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Presented by Climate Power: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | | | Under significant pressure, President JOE BIDEN cut short his stay at Camp David today to return to the White House, where he’ll deliver remarks about the collapse in Afghanistan at 3:45 p.m. His comments will come as the situation on the ground in Kabul continues to deteriorate — it’s not even clear how much longer the U.S. will be able to evacuate people from the airport. JUST POSTED — “Why Biden must fire his national security adviser for Afghanistan failure,” by former Obama official Brett Bruen in USA Today National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN said this morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the U.S. is focused on securing the Kabul airport today, and that evacuation flights would continue: “We can effectuate an ongoing evacuation of American citizens, of Afghans who worked for us — including interpreters and translators — and other vulnerable Afghans at risk.” As of late this morning, no flights were going in or out of Kabul for a while. The Pentagon announced it would send another battalion of U.S. paratroopers, bringing the total of U.S. troops deployed to the evacuation effort up to 7,000. An aerial view But the macabre tableau of Afghans falling to their deaths from U.S. military planes seems likely to haunt the U.S. as an enduring image of the end of American involvement in the conflict. The AP’s Ahmad Seir, Rahim Faiez, Kathy Gannon and Joseph Krauss have the latest on seven people who have died amid the chaos at the airport. More from Stars and Stripes: “Several Afghans who snuck into the wheel well of a departing U.S. military cargo jet fell to their deaths at the Kabul airport on Monday morning, an eyewitness has told Stars and Stripes. Video of the fall was circulated on Twitter and conflicting reports put the number involved at two or three, though the eyewitness said it was four.” And the horrifying images — CBS’ @EenaRuffini: “NEW: Situation at the airport is ‘tenuous’ and consideration is being given to pulling all Americans out and leaving the Afghans behind. That decision has not been made but it is on the table and will need to be addressed if Us can’t get control of the airport. (Martin/Ruffini)” — AP/Washington: “US official: US military commander met face-to-face with Taliban to seek non-interference with Kabul airport evacuation.” MEANWHILE IN WASHINGTON … Lawmakers are taking to Twitter to tell people to contact them if they’re having trouble getting out of the country. “If you’re an American stranded in Afghanistan, or know one who is, please contact my office immediately: (501) 223-9081 or evac@cotton.senate.gov,” wrote Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) on Sunday night. “The situation is dire, but we’ll do everything in our power to help keep you informed and to help get you out.” Rep. ANDY KIM (D-N.J.) did the same this morning: “I am getting lots of inquiries from people in Afghanistan or people who know those trying to get to safety. I am compiling names to try and push for evacuation. I cannot promise anything but will do everything I can. Email RepKimEvac@mail.house.gov.” Full thread here | | | | A message from Climate Power: A clean energy future is well within reach. All it will take is making sure big corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. The climate crisis is here, American workers are ready for millions of clean energy jobs, now it's just up to Congress to get it done. It's time to build back better. | | | WHAT WENT WRONG, PART I — “Afghan security forces’ wholesale collapse was years in the making,” by WaPo’s Craig Whitlock: “[A]ccording to documents obtained for the forthcoming Washington Post book ‘The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,’ U.S. military officials privately harbored fundamental doubts for the duration of the war that the Afghan security forces could ever become competent or shed their dependency on U.S. money and firepower. … “Those fears, rarely expressed in public, were ultimately borne out by the sudden collapse this month of the Afghan security forces, whose wholesale and unconditional surrender to the Taliban will go down as perhaps the worst debacle in the history of proxy warfare. The capitulation was sped up by a series of secret deals that the Taliban brokered with many Afghan government officials.” WHAT WENT WRONG, PART II — “Kabul’s collapse followed string of intel failures, defense officials say,” by Lara Seligman: “Though officials warned repeatedly over the past few weeks that the Afghan government could fall far sooner than previous estimates — weeks or months after the last American troops depart the country — they overestimated the capability and will of the Afghan security forces to fight back … “In fact, DoD officials briefed lawmakers last month on the intelligence assessment that the combination of Afghan special commandos, air force and local militias could hold off the Taliban long enough for a political settlement … That miscalculation reached the very highest levels of the administration.” Good Monday afternoon. TRUMP CARDS POLITICO national political correspondent Meridith McGraw sent along some highlights of her interview this morning with Sen. BILL HAGERTY (R-Tenn.), who met with DONALD TRUMP on Friday at Bedminster. Hagerty served as Trump’s ambassador to Japan, and drew praise from the former president recently for using delay tactics to highlight opposition to the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. (He told Meridith the Trump meetup was planned in advance of that.) On whether Hagerty agrees with Trump’s trashing of Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL: “President Trump and Leader McConnell worked very closely together on judicial nominations during his time. … I’m well aware President Trump has expressed frustration with McConnell, but I’ve seen the impact of the two men working together and it’s been very effective in my view.” On the odds Hagerty would place on Trump running in 2024: “Significantly greater than zero.” However, Hagerty said the two focused on the 2022 midterms, not 2024: “We both feel very good about our odds to retake the House and the Senate.” On the situation in Afghanistan, Hagerty, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said: “We have an administration focusing on a press release surrounding the anniversary of 9/11 and not focusing on requisite planning to withdraw in an orderly fashion. … Now we’ve endangered Americans, we’ve endangered our allies, our Afghan allies, and we’re seeing the collapse of a nation that was 20 years ago the foundation for terrorism and attacks on our nation. And now we’re back in a situation where all of those dangers are going to erupt very soon.” | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | POLITICS ROUNDUP SCOTUS WATCH — “Tribes’ Victory in Oklahoma at Risk in Bold Request to the Supreme Court,” by NYT’s Adam Liptak: “The precedent, which ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma falls within an Indian reservation, is just over a year old. A couple of weeks ago, Oklahoma asked the Supreme Court to overrule it. Two things had happened in between. First, as state officials and the dissenting justices had predicted it would, the ruling disrupted Oklahoma’s criminal justice system. “Second, Justice RUTH BADER GINSBURG, who was in the majority in the 5-to-4 decision, died and was replaced by Justice AMY CONEY BARRETT. Oklahoma’s bold request, like the challenge to Roe v. Wade and other abortion precedents that the court is set to hear in a case this fall, will test the court’s commitment to stare decisis, which is legal shorthand for respect for precedent and Latin for ‘to stand by things decided.’ … Judging by her academic writing, Justice Barrett is skeptical of the power of precedent, at least in constitutional cases.” — The Supreme Court announced it will hear New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSRPA) v. Corlett, its next major gun case, on Nov. 3. CUOMO LATEST — In a reversal, New York state Assembly leaders announced this morning that the Judiciary Committee will continue its investigation into departing New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO “and issue a final report.” More from the NYT RECALL ME MAYBE — “He opposes gun control, the minimum wage — and could be California’s next governor,” by Jeremy White and Carla Marinucci in Oakland: “A conservative media fixture after decades on the air, [LARRY] ELDER used his fame to springboard to the front of the pack of Republicans vying to replace [Gov. GAVIN] NEWSOM. The Democratic governor has responded by making Elder the face of recall Republicans, portraying him as an extremist whose views are drastically mismatched with the average California voter. … “Elder opposes gun control and any minimum wage, believes climate change policies are not worth the cost, has assailed Roe v. Wade , dismisses gender wage gaps as a myth and maintains that welfare and fatherless families pose far greater threats to society than systemic racism. … Despite that disjuncture, the libertarian Elder could well ride soaring conservative enthusiasm to become the first Black governor of deeply Democratic California, thanks to an unusual recall system that enables a candidate with a small plurality to become the state's chief executive if voters decide they've had enough of their current leader.” POLICY CORNER TURNING OFF THE SPIGOT — “Fed Officials Weigh Ending Asset Purchases by Mid-2022,” by WSJ’s Nick Timiraos: “Federal Reserve officials are nearing agreement to begin scaling back their easy money policies in about three months if the economic recovery continues, with some pushing to end their asset-purchase program by the middle of next year.” BORDER TALES — “Growing Share of Migrants From Outside Mexico, Central America Poses Challenge for Biden,” by WSJ’s Michelle Hackman: “Migrants from South America, the Caribbean and as far as Eastern Europe are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally at an unprecedented rate, a trend accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic that is raising fresh consternation inside the Biden administration. … “Tens of thousands of migrants from Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti have come to the border since October … About 3,700 Romanians—most of them believed to be of the Roma ethnic minority—have crossed … And so many migrants have been coming from Ecuador that for the past three months, they have eclipsed migrants from El Salvador … Migrants from outside Central America present a tougher logistical issue for immigration officials on the ground.” | | | | Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today . | | | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY CLIMATE FILES — “Western states face first federal water cuts,” by AP’s Suman Naishadham: “U.S. officials on Monday are expected to declare the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought. Water levels at the largest reservoir on the Colorado River — Lake Mead — have fallen to record lows.” MEDIAWATCH BOOK CLUB — “Title, cover and details of new Trump book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa revealed,” by CNN’s Jamie Gangel and Elizabeth Stuart: “‘Peril’ is scheduled for release on September 21, and will closely examine the tumultuous time spanning the November 2020 election, the January 6 insurrection, and President Biden’s inauguration. … “[T]he book will reveal how the transition period was ‘far more than just a domestic political crisis’ and ‘one of the most dangerous periods in American history.’ The book will be published by Simon & Schuster … Woodward and Costa interviewed more than 200 insiders.” AFTERNOON SNACK — “Gossiping With Tabloid Icon Cindy Adams,” by N.Y. Mag’s Olivia Nuzzi: “The stalwart of the New York Post gets ready to tell all — kind of.” MISCELLANY PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — The Washington Monument is closed today for repairs after it was hit by lightning this weekend. And the video is, in a word, striking. PLAYBOOKERS IN MEMORIAM — “Ex-Rep. Paul Mitchell dies. He quit GOP over its refusal to accept Trump’s defeat,” by the Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke: “Former U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, a conservative who quit the Republican Party over its allegiance to President Donald Trump after the 2020 election, has died after a diagnosis of stage IV renal cancer. He was 64. … “Friends and colleagues remembered Mitchell as a fighter and a fiery advocate, committed to standing up for what is right, either in business or Congress — no matter the political cost. A proud father, he also loved to be inside a race car or tending the sheep at his hobby farm in Lapeer County.” Family remembrance and photos, via CNN’s Jake Tapper TRANSITIONS — Mike Liptak will be director of federal government affairs at the Internet Association. He most recently was VP of government relations for the Travel Technology Association, and is a Mitch McConnell alum. … David Sullivan has been hired as executive director of the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership. He previously was program director at the Global Network Initiative. … Brian Doory is joining Scarlet Oak Strategies full-time as a managing director. He most recently was a partner at Compass Advocacy, and is a Democratic campaigns veteran. WEDDING — Emily Guthrie, an operations manager working on global affairs and international development at Premise Data, and Hayder Ferman, an Iraqi board-certified pediatrician and university lecturer who recently immigrated to the U.S., got married Aug. 9 in a small ceremony at The Parks at Walter Reed. They were joined virtually by friends and family across the U.S. and Iraq. Pic | | | | A message from Climate Power:   Americans want a clean energy future, good-paying jobs and a solution to the climate crisis. And they want big corporations to pay their fair share. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
