Morning Wire: Afghanistan Falls To The Taliban, Massive Earthquake Devastates Haiti, Teachers Union Sues Parent Over ‘CRT’
It’s Monday, August 16th, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast here.
1) Afghanistan Falls To The Taliban
The Topline: Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban have quickly retaken vast majority of the country and now surround the capital city of Kabul. Many are describing the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal as a failure.
Reporter in 2020 : “Don’t you bear some responsibility for the outcome if the Taliban ends up back in control…?”
President Joe Biden in 2020: “No, I don’t.”
The Latest In Afghanistan
Over the weekend, the situation in Afghanistan passed a critical point, following the accelerated withdrawal of American troops by the Biden administration.
In the past few weeks, the Taliban have flooded across the country, filling the void left by U.S. forces with little-to-no effective pushback by Afghan government soldiers. They now control almost every major city and are threatening to seize the capital city, Kabul.
Reports indicate that Taliban fighters took control of the country’s Presidential Palace soon after President Ashraf Ghani fled on Sunday, after which the Taliban’s leader declared himself the new Afghan president.
Photo by -/AFP/Contributor via Getty Images
Americans In Danger
As the Taliban are on the verge of controlling the entire country, the remaining U.S. personnel there are rushing to evacuate as hostile forces close in. The U.S. military evacuated the acting ambassador on Sunday to Kabul airport, after U.S. officials abandoned the embassy.
Americans in the country were warned to shelter in place, with reports that the airport is also under fire. The fallout pushed the Biden administration to deploy thousands of Marines to assist in the evacuation.
The Taliban Take Control
The latest figures show that the Taliban now control almost 350 districts, with around 40 still being fought over. This means that only 12 districts remain in the Afghan government’s hands.
The Taliban have released thousands of prisoners during their advance, including ISIS and al Qaeda members. Around 5,000 prisoners were reportedly released from Bagram airbase alone, which the Afghan government surrendered to the Taliban on Sunday.
The U.S. spent billions of dollars supplying Afghan forces, but those weapons and other equipment are now falling straight into the hands of the Taliban.
Political Fallout
The Biden administration is being heavily criticized for the withdrawal, which many are describing as a complete disaster.
Last month, President Biden rejected the notion that a rapid withdrawal of this kind could lead to the outcomes we’re now witnessing in Afghanistan.
A reporter said to him, “Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse,” to which Biden responded, “That is not true.”
2) Massive Earthquake Devastates Haiti
The Topline: On Saturday, a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, leaving hundreds dead, and thousands more displaced.
What We Know
The epicenter of the earthquake was in the southwest part of Haiti, about sixty miles outside the capital of Port-au-Prince. As of now, reports say 724 people have died, but experts say that number will rise. Many roads into smaller towns are cut off due to landslides and due to wifi and cell phone outages, officials have little information about the situation in remote areas.
Remember: Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and many of the homes and larger buildings there aren’t built to withstand an earthquake — let alone one of this magnitude.
Response Within Haiti
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated last month, and the county has been in turmoil ever since. Experts are now worried that the power struggle to fill his position could slow the government’s response to the disaster. In the meantime, Interim President, Ariel Henry, promised to get aid to those affected.
Gangs control many of the major southern transportation routes, leading officials to worry that trucks carrying aid would be robbed. The gangs have reportedly agreed on a truce to allow aid to get in, but experts say that could change at any moment.
Impending Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm Grace is about to make landfall, with sustained winds around 50 mph, which could affect the country’s weakened infrastructure.
Tens of thousands of Haitians do not have a home right now, and many have been sleeping on soccer fields or in the streets, leaving them with nowhere to go as the storm approaches. The storm is expected to drop up to 15 inches of rain on some parts of the country, slowing rescue operations and increasing the chance of landslides.
U.S. Response
President Biden appointed United States Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power to oversee the federal response. Power announced Sunday that the U.S. would be sending a 65 person team to help with search and rescue efforts and provide medical care.
The U.S. Coast Guard was also working in the country over the weekend, helping evacuate the injured, and transporting Haitian doctors to the affected area.
Photographer: Jonathan Alpeyrie/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images
3) Teachers Union Sues Parent Over ‘CRT’
The Topline: A Rhode Island parent is being sued by one of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions after she submitted a request for information about what’s being taught in schools.
The Details
Nichole Solas, the mom of a kindergartener in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, is being sued by the National Education Association (NEA). According to the suit, the NEA is suing to prevent Ms. Solas from gaining access to information from her local school district, specifically teacher emails, which Solas believes contain evidence of willful political indoctrination in the classroom.
According to Solas, she’s concerned about her child being exposed to radical ideology, particularly relating to race and gender, and she says she encountered some major red flags that made her concerned about the school district, and specific teachers.
The Two Sides
The union is suing to prevent information — particularly teacher/administrator communication — from being released, claiming that teacher emails are private, “personally identifiable” information.
Solas is claiming that that communication is public information, and relevant for parents who want to know what their kids are learning.
Solas’s Case
According to Ms. Solas, teachers say they are politicizing their classes openly on social media. Solas also asked her child’s principal about the situation and Solas said the principal told her “they don’t call the students, boys and girls. They refrained from using gender terminology.” She added, “in terms of anti-racism or critical race theory, she said that they have a certain line of thinking that they teach students in every grade.”
Solas also claims to have found evidence that local teachers were giving students extra credit for political activity. She said students received extra points if they testified on a proposed bill banning Critical Race Theory in schools.
Solas also says she uncovered a proposal from the district seeking an “Equity auditor,” whom the district allegedly wanted to be proficient in Critical Race Theory.
Community Support
Solas said she has a lot of support from the community and she isn’t backing down. She also stated that everyone should request emails to expose what she says is happening in the school district since the NEA is afraid of emails coming out of the school district.
The Big Picture: Parents around the country are increasingly monitoring what’s being taught in local school districts, especially regarding race and history. Experts say to expect more battles between parents and local school districts.
ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP via Getty Images
Other Stories We’re Tracking
Remain In Mexico Policy
A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. The program, which required thousands of migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico during the process, was halted by President Biden in his first few days in office and formally ended in June. The judge said the Biden administration failed to take into account several “critical factors” and heed warnings from officials who said repealing the program would result in a surge of migrants.
Australia Covid Lockdowns
The Covid lockdowns tighten in Australia, with officials in New South Wales significantly raising the fines for violating stay-at-home orders. State police will now fine residents in Sydney and other cities 5,000 Australian dollars for violations, an increase from 1,000. The lockdowns were extended Saturday due to an increase in Covid cases.
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