports that the Taliban has taken control of parts of the Kabul airport, as the US military looks to leave the city in the next few days. “I saw that report. It’s false,” Kirby said. “The Taliban are not in charge of any of the gates.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki also claimed there was no truth to the reports.
- A Florida judge has blocked Republican governor Ron DeSantis’ order against mask mandates in schools. Leon county circuit Judge John C Cooper said DeSantis’ order, which gave parents the sole right to decide whether their children would wear masks in school, “is without legal authority”.
- The Texas House passed a sweeping elections bill that would impose restrictions on voting access The bill’s passage ends a weeks-long standoff between Texas House Republicans, who are in the majority, and their Democratic colleagues, some of whom fled the state to block the legislation. The bill now heads to the Texas Senate and then to the desk of Republican governor Greg Abbott, who has already indicated he will sign it.
Julia will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Biden accuses China of stonewalling investigation into Covid origins
Joe Biden has accused the Chinese government of stonewalling a US investigation into the origins of coronavirus, after the office of the director of national intelligence released an unclassified summary of its report.
“This week, I received the report on the 90-day sprint I asked our intelligence community to conduct into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the president said in a new statement.
“I am grateful for the thorough, careful, and objective work of our intelligence professionals, and while this review has concluded, our efforts to understand the origins of this pandemic will not rest.”
Biden accused Beijing of withholding vital information that could provide much-needed insight into the early days of the pandemic.
“Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the People’s Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it,” Biden said.
“The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them.”
Biden pledged that the US would “continue working with like-minded partners around the world” to urge China to share information with the World Health Organization as it investigates the origins of coronavirus.
“We must have a full and transparent accounting of this global tragedy,” Biden said. “Nothing less is acceptable.”
At the Pentagon, General Glen VanHerck, the head of the US Northern Command, has been briefing journalists on the military’s role in hosting the inflow of Afghan refugees.
He said over 6,000 Afghans have arrived in the US and are being housed in four military bases: Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
VanHerck said his command had been instructed to build capacity to host 50,000 Afghans.
Three more bases have been authorised to house more Afghans as they arrive: Marine Corps Base Quantico, Fort Pickett in Virginia and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.
Pentagon denies reports that the Taliban has taken control of parts of Kabul airport
The Pentagon is also holding a press briefing this afternoon to provide an update on the evacuation mission in Kabul.
Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, denied reports and claims that the Taliban had taken over parts of Kabul airport.
“I saw that report. It’s false,” Kirby said. “The Taliban are not in charge of any of the gates. They are not in charge of any of the airport operations. That is still under US military control.”
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, also denied the reports during her daily briefing this afternoon.
Ned Price, the state department spokesman, said that “the vast majority” of Afghan staff at the US embassy and their families “are now safely out of Afghanistan or at the airport compound for evacuation”.
Price said the state department was in touch with some 500 American nationals still in Afghanistan about leaving the country.
“They are making these decisions and sometimes reversing these decisions, multiple times a day,” Price said, stressing that the US obligation to extricate US citizens would not stop on 31 August.
Ned Price, the state department spokesman, has been briefing journalists on the situation in Afghanistan this afternoon.
On the question of whether there will continue to be a US diplomatic mission in Kabul after 31 August, Price said the Taliban had asked for US diplomats to stay but no final decision had been taken.
“They have made very clear to us in our communication, they would like to see an American diplomatic presence remain,” Price said.
“Ultimately of course it’s not up to the Taliban, it’s a determination that we will need to make consistent with our overriding responsibility and that is the safety and security of American officials. It is a decision we plan to discuss with our allies and partners as well.”
Joe Biden shared a photo from his one-on-one meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House earlier today.
“It was an honor to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House today,” Biden said on Twitter.
“We strengthened the enduring partnership between our two nations and underscored the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.”
It was an honor to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House today. We strengthened the enduring partnership between our two nations and underscored the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. pic.twitter.com/nZYxp9zsWd
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 27, 2021
Bennett and Biden were originally scheduled to sit down yesterday, but their meetings were postponed because of the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport.
