Welcome to Tuesday, August 24th, donuts and bagels

The Dept. of Defense announced Sunday that it has activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to assist in the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies with their families from Afghanistan.

The Kabul Airlift is the third time the CRAF has been formally activated. The first was in 1990-1991 to support military deployments to the Middle East in advance of and during the Persian Gulf War. The second was in 2002-2003 ahead of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The Pentagon will use 18 aircraft in this activation: two from Hawaiian Airlines; three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and Omni Air; plus four from United Airlines. 

​​How do you feel about the activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet?

NATO criticizes American withdrawal from Afghanistan

In remarks made last week, President Joe Biden insisted that NATO allies have praised the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

However, Tory MP Tom Tugendhat ― a British Army veteran of Afghanistan who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons ― criticized Biden for questioning the courage of the Afghans he fought with alongside American troops:

“To see their commander-in-chief call into question the courage of men I fought with ― to claim that they ran. It is shameful. Those who have never fought for the colors they fly should be careful about criticizing those who have.”

And Armin Laschet - the leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party - said what is happening in Afghanistan:

“[I]s the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding, and we’re standing before an epochal change.”

Do you think the Afghanistan withdrawal has hurt the NATO alliance?

Bipartisan Infrastructure

Moderate House Democrats sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Friday to reaffirm their call for the House to pass the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill--before the chamber takes up Democrats’ budget resolution that will allow them to use reconciliation for a $3.5 trillion spending plan.

The lawmakers include Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA), Ed Case (D-HI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Jared Golden (D-ME), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), and Filemon Vela (D-TX).

Case stated:

“We must pass the $1 trillion Senate physical infrastructure package immediately and send it to the President without changing it and without linking it to the $3.5 trillion social infrastructure package… In a deeply divided Congress, it is virtually impossible to pass such major initiatives, and any changes or delays will likely cause this one to fail.”

Pelosi and progressive Democrats in the House have insisted that the chamber wait for their reconciliation bill to be drafted and passed by the Senate before they take up the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Should the House pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill before Democrats finalize their reconciliation bill?

All the Memes Fit to Post

And, In The End...

Wishes ready, it's...

—Josh Herman

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