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☆ Kabul airport attack exclusive: New evidence challenges the Pentagon’s official account of a horrific incident as the US withdrew from Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | Mick Krever | Mark Baron | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

One told CNN he heard the first large burst of shooting come from where US Marines were standing, near the blast site. This is significantly more than the three “near simultaneous” bursts of gunfire that the Pentagon investigations have claimed occurred. The Supplemental Review found no new evidence of a complex attack, and uncovered no new assertions of outgoing fire post-blast. “They were targeting people,” another, Nazir, 16, told CNN. CNN spoke with about ten Marines anonymously, many of whom described hearing gunfire and feeling under attack from it.

Persons: Hamid, Akhter Gulfam, –, Wakil Koshar, Robert Maher, Sarah Morris, Morris, Maher, Rob Lodewick, ”, “, ” Shogofa Hamidi, Morsal, Nazir, ” Noorullah Zakhel, Read, Sayeed Ahmadi, ” Ahmadi, Ahmadi, Lodewick, Marcus Yam, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, “ You’ve, they’ve, It’s, Taylor Crul, Romel Finley, Finley, Barber, ‘, ” Finley, Christian Sanchez, Sanchez, Staff Mark Milley, Kenneth “ Frank ” McKenzie, Darrell Issa, Nick Paton Walsh, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Masoud Popalzai, Sitara Zamani, Abdul Basir Bina, Katie Polglase, Gianluca Mezzofiore Organizations: CNN, United, Pentagon, US, Airport, NATO, US Army Central Command, Getty, Montana State University, University of Southampton, Marines, British Ministry of Defense, U.S . Central Command, AP CNN, “, Los Angeles Times, Marine, ” Marines, Navy, US Air Force, . Air Force, Reuters, US Marines, YouTube, Investigators, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Central Command Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, United States, airport’s, American, British, AFP, Bozeman, England, US, Kabul airport's, U.S, Finland, ”

☆ A City Tries to Measure the Violence It’s Preventing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Mark Obbie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +31 min

Headway A City Tries to Measure the Violence It’s Preventing In Baton Rouge, a public safety experiment could help to answer a critical question: Do community efforts to reduce street violence work? Like Ms. Robinson, Ms. Tate-Alexander, 48, raised her family in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge became the first city outside New Jersey to be tutored in the Newark method. Calming the urge to retaliateBy June 2021, when Ms. Tate-Alexander started assembling the street team, Ms. Robinson joined up. At first, Ms. Robinson and Ms. Tate-Alexander seemed wary when I asked about him.

Persons: Angel Hawkins, Liz Robinson, Sateria Tate, Alexander, Tamikka, Liz, Louis Robinson’s, Louis Jr, Robinson, “, ‘, ’ ”, Louis, Louis BadAzz, —, Louis Robinson Jr, ’, Murphy Paul, Paul, Sharon Weston Broome, Alton Sterling, ”, Karan Deep Singh, Kathleen Flynn, Biden, Nina Revoyr, Ms, Tate, Aqeela Sherrills, Sherrills, Terrell, Mr, Aqeela, Courtney Scott, . Tate, ” Ms, Gerald Haynes, Haynes, hotheads, Khoury Brown, Geaux, he’s, Geaux Yella, Darius Crockett, Crockett, Kayla Atkins, Markel, Atkins, ” Mr, “ I’m, “ I’ll, ” Markel, Atkins’s, Gary Slutkin, Jeffrey A, Butts, John Jay, Dr, Scott, “ We’re, It’s, They’ll, that’s, interventionists, Stacy Adams fedora, George Floyd, Weeks, brutalized, Paul’s, Thomas S, Morse, Dy’Lan Fillmore, Mitchell, Fillmore, Robinson’s Organizations: The New York Times, Army, Louisiana State Police, Police, Baton Rouge Police Department, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Criminal, Ballmer Group, Baton, Bloods, Biden White House, Markel, Research, John, John Jay College of Criminal, Statistics, University of California, Newark, Metropolitan, Murphy Paul Rally, Mr Locations: Baton Rouge, La, Iraq, Afghanistan, Black, United States, —, Federal, Newark, N.J, Watts, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Chicago, Baton

