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Friday, April 7, 2023

4/7 WAKE-UP CALL: Biden Puts Blame On Trump For Afghan Pullout


President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday released a summary of classified reports that mostly blamed the chaotic August 2021 U.S. pullout from Afghanistan on his predecessor, Donald Trump, for failing to plan for the withdrawal he had agreed on with the Taliban. The Democratic administration's summary, drawn from top-secret State Department and Pentagon reviews sent to Congress, ignited angry reactions from Republican lawmakers who have demanded the documents for their own investigation of the pullout.



➤BIDEN ADMIN RIPPED OVER REPORT: Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee, strongly criticized the administration. Biden ordered the pullout and was "responsible for the massive failures in planning and execution," McCaul said in a statement. McCaul, who is overseeing the Republican probe, charged that his multiple threats to subpoena the State Department and Pentagon reviews, which were completed last year, finally compelled the administration to send them to Congress. "President Biden’s choices for how to execute a withdrawal from Afghanistan were severely constrained by conditions created by his predecessor," said the summary of the reviews. "The outgoing administration provided no plans for how to conduct the final withdrawal or to evacuate Americans or Afghan allies." The document acknowledged that the administration learned lessons from the withdrawal, and now errs on the side of "aggressive communication" about risks in a destabilized security environment. 

The sister of Rylee McCollum, 20, who was killed by a suicide bomber at Kabul airport in August 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal, has criticized the Biden administration for blaming Trump. McCollum, from Jackson, Wyoming, told DailyMail.com her family was angered by the Biden administration's report. the Biden team pointed to a series of failures from the Trump administration in preparing for the withdrawal.

Daily Mail Composite (4/7/23)
➤TWO LAWMAKERS EXPELLED FROM TENN HOUSE: Republican lawmakers in Tennessee expelled two Democratic colleagues in retaliation for their participation in a gun-reform protest from the House floor last week, sparking a furious response from the White House. Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis were stripped of their seats on Thursday in the first partisan expulsion in the body’s history. The Tennessee House had previously expelled only three other members since the Civil War, all for far more serious infractions, including the criminal conviction of one lawmaker and multiple sexual harassment allegations against another. Republicans said the lawmakers breached House protocol when they spoke from the well without first getting permission from House leadership.  House Speaker Cameron Sexton even compared their actions to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in Washington.

➤HOUSE REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS: Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have subpoenaed a former New York prosecutor as they begin investigating the investigators who have charged former President Donald Trump with 34 felony counts. Representative Jim Jordan, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent the order to Mark Pomerantz, a former assistant district attorney. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg decried the committee’s action, calling it an “an unprecedented campaign of harassment and intimidation.”


➤BRITISH MONARCHY’S TIES TO SLAVERY INVESTIGATED: Britain’s King Charles the Third has indicated that he will support research into the monarchy’s historic ties to the slave trade. An article in The Guardian newspaper revealed for the first time that the slave-trading Royal African Company transferred 1,000 pounds worth of shares in the business to King William the Third in 1689. King Charles has given permission for historians to delve into the royal archives for further research.

➤FORMER MICHIGAN SPEAKER ADMITS TAKING BRIBES: A former Republican speaker of the Michigan House who headed the state’s Michigan marijuana licensing board has admitted to taking about $110,000 in bribes in exchange for supporting companies seeking licenses. Rick Johnson and three others signed plea deals admitting guilt to the charges. The others included a business owner charged with paying bribes and two lobbyists charged with conspiracy to commit bribery. Johnson served as a state representative from 1999 to 2004, including three years as House speaker. He was the chair of the marijuana licensing board from 2017 to 2019. All of the defendants are expected to be arraigned in the next couple of weeks.

✞COMBINATION OF DRUGS KILLED COOLIO: “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper Coolio suffered an accidental death from the effects of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine last year, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported Thursday. The county agency also cited cardiomyopathy, a disease that makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood to the body, as a “significant condition.” Investigators also determined Coolio’s severe asthma and cigarette smoking played a role in his death. Coolio’s former longtime manager Jarez Posey also confirmed the cause of death Thursday. Coolio — born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., on Aug. 1, 1963 — died at the Los Angeles home of a friend on Sept. 28, 2022. He was 59.

➤LUKEWARM SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN: Only one third of Americans say President Joe Biden deserves to be reelected, according to a new CNN Poll. A majority of Democrats said they would like to see someone else as the Democratic nominee next year. His overall job approval rating stood at 42 percent, with 57 percent disapproving. The survey was conducted through March.


➤NEW PROGRESSIVE MAYOR EXPECTED TO RAISE CHICAGO TAXES: Chicago is bracing for more taxes after progressive Brandon Johnson’s surprising win this week. The mayor-elect’s proposed levies on corporations, financial securities and the rich would add pressure on the business community in the nation’s third-largest city that’s already grappling with rising crime, high-profile headquarter departures and fragile finances. “He wants to put more of the burden on the business community,” said Richard Ciccarone, president-emeritus of Merritt Research Services, a muni research firm. “There’s some anxiety about the approach that he’ll use and solutions. You don’t want to start a negative spiral.” 

