Category: Opinion

Violence has once more risen in Afghanistan from the 5,000 Taliban prisoners that the United States urged Afghanistan to release earlier this year that is now terrorizing the region once again.

The United States currently is seeking to end its two-decade-long war in the region against terrorism. For the past several months, Taliban forces have been able to seize the country once more and execute any of the Afghan military members who aided American troops in the region.

Terrorism made headlines earlier this Tuesday after a suicide attack targeted the residence of acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. Gunmen exchanged fire after the explosion in the secure, upscale area of Kabul that is home to several other government officials.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that many Taliban insurgents were once prisoners of the American-backed Afghan government:

The Taliban commander overseeing an assault on the key southern city of Lashkargah is one of 5,000 former prisoners released by the Afghan government last year under pressure from the U.S., Afghan and Western officials say.

The commander, Mawlavi Talib, is one of the thousands of former prisoners freed to further peace talks who have returned to the battlefield to join the Taliban onslaught against cities around the country, Afghan officials say. The presence of the Taliban fighters is a fresh strain in relations between Washington and Kabul, as the U.S.-backed government struggles to fend off Taliban attacks throughout the country.

Under Mr. Talib’s command, hundreds of Taliban have pushed toward the city center over the past week. On Tuesday they launched an attack on Lashkargah’s prison in a bid to release more inmates and recruit them into the fight.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday to “reiterate the strong and enduring U.S. commitment to Afghanistan.” Both leaders “condemned the ongoing Taliban attacks, which show little regard for human life and human rights, and deplored the loss of innocent Afghan lives and displacement of the civilian population.”

Montez T. Lee Jr., a 26-year-old Minnesota man has admitted to setting a local pawn shop on fire while participating in the BLM riots that lasted throughout 2020 to protest the death of George Floyd and many others.

However, the young man denied any responsibility for the death of the 30-year-old man found inside the burned-down shop.

Last week, Lee admitted in U.S. District Court in St. Paul to one count of arson in connection with the fire that engulfed the Max It Pawn store on May 28, 2020, the Star Tribune reported Tuesday.

“Surveillance video footage showed Lee pouring an accelerant around the shop and lighting it. A second video captured Lee standing in front of the burning business and saying that they were going to burn it down,” the report added. Oscar Lee Stewart Jr.’s dead body was recovered about two months later inside the burned pawnshop.

“An autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that Stewart died of smoke inhalation and excessive burns,” the Star Tribune report noted.

Bruce Rivers, Lee’s defense attorney, claims that Lee isn’t at fault for the death of Steward. Rivers claimed that he has “a competing medical examination” that denies any involvement of Lee’s action in Steward’s death.

Rivers also said his client “prior to lighting the fire looked through the building to make sure no one was there.”

“He feels terrible,” Rivers added.

Lee, thus far, has not been charged directly with Stewart’s death; instead, prosecution “is going to push for a harsher sentence because the arson resulted in a death,” said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Tasha Zerna.

“Prosecutors are contending that federal sentencing guidelines call for Lee to receive a prison term ranging from 17½ to 20 years,” the Star Tribune reported. “The defense calculates a term of five years.”

As noted by The Daily Wire, retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn was killed while defending his friend’s pawnshop from rioters:

In a video that has since been removed, Dorn, 77, can be seen defending the business during his last moments of life. Dorn was killed by looters and rioters who broke into Lee’s Pawn & Jewelry; his body was found on the sidewalk outside around 2:30 a.m. [June 2, 2020]. …

Dorn’s wife, St. Louis police Sgt. Ann Marie Dorn told the St. Louis Dispatch that her husband was friends with the owner of the pawnshop and regularly came to the owner’s aid whenever alarms went off.

“Our highest respect to the family of David Dorn, a Great Police Captain from St. Louis, who was viciously shot and killed by despicable looters last night,” then-President Donald Trump honored Dorn at the time. “We honor our police officers, perhaps more than ever before. Thank you!”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is being criticized for hosting a music festival, Lollapalooza, after announcing plans to resume pandemic restrictions.

Chicago Tribune reporter Gregor Pratt said, “At the same time she’s threatening possible restrictions if cases rise above 200 per day, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is moving forward with plans to bring 100,000 a day to Grant Park for Lollapalooza.