☆ Russia says deeper U.S. hybrid war using Ukraine will end in Vietnam-style humiliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia said on Sunday that U.S. lawmakers' approval of $60.84 billion more in support for Ukraine showed that Washington was wading deeper into a hybrid war with Russia that would end in a humiliation on a par with Vietnam or Afghanistan. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that it was clear that the United States wanted Ukraine "to fight to the last Ukrainian" including with attacks on Russian sovereign territory and civilians. "Washington's deeper and deeper immersion in the hybrid war against Russia will turn into such a loud and humiliating fiasco for United States as Vietnam and Afghanistan," Zakharova said. She said that ordinary Ukrainians were being "forcibly driven to slaughter as 'cannon fodder'" but that the United States was now no longer betting on a Ukrainian victory against Russia. The leaders of the West and Ukraine have cast the war in Ukraine as an imperial-style land-grab which shows that post-Soviet Russia is one of the top two biggest nation-state threats to global stability, alongside China.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Putin's, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Putin Organizations: Sputnik, country's Labour, Social Protection, Ukraine, Cuban Missile, U.S . House, Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia, West Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Washington, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Ukraine, U.S, Israel, Taiwan, United States, Ukrainian, Soviet Russia, China

☆ What’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Hannah Beech | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIAWhat’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War? Parliamentary rule 1962 Military coup 1988 Nearly five decades of military rule Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government. Parliamentary rule Nearly five decades of military rule National civil unrest British colonial rule 1948 1988 1990 2007 2011 2021 1962 2015 Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government.

Persons: Adam Ferguson, Min Aung, Daw Aung, Suu Kyi, Aung, —, Tom Andrews, Chin, Rakhine Karen Mon Bamar, Kayan, Karen, Ms, hideouts Organizations: MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean, Insurgent, Council, Myanmar, 8th Battalion, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, The New York Times, Senior, National Unity Government, People’s Defense Forces, Rebels, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myanmar Peace Monitor, United Nations, General Administration Department, Union of, United, National Liberation Army Locations: RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA, INDIA CHINA BANGLADESH Mandalay MYANMAR LAOS Naypyidaw Bay, Bengal Yangon THAILAND, INDIA CHINA Mandalay MYANMAR, Yangon THAILAND Bay, Bengal, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, India, China, Karenni State, country’s, Suu, Myanmar’s, British, Sagaing Region, MYANMAR, Naypyidaw, Burma, United States, Rakhine, Thailand, Union, Union of Burma, Afghanistan

☆ Time Is Running Out for Rahul Gandhi’s Vision for India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Samanth Subramanian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The crush of people at the rally was suffocating, although in India a crowd is no index of popularity. At 53, with a well-salted beard and serious eyes, he’s too old to be called Congress’s “scion,” but he still wears the sheen of dynasty. Then, on the heels of several corruption scandals, the mighty party — 140 years old next year — came unstuck. One of Modi’s successes has been not just to trounce the Congress Party but also to persuade people that the party has weakened India and emasculated its Hindus. (Amnesty itself halted its work in India in 2020, in the midst of what it later called an “incessant witch hunt” by the government.)

Persons: —, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Modi, ” Organizations: Congress, Party, Amnesty, World Press Locations: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Russia

☆ Election 2024 Trump holds a rally in North Carolina, capping off the first week of his trial.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

That changed on Thursday, when Mr. Brown appeared to address Mr. Gunter for the first time, at a private fund-raising event in Sparks, Nev., after Mr. Gunter accused him in ads and appearances of being disingenuous and not sufficiently pro-Trump. A group backing Mr. Brown’s campaign, the Duty First PAC, ran its first television ad this week since last year, a $322,000 reservation, according to the tracking firm AdImpact. Mr. Brown’s campaign declined to comment on Mr. Gunter. Mr. Trump made several posts seeming to express his approval for Mr. Brown on Truth Social, his social media platform, this month. Mr. Gunter said he was “running that place like clockwork,” and that the government report was “bogus.”

