America's Talking - Episode 12: Kabul terrorist attack results in deadliest day for US military in a decade

Episode Date: August 27, 2021

Explosions in Afghanistan outside the Kabul airport Thursday have led to several civilian and military casualties and further heightened the chaotic evacuation of American citizens and Afghan nationals. The Pentagon confirmed that "a number" of U.S. service members have been killed. Several media reports said the death toll includes at least 12 U.S. service members. Fox News reported that 11 were Marines and one was a Navy medic. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Greetings and welcome to American Focus, presented by the Center Square. I'm Dan McAulb, executive editor of the Center Square Newswire Service. Joining me in a moment will be Casey Harper, the Center Square's Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief. First, this week's top story. At least 13 U.S. service members were killed Thursday in terrorist bombings in Kabul, Afghanistan, as the U.S. military continued working to evacuate thousands of Americans and others from the now Taliban-controlled country. At least 72 others also were killed in the attacks that occurred outside of Kabul airport.

Terrorists from the Islamic State of K., also known as ISIS-K, said they carried out the attacks. In remarks, hours after the tragic bombings, President Joe Biden bowed to hunt down the terrorists who planned them, but said the U.S. would continue with its plan to completely withdraw from Afghanistan, where we've been at war for 20 years in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that killed nearly 3,000. From the Pentagon, General Kenneth McKenzie called the fallen soldiers heroes, warned that military leaders expect more attacks from ISIS. Here's General McKenzie from Thursday's Pentagon briefing. First of all, the threat from ISIS is extremely real.

We've been talking about this for several days. We saw it actually manifest itself here in the last few hours with an actual attack. We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue. And we're doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks. That includes reaching out to the Taliban who are actually providing the outer security court and around the airfield to make sure they know what we expect them to do to protect us. And we will continue to coordinate with them as they go forward. Shortly after the briefing, the Pentagon announced a 13th U.S. military member had died.

We'll talk about this and more coming right up. Hi, this is Chris Krug, publisher of the Center Square. Our team produces the nationally read and recognized news stories at thecentersquare.com, the country's fastest growing, nonprofit, nonpartisan, state-focused news and information site. We deliver essential information with a taxpayer's sensibility through reporting that's easy to understand and easy to share with your friends and family. We know that you need information that allows you to understand what the governor and your local legislators are doing. Get the news that you need to know at thecentersquare.com. That's thecentersquare.com.

Thecenter square.com. And welcome back to American Focus, powered by thecenter Square.com. I'm Dan McAulib, executive editor of the Center Square Newswire Service. Joining me once again is Casey Harper, Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for the Center Square. Casey, we're recording this on Friday, August 27th, just a day after 13 members of the U.S. military were killed in Afghanistan. Now, this is a developing story, and by the time our listeners hear this, there's certain to be new news. But Casey, this is a tragic time for Americans. for Afghans and really everyone around the world.

We, like all Americans, mourn with the families of those killed. We honor their service to their country. Casey, you covered both the Pentagon briefing Thursday and President Biden's address to the nation. What are your take boys? I'm sure, Dan. Well, I definitely share your heartbreak. This is a tragic situation.

On top of the U.S. service members, the latest death toll for Afghans is up at 72. So a lot of people have been killed, a lot of people have died. And you saw that same tone reflected in the briefings and the president's speech on Thursday. As Pentagon briefings tend to be pretty a matter of fact, straight to the point. Some big takeaways is that this doesn't seem to have derailed the evacuation in any way. They still have their target goal of August. 31st. The Taliban, of course, kind of threatened the U.S., which sparked some controversy that,

you know, saying that the U.S. cannot extend the deadline beyond August 31st. The president doesn't seem willing to upset them or to go beyond that August 31st day. So I think as far as the timeline of the evacuation, we can expect it to stay on pace unless something drastic happens or, you know, they just logistically can't make it happen. And that'll be interesting. something to watch for on Tuesday if we're getting up to it. But they seem confident that they will be able to do it. There's currently, there are still Americans in the country, they're still having trouble getting them out. The Taliban is at checkpoints around the airport harassing and even attacking one American was beaten. People who try to come to the airport, they have to go through

