Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Skeptics Doubt Taliban Assurances

Daily Mail screenshot 8/18/21

TALIBAN SAYS WILL RESPECT WOMEN: The Taliban promised yesterday that it will respect women, a pledge met with skepticism due to their harsh and oppressive treatment of women when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 under a strict form of Islamic Sharia law. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made the vow to respect women during a news conference, saying the Taliban would honor women's rights within the norms of Islamic law. They have encouraged women to return to work and have let girls return to school, after having not allowed education for girls in their previous rule.

 


Mujahid also said the Taliban would grant amnesty to Afghans who fought against them and ensure that Afghanistan doesn't become a base for terrorists to use to attack other countries. The Taliban is attempting to portray themselves as more moderate than when they previously were in power, seeking to reassure other countries as well as fearful Afghans. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said yesterday in response, "[T]his is not about trust. This is about verify. And we’ll see what the Taliban end up doing in the days and weeks ahead, and when I say we, I mean the entire international community."


The Evacuation: Evacuation flights resumed out of the international airport in Kabul yesterday after being suspended Monday when thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport and were on the tarmac, frantically trying to get on planes. As the U.S. is sending 6,000 troops to help with the evacuation, the Pentagon said U.S. commanders are working to evacuate thousands of people and Sullivan said the Taliban had agreed to allow "safe passage" for civilians trying to fly out of the country. The White House said 13 flights yesterday took out 1,100 U.S. citizens, permanent residents and their families, and the pace is expected to pick up today. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the goal is to get to one flight per hour today, with 5,000 to 9,000 people being evacuated each day. The State Department said it was sending John Bass, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, to manage the evacuation operation, and the Pentagon is sending Army Major General Christopher Donohue, the current commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, to take command of airport security operations.

➤HAITI EARTHQUAKE DEATH TOLL JUMPS BY MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE: The death toll from Saturday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti jumped by more than 500 people Tuesday to 1,941 and the number of injured rose to 9,900, many of them having to wait outside of packed hospitals to get medical attention. About 30,000 families have been left homeless. Search and rescue efforts resumed Tuesday after a temporary halt due to the effects of Tropical Storm Grace. The U.S. Agency for International Development has disaster response teams on the ground, and the U.S. military is sending eight helicopters and seven Coast Guard cutters to lend assistance. A Fairfax County, Virginia, Urban Search and Rescue team is also in Haiti helping to try to find survivors.

➤TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19: Texas Governor Greg Abbott tested positive for the coronavirus yesterday (August 17th), with a spokesman saying he is isolating in the governor's mansion and receiving monoclonal antibody treatment. 

His office also said that Abbott, who was vaccinated in December, is in good health and not having any symptoms. The 63-year-old governor said in a video that the fact that he was vaccinated, quote, "may be one reason I'm really not feeling any symptoms right now. I have no fever, no aches and pains, no other types of symptoms." Abbott, who's a Republican, has refused calls to reinstate mask mandates in Texas, where the delta variant has been surging, and his positive test came one day after he was seen maskless at a crowded fundraiser where he spoke.

➤MASK MANDATE FOR TRAVELERS EXTENDED INTO JANUARY: The Transportation Security Administration said yesterday that the requirement to wear a face mask on airplanes, trains, buses and at airports is being extended through January 18th. The statement said, "The purpose of TSA's mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation." The mandate had been set to expire on September 13th, but that's been derailed by the spread of the highly-contagious delta variant.

➤TWITTER LETTING TALIBAN STAY ON PLATFORM, BUT TRUMP STILL BANNED:  Facebook, TikTok and other social media companies have banned the Taliban, but Twitter is allowing its members on the platform. Mediaite cited a Twitter spokesman as saying when asked yesterday if it would ban the Islamist group that has taken over Afghanistan again that Twitter would, quote, "continue to proactively enforce” its rules on the "glorification of violence, platform manipulation and spam." The company added, "Twitter’s top priority is keeping people safe, and we remain vigilant." Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has an active presence on Twitter with more than 200,000 followers. Among the critics of the Taliban being allowed on the platform were some Republicans who questioned why that was permitted while Twitter imposed a lifetime ban on former President Donald Trump in the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.


🤑U-S RETAIL SALES FELL IN JULY AMID DELTA VARIANT SURGE:  The delta variant of the coronavirus put a snag in Americans' Hot Vaxx Summer plans, and now it looks like it's starting to affect economic activity. The Commerce Department said yesterday that retail sales fell 1.1 percent in July from the month before, much higher than the 0.3 percent decline Wall Street analysts had expected. Americans are apparently staying away from stores amid the delta variant's surge, which has led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that even vaccinated people start wearing masks indoors in public places. Rising prices may have also played a role, with online sales also falling, down 3.1 percent from the month before, and economists think Americans are also shifting their spending from goods to services, like haircuts or vacations, which aren't included in yesterday's report.