At the start of their meeting, the president said of Bennett, “We’ve become close friends. He’s ridden the Amtrak train a lot, from New York down to Wilmington, Delaware.”
Biden is, of course, a well known fan of Amtrak.
Updated
Texas house passes sweeping voting restrictions bill
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:
The Texas house of representatives has passed a sweeping elections bill that would prohibit 24-hour and drive-through voting, block election officials from sending out absentee ballot applications, set new restrictions on providing assistance to voters, impose new identification requirements on mail-in ballots, and give more leeway to partisan poll watchers at voting sites.
The bill passed 80-41. It now moves to the Texas senate, which has already passed a similar version. The senate can either concur with the house legislation or produce a final version using a conference committee. After that, it will go to the desk of the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, who is likely to swiftly approve it.
The legislation comes amid a nationwide effort by Republicans, who control state government in Texas, to enact legislation that imposes new restrictions on voting access.
The Texas bill exploded into the national spotlight after Democrats in the state legislature repeatedly blocked it by walking out of the state legislature, denying Republicans the ability to move forward with legislative business. The standoff, which lasted a little over a month, ended last week when enough Democrats returned to the state capitol to allow the process to move forward.
Read the full report:
Updated
Jen Psaki was asked whether Joe Biden believed he was given bad advice from his generals on Afghanistan and if the president will be requesting any resignations.
“No to both of those questions,” the White House press secretary replied.
Psaki added that Biden continues to have confidence in his secretary of state Antony Blinken, despite the chaotic nature of the evacuation mission in Kabul.
The daily White House briefing has now concluded.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked to respond to Democratic criticism of how the Kabul evacuation mission has been carried out.
“It is easy to throw stones or be a critic from the outside,” Psaki said. “It is harder to be in the arena and make difficult decisions.”
Responding to a follow-up question, Psaki acknowledged that the Biden administration did not anticipate how quickly the Afghan government would fall or how completely the Afghan military would fold.
“There are consequences to any of these difficult choices and decisions,” Psaki said. “That is what faces you as commander-in-chief.”
Updated
Jen Psaki summarized her earlier statement on Joe Biden’s meeting with his national security team this morning, during which senior advisers warned the president that “another terror attack in Kabul is likely”.
“The threat is ongoing, and it is active,” the White House press secretary said at her daily briefing.
“Our troops are still in danger. That continues to be the case every day that they are there. This is the most dangerous part of the mission.”
.@PressSec Jen Psaki: "The National Security Team the president met with this morning advised the president and vice president that another terror attack in Kabul is likely...The threat is ongoing and it is active. Our troops are still in danger." pic.twitter.com/4FR9cgt48A
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 27, 2021
Biden does not want Kabul terrorists 'to live on the Earth anymore,' Psaki says
The White House press secretary Jen Psaki is now holding her daily briefing to answer reporters’ questions about the situation in Afghanistan after the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport yesterday.
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Psaki to clarify Joe Biden’s message yesterday to the terrorists who carried out the deadly attack.
Biden said in his address to the nation yesterday, “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
Asked what it would look like for Biden to make the terrorists pay, Psaki said, “I think he made clear yesterday that he does not want them to live on the Earth anymore.”
Updated
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has now left the White House after his two meetings with Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
Bennett had originally been scheduled to meet with Biden yesterday, but the event was pushed back because of the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki is expected to hold her daily briefing at any moment. Stay tuned.
Congress requests Capitol insurrection-related social media records
The House of Representatives committee investigating the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January by extremist supporters of Donald Trump is seeking social media records involving people linked to the riot.
The news came shortly after the special committee issued its first round of sweeping demands for records from multiple US government agencies.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the committee revealed that it has sent its initial demands to various executive branch agencies including the National Archives and Records Administration, the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Interior and Justice, the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The committee chairman, Bennie G Thompson, a congressman from Mississippi, gave the agencies a two-week deadline to produce materials. In a statement, Thompson wrote, “Our Constitution provides for a peaceful transfer of power, and this investigation seeks to evaluate threats to that process, identify lessons learned and recommend laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations necessary to protect our republic in the future.”