Persons: Nevada’s, Sam Brown, Jeff Gunter, Donald J, Trump, MAGA, Brown’s, Gunter, Brown, Mitch McConnell of, ” Mr, Jacky Rosen, Nev, Mr, Mike Berg, Gunter’s, Berg, Sam Brown’s, ”, Chuck Muth, Muth, he’s, California Democrat —, General Organizations: Republican, Senate, U.S . Army, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Trump, Democratic, The New York Times, Mr, “, “ California Democrats, Tarrance, Truth, Brown, Texas State House, Nevada State Assembly, California Democrat, Democrat, CBS Locations: Iceland, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Afghanistan, Sparks, California, “ California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dallas

Their friendship was tested in 2017 when then President Trump supported a blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Before the Oct. 7 attack, the Saudis were in serious talks, led by the United States, to recognize Israel. 8 of 12 Israel has a major incentive to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, for its part, would benefit from direct access to the Israeli military and technology sector. In March 2023, China brokered a breakthrough, re-establishing ties between two of the region’s heavyweights, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, brandished, Jake Sullivan, —, frenemies, Israel, Netanyahu’s, Trump, Biden, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin, Prince Mohammed, Bashar al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, Jordan —, hesitantly, Abraham Organizations: of Friends, General Assembly, U.S, America, Hamas, United, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Crown, Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea, Iranian, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, The, Trump, Biden, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, New York, Facebook Locations: India, Persian, Israel, Europe, Iran, United States, U.S, East, China, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan, Sea Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Assad, Lebanon, Lebanese, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Fatah, Israeli, Turkey, America

☆ More than half of the US Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers just staged a mass fly-off
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers executed a mass fly-off earlier this week during a major exercise. AdvertisementMore than half of the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers conducted a large-scale exercise earlier this week, staging a massive fly-off. For a long time, it was the only stealth bomber in the world, but the US is making progress on a new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, which achieved its first flight in November last year. AdvertisementAs a penetrating strike stealth bomber, the B-21, the US military has said, is expected to "form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force." A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing takes off at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., April 15, 2024.

Persons: —, Hailey Farrell, Northrop Grumman, Matthew S, Domingos Organizations: Whiteman Air Force Base, Service, US Air, 509th Bomb, . Air Force, Vigilance, Air Force, Northrop Locations: Mo, Missouri, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ Fact check: Biden makes false and misleading claims during Pennsylvania campaign swing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden spent three days this week campaigning in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania. (The White House corrected the official transcript of Biden’s speech to make clear Biden should have said 2025 instead of 2024.) In other words, there will clearly still be some big and profitable corporations paying no federal income tax despite the existence of the new Biden tax. The center found that the top 0.1% of households paid an average effective federal tax rate of about 30.3% in 2020, including an average income tax rate of 24.3%. “The deficit is a trillion dollars lower, roughly, than when President Biden took office.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ambrose Finnegan, Biden, Jill Biden, PolitiFact, they’ll, it’s, “, Tami Luhby, —, ’ They’ve, Fuxian Yi, Yi, “ It’s, Derek Scissors, Trump, ” Biden, Biden’s “, Matthew Gardner, ” Howard Gleckman, Gleckman, Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman “, ”, I’ve, Donald Trump, ” Marc Goldwein, Goldwein, he’s, Afghanistan Biden, Biden’s, Finnegan, Finnegan “, Donald Judd, spokespeople, Andrew Bates Organizations: Washington CNN, Defense, Medicare, China, University of Wisconsin, Madison, American Enterprise Institute, CNN, Taxation, Economic, US, Biden, White, Urban, Brookings Tax, Urban Institute, University of California, Tax, Center, Trump, Federal Budget, Washington Post, Defense Department, Defense POW Locations: Pennsylvania, China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Scranton, Pittsburgh, America, Berkeley, “, New Guinea, ” New Guinea