a Taliban checkpoint, which you can imagine how scary that would be for an American. Also, the Taliban is publicly said they don't want Afghans to leave. the country. They're saying you're taking our best people, you know, you're taking our experts, you're taking different people out of the country. We need those people to stay. And so they've been very uninterested in allowing Afghans to leave, to evacuate. And of course, so many are because they fear for their lives. You know, go ahead. Go ahead. We've all seen images and video, even of the chaotic scene in Kabul at the airport, even before. yesterday's horrific terrorist attacks. I can only imagine the chaos that's happening there now.

Now, General McKenzie said they're going to continue with the mission to leave Afghanistan to evacuate all American troops by August 31st. Of course, there are other Americans and other American allies still in the country. But General McKenzie also said to expect more attacks, which, of course, everybody fears. our troops and everyone who's stuck in this horrific situation. What can you tell us about how many Americans remain in the country and what we can expect in the next few days? August 31st, as you mentioned, is coming up just next week. Right. Yeah, the last Pentagon said there's about a thousand Americans that remain in the country.

At the Pentagon, they said that they had gotten 500 Americans out that day. So if that is some indication of their capacity, they do have time to get the remaining Americans out. I think it's more a question of the Americans getting to the airport safely at this point, which has been a big if for a lot of people. People have just been turned away. And now these gates and the checkpoints are obviously so dangerous. Now the reports, you know, at the time we're recording this, said that many Afghans have already started regathering at the airport at the gates despite the attacks. and all the fatalities. So people are pretty, obviously pretty desperate to get out. They're risking their lives to get to this airport. You know, 72 people died in these bombings and shootings

yesterday and they're already back the next day trying to get back in. So I think that tells you a lot about the situation. You know, and about that 72 figure, we also should point out, too, that dozens, maybe even hundreds more were injured, many of them seriously. So that death count could rise, and that's before any other attacks. Right, and that's the same for U.S. service members. A lot of the reporting on Thursday said 12 U.S. service members died, and then later it went up to 13, which presumably was someone critically injured in the hospital who tragically passed away later, which, you know, raise it up.

And so there's still more injured U.S. service members than there are. fatalities. So sadly, that number could also continue to rise in the coming days. But we'll just have to see. I think as far as other things to expect, per your question, you know, I'll just reiterate. The president said we can expect more attacks. I think it's very likely they'll happen before Tuesday because right now you have this big, juicy prime target sitting in the middle of Afghanistan. Everyone knows it's there. They're sitting ducks, really. The last attack was, you know, a huge. success by their standards. And these are the kind of attacks that raise morale within these

terrorist groups. They're great for recruiting. They're great for, you know, the ISIS K, which is separate from the Taliban and has separate goals. And I would argue is probably more deadly, although the Taliban is dangerous as well. But, you know, ISIS K can do things like this and then claim that they drove the Americans out of the country and used propaganda at different things. As we've seen throughout this 20-year war in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist bombings, these Islamic terrorists, radicals don't care about life, including their own. So when you have suicide bombers who are willing to give up their own lives, that even makes the situation that much more dangerous.

Because you can hide almost, disguise yourself as someone who wants to get out of the country. trying to get through the gates at the Kabul airport. And how do you know who's for real and who's actually a terrorist in disguise? Right. And that's the question that, you know, I think one thing that's been under-talked about. And his, you know, people, these thousands of Afghans who are evacuating to the United States, I'm sure that, you know, many of them but are, you know, afraid for their lives and are, we're, you know, really saving their lives for bringing them here. But a lot of people raising a lot of questions and saying that, you know, these hurried rushing people through a checkpoint,

you know, the Pentagon posted that they've screened over 100,000 people who are evacuating. But it's, you know, hard to believe that 100,000 screenings happened under such tough conditions, threat of danger that things aren't being missed. And as, you know, there's quite little. literally at the gates, suicide bombers outside the airport. And so there was ever a time to try to sneak one through the airport. The Taliban is the one doing the screening, the first screening. So it would be pretty easy to get them at least in the airport if the Taliban wanted that to happen. And so then it's just a matter of this one, you know, one checkpoint within the airport where soldiers are doing the screening.