The letters sent to the agencies seek records dealing with a variety of matters related to the 6 January attacks, including intelligence gathering and dissemination before the attack, security preparations around the Capitol, the role agencies played in the Capitol’s defense, event planning and organization in Washington on 5 and 6 January, and how the attacks fit in the continuum of attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Then on Thursday, the Reuters news agency reported, the committee requested major social media companies, including Facebook, Twitter, and Alphabet’s Google to turn over records of messages related to the assault.
We’ll have more for you as this story develops.
Today so far
The White House press briefing has now been delayed until 1:45 pm ET. Here’s where the day stands so far:
- The White House warned “another terror attack in Kabul is likely,” a day after a suicide bombing killed 13 US servicemembers and dozens of Afghan civilians. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received a briefing this morning from their national security team on the situation in Afghanistan. The president said of the ongoing evacuation effort in Kabul, “We will complete the mission.”
- The Pentagon press secretary pledged that the US military would “fly out evacuees right up until the last moment” of the Kabul operation, which is still expected to end by August 31. The Pentagon also offered a correction to its reports on the attack yesterday. Officials now believe there was only one suicide bomber at the Kabul airport. “We do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber,” Maj Gen Hank Taylor said.
- A Florida judge has blocked Republican governor Ron DeSantis’ order against mask mandates in schools. Leon county circuit Judge John C Cooper said DeSantis’ order, which gave parents the sole right to decide whether their children would wear masks in school, “is without legal authority”.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Joe Biden is now sitting down with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office, and the White House press pool was let in for the start of their meeting.
The president said he did not want to take any questions from Afghanistan to keep the focus on his meeting with Bennett, but he once again applauded the servicemembers carrying out the mission in Kabul in the face of great danger.
President Biden on Afghanistan mission: "It's a worthy mission because they continue to evacuate folks out of that region...they've evacuated more than 12,000 additional people out of the airport in the last 24 hours." pic.twitter.com/MXkIltQLc9
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 27, 2021
“The mission there being performed is dangerous and has now come with significant loss of American personnel, but it’s a worthy mission because they continue to evacuate folks out of that region, out of the airport,” Biden said, noting that more than 12,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours.
“I met with my commanders this morning, first thing in the morning, got a detailed briefing about yesterday’s attacks and the measures they’re taking to protect their forces and complete the mission. And we will complete the mission.”
'Another terror attack in Kabul is likely,' White House says
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received a briefing this morning from top national security officials on the situation in Afghanistan, following yesterday’s terrorist attack at the Kabul airport.
“They advised the President and Vice President that another terror attack in Kabul is likely, but that they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul Airport,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
“They reported that even in the face of those threats, our courageous service women and men are continuing to operate a historic evacuation operation. The U.S. military is airlifting out thousands of people every few hours.”
The White House previously reported that roughly 12,500 people were airlifted out of Kabul between 3 am ET yesterday and 3 am ET today, even as troops dealt with the fallout from the attack.
“Our commanders also updated the President and Vice President on plans to develop ISIS-K targets,” Psaki added. “The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date.”
Psaki is scheduled to hold her daily press briefing at any moment, so stay tuned.
Florida judge blocks DeSantis's order against mask mandates in schools
In some non-Afghanistan news, a Florida judge has ruled that Republican governor Ron DeSantis cannot block schools from imposing mask mandates to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The AP reports:
Leon County Circuit Judge John C Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that DeSantis’ order is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. The governor’s order gave parents the sole right to decide if their child wears a mask at school.
Cooper said DeSantis’ order ‘is without legal authority.’
His decision came after a three-day virtual hearing, and after at least 10 Florida school boards voted to defy DeSantis and impose mask requirements with no parental opt-out.
The White House has repeatedly criticized Republican governors like DeSantis who have attempted to curtail pandemic-related restrictions as coronavirus case numbers climb due to the spread of the Delta variant.
