Media top headlines August 31
In media news today, critics resurface Biden ABC interview where he pledged to stay in Afghanistan until every American was rescued, Blinken gets knocked for avoiding questions after Afghan withdrawal speech, and Biden repeatedly implies he's not in charge of when, where he can take press questions
The Washington Post editorial board deemed the Biden administration's chaotic withdrawal of U.S .troops and evacuation efforts out of Afghanistan a "moral disaster" in a new editorial.
The U.S. military flew its last evacuation flight out of Afghanistan Monday. The final flight ended the 20-year war in Afghanistan, yet broke a promise to bring every American home before officially leaving the country. The administration admitted at least 100 Americans were still stranded, despite Biden's pledge to get every American out.
"America is leaving thousands of people behind in Afghanistan. This is a moral disaster," the Washington Post headline read, referring to not only Americans but Afghans in harm's way.
The Biden administration has touted how 122,000 people were evacuated out of the country since the end of July. But the editors said that number is "not large enough," pointing out that former U.S. interpreters and their families, as well as vulnerable Afghans are left stranded.
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"As security worsened in the wake of a horrific terrorist attack at the airport last Thursday, and as U.S. troops prepared for their own departure on Monday, time and space ran out for these people," the editors wrote. "This is a moral disaster, one attributable not to the actions of military and diplomatic personnel in Kabul – who have been courageous and professional, in the face of deadly dangers – but to mistakes, strategic and tactical, by Mr. Biden and his administration."
The Washington Post editorial board said the Biden administration must use all tools at its disposal to get vulnerable Americans and Afghans out of Afghanistan.
The roughly 4,000 students, faculty, alumni and employees of American University of Afghanistan, a U.S.-funded civilian institution, for instance, remain in Kabul, the Post noted. Leslie Schweitzer, chair of the Friends of the American, University of Afghanistan, told Fox News on Sunday that many of those students feel "abandoned," noting the AUAF was "not a priority" for evacuations.
"Our students love America because we've given them this amazing, world-class education, and now they feel abandoned by the U.S. government," she said on "Fox News Live."
Schweitzer said she was "absolutely petrified" of what would become of AUAF students.
The Post concluded that if it's true the Biden administration has leverage over the Taliban, they "must" use it to bring abandoned individuals to safety.
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Pressed by "America's Newsroom" anchors Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino why the administration broke its promise to rescue every American, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that while the military mission has ended, the administration is still committed to helping Americans get to safety.
"The military mission is over, Bill. We are no longer on the ground in Afghanistan to facilitate that kind of safe passage," Kirby said. "But that doesn't mean the administration or the government is going to turn a blind eye to try to help them get home."