Lightfoot is reported as saying “Well, look, if we get back into an area where we feel like we’re in a red zone, which we are working very hard to make sure that our daily case rate is below 200, if we start to see consistently going over that, we’re not only going to look at a mask mandate, but we’re going to look back at other tools that we’ve been compelled to use. I hope we don’t get there. What we’re going to keep focusing on is pushing the vaccine. But my number one priority is to keep people safe.”

Even after harsh criticisms, Lightfoot made an appearance herself at Lollapalooza speaking to the massive crowd saying, “Thank you for masking up and vaxing up.”

She further defended her decision to host the festival saying, “It’s outdoors. We’ve been having large-scale events all over the city since June without major problems or issues. The Lolla team has been phenomenal. They’ve hired their own public health experts who’ve been working hand in glove with us since we started these discussions.”

Lollapalooza was canceled in 2020 amid pandemic concerns that reportedly cost over $35 million in sales and almost $9 million in lost earnings. However, amid concerns about the Delta variant along with COVID-19 restrictions, holding the event is being seen by many as a “super-spreader” event.

Journalist Laurie Garrett tweeted, “Will@chicagosmayor Lightfoot be blamed for approving a #COVID19 super-spreader event this weekend–@lollapalooza, three days of music euphoria with a huge, mask-less crowd?”

Retired Department of Defense operative Tony Shaffer also tweeted, “Wow-COVID is the most intelligent virus ever in history – it will wait for @LoriLightfoot to get the city of Chicago all sorts of tax revenue before it becomes super dangerous and transmissible!”

In what may seem to be conflicting advice, Lightfoot urged those visiting Lallapaloosa not to get on public transportation without a mask saying, “It’s not wise, you’re putting yourself at risk and you’re putting everyone else at risk.”

A disturbing video is making its way across social media which shows a normal busy night on the famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans when the roar of gunshots cause hundreds of people to flee for safety.

Around 3 a.m. on the corner of Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue gunshots began to ring out wounding at least five people. New Orleans Police Department confirms that one person has been detained but the investigation remains open and active.

You can see the terrifying moment from a street surveillance camera.

Mass shooting confirmed on world-famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans, #Louisiana. #BourbonStreet pic.twitter.com/4X0TK5cUG6

— Nikhil Choudhary (@NikhilCh_) August 1, 2021

Additional cell phone video was later circulated on social media showing one person lying on a street corner but that person’s identity and injuries were not reported.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson both appeared on the scene but made no comments to members of local media outlets already present.

EarthCam has a permanent camera on a balcony above street level to stream live video of Bourbon Street’s world-famous parties during the Mardi Gras holiday, as well as the many other festivities that take place year-round on the historical street.

Several concerning factors have come together to create a shortage of ammunition in the United States leaving manufacturers struggling to keep up with the overwhelming demand.

The COVID-19 pandemic, sporadic riots, and rising crime rates have had a negative impact on our law enforcement and could prevent the record number of new gun owners from learning how to properly and safely handle a dangerous weapon.

“We have had a number of firearms instructors cancel their registration to our courses because their agency was short on ammo or they were unable to find ammo to purchase,” said Jason Wuestenberg, executive director of the National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association.

Officer Larry Hadfield, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, told ABC News that his department needs to “conserve ammunition when possible.”

The shortage didn’t just happen overnight. In fact, Gun owners began noticing a shortage as early as March of this year. Firearms sales skyrocketed in 2020 by over 21 million with nearly half of them being first-time gun buyers.

Experts believe that early panic from the COVID-19 pandemic mixed with anxieties during both the riots and unrest after the murder of George Floyd and the 2020 presidential election result fueled the surge in gun sales, according to The Spokesman-Review.

That surge also meant a surge in ammunition sales, which manufacturers were not able to meet due to reduced production and import of raw materials due to lockdowns over 2020. The Remington Arms Company filed for bankruptcy in July 2020 due to years of lawsuits and loss of investors, which has further strained the manufacturing capabilities of the industry.

“When you talk about all these people buying guns, it really has an impact on people buying ammunition,” NSSF spokesman Mark Oliva said. “If you look at 8.4 million gun buyers and they all want to buy one box with 50 rounds, that’s going to be 420 million rounds.”

The shortage has forced manufacturers to import from other countries, with imports up 225% as the U.S. scrambled to buy supplies from Russia, South Korea, the European Union, and several others over the past two years.

Simone Biles has been pulled out of the team finals at the Tokyo Olympics after a suspected injury botched her vault attempt.

