Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chief’s Chairman Mark Milley held a Pentagon press briefing today about the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. [Full Presser Here] As the Taliban has taken full control over the country and capital, the U.S. presence in Kabul has been reduced to securing the airport as a temporary fortress, and telling U.S. citizens to try and get there.

When asked about the Taliban surrounding the airport, constructing checkpoints and the inability of Americans to reach safety for evacuation, Defense Secretary Austin said the military “don’t have the capability to…extend operations.”  The follow-up question was then about the U.S. essentially having to negotiate safe-passage with the Taliban… and rather than say, “Yes, that is accurate“, the question left Secretary Austin speechless.  WATCH:

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Ooof… THAT, my friends, is exactly what FUBAR looks like!

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We must be cautious in reviewing any/all media articles about the fluid situation in Afghanistan, as both Leftist and NeoCon media are framing the crisis story to fit their preferred narrative.  All DC media reporting should be viewed through the prism of cynicism and skepticism.

CNN is reporting the State Dept. Narrative that Taliban have surrounded the Kabul airport and there is no safe way for Americans to reach the evacuation point.   However, the Pentagon is reporting that the Taliban is “not interfering in their mission” to facilitate the evacuation of Americans, and  Taliban members “are not stopping U.S. citizens with American passports” from traveling to the airport.

When we review a State Department position (DoS) on anything, it should be noted that DoS personnel are, by ideological tribe, very dramatic, tender and pearl-clutching leftists in their worldview.  State Department officials are the wokeist of the international woke community. As a consequence of their alignment and role,  CNN is almost identically predisposed to the dramatic flair.

CNN takes the DoS bulletin and proclaims that Americans are trapped outside the airport by the Taliban. There is no evidence of this claim being accurate. There’s a difference between “we cannot ensure safe passage”, and “your passage is unsafe.”  Yes, things are sketchy and unstable, but there have been no reports of safety incidents with any Americans.

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The FUBAR in Afghanistan is so large in scope and failure, the Pentagon appears to be throwing the White House under the bus; and they are being considerably obtuse while doing it…. or are they?

If these reports from Daily Mail and Wall Street Journal are accurate, the Pentagon is claiming that Joint Chief’s Chairman General Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Joe Biden about the pending collapse of Afghanistan if 2,500 troops were removed.   However, both Milley and Austin are on record only a few weeks before the collapse saying exactly the opposite.

(Via Wall Street Journal) –  In his Monday speech defending America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden said he would not shrink from his share of responsibility.

That would include his decision to bring home U.S. troops, which was made against the recommendations of his top military generals and many diplomats, who warned that a hasty withdrawal would undermine security in Afghanistan, several administration and defense officials said.

The president’s top generals, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley, urged Mr. Biden to keep a force of about 2,500 troops, the size he inherited, while seeking a peace agreement between warring Afghan factions, to help maintain stability. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who previously served as a military commander in the region, said a full withdrawal wouldn’t provide any insurance against instability.

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Earlier this evening President Trump appeared for a lengthy and detailed interview with Sean Hannity.  The topic of the failed Biden administration effort to withdraw from Afghanistan was the primary focus.  [Note: These raw videos are likely to be removed overnight. If you missed it, watch while you can].

https://youtu.be/2tNSQBOdi3Y

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KUSI News in San Diego is reporting on significant push-back from the local community as citizens confront the County Board of Supervisors on proposals to mandate vaccination ID’s.

KUSI – […] “Hundreds of businesses have already signed a Business Equality Pledge and posted a Proclamation pledging not to discriminate. Citizens are also signing a petition to refuse to comply with these arbitrary and unconstitutional requirements. The rally attendees are not anti-vax, but they are simply against all medical mandates.

The community members and leaders were fired up, and to put it simply, directly called out the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for their overreaching rule, telling them to their face they have forgotten their oath to protect the constitution. (more)

Speech excerpts below:

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Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA – CD14) appears on Steve Bannon’s War Room to outline the issues with the Senate infrastructure bill.  MTG is the first House republican who has directly confronted Mitch McConnell’s 19 DeceptiCon members.

As MTG notes, she will personally campaign to primary any House republican who votes to support the infrastructure bill.  {Direct Rumble link} First segment Video:

SASSPAC.COM Link

Segment #2 is below:

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Big Apple comrades, CONGRATULATIONS, the New York City requirement to show your vaccine papers begins today. Those who violate the requirement, or those who give false papers in order to participate in polite society, will be given a $1,000 fine for the first offense; $2,000 for the second non-compliant occurrence, and all subsequent infractions will cost $5,000.

Your proof of vaccination status will grant you access to indoor dining, fitness clubs and shows at indoor entertainment venues, including night clubs, concert halls, movie theaters and adult entertainment. If you wish to enter any of the following business sectors (listed below), both NYC residents and visitors will be required to show their vaccination identification or vaccine passport:

(Source)

The ministry of COVID compliance has been kind enough to provide one month of “social training” between when venues must require proof of vaccine from patrons (today) and when Comrade de Blasio has instructed the ministry to begin enforcement (mid-Sept). This grace period for social training is provided by the magnanimity of Dear Leader highlighting his compassion and understanding as these private venues get used to the system.

During this first month, the Ministry of COVID compliance will educate businesses in best practices for how to demand the vaccination papers Dear Leader de Blasio previously announced.

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How would you like to be one of the 15,000+ American citizens in Kabul, or surrounding region, and getting this notice from the United States State Department:

“A congressional aide tells CBS News we have no partners left in Afghanistan to safely get Americans in-country to Kabul.” (link)

…. But they planned for every contingency right?

The 44-year-old academic currently occupying the role of National Security Advisor to Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, informs reporters that Biden has not spoken to any world leaders since the total collapse of Afghanistan and the embarrassing mess created by Biden’s administration.

Yet again, the Potemkin village of an administration touting their international relationships is highlighted.  It’s all a farce folks; a ruse on display for the entire world to see.  Thus, the lonely picture of Joe Biden in his bunker at Camp David gets more context.

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The U.S. media cannot carry this much water….. It’s just too heavy a lift, even for them.

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The U.S. Census Department releases retail sales data today showing a strong contraction in consumer spending for July [MSM LINK].  The out-of-touch financial pundits were looking for a 0.3% decline; however, the drop was four times greater with a contraction of 1.1% in spending.

“The slide in retail sales comes after Friday’s preliminary consumer sentiment report from the University of Michigan showed one of the largest drops on record, leading some strategists and economists to warn of downside risk to the sales data.” (link)

This should not be unexpected for those who read here.  Massive price inflation on essential goods is eating up wages.  Food, fuel and energy price increases are changing consumer spending habits.  Non-essential purchases have stopped….. they haven’t slowed, they have stopped. ←Emphasize this because it is not showing up yet in the data lag.

The data reflects that auto sales were the primary contributor to the decline in spending (-4.3%).  This should make sense to people because auto purchases are the largest general consumer purchase outside of home purchasing.

When purchase decisions are made by families; and food and fuel prices are skyrocketing; replacing a vehicle is not essential.  Auto sales are a key indicator of consumer confidence and income.

Overall inflation is the primary driver.  Real wages are declining (wages – inflation), and disposable income is dropping quickly.  Americans need to start talking very deliberately about what is about to happen.  CTH predicted this and has been walking through the visible outcomes as each set of new data surfaces {SEARCH BOX}.  Nothing happening right now is unforeseen or not easily understandable.

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