So, you know, God forbid that ever leaves is something. but it's definitely something people are raising questions about it. It's a pretty scary situation. Bethany Blankley, another writer for the Center Square, said that Fort Bliss in Texas, is a good example just of what's going on on the home front, has prepared and is expecting, or is at least prepared to accept 10,000 Afghan refugees,

which is a small town in Texas, right? This is definitely going to have domestic implications with so many refugees, and then there's going to be questions over radicalization, even if some of the Afghans who come over, you know, are not radicalized now, could be future radicalized because of the past because of the things that happened.

Scary stuff. And so, you know, it only takes it one or two out of 10,000, you know, or several thousand. And let's briefly talk about President Biden continuing with his evacuation deadline, despite the chaos in Afghanistan, despite yesterday's suicide bombings. He said he's going to continue with this August 31st deadline. Even before yesterday's terrorist attacks, he was facing just a boatload of criticism about the plan, many calling it chaotic, poorly thought through.

They were given warnings that the extremist Taliban group was easily going to take over control of the country. warnings before they announced the plan, and that, in fact, is exactly what happened. The Taliban controls most of Afghanistan. What's been the mood and the aftermath of Thursday's attacks? Is the president still facing heavy criticism? Did the focus just go to these 13 U.S. service members who tragically lost their lives? Has the criticism increased? What are you hearing?

Right. I mean, the president has been really clear that he's taking responsibility for everything that happens. And I think that does, you know, do something good for voters. I think, you know, Americans do appreciate that when people take responsibility. But the criticism is amounting every day. And when you take responsibility for something like this and you make so clear that it was your plan and you want to get out and you double down when bad things happen, initially when you take responsibility, people appreciate it. But when there's a steady drip, that's when it's really hard politically

for you. If there's one bad incident, you take responsibility for it and move on. That's kind of manageable. But when something bad happens, you take responsibility. Something else bad happens. You take responsibility again. And then it happens again and again. People kind of all they remember is that this is your fault. And that's what's happening. A lot of Republicans are even calling for Biden to be impeached in both the House and the Senate. Senator Lindsey Graham is very out. spoken, Volk Republican, called for Biden to be removed this week. I think that if we see another attack like this, that that's going to increase. You know, I think a lot of people are having flashbacks to maybe a very young listener who don't remember, but I remember, you know,

when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were, you know, the daily news. And every day, it was some, you know, soldiers have been wounded or killed. And I think that the American people have no stomach for going back to those days when every day was about a new suicide bombing and two troops killed. It's really, you know, flashbacks to that. So politically, he's taking a big hit. And there's been several, you know, side incidents besides the attack that have drawn extra criticism for. One has been that basically Americans are entrusting security of the Kululahirr to the Taliban. And this is just really upset a lot of people. I mean, I think it's a little more complicated than it sounds, but even still, it is true that we are relying on the Taliban to secure the outer

perimeter of the airport. And that is upset on the people, you know, because it wasn't too long ago, you know, people think Taliban, they think, aren't these the guys we were sent there to kill? And how is it? We're working with them now. And another part of that that has especially gotten Biden, a lot of criticism. And you can kind of respond to this to end, but is, you know, political reported that this list of Americans and Afghans who need to be evacuated, so they have this list of people not yet evacuated, was given to the Taliban for their help. And one, you know, one defense official basically called it a kill list. That was just a huge mistake. That gets into any hands. I mean, you could argue the Taliban is the wrong hands, but especially anyone within the Taliban

who is a little more aggressive. This basically become a kill. And so trusting the Taliban and it's difficult things that have really gotten a lot of criticism for Biden. Well, this is certainly going to be a tense next several days. Scary several days. Of course, for those who are still stuck in Afghanistan, but also for Americans back home, God bless our troops. Let's get them home safely. One more question on this topic before we move on to some domestic news, Casey. President Biden during his presidency hasn't been, hasn't been.