☆ An ISIS Terror Group Draws Half Its Recruits From Tiny Tajikistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even though he spent five years in Tajik prisons as a teenager, she said he never exhibited signs of violent extremism. “We need to understand — who is recruiting young Tajiks, why do they want to highlight us as a nation of terrorists?” said the mother, Muyassar Zargarova. Many governments and terrorism experts are asking the same question. Tajik adherents of the Islamic State — especially within its affiliate in Afghanistan known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (I.S.K.P. ISIS-K is believed to have several thousand soldiers, with Tajiks constituting more than half, experts said.

Persons: ”, Muyassar Organizations: Islamic Locations: Moscow, Tajikistan, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Khorasan Province, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Europe

☆ 3 Reasons This Country Is a Top ISIS Recruiting Ground
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | More About Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the past year, jihadists from Tajikistan have been involved in an unusually high number of terrorist attacks or foiled plots linked to the Islamic State. Before that, Tajiks staged bloody assaults in Iran and Turkey, while several schemes in Europe said to involve Tajiks were thwarted. Hundreds of men from Tajikistan — a small, impoverished country in Central Asia controlled by an authoritarian president — have joined an affiliate of the Islamic State in Afghanistan known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, analysts say. Poverty Fuels DiscontentTajikistan ranks among the world’s poorest countries, which drives millions of workers to seek better lives elsewhere. In a country of 10 million people, a majority of working men, estimated at more than two million, toil abroad at any given time.

Persons: — Organizations: Islamic, Fuels Locations: jihadists, Tajikistan, Islamic State, Moscow, Iran, Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Khorasan Province

☆ Senior White House official tapped to serve in important European ambassadorial role amid Ukraine concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Curtis Ried, a longtime career foreign service officer who has served under two presidents at the White House, who currently serves as chief of staff and counselor of the White House National Security Council is being nominated for the post, CNN has learned. As Congress grapples with next steps on Ukraine aid, Biden administration officials have warned of the consequences if Ukraine doesn’t receive billions in additional funding, citing losses on the battlefield and ceding ground to Russia. The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization and is made up of 57 members, including Russia. The move to nominate Ried comes as the US seeks to reaffirm leadership on the world stage amid political wrangling in Washington that’s stalled aid to Ukraine. It’s unclear, however, when Ried would assume the post as the nomination still needs to work its way through the Senate.

Persons: Joe Biden, Curtis Ried, Ried, Biden, Michael Carpenter, ” Carpenter, Washington that’s, Bill Burns, “, He’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Ukraine, White, White House National Security Council, United Nations, Biden, OSCE, National Security Council, CIA, Senate Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Gaza, Ried, Russia, Israel, Russian, Washington

☆ Military Dog Handler Rates 8 Military Dog Scenes in Movies and TV
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Margaret Guzman | David Ibekwe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Terry Adams Jr., a former US Army working dog handler, rates eight military dogs in movies and television shows for realism. Adams breaks down various breeds of military working dogs, particularly the Belgian Malinois, in the search-and-apprehension scenes in "SEAL Team" S1E7 and E14, the explosive-detection dog in "Megan Leavey," and the guard dogs in "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum," with Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry. He also explains the safety protocols and realities of dog handling during warfare, such as detecting weapons and explosives in "Max," and "NCIS" S10E18, and the realities of post-traumatic stress disorder among retired military working dogs in "Dog," starring Channing Tatum. Adams has six years of experience as a military working dog handler for the US Army, as well as 10 years of experience handling and training civilian dogs. He is the founder and head trainer of Tactical K9, a facility for training civilian and military dogs.

