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Politics

Barack Obama points assertion on Kabul assault: ‘Heartbroken’

Barack Obama issues statement on Kabul attack: 'Heartbroken'

Former United States President Barack Obama is hosting a drive-in rally for Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden on October 27, 2020 in Orlando, Florida.

Eva Edelheit | Reuters

WASHINGTON – Former President Barack Obama made a formal statement on Afghanistan on Friday, his first since the U.S. military entered the final stages of its withdrawal from the country two weeks ago.

Obama said he and former first lady Michelle Obama were “heartbroken when they heard of the terrorist attack outside Kabul airport that killed and wounded so many US soldiers and Afghan men, women and children.”

“As president, nothing was more painful than mourning with the families of the Americans who gave their lives for our country,” he said.

Obama continued, “As President Biden said, these soldiers are heroes who have dangerous, selfless missions to save the lives of others.”

That line served as a rhetorical nod to Obama’s former vice president and essentially confirmed that Biden is now in charge.

Obama’s testimony came the same day that Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak’s family confirmed he was one of the dead.

“We also think of the families of the deceased Afghans, many of whom stood by America and were ready to risk anything for a chance for a better life,” said Obama.

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Obama is the last of the four US presidents who led the US 20-year war in Afghanistan to comment on the situation.

He is also the president who ordered an additional 30,000 US soldiers into the country in late 2009, a decision that his then Vice President Biden firmly opposed.

At the time, Obama believed that US firepower could sustain Afghanistan’s fragile, corrupt post-Taliban government.

Eleven years later, that government collapsed within hours when the Taliban retook Kabul on August 15 without firing a single shot.

Obama did not mention the entire evacuation effort in his statement on Friday. But earlier this year he said he strongly supported Biden’s decision to end America’s longest war.

“After nearly two decades of putting our troops in danger, it is time to recognize that we have accomplished all we can militarily and that it is time to bring our remaining troops home” Obama said on April 14th.

The two Republicans who led the war, George W. Bush and Donald Trump, have both openly opposed Biden’s decision to withdraw American troops – albeit in different ways.

Bush, who started the war shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, said he feared for the country’s women and girls who are facing almost certain repression due to the Taliban’s fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law.

Bush in July also painted a bleak picture of what awaited Afghans who had worked for the US-led coalition over the past two decades.

“I think of all the interpreters and people who have helped not only the US forces but also the NATO forces, and they are simple, it seems like they are just being left behind to be butchered by these very brutal people and it breaks my “heart”, Bush told Deutsche Welle.

Trump has taken a different path, making a number of statements over the past few weeks that skew his own record and falsely accuse Biden of withdrawing American troops in front of US civilians. Trump has also tried to label refugees evacuated from Afghanistan as “terrorists”.

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Politics

Supreme Court docket refuses to dam development of Obama library in Chicago

Supreme Court refuses to block construction of Obama library in Chicago

US President Barack Obama waves after his speech at the SelectUSA Investment Summit March 23, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Alex Wong | Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an advocacy initiative to temporarily halt construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in a Chicago park.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, an agent of former President Donald Trump in charge of Midwestern affairs, denied the application for a restraining order without referring the case to the nine-member court.

The Chicago-based nonprofit Protect Our Parks and some local residents argued that the $ 700 million library would have “serious environmental impacts” for Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago.

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They said in the petition that the “deliberate act” will destroy at least 800 trees and that it will have “significant effects on migratory birds and their nesting practices,” adding more “dust, noise and a deterioration in air quality, which is public health endangered in the surrounding community. “

“Once these trees are felled, there is no going back,” said the group.

They also complained that the government bypassed the necessary regulatory reviews and illegally split the project in two to avoid considering alternative locations for the park.

“During all public hearings, government agencies cordoned off anyone who tried to address them about avoidance and mitigation issues,” the petition reads.

They directly called on Barrett to freeze “further groundbreaking construction and excavation activities” and “tree felling” in the park pending an appeal against a rejection by a lower court last week.

Her emergency request required a response by Monday, when construction of the presidential center was due to begin.

Barrett’s rejection was not accompanied by any text or explanation.

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Entertainment

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen’s Podcast to Change into a Ebook

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen's Podcast to Become a Book

In “Renegades,” a podcast collaboration between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, the former president acknowledged that it was, at a glance, an odd partnership.

“On the surface, Bruce and I don’t have a lot in common,” he said. “He’s a white guy from a small town in Jersey; I’m a Black guy of mixed race, born in Hawaii, with a childhood that took me around the world. He’s a rock ‘n’ roll icon. I’m a lawyer and politician — not as cool.”

But they have become vacation buddies and avid collaborators whose podcast — a series of frank conversations about race, fatherhood, social justice and American identity — became one of the podcasts with the most listeners around the world on Spotify.

Now, they will be co-authors of sorts, with the coming release of a book of their conversations. This October, Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is publishing “Renegades: Born in the USA,” a book adaptation of the podcast. The 320-page book includes introductions by Obama and Springsteen, more than 350 photos and illustrations, and archival material such as Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics and Obama’s annotated speeches.