been real fond of taking questions from reporters after news conferences or after making statements. Many believe his handler's fear that he just might screw something up if he goes off script. On Thursday, he did field some questions, but before doing so, he made an odd statement when he said he was, quote, unquote, instructed to call on only certain reporters. What do you make of that? Yeah, this has been a very odd. It's been kind of an open secret that reporters. are pre-selected for Biden to call on.

But really that comment made it from an open secret to open. Yeah. You know, all politicians have handlers, people who skirt them away from the media when questions get too tough, people who purposely interrupt interviews to kind of end them if they get too intense. But a president having questions pre-selected for him is pretty unusual. Even if maybe the, you know, backstage, quote-unquote backstage, there will probably be communications, you know, advisors giving the president recommendations on who to call for, who's going to be friendly, who's going to be more aggressive, who, you know, who's in the room.

But it's very unusual for president to walk up to the podium. But yeah, the quote was something like, the first person I was instructed to call on was, and then you do this. And the other thing, well, the criticism, part of the criticism on that is critics questioning Biden's mental fitness to remember the names of reporters. to kind of definitely switch between them and know who he's talking to. And that's part of it. And that was really heightened by just Biden's demeanor by the end of this press conference. If anyone of our listeners watched the press conference like I did, you know, just Biden really did seem exhausted. And I don't like to harp too much on, you know, president's seeing me tired or not having energy.

Like, you know, but this was a notably exhausted by. Biden. He even at one point when Fox News is Peter Ducey was asking him questions, they were kind of going back and forth. Biden just rested his head on the, like on his hand. Right, right. There's a viral photo of him slumped over. Right. And it's all over Twitter, too. And some people are, you know, of course, the initial way of those people criticizing him for being weak. And then there's this kind of backlash that says, this isn't a weak man. This is a man mourning,

you know, with what's happening in this. But if you watch the context interview, it really is not a morning. He's frustrated with Ducey because Ducey and him are going back and forth. And Biden kind of tried to turn the question around on Peter Ducey, and he and Peter didn't really allow that to happen. And they're going back and forth. And even after just a few seconds of short exchange, which all presidents deal with, you know, we can all remember Trump just shouting down TN or Obama saying,

let me finish, let me finish. going back, but Biden just kind of gave in and put his head down and pressed his hands. And he's looking at a lot of, yeah, that press conferences didn't do on a lot of favors. It's somewhat concerning. Of course, it was a tough day for all Americans, including President Biden. So at least he did stand up there and take questions. But for all of his faults, and there were many of them. I know that. Can you imagine former President Donald Trump getting to the podium and saying, Hey, Vice President Pence instructed me to do this and him actually following through on that. There is a question about leadership that comes out of that.

Now, you know, with our troops still trying to get out of Afghanistan, not just our troops, but other Americans, you know, we're rooting for President Biden in this plan. We want to get these folks home safely. As all leaders do, they need to face scrutiny over it. And we'll see. All right, Casey. Obviously, the tragedy in Afghanistan, the tragic events in Afghanistan, has been the top story of the week. But there is some other news I do want to get to back here in the U.S. The U.S. House this week passed what would become sweeping election reform bill that would essentially give the federal government certain power over state elections. They passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act along strictly party lines on a close vote, 219 to 212. Tell us about this. Sure.

