Biden cuts off questions about Afghanistan amid growing Taliban concerns
02 July 2021
President Biden cut off reporters on Friday after three consecutive questions about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, where the intelligence community has warned the government could collapse as soon as next year amid a creeping offensive by the Taliban.
Why it matters: News had broken hours earlier that the U.S. military has departed Bagram Airfield, the center of its war to oust the Taliban and search for the al-Qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
- Biden told reporters that troops would not be completely gone in the next few days, but that he wanted to ensure there was enough "running room" to complete the withdrawal by September.
- He said that the U.S. has "worked out an over-the-horizon capacity" to assist the Afghan government if air support is needed to keep Kabul out of the hands of the Taliban, but stressed that "the Afghans are going to have to be able to do it themselves with the air force they have, which we're helping them maintain."
What they're saying: "I'm not going to answer any more questions about Afghanistan," Biden then said, moving to cut off reporters. "Look, it's Fourth of July ... This is a holiday weekend, I'm going to celebrate it, there's great things happening."
The big picture: The top U.S. general in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that the country is at serious risk of sliding into a chaotic civil war, citing the "rapid loss" of district centers each day to Taliban fighters taking advantage of the U.S. drawdown.
- Biden last month vowed a “sustained” partnership with Afghanistan, but he has shown no public reservations about continuing the troop withdrawal.
- "Look, we were in that war for 20 years. 20 years. And I think I met with the Afghan government here in the White House, in the Oval. I think they have the capacity to be able to sustain the government," he told reporters.
Go deeper: Afghan president visits D.C. amid growing fears of Taliban takeover
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.