In his introduction, Obama describes how the conversations grew out of “our ongoing effort to figure out how it is that we got here, and how we can tell a more unifying story that starts to close the gap between America’s ideals and its reality.”

As salable book ideas go, a collaboration between a rock star and a former president seems a sure bet. (Crown is suggesting a list price of $50 in the United States and $65 in Canada.)

Springsteen’s memoir, “Born to Run,” which was released by Simon & Schuster in 2016, was a hit, selling nearly half a million hardcover copies in its first few months on sale. Obama’s 2020 memoir, “A Promised Land,” which was published by Crown, has sold 8.2 million copies globally, and nearly five million in North America.

The book version of “Renegades” also marks the latest release from the Obamas’ growing media empire. It is being produced in partnership with Higher Ground, the company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, which has struck exclusive production deals with Netflix for film and television and with Spotify for podcasts. The Obamas sold their memoirs to Crown in 2017 for a record-breaking $65 million. Michelle Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” sold more than 16 million copies globally since its release in 2018.

Obama and Springsteen got to know each other in 2008 while Obama was campaigning, and became friends over the years. Springsteen performed at the White House in January 2017, as Obama was preparing to leave office.

In their podcast conversations, the pair largely focused on personal stories about their lives and avoided partisan politics, but spoke generally about the urgent need to understand and address divisions in American society.

“This is a time of vigilance when who we are is being seriously tested,” Springsteen writes in his introduction to “Renegades.” “Hard conversations about who we are and who we want to become can perhaps serve as a small guiding map for some of our fellow citizens.”

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Politics

Former Obama advisor Seth Andrew in talks to resolve constitution college theft

Former Obama advisor Seth Andrew in talks to resolve charter school theft

Seth Andrew during a TEDx conversation

Source: TEDx talks | Youtube

Federal prosecutors and an attorney for former White House education advisor Seth Andrew are in initial talks over a possible removal of the criminal case accusing him of tearing down a network of charter schools he founded for $ 218,000 .

These discussions came to light just a month after Andrew was arrested on a New York City criminal complaint for wire fraud, money laundering, and misrepresentation against a financial institution.

However, one person familiar with these discussions, who had requested anonymity due to the nature of the conversations, said they were not referring to a possible plea deal, but rather giving Andrew’s new attorney time to update on the case.

Free for a $ 500,000 bond, 42-year-old Andrew is the founder of Democracy Prep Public Schools, which he left in 2013 to join then-President Barack Obama’s administration.

Prosecutors last month accused Andrew of looting a number of school escrow accounts on the Democracy Prep network in 2019.

Andrew then allegedly used most of the money to keep a minimum number of bank accounts, which in turn gave him a cheaper rate on the $ 1.776 million mortgage on the Manhattan residence he and his wife, the CBS news anchor, he owned Lana Zak, shares.

Andrew and Zak received a mortgage rate of only 2.5% or 0.5% less than they should have paid because they had more than $ 1 million on deposit with the lender.

Without the more than $ 142,000 in allegedly stolen funds that he deposited with the lender, “Andrew could only have received an interest deduction of 0.375%,” the US Attorney’s Office for the southern borough of New York found last month.

Democracy Prep said it learned of the unauthorized withdrawals and then reached out to the authorities.

Zak, who has three children with Andrew, is not accused of wrongdoing.

Thursday was the legal 30-day deadline within which Andrew will be charged in the case, either by grand jury indictment or by some other type of indictment known as informational. This is usually filed after a defendant has indicated willingness to plead guilty.

On Thursday, prosecutors asked Manhattan Federal Supreme Court judge Barbara Moses to extend the deadline on the case.

“The defense attorney and the government are discussing a possible disposition for this case and other matters,” US assistant attorney Ryan Finkel wrote in a trial.

“Therefore, the government is asking for a 30-day continuation until June 27, 2021 to continue the above discussions. The undersigned spoke personally with the defense attorney, who had expressly consented to this request.”

Moses granted the request for continuation in an order published on Friday.

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An injunction in criminal proceedings usually relates to a confession of guilt, an acquittal in the process or, less often, the dismissal of charges by prosecutors.

It is common for prosecutors and defense lawyers to discuss a possible objection agreement, but such discussions do not always end in an agreement.

And the person familiar with the discussions in Andrew’s case said the postponement of the indictment was because his attorney, Edward Kim, was recently hired to represent him on the case, rather than due to taking the case immediately resolve through a plea.

The US Attorney’s Office for the southern borough of New York declined to comment.

Kim also declined to comment.

Until his arrest, Andrew was CEO of Democracy Builders, a group that describes itself as “the social sector studio that created more than $ 1 billion in companies that are the face of education, democracy and technology change all over the world “.

Democracy Builders bought the former Marlboro College campus in Marlboro, Vermont, for more than $ 1.7 million in 2020 with the aim of building a school there called Degrees of Freedom.