➤PURDUE PHARMA HEIR THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF OPIOID SETTLEMENT IF NOT GIVEN BROAD IMMUNITY: David Sackler, a Purdue Pharma heir and former board member, said in a court appearance yesterday that his family would pull out of a $4.5 billion opioid settlement if they aren't given immunity from any other current or future related lawsuits. The judge said he has, quote, "some concerns about the breadth" of what they want. The Sacklers and federal prosecutors have spent nearly two years negotiating a bankruptcy settlement in which they'd admit no wrongdoing for Purdue's misleading marketing of the painkiller OxyContin, which is widely seen as having set off the opioid epidemic, but would pay $4.5 billion and give up any stake in Purdue. Thousands of people, states, cities and tribes have filed lawsuits against Purdue, and Sackler said that if they don't get the immunity they want, they'll instead let the legal battles go forward.

➤UNITED AIRLINES TELLS EMPLOYEES NOT TO DUCT TAPE UNRULY PASSENGERS: After a couple of recent incidents of unruly airline passengers being duct-taped to their seats for the remainder of the flight, United Airlines has sent a memo to its employees asking them not do that when they have a difficult passengers. According to People, the memo said, "Please remember there are designated items on board that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used." It told crew members to, quote, "follow your regular de-escalation and training process and always use your best judgment."

➤BUTTIGIEG ANNOUNCES HE AND HUSBAND ARE NOW PARENTS: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on Twitter Tuesday that he and husband Chasten have become parents. The 39-year-old Buttigieg, who's the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate, tweeted: "For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents! The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can’t wait to share more soon."

➤NEARLY HALF OF U.S. ADULTS HAVE TRIED MARIJUANA: Lots of U.S adults are trying marijuana these days. In Gallup’s latest poll on the issue, 49 percent of U.S. adults say they have tried marijuana, the highest percentage Gallup has measured to date. More than 50 years ago, just four percent said they’d tried the drug, but in 1977, 20 percent said the same, while in 1985 30 percent said the same, and in 2015 40 percent said the same. Today, just 12 percent say they “smoke marijuana,” a number that has remained steady in recent years. Gallup says that generational patterns explain the increase in marijuana experimentation over the last five decades, as Americans born before 1945 are much less likely than those in other birth cohorts to have tried marijuana.
 

🏈TEBOW CUT BY JAGUARS, ENDING COMEBACK ATTEMPT: Former quarterback Tim Tebow's attempt to make an NFL comeback as a tight end came to an end yesterday when he was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The decision came after Tebow was just not good in Jacksonville's preseason opener on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. The 34-year-old tweeted thanks, writing, "Thankful for the highs and even the lows, the opportunities, and the setbacks. I’ve never wanted to make decisions out of fear of failure and I’m grateful for the chance to have pursued a dream." The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was trying to make it back to the NFL after playing five years in baseball's minor leagues, never making it to the majors.
 

⚾BAUER ACCUSER TESTIFIES FOR SECOND DAY: The 27-year-old woman who's accused Trevor Bauer of assaulting her during two sexual encounters testified for a second day Tuesday as she seeks a five-year restraining order against the L.A. Dodgers pitcher. She spoke about their second encounter, when she said he chocked her unconscious and punched her repeatedly in the face and genitals, saying she went to the hospital after she got home and saw she had blackened gums, bruises around her eyes and behind her ears, and a black bruise from the top of her vagina to the bottom. She was questioned by Bauer's attorney about having had sexual relationships with San Diego Padres players Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mike Clevinger, and about texts she exchanged with Bauer, including being asked why some of them weren't included in the restraining order request. The woman said she didn't know and that there were some she didn't have access to. The attorney contended that the texts the women sent to Bauer gave every indication she consented to the choking and rough treatment. The forensic nurse who examined the woman testified about her injuries, calling the bruising of her genitals "frankly alarming."
 
Bauer is currently on leave as MLB and police investigate the allegations, which he has denied.

🏀EMBIID SIGNS REPORTED FOUR-YEAR, $196 MILLION EXTENSION WITH 76ERS: Joel Embiid signed an extension yesterday with the Philadelphia 76ers, which reports said was a four-year, $196 million deal. The extension will start with the 2023-24 season. The 27-year-old, who was the NBA MVP runner-up this season, wrote on social media, "There’s no place like PHILADELPHIA!!! Excited to continue working towards bringing a title home and eventually retire here #PHILLY."
 

⚾A's PITCHER BASSITT TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER HIT IN THE HEAD BY LINE DRIVE: Oakland A's pitcher Chris Bassitt was carted off the field last night and taken to the hospital after he was hit on the side of the head by a line drive in the second inning of what would be a 9-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Manager Bob Melvin said after the game, "Bass is conscious. He was the entire time. . . . They had to do some stitches. He’s in a scan and we’ll know more about potential fractures or whatever tomorrow, or later tonight."

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