The unexpected victory on Tuesday by the 47-year-old Cook County commissioner and former teacher over Paul Vallas, the ex-schools chief who had the business community’s support, comes as Chicago’s finances face growing strain. Its pension funds are short $34 billion, and the city is projecting a $474 million deficit next year as a recession looms.

➤ACTRESS RIPS S-F AS 'S**THOLE: Actor and model Sara Foster excoriated liberal politicians who are 'ruining cities' and referring to San Francisco as a 'complete s**thole' while remarking on the murder of CashApp founder Bob Lee. Father-of-two Lee, 43, was knifed multiple times in the chest early Tuesday as he strolled through the progressive city's well-heeled Rincon Hill neighborhood while on a business trip. Foster, the daughter of music mogul David Foster, ripped into the left for what she feels is their responsibility for his death.

➤HOW ARE PEOPLE HANDLING THE HIGHER COST OF LIVING?:  A survey of 8,500 of respondents around the world, including 2,000 Americans, found that 43% have asked for financial help in the last year. Of those who asked for help, 57% asked their parents. 15% asked their child. 56% of respondents have a side hustle to make ends meet, deal with the rising cost of living, be less reliant on a single source of income, and have disposable income. Millennials are more likely to say they're struggling to pay for necessities compared to baby boomers. American respondents said they would need to earn $404 more per month to live comfortably.

➤STORMY DANIELS GETTING THREATS: Porn star Stormy Daniels has revealed she’s been getting unhinged “suicide bomber”-style death threats from MAGA supporters after former President Donald Trump was hit with criminal charges tied to the hush-money payment she received prior to the 2016 election. In a sit-down interview that aired Thursday, the adult actress told Post columnist Piers Morgan on his Fox Nation USA show “Piers Morgan Uncensored” that the threats against her have increased — and become even more terrifying — given that Trump could be looking at jail time if convicted of the charges in Manhattan. “They genuinely feel that they’re doing something right. That they are the patriots,” Daniels said of die-hard Trump supporters attacking her. “Now they’re doing it like a suicide bomber. They truly, in the depths of their soul, they feel like they are doing the right thing.” Daniels said she was used to getting some threats because of her work in the adult entertainment industry, but they surged drastically when news of her now-infamous $130,000 hush-money payment surfaced in 2018.

➤BIDEN ADMIN SEND NEW TRANSGENDER SPORTS RULE UP-THE-FLAGPOLE: The Biden administration proposed a new rule Thursday that would prohibit wholesale bans on transgender athletes in college and K-12 education, but would allow them to be excluded from competitions if needed to maintain a level playing field, reports The Wall Street Journal. Under the proposed regulation, schools wouldn’t be permitted to adopt “one-size-fits-all” policies that categorically ban transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity, federal officials said. But schools would have the ability to develop team-eligibility criteria that ensure fairness in competition or prevent sports-related injury. “Being on a sports team is an important part of the school experience,” said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who added that every student should be able to participate in athletics, free from discrimination.


➤SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF TRANS ATHLETES: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that transgender athletes can be allowed to compete on female school teams. The ruling on a West Virginia case came in a brief unsigned order that suggests that the court is likely to address the issue more fully in the near future. The state had sought to enforce a law prohibiting transgender athletes from school teams. The case was originally brought on behalf of a transgender girl, now 12, who wanted to try out for her school’s cross-country team.

🏌TIGER WOODS ENDURES: Tiger Woods endured his worst opening round at the Masters since 2005 yesterday in Augusta. He played through a painful limp but shot 74, good enough to stay in the game this weekend. The lead after round one was a three-way tie between Viktor Howland, John Rahm and Brooks Koepka.

🏈TYREEK HILL PLANS AHEAD: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill plans to play for three more years and then retire. The end of the 2025 season will mark his 10th year in the NFL. Hill told Sports Radio 810 WHB that he is interested in moving to the business side of sports. He has made the Pro Bowl in every year of his career and is a four-time All-Pro.

🏀JAIME JAQUEZ JUNIOR IS READY FOR THE NBA: UCLA senior forward Jaime Jaquez Junior is ready for the NBA. Widely projected as a second-round pick, Jaquez is the number 8 scorer in UCLA basketball history after four years. He announced for the NBA draft yesterday.

🏀BUCKS’ KHRIS MIDDLETON RE-INJURES KNEE: Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton aggravated a previous knee injury during his brief time in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. It’s unclear now whether he can play in the final two Bucks games of the season. The Bucks were already missing Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, both also dealing with sprained ankles. Middleton missed 18 straight games this season due to the injury.


 

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