The group removed Andrew as chairman of the board of directors and restricted his access to all financial accounts after learning of his arrest.

Natasha Trivers, current executive director of the Charter School network Democracy Prep, said in an email to the network’s families last month that Andrews “alleged acts are a profound betrayal of everything we stand for and of you and your children. the scholars and families who do that. ” we serve. “

Trivers added, “The network’s finances remain strong and at no point has any of Seth Andrew’s activities had a negative impact on our scholars or the functioning of our schools.”

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Politics

Damon Weaver, Youngster Reporter Who Interviewed Obama, Dies at 23

Damon Weaver, Child Reporter Who Interviewed Obama, Dies at 23

Damon Weaver, who was one of the youngest to interview a seated president at age 11 and later attracted attention for conducting other high-profile interviews with celebrities like Dwyane Wade and Oprah Winfrey, died on May 1. He was 23 years old.

The death was confirmed by Candace Hardy, Mr. Weaver’s sister. The cause was not disclosed.

Ms. Hardy told WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla. That her brother texted her while she was working that he was in the hospital. He had already died when she visited him, she said.

In 2009, then 11-year-old Weaver conducted a session interview with President Barack Obama in the diplomatic room of the White House, questioning him on topics such as the Obama administration’s efforts to improve education in lower-income areas, such as: Weaver’s hometown, Pahokee, Florida, and Mr. Obama’s basketball skills.

“You did a great job on this interview, so someone has to be doing something right at this school,” Mr. Obama told Mr. Weaver after the 11-year-old was invited to visit Kathryn E. Cunningham / Canal Point Elementary School South Florida.

Prior to his meeting with Mr. Obama, Mr. Weaver received considerable attention through a 2008 interview with Mr. Obama’s then-comrade-in-arms Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Damon Lazar Weaver Jr. was born on April 1, 1998 according to his funeral announcement. His sister told WPTV that Mr. Weaver was “a light” and “the life of the party”. According to the station, Mr. Weaver graduated from high school on a full scholarship from Albany State University in Georgia. He graduated from university in 2020, according to a post on his Instagram page.

“Everyone couldn’t wait to be around,” Ms. Hardy told WPTV. “Family reunions, they were always fun just because of his presence.”

Information on Mr. Weaver’s survivors was not immediately available.

Mr. Weaver also covered Mr. Obama’s inauguration as the 44th President on his school’s television newscast and interviewed attendees and celebrities at the inauguration, including Ms. Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson. In an interview with The Associated Press before going to Washington, Mr. Weaver highlighted what he enjoyed most about being a reporter.

“I liked seeing people on TV so I thought I might do this job one day,” said Weaver. “I like being a reporter because you can learn a lot, meet nice people and travel a lot.”

Mr Weaver said that his favorite subjects at school at the time were reading and math and that his goal was to one day become a journalist and maybe even a soccer player, astronaut or president.

“I’m very proud of him,” said Regina Weaver, the mother of Mr. Weaver, to The AP.

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Health

Former Obama HHS official criticizes Trump administration’s international Covid strategy

Former Obama HHS official criticizes Trump administration’s global Covid approach

Former Health and Social Services Officer Dr. Mario Ramirez told CNBC that he was “concerned” about equitable access to Covid-19 resources around the world and criticized the Trump administration for not participating in the multilateral COVAX facility.

“One of the things that was regrettable about the Trump administration’s approach to the pandemic was that they chose not to attend the COVAX facility,” said Ramirez, a former coordinator for the HHS Pandemic and Emerging Threats Office of Global Affairs. “The COVAX facility was an opportunity for emerging economies to jointly invest in vaccines and gain access to all of these resources.”

According to a report by NBC News, poorer countries around the world may have to wait years to get vaccines while vaccines are currently being rolled out in rich countries like the US and the UK.

In a comprehensive interview on Wednesday evening during The News with Shepard Smith, Ramirez also discussed his experience with Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. One of tens of thousands of Americans who have now received it, he said he felt “great” after having “a little pain in his arm”.

All 50 states have now started giving Pfizer’s vaccinations. An FDA advisory committee will meet Thursday to discuss whether or not to give Moderna’s vaccine the go-ahead just two days after announcing the shot is highly potent. If the panel approves the Moderna vaccine, nearly 6 million doses will be deployed across the country next week. The federal government has already signed deals with Pfizer and Moderna to deliver a total of 200 million vaccine doses by the first quarter of the new year.

Ramirez told Shepard Smith that there are several systems in place to ensure people get their critical second dose of the Covid vaccine. He was given a physical paper dosage card and said it was part of the process to remind people to get their second dose. The ambulance added that he also receives regular feedback from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through his V-Safe app. Ramirez said another critical aspect of helping people remember they received the second dose was to sign up for the first dose.

“For example, we know from previous studies with the HPV vaccine that complying with this second visit is a big contributor to compliance,” Ramirez said.