Persons: Terry Adams Jr, Adams, Megan Leavey, John Wick, Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, —, Will Smith —, Channing Tatum Organizations: US Army, Tactical Locations: Belgian, Max, Afghanistan

☆ A top Republican Senate candidate's story about accidentally shooting himself just got weirder
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementBut after filing a Freedom of Information Act request, The Washington Post obtained National Park Service documents from 2015 where Sheehy said that a shooting had occurred at Glacier National Park. The newly-released National Park Service report said that "a park visitor called park dispatch" and stated that a firearm had discharged at Glacier National Park, which seemingly contradicts Sheehy's current statement that he was shot in Afghanistan. Related storiesThe National Park Service summary didn't reveal the name of the individual who reported that a firearm had discharged at the park, according to The Post. And Watkins suggested that hospital staff in Kalispell, Mont., told park dispatchers about the incident at Glacier National Park after Sheehy's initial lie about the shooting. Still, the lawmaker has successfully fought back his GOP opponents over the years, beginning with his first Senate election in 2006.

Persons: —, Tim Sheehy, Sheehy, Democratic Sen, Jon Tester, Daniel Watkins, Watkins Organizations: Service, Montana GOP, The Washington Post, Navy SEAL, Republican, Democratic, Washington Post, Business, GOP, The, The Montana Senate, Republicans, Bridger Aerospace Locations: Montana, Afghanistan, Kalispell, Mont, The Montana

☆ Americans are losing confidence in their military and government institutions: polls
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Gallup data reveals the US has fallen behind many G7 countries in key indicators. 26% of Americans struggled to afford food in 2023, and confidence in the military has fallen. Related storiesThe US spends more on its military than most of the G7 countries combined, though confidence has progressively fallen over the last few years. US confidence in the military fell to a new low of 81% — and for the first time, US confidence fell below another G7 nation, France. Japan, the lowest of the G7 countries, was only 8%.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Trump, Roe, Kevin McCarthy, Gallup, Benedict Vigers Organizations: Gallup, Service, Biden, House, Department, Pew Research, Representatives, OECD Locations: U.S, France, Afghanistan, Biden's, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada

CNN —Unseasonal rainfall has lashed Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past few days, killing more than 100 people across the neighboring countries, authorities said. In Afghanistan, heavy rain and floods in 23 provinces killed 66 people and wounded 36 others, according to preliminary reports from Mullah Janan Sayeq, a spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan said Tuesday that the heavy rains and floods have affected more than 1,200 families and damaged almost 1,000 houses, according to a statement on X. Houses submerged after heavy rains flood Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on April 16, 2024. The heavy downpours are unusual for the region at this time of the year, as Pakistan typically experiences the monsoon season from June through September.

Persons: Mullah Janan Sayeq, Sayeq, Muhammad Sajjad, Abdul Majeed, – Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Disaster Management, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Getty, Pakistan Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Peshawar, Herat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AFP, Balochistan

☆ Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says he 'immediately' leaned into his military training after the Key Bridge collapse: 'The only certainty is uncertainty'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wes Moore swiftly leaned on his military training when he learned about the Key Bridge collapse. The bridge collapse has led to the temporary closure of the critical Port of Baltimore. Wes Moore of Maryland received a call with news that seemed unthinkable. Advertisement"When I got the call, it immediately kicked you into your training," Moore said of his reaction to news of the bridge collapse. When discussing the bridge collapse that triggered the temporary closure of the Port of Baltimore, Moore told me that he held onto the mindset of expecting the unknown.