“If you aren’t going to fight Covid-19, at least get out of the way of everyone else who is trying,” Joe Biden said last week. “We’re not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children.”
Updated
Although House minority leader Kevin McCarthy fiercely criticized Joe Biden’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan, he did not join calls for the president’s resignation.
“Look, I’m extremely frustrated with the president. As I said, if you want to be president of the free world, you have to have the faith, the trust and the confidence of the American public. President Biden lost that yesterday,” McCarthy said at his press conference. “There will be a day of reckoning.”
Reporter: "Do you agree with those calls for impeachment or resignation?"
— The Hill (@thehill) August 27, 2021
Rep. Kevin McCarthy: "Look, I'm extremely frustrated with this president." pic.twitter.com/Snwup80Zmc
But the Republican leader did not demand Biden’s resignation, instead saying, “Right now in the next five days, everyone’s responsibility should only be focused on getting the Americans out.”
Several Republican lawmakers in the House and the Senate have suggested Biden should step down over his handling of the Kabul evacuation mission, but the odds of that happening are essentially zero at this point.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy held a press conference this morning, during which he fiercely criticized Joe Biden’s decision to share intelligence with the Taliban in the hopes of preventing future terrorist attacks.
“Why would we ever depend on the Taliban?” McCarthy asked. “Why would you negotiate with the Taliban?”
REPORTER: You criticized the Biden admin for giving the Taliban information about Americans. If the US was trying to get Americans through Taliban checkpoints, how else were they supposed to do that?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 27, 2021
KEVIN McCARTHY: Why wouldn't we have created a situation of safe passage? pic.twitter.com/UHK48mVF5S
However, as one reporter noted, Donald Trump negotiated with the Taliban as well, and McCarthy did not voice any criticism of that at the time.
“Trump also had conditions, and he upheld the conditions,” McCarthy said. (There were reports as early as March 2020 that the Taliban did not intend to abide by the terms of its agreement with the Trump administration.)
The Republican leader also presented an unclear position on whether he believed there should be additional US troops in Afghanistan.
While the Republican leader initially said he does not support sending more American service members to Afghanistan, McCarthy then argued the US military should have maintained control of Bagram Air Base, which would have required a much larger troop presence remaining in the country.
Updated
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has arrived at the White House, where he is scheduled to have two meetings with Joe Biden today.
Bennett and Biden had originally been scheduled to meet yesterday, but the discussions were pushed back to today because of the terrorist attack in Kabul.
Israel's new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, arrives for his 1st face-to-face meeting with Biden; the meeting yesterday was postponed due to the suicide bombings in Afghanistan that killed US troops. pic.twitter.com/tHf5rbsNwB
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 27, 2021
Bennett also spoke to Biden last night to offer condolences from the Israeli people to the families of the 13 US servicemembers killed in the Kabul attack.
“The President spoke with Prime Minister Bennett last night by phone to thank him for his willingness to postpone their meeting in light of the terror attacks in Kabul,” the White House said.
“The President also thanked the Prime Minister for his condolences on behalf of the people of Israel.”
Updated
Pentagon warns of 'specific, credible threats' in Kabul after airport attack
The Pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, addressed concerns over potential additional terrorist attacks in Kabul as evacuation efforts continue.
“We still believe there are credible threats,” Kirby said. “In fact, I’d say specific, credible threats. And we want to make sure we’re prepared for those.”
"Clearly, something went wrong": Kirby says Pentagon will "do the forensics" on how Kabul security efforts "fell short," allowing Thursday's attacks to happen.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 27, 2021
"There are credible threats — in fact, I'd say specific credible threats — and we want to make sure we're prepared" pic.twitter.com/PHcp5bE2rP
One reporter asked Kirby whether the Pentagon has obtained additional information on potential threats since yesterday’s attack.
“We certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts absolutely,” Kirby replied. “But I won’t get into the specifics of what those are and why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Updated
The Pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, said the 31 August deadline to complete the Kabul evacuation mission remains in place after yesterday’s terrorist attack.