Biles nearly slipped and fell to her knees trying to land her planned Amanar vault. She finished with a score of 13.766 and was spotted talking with trainers after the incident.

Confirmed: After one routine, Simone Biles 🇺🇸 will sit out the rest of the Women's Team final in #ArtisticGymnastics at #Tokyo2020. #Olympics

— FIG (@gymnastics) July 27, 2021

Jordan Chiles filled in for Biles on the uneven bars. When Biles returned her foot was seen “strapped heavily” even though the superstar gymnast was sporting her warm-up gear.

Reports are stating that Simone Biles is being attended to by a trainer and has left the field of play at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre #Tokyo2020 #SimoneBiles has not warmed up for the uneven bars, USA's second apparatus and reserve Jordan Chiles has.

More to come.. pic.twitter.com/dGyacVsVQO

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 27, 2021

Biles won first place in vault as well as in the all-around competition, but couldn’t hold up in other categories. She placed second in the floor routine, third in balance beam, and slipped all the way to eighth in the uneven bars routine.

According to an Olympics broadcast, Biles’s absence was not a foot-related injury, but instead a “mental health issue.”

Biles has been America’s favorite gymnast even before traveling to the Tokyo Olympics but proved that she was still only human as she led in a handful of events coming out of the qualification round to start the Games.

She wrote on her social media that she has found it difficult to adjust to the pressure that comes with representing Team USA.

“It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it. I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times,” Biles wrote. “I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The Olympics is no joke! BUT I’m happy my family was able to be with me virtually. They meant the world to me.”

One of the latest reports from Fox News brought forth that the number of illegals testing positive for COVID-19 have skyrocketed in the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Texas over 900% increase from the previous 14 months.

“This information was obtained exclusively from a slide distributed to RGV Border Patrol managers to share with agents to help them protect themselves from the virus,” Fox News reported. Over one hundred and twenty-five detainees tested positive in the area.

Typically, 2,000 illegal immigrants are caught every day in the RVG sector. “Currently, the majority of those encountered are turned back due to Title 42 public health protections put in place during the Trump administration,” Fox News noted. Title 42 allows the Biden administration to expel apprehended illegal immigrants because of COVID-19 concerns.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who introduced the SHIELD Act, which promises to codify Title 42. “This is lunacy,” said Cruz. “It is lawless and the only reason Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are doing it is because they are captive to the extreme radical left of their party.”

“You know the leading paper in Washington (The Washington Post) has as its slogan ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness,’” Cruz began. “Joe and Kamala want darkness from the disaster that they have created. And not only that, they’re proposing to make it worse. Joe Biden is now talking about ending Title 42.”

“Title 42 is the tool that has allowed us to prevent people with COVID from being released into this country,” Cruz explained. “We’re in a pandemic; Joe Biden likes to talk about what a priority he puts on the pandemic. Understand this: if the Biden administration ends Title 42, they will be releasing illegal immigrants in your community who are COVID-positive.”

“We’re seeing COVID positivity rates rise in South Texas; we’re seeing COVID positivity rising in Laredo; we’re seeing COVID positivity rising in San Antonio,” Cruz noted. “Just yesterday I spoke with the mayor of Uvalde, Texas, who said as a result of the illegal immigrants being released in Uvalde, they’re seeing COVID positivity spiking up and Biden want to release even more COVID positive illegal immigrants.”

‘This is lunacy,” he stated. “It is lawless and the only reason Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are doing it is because they are captive to the extreme radical left of their party. Everyone else who believes in common sense ought to say, enough is enough, and let’s not make the pandemic worse by making this crisis at the border even worse than it already is.”

While faced with a line of questioning regarding bringing back mask mandates Dr. Anthony Fauci said the order is “under active consideration,” and that he is involved in the discussion surrounding the decision.

CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Fauci about his conversations with top health officials and whether they would impose a new nationwide mask mandate for Americans that have already been vaccinated. His answer was not what the country wanted to hear. 

Fauci said implementing mask mandates is “under active consideration,” and that he is “part of the discussion,” but did not say whether or not he supported mask mandates.

Individuals who are hospitalized with the infection are now largely those who are unvaccinated – about 99% of individuals, according to Kristen Choi, an assistant professor at UCLA School of Nursing.

Fauci reiterated the CDC’s guidance recommending that vaccinated Americans are not required to wear masks, but local officials still have the final word on mandates in their cities.

