United States of America Scoping: 'It is a political act'

'It is a political act'

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September 29, 2021

Stephen Collinson and Caitlin Hu

'It is a political act'

Pre-hyped congressional hearings almost never deliver. But when two gruff generals and the US defense secretary showed up at the Senate on Tuesday, they didn't disappoint. And what do you know -- the dysfunctional Congress actually offered some meaningful oversight of the White House.

Topping the bill was Gen. Mark Milley, America's highest-ranking military officer -- and one of the most politicized, after his time in the Trump administration. Republicans accused him of eroding civilian control of the military by taking steps to frustrate any wild military orders from then- President Donald Trump. Milley defended his conduct but confirmed he had indeed spoken to journalists who depicted him fretting that the then- President would stage a coup.

Milley also dropped the new commander in chief in the soup. He and the leader of Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, told senators that they had wanted to keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan to support the Afghan military and government. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said President Joe Biden had received and considered their recommendations. The comments ignited an immediate firestorm for the White House, since they appeared to contradict Biden's August claim that he couldn't recall anyone telling him to keep 2,500 troops in the country.

Republicans believe they caught Biden in a lie. Still, their bid to make out that Biden overstretched his powers by disagreeing with top brass is a leap too far. While generals advise, in the US it's civilian leaders, most prominently the President, who ultimately decide. As Milley himself put it when asked why he didn't quit when his advice was ignored: "It is a political act if I am resigning in protest."

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Afghan women have been barred from teaching at or attending Kabul University.

A report found that World Health Organization employees fighting Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo sexually abused local women.

Russia reported its worst single-day Covid-19 death toll.

Meanwhile in America, a backlog of criminal cases means hundreds of accused felons are eligible for release.

The MacArthur Foundation named its 2021 class of "genius" grant winners.

And special edition Oreo cookies are being auctioned for thousands of dollars.

'Logistical success' vs. 'strategic failure'

Milley also described America's exit from Afghanistan as a "strategic failure," despite the "logistical success" of its massive last-minute evacuation of noncombatants, which saw more than 100,000 people airlifted from the Taliban-controlled capital city of Kabul.

'I'll take your questions now'

More fuel for the mystery over Trump's infatuation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In yet another blow-the-lid-off-the-West-Wing book, Stephanie Grisham — a former White House press secretary and chief of staff for ex-first lady Melania Trump — provides new tantalizing details.

Trump turned to the famously poker-faced Putin before a photo op at the G20 summit in Japan in 2019, Grisham writes in the book, obtained before publication by CNN's Kate Bennett, and said: "Okay, I'm going to act a little tougher with you for a few minutes. But it's for the cameras, and after they leave, we'll talk. You understand."

The anecdote adds to a long history of Trump ingratiating himself with Putin, which peaked at their joint appearance in Helsinki, when the then-President trashed US intelligence assessments about Russian election meddling. It also shows that Trump was conscious that he had to cool his enthusiasm toward Putin when the cameras were rolling. No one has yet come up with a foolproof reason for Trump's deference to the ex-KGB officer — though there are plenty of nefarious theories.

(Trump brands the book the work of an ungrateful ex-staffer, and slammed "sleaze bag" publishers who print such "very boring garbage.")

The book is full of plenty of other eye-popping details, including a claim that Trump cuts his famous coif himself, with a pair of giant scissors suited for ribbon-cutting events. Other shocking revelations are NSFW. But Grisham — who refused to hold formal regular briefings for months, despite drawing a government salary as press secretary — is sure to be accused of sipping from a Trumpian trough. After all, even the title trolls reporters who once fought to cover the Trump administration: "I'll Take Your Questions Now."

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama took advantage of Tuesday's sunny autumn weather to break ground on the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The former President said he hoped the library would strengthen democratic ideas at a time when Americans are "seeing more division and increasingly bitter conflict."

Construction on the center has been slowed by lawsuits and local complaints, however; in 2019, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that tried to prevent it from being built in Jackson Park. Environmentalists had argued against using public land for a private project.

Thanks for reading.

On Wednesday, Japan's ruling party holds a leadership vote that could decide the country's next prime minister. The ASEAN foreign ministers meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brunei. A US National Labor Relations Board judge will review claims that Amazon illegally fired employees.