“We’re still planning on ending this mission at the end of the month,” Kirby said, acknowledging that the US military will start packing up its equipment at the airport in the coming days.
“We will be able to fly out evacuees right up until the last moment. That’s going to be the goal.”
According to Maj Gen Hank Taylor, more than 300 Americans were flown out of Kabul in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of evacuated US citizens up to 5,100.
There are currently about 5,400 people at the airport awaiting evacuation, and more than 5,000 US troops remain in Kabul.
Updated
There was not two, but one suicide bomber in Kabul, Pentagon says
The Pentagon is now holding a press briefing to provide an update on the situation in Kabul, as evacuation efforts continue following yesterday’s terrorist attack.
Maj Gen Hank Taylor, the joint staff deputy director for regional operations, once again offered his condolences to the families of the 13 US service members and dozens of Afghan civilians who died in the attack.
JUST IN: "We do not believe there was a second explosion... that it was one suicide bomber," Pentagon officials say in update on deadly attack outside of Kabul airport that killed at least 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans. https://t.co/BOmEdZTTkw pic.twitter.com/mzpkVcJ2RH
— ABC News (@ABC) August 27, 2021
Taylor also offered an important correction to the record of how the terrorist attack unfolded yesterday.
The Pentagon had previously said there was a second explosion at the Baron Hotel, near the Kabul airport, following the initial blast at the Abbey Gate.
However, Taylor said the Pentagon now believes there was just one suicide bomber who carried out the attack.
“We do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber,” Taylor said.
“We’re not sure how that report was provided incorrectly, but we do know -- it’s not any surprise -- that in the confusion of very dynamic events like this can cause information sometimes to be misreported or garbled.”
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy is holding a briefing on the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport yesterday.
Expressing sorrow over the loss of 13 US servicemembers, McCarthy questioned Joe Biden’s handling of the evacuation mission in Kabul, specifically the military’s coordination with the Taliban to prevent more attacks.
“Why would we ever depend on the Taliban?” McCarthy asked. “Why would you negotiate with the Taliban?”
The Republican leader added, “These are all questions that need to be answered.”
McCarthy has called on House speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the chamber back into session to receive a briefing on Afghanistan, but Pelosi has given no indication that she plans to do so.
Barack Obama has released a statement offering his condolences to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport yesterday.
“Like so many of you, Michelle and I were heartbroken to hear about the terrorist attack outside the Kabul airport that killed and wounded so many U.S. service members, as well as Afghan men, women, and children,” the former Democratic president said.
Like so many of you, Michelle and I were heartbroken to hear about the terrorist attack outside the Kabul airport that killed and wounded so many U.S. service members, as well as Afghan men, women, and children.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 27, 2021
“As president, nothing was more painful than grieving with the loved ones of Americans who gave their lives serving our country. As President Biden said, these service members are heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others,” Obama added.
“Our hearts go out to the families who lost a loved one, and to everyone continuing the mission in Kabul. We’re also thinking of the families of the Afghans who died, many of whom stood by America and were willing to risk everything for a chance at a better life.”
Obama and Biden disagreed on policies in Afghanistan during the former’s presidency. Biden was on the losing side of an argument over whether to approve a troop surge to Afghanistan.
Obama ultimately approved the troop surge, despite Biden’s warnings that the Pentagon’s plan was too broad and too expensive, according to the Washington Post.
The UK has stopped taking people into Kabul airport to remove them from Afghanistan, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace has said, and the evacuation process will end in “a matter of hours”.
Accepting that there would be Afghan translators or others who worked with UK forces who would not get out, Wallace said these people would be advised to seek access to third countries or offered advice on “how they can look after themselves” under Taliban rule.
“We at 4.30 this morning, UK time, closed the Baron’s hotel, shut the processing centre, and the gates were closed at Abbey gate,” Wallace told Sky News, referring to the Kabul hotel where those leaving were checked, and the gate leading to the airport.
