Ukraine War: Russian Drone Attack Sparks Hotel Fire in Central Kyiv 
Air Force Investigates Officer After Capitol Protest Calling for Trump, Vance Impeachment 
UN Warns of Looming Human Rights Catastrophe in Sudan’s Al-Obeid 
US Resumes Dollar Shipments to Iraq After Months-Long Suspension 
France Battles Mediterranean Wildfires as Heatwave Fuels Fire Risk 
South Korea Warns Won Is Undervalued, Boosts FX Coordination With Japan 
DHS Investigates Cyber Breach in Homeland Security Information-Sharing Network 
Trump Administration Declines USMCA Renewal, Opens Talks on New Trade Changes 
Trump Reports $1.4 Billion in Crypto Income as Digital Assets Become Top Wealth Source 
Trump Administration to Launch Voluntary AI Standards for Frontier Models 
OpenAI Proposes 5% U.S. Government Stake Amid AI Policy Talks 
Russian Attacks Kill Three in Eastern Ukraine as Civilian Casualties Mount 
NRC Proposes Radiation Rule Changes to Boost U.S. Nuclear Power Expansion Under Trump 
Venezuela Interim President Defends Earthquake Response as Death Toll Climbs 
US Envoy Urges Taiwan to Build ‘Hornet’s Nest’ Drone Defense Against China 
Trump Dedicates Theodore Roosevelt Museum, Unveils New Air Force One Ahead of America’s 250th Anniversary 
Moody’s Says Peru’s President-Elect Keiko Fujimori Could Boost Investor Confidence 
The US and President Joe Biden have been taking criticism from many regarding the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan and the rapid takeover of the Taliban. The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair added on to the criticism, calling the withdrawal “imbecilic.”
Blair wrote a piece that was published on his website, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, criticizing Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. The decision was met with very mixed reactions, mostly from lawmakers and commentators, as many veterans in the US have voiced their support for the withdrawal. Despite the criticism, Biden has defended his stance on the US exit from the war-torn country even as the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
To note, Blair was the prime minister when the UK and the USA started the war in the country and ordered the UK’s invasion of Afghanistan. Biden kept the agreement former President Donald Trump, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made with the insurgent group back in 2020.
“We didn’t need to. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending the ‘forever wars.’ We did it with every jihadist group around the world cheering,” wrote Blair.
Blair also criticized the so-called “abandonment” of Afghans as acting opposite from the interests of both the US and the UK. The former prime minister’s comments follow reports of violence that occurred in Kabul, with seven people getting killed at Kabul airport at the hands of the insurgent group.
Meanwhile, a poll by NBC released Sunday showed that Biden’s job approval ratings have taken a dip in the midst of the criticism over the Afghanistan withdrawal and the rising COVID-19 cases in the country. The poll showed that 49 percent of all adults that took part in the survey approved of Biden’s performance while 48 percent disapprove, a rise in nine