Wednesday morning news - September 29, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Generals advised against total Afghanistan withdrawal despite Biden’s claims » Top U.S. generals testified Tuesday that they did in fact recommend leaving some troops in Afghanistan, despite President Biden’s claims to the contrary.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee…

MILLEY: Yes, my assessment was back in the Fall of ‘20, and remained consistent throughout, that we should keep a steady state of 2,500—and it could bounce up to 3,500, maybe something like that—in order to move toward a negotiated gated solution.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan before the withdrawal, Gen. Austin Miller reportedly told the president that a total withdrawal would likely result in the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and a Taliban takeover.

And on Tuesday, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie confirmed that report.

MCKENZIE: Sir, I was present when that discussion occurred. And I’m confident that the president heard all of the recommendations and listened to them very thoughtfully.

McKenzie said he too believed some troops should remain in Afghanistan to maintain stability.

But in an August interview, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden if his military advisers recommended leaving some troops in the country. Biden responded—quote—“No, no one said that to me that I can recall.”

Senators press top Pentagon officials on Afghanistan pullout » Officials at the hearing praised a speedy exit from Kabul and “the largest airlift in American history.” But each admitted that how quickly the Taliban seized control of the country caught them by surprise.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testified alongside the generals. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine pressed him on American citizens left behind.

KAINE: What is the administration’s current best estimate of the number of Americans that are in Afghanistan.
AUSTIN: According to State there are currently fewer than 100 American citizens who want to depart and are ready to leave.

Gen. Milley also testified that Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan could pose a terrorist threat to the United States in the next 12 to 36 months.

But Sec. Austin said there are currently no contingency plans in place to return to Afghanistan should a threat reemerge.

Yellen: Congress must raise debt limit before October 18 » Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says lawmakers have less than three weeks to raise the debt limit and avoid an unprecedented default on the U.S. government’s debts.

Yellen told members of the Senate Banking Committee.

YELLEN: It is imperative that Congress address the debt limit. If not, our current estimate is the Treasury will likely exhaust its extraordinary measures by October 18th.

Senate Republicans on Monday blocked a bill that would have lifted the debt limit and funded government operations into December. GOP leaders say Democrats could use a fast track process to raise the debt limit on their own.

And with Democrats planning to pass a go-it-alone $3.5 trillion spending bill without any GOP votes, Republicans say they should also raise the debt limit on their own.

But however they do it, Yellen says Congress needs to get it done quickly to avoid dire consequences for the U.S. economy.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell also testified Tuesday, telling lawmakers…

POWELL: Bottlenecks, hiring difficulties and other constraints could again prove to be greater and more enduring than anticipated, posing upside risks to inflation.

Republicans warn that Democrats’ plan to raise taxes and spend trillions more would further fuel inflation and could send consumer prices spiraling out of control.

NTSB: Speed not a factor in Amtrak train derailment » Investigators still don’t know what caused a deadly train derailment in northern Montana over the weekend. But they have ruled out speed as a cause.

Bruce Landsberg is Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. He said black box data revealed the train was traveling slightly below the speed limit of 79 miles per hour. He also said the Amtrak train was equipped with cameras.

LANDSBERG: We have experts that are studying the camera footage frame by frame to make sure that we see exactly what the engineers saw, or maybe didn’t see, when we got to that point.

Japan to end emergency covid measures this week » Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced that his country will end its current state of emergency tomorrow and will gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: This will mark the first time since April that the country will be free of any emergency constraints. The current state of emergency was not a full lockdown, but it limited gatherings and cut hours for restaurants, bars, and stores.

About 1.7 million people have tested positive in Japan since the start of the pandemic. The infection rate began rising in July and spiked mid-August right after the Tokyo Olympics. Suga is stepping down from leadership over opposition to his government’s health policies ... and his controversial decision to host the Olympics during the pandemic.

Japan has vaccinated roughly 58 percent of its residents … with plans to roll out booster shots to healthcare workers by the end of the year. The government also plans to launch a vaccine passport program.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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