“We will process those people that we’ve brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately inside the airfield now, and we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours,” he added.
In another interview, Wallace said that up to 1,100 Afghan nationals who could be eligible for evacuation would be left behind.
Yesterday was 'the worst day' of Biden's presidency so far, Psaki says
Flags at the White House, the US Capitol and all other public buildings are being flown at half-staff today in honor of the 13 US troops and dozens of Afghan civilians killed in the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport yesterday.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the honor during her daily briefing last night, which occurred right after Joe Biden’s address to the nation on the Kabul explosions.
.@PressSec Jen Psaki: "As a mark for respect, starting today the United States flag will be flown at half staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds..."
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 26, 2021
Full video here: https://t.co/27tB07D9Yo pic.twitter.com/Ik0Xf52Qon
While responding to reporters’ questions yesterday, Psaki was somber as she reflected on the loss of life in Kabul.
“Any day where you lose servicemembers is maybe the worst day of your presidency, and hopefully there’s not more,” Psaki said.
The press secretary applauded the US servicemembers who have continued to process evacuees at the Kabul airport after losing 13 of their own in a terrorist attack.
The White House said this morning that another 12,500 people were evacuated out of Afghanistan between 3 am ET yesterday and 3 am ET today.
Joe Biden has warned the masterminds of a double suicide-bomb attack in Kabul that killed 13 US troops and 72 Afghan civilians: “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
On the darkest day of his presidency, Biden declined to extend his 31 August deadline for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan but promised to evacuate any American citizens who want to leave.
US forces were on alert for further attacks by Islamic State, including possibly rockets or vehicle-borne bombs targeting the airport, said General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command.
In a televised address to the nation, the president paid tribute to the fallen as “heroes” who were “engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others”, then vowed violent retribution against the Islamic State leaders responsible.
With cold anger, he said: “To those who carried out these attacks today – as well as anyone who wishes America harm – know this: we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
He said he had ordered the Pentagon to “develop operational plans to strike Isis-K assets, leadership and facilities”, adding: “We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing.”
The US has now helped evacuate more than 100,000 people out of Afghanistan since August 14, according to the latest update from the White House.
A White House official told the press pool that approximately 12,500 people were evacuated from Kabul between 3 am ET yesterday and 3 am ET today.
“This is the result of 35 US military flights (29 C-17s and 6 C-130s) which carried approximately 8,500 evacuees, and 54 coalition flights which carried approximately 4,000 people,” the official said.
“Since August 14, the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 105,000 people. Since the end of July, we have re-located approximately 110,600 people.”
That 12,500 number is quite impressive, given that 13,400 people were evacuated the day before and troops had to grapple with the fallout from two explosions at the airport as they continued to process evacuees.
Biden receives bipartisan criticism to continue war on terror after Kabul attacks
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
After two explosions at the Kabul airport killed at least 13 US troops yesterday, Joe Biden is receiving bipartisan criticism to continue the war on terror.
Leon Panetta, the former defense secretary an CIA director under Barack Obama, told CNN last night, “I understand that we’re trying to get our troops out of there, but the bottom line is we can leave a battlefield but we can’t leave the war on terrorism, which still is a threat to our security.”
It is sickening and enraging to hear that at least 12 U.S. servicemembers have been killed at the hands of terrorists in Kabul. We need to redouble our global efforts to confront these barbarian enemies who want to kill Americans and attack our homeland. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/ydke3F6sZ7
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) August 26, 2021
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who has been generally critical of the Biden’s troop withdrawal plans, issued a similar message yesterday.
“This murderous attack offers the clearest possible reminder that terrorists will not stop fighting the United States just because our politicians grow tired of fighting them,” McConnell said.
“We need to redouble our global efforts to confront these barbarian enemies who want to kill Americans and attack our homeland.”
In his own remarks yesterday, Biden told the terrorists who killed 13 US troops and dozens of Afghan civilians, “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
But how many resources will Biden be willing to allocate to fight a war on terrorism that has been raging for 20 years? Time will tell.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