So the little context, this is really in response to Republican state legislatures around the country have passed laws to shore up election integrity after all the controversy over the November elections between Trump and Biden. And we don't have to give it all that. But the big response and the call for Republican voters, especially in the states, is to make sure this doesn't happen in my state, what allegedly happened in other states where absentee ballots. And even though, even many who don't believe that there was significant fraud that swayed the election, I think many people believe the last election was kind of a mess because of the absentee ballots. All the debate. I mean, things were drawn out for so long. Just a refresher, of course, last election happened during the height of COVID-19. There were many restrictions in place, concerns that voters wouldn't turn out at the polls for fear of COVID-19.

So many states just essentially had a wide open process for absentee or mail-in ballots. And of course, there were concerns about fraud. Yeah, and no, you're right. And the other thing was it just took so long to count the votes. I mean, I think as a general rule, people don't want to have to wait, you know, weeks and weeks and weeks to know who won what state, especially if that becomes a deciding state in the election. If we can imagine just waiting weeks and weeks for, you know, Arizona to be the final blow or whatever. So state legislatures have been passing, these Republican state legislatures have been passing these laws to voting laws. And there was, you know, in response to that, congressional Democrats at the federal level, passed.

this John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House. And it essentially helps restore part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and allows a sort of Confederate review of state election laws. And so the initial 1965 Voting Rights Act really allowed the DOJ to review and have to give permission for voting rights changes. And as long as they were not. discriminatory by the bureaucrats and the DOJ. But in 2013, the Supreme Court basically ruled that that was not constitutional, that the federal

government, that states didn't need the federal government's permission to change their own voting. The Constitution is pretty clear that states control their own elections. And that's kind of why they're also different and sometimes complex and no one knows how it works because each state gives to decide very clearly in the Constitution how their elections work, right? Right. So some of them have all their electoral votes go to one person, some, you know, like, spit in half.

There's just different ways because the states get to decide. And since that 2013 Supreme Court decision, which many Democrats hail is just one of the worst, you know, decisions in recent years, this basically, this bill would seek to re-implement a form of that where the DOJ would seek out and try to identify and challenge different states. election law changes that deemed discriminatory. And so this was, you know, small changes to state voting rules was not really on many Americans radar. It can be kind of boring and there's a lot of minutia. So it really has not been an issue that people have paid a lot of this issue. But now with the November election and really, you know, former President Trump questioning the election, it has been thrust to the forefront. And it's just getting so much more attention.

in a way that it just did not before. And so it's really a political football when it used to be a non-issue. And of course, back in 1960, when the legislation was first passed, there were very real concerns, not even real concerns, because it was happening. There was intimidation of minority voters in certain states, poll taxes to discourage minorities from voting. That's not the case anymore.

If you're American as citizen, you've got the proper ID, you can vote. You don't even need the ID in many states. Right. So this now was passed the House. It now moves to the Senate, which of course is evenly divided 50 to 50 between Republicans and Democrats. But this would need 60 votes to pass. Is that correct? That's right.

I mean, the Senate is going to get increasingly more pressure to nuke the filibuster and move what they want to do what they want to do. So far, Republicans have avoided that. They play ball on the infrastructure bill. the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, they were able to pass that without the 60 votes. So I think you're going to, you know, we always try to ask what to expect. I think you're going to expect a lot of Democrats in the House and Senate accusing Republicans of racism, basically, for defending the filibuster and even really pressuring moderate Democrats who are hesitant to nuke the filibuster. And basically the Democrats have this playbook of when they see that one of their measures is geared at ending racial discrimination, which is that's how they view this bill. Then they kind of pull out all the stops and become very aggressive and criticizing their opponents.

And I think you're going to see that kind of rhetoric. And the high. And the filibuster is going to become front and center. And there's already been many Democrats who said the filibuster has racist foundations. And so I think you're going to, you're going to see that again. Well, that's all the time we have, Casey. We'll be certainly following the voting legislation in Congress. We'll be following updates in Afghanistan.

Certainly, as we've said, our hearts go out to the families of those troops killed and those troops who are still in Afghanistan. God bless them, and please keep them safe. We'll talk to you next week.