Persons: Wes Moore, —, Francis Scott Key, Moore Organizations: Service, Gov, Maryland, Democratic, Army Locations: of Baltimore, Patapsco, Port of Baltimore, Afghanistan

☆ Opinion | Trump Courts the Chaos He Promises to Tame
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Katherine Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Saturday night, while Iran fired drones and missiles into Israel, Donald Trump talked a lot about chaos. “What’s going on with the world?” Mr. Trump said while telling a story onstage. Russia, Ukraine, Israel; the Middle East is blowing up. China’s going to be next with Taiwan; because of weakness, China’s going to be next. Sometimes, with the way Mr. Trump talks, he can subtly lock more and more people into his inability to process his 2020 defeat.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ What’s, Trump, “, What’s, Frank Sinatra’s “, Elvis Presley’s, Israel, hadn’t Locations: Iran, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan, Allentown, Pa, Afghanistan

☆ Pentagon Reviews Events Before Attack That Killed 13 U.S. Troops in Kabul
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new Pentagon review of the events leading up to the bombing that killed 13 American service members at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021, has reaffirmed earlier findings that U.S. troops could not have prevented the deadly violence. The review’s conclusions focus on the final days and hours at Abbey Gate before the attack, which also killed as many as 170 civilians. Some Marines who were at the gate have said they identified the suspected bomber — who became known to investigators as “Bald Man in Black” — in the crowds hours before the attack but were twice denied permission by their superiors to shoot him. But the review, building on a previous investigation made public in February 2022, rejected those accusations. The narrative of missed opportunities to avert tragedy has gained momentum over the past year among conservatives and has contributed to broader Republican criticisms of the Biden administration’s troop withdrawal and evacuation from Kabul in August 2021.

Organizations: Islamic State, Marines, Biden Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan

☆ A timeline of Biden's presidential approval rating
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewPresident Joe Biden entered the White House in January 2021 with a 57% approval rating. Unfortunately for him, his popularity has never passed that mark, and it's been mostly downhill for his approval rating in the years since. Biden's approval rating first dropped below 50% support in Gallup's August 2021 survey, the same month the withdrawal violently ended. AdvertisementCompared to past presidentsIt's not uncommon for the approval rating of US presidents to drop throughout their time in office. GallupTrump began his time in the White House with an approval rating of just over 40%.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, it's, haven't, Biden, Donald Trump, It's, George W, Bush, Barack Obama's, Barack Obama, Donald Trump's, Gallup Trump Organizations: Service, White, Business, Republican, Gallup, Democratic Locations: Afghanistan, Gallup's

☆ Opinion: Biden needs to bring US troops back from Iraq, now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Opinion Daniel R. Depetris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The subject of finally concluding America’s counter-ISIS mission in Iraq has been the plot of ongoing deliberations between Washington and Baghdad for the last three years. If the Biden administration’s approach is to wait for the perfect time to get out, then it will wait for eternity. It’s worth remembering why the United States sent troops to Iraq in the first place. The mission — eliminating ISIS’ territorial caliphate — was achieved. US troops should be pulled out of Iraq and Syria now.

Persons: Daniel R, Monday’s, Joe Biden, Mohammed Shia, DePetris, Sudani, ”, Biden, Nouri al, Barack Obama, “, —, Trump, Bashar Al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, territorially, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel, Iran’s Organizations: Defense, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Politico, Street, Guardian, CNN, Iraqi, ISIS, “, Islamic State, Maliki, US, US Air Force, State Department, “ ISIS, Twitter Locations: The, Iraq, Washington, Baghdad, Israel, United States, Syria, Iraqi, Mosul, Syrian, Baghouz, Iran, Iranian, Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan, Moscow, Israeli, Tehran

☆ The US Army isn't ready to attack across rivers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yet if the US Army went to war tomorrow, it would lack the equipment, doctrine and experience to launch an attack across a defended river, according to one Army engineer. "The Army has not conducted such an operation since World War II," wrote Maj. Aditya Iyer, an Army engineer, in an essay for the Association of the United States Army. "The current wet-gap crossing doctrine, organization, materiel and leadership are ineffective for division-level wet-gap crossing operations independent from the corps," Iyer warned. "In contrast, the Ukrainian forces had accurate intelligence that showed the Russian troops massing along the river," Iyer said. Related storiesIndeed, the Army was unprepared for river crossings at the start of World War II.

Persons: —, Aditya Iyer, Iyer, Napoleon, Kevin Larson, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US Army, Army, Association of, United States Army, Business, 74th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, Union Army, US 36th Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry, Company, 92nd Engineer Battalion, US, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Fredericksburg, Italy, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, China, Eastern Europe, Forbes

☆ Israel is struggling to find and kill the top Hamas commanders it wants most
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The IDF has managed to kill some of Hamas' top commanders, but it continues to hunt down others. AdvertisementMore than six months into its war in Gaza, Israel has little to show for its efforts. Israel has claimed that it has eliminated a significant number of mid- to senior-level commanders of Hamas' military wing, known as the al-Qassam Brigades. Related storiesAll three men were known to be Hamas military operatives, Israel said. AP Photo/Leo CorreaBut several top Hamas military leaders, including those most wanted by Israel, remain at-large.

Persons: —, Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Issa, Israel, Gaza's, Khan Younis, Fatima Shbair Israel, Saleh, Israel's Shin, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Leo Correa, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed, Mohammed Deif, Sullivan, Charlie Herbert, Herbert, Herbert said, Yoav Gallant, Biden Organizations: IDF, White, Service, Israel Defense Forces, AP, White House, Gaza's Hamas, United Nations, Hezbollah, Brigades, Hamas, 162nd Division, Israeli Locations: Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Beirut, Lebanon, Iran, Hamas, Jerusalem, Yemen, NATO, Khan, Rafah, Western

☆ A bloodthirsty ISIS branch is 'on the upswing' after the US left Afghanistan in a lurch, a former top commander says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementIn the years since the US and its NATO allies left Afghanistan, a particularly violent branch of the Islamic State terror group has grown stronger. During the first few years of its existence, ISIS-K attacks were mainly confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first year under the Taliban's rule saw a sharp uptick in terror attacks inside Afghanistan. But that trend has changed in recent months; attacks inside the country declined while attacks beyond its borders have increased. Thus, the conditions inside Afghanistan have awarded the terror group space to develop a greater capacity to stage external attacks.

Persons: —, Joseph Votel, Hamid, Taylor Crul, Michael Kugelman, Kugelman, MARCUS YAM, Votel, that's, Doug Ellis, Qassem, STRINGER, Michael Kurilla, John Kirby, Biden, Kirby Organizations: Service, NATO, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S . Air Force, US Air Force, REUTERS ISIS, Islamic, ISIS, Department of Defense, Hamid, AP, South Asia Institute, Wilson, Kabul International Airport, ANGELES, US Central Command, Security Forces, Staff, Getty, White, National Security, Department, Defense Locations: Afghanistan, Moscow, Kabul, Handout, Khorasan Provence, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Washington, Darzab district, Jowzjan province, Mar, Iran, Central Asia, Iranian, Kerman, Europe, Russia, Islamic State, Crocus, American, Achin, Nangarhar Province

☆ Opinion | Israel: Cease-Fire, Get Hostages, Leave Gaza, Rethink Everything
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is so dangerous and troubling that Israel’s best option, when all is said and done, might be to leave a rump Hamas leadership in power in Gaza. I argued in October that Israel was making a terrible mistake by rushing headlong into invading Gaza, the way America did in Afghanistan after 9/11. I thought Israel should have focused first on getting back its hostages, delegitimizing Hamas for its murderous and rapacious Oct. 7 rampage, and going after Hamas’s leadership in a targeted way — more Munich, less Dresden. That is, a military response akin to how Israel tracked down the killers of its athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and not how the U.S. turned Dresden into a pile of rubble in World War II. That approach would have won the support, funding and, I think, even peacekeeping troops of moderate Arab states like the U.A.E.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Israel, “ Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Hamas Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, Afghanistan, Munich, Dresden, U.S

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