“If you’re looking at what’s going on locally, in the trenches, in places like LA county, the local officials have the discretion, and the CDC agrees with that ability and discretion capability, to say ‘you know, you’re in a situation where we’re having a lot of dynamics of infection, but even if you are vaccinated, you should wear a mask,” said Fauci.

He added the localities making the decision to impose mask mandates was not “incompatible with the CDC’s overall recommendations that give a lot of discretion to the locals.”

Critics slammed Fauci’s comments as being about “control,” and “constantly changing.”

“Fauci chirping this weekend the vaccinated may well be back behind masks soon,” tweeted conservative columnist Chris Stigall. “Proving this isn’t about anything other than control. It’s sure as hell not about science.”

Fauci chirping this weekend the vaccinated may well be back behind masks soon. Proving this isn’t about anything other than control. It’s sure as hell not science.

— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) July 25, 2021

And they wonder why the public doesn't know who to trust when the messaging is constantly changing. https://t.co/fSZpdrmAR1

— Independent Women's Voice (@IWV) July 25, 2021

Fauci explained to Tapper that there are “two kinds of America,” noting the differences between the “very vulnerable unvaccinated” and the “really relatively protected vaccinated part.” He also urged elected leaders in “areas that are not vaccinated to get out and speak out and encourage people to get vaccinated.”

According to a breaking report published late on Friday, the Biden administration through the actions of the NSA has allegedly unmasked the Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s true identity.

Which prompted a strong response from the network.

“We told you that the National Security Agency has been monitoring this show and the content of Tucker’s emails,” Fox News fill-in host Mark Steyn said during Carlson’s show. “According to a media outlet called The Record, the NSA has just completed its internal review of the matter. The NSA now admits that it unmasked Tucker’s identity after an intelligence intercept.”

“By law, the identities of American citizens are concealed when they’re caught up during foreign intelligence gathering,” Steyn added. “They can only be unmasked in extraordinary circumstances.”

The report from The Record stated:

… the nation’s top electronic spy agency found that Carlson was mentioned in communications between third parties and his name was subsequently revealed through “unmasking,” a process in which relevant government officials can request the identities of American citizens in intelligence reports to be divulged provided there is an official reason, such as helping them make sense of the intelligence documents they are reviewing.

Fox News responded to the report by saying in a statement: “For the NSA to unmask Tucker Carlson or any journalist attempting to secure a newsworthy interview is entirely unacceptable and raises serious questions about their activities, as well as their original denial, which was wildly misleading.”

WATCH:

The NSA now admits that it "unmasked" Tucker's identity after an intelligence intercept. Plus: the tyrants at Facebook confirm that they have been censoring this show. pic.twitter.com/AeYbQzNWLI

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 24, 2021

President Biden snapped at a reporter on Monday in the Oval Office for asking him a question that he wasn’t prepared for.

With Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi joining Biden at the White House NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell asked the President to comment on Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough’s decision that front-line VA workers would be required to get a coronavirus vaccine. That’s when he lost it.

“You are such a pain in the neck, but I’m going to answer your question because we’ve known each other for so long,” he said. “It has nothing to do with Iraq … I’ll answer your question. Yes, Veteran Affairs is going to, in fact, require that all doctors working in their facilities are going to have to be vaccinated.”

O’Donnell said she took his comments as a “compliment” as Biden chuckled. Biden announced the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq on Monday.

Biden was genial with O’Donnell, but he has lashed out in the past at reporters over questions he finds unfair or unfounded. Last month, he snapped at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling her she was in the “wrong business” at one point, and he also had sharp replies on the subject of his son Hunter Biden throughout 2020.

One member of the media has a theory as to why Biden and other Dems have such a hard time responding to hard questions.

One White House reporter anonymously told journalist Julia Ioffe earlier this month that Democrats generally expect the media to take their side and are more “thin-skinned” than Republicans as a result.

“This is not unique to Trump but Republicans never expect a fair shake, so if you cover them fairly, you can have a good working relationship with them,” the reporter said. “Democrats de facto expect you to be on their side and are horrified when you hold them to account as you would any other administration.”

Biden has received a lot of criticism since taking office for appearing to have scripted answers and staging questions to be on his topic of choice. Lately, he’s been looser with his words, such as when he let it slip that Facebook was “killing people” by allowing the spread of misleading information about the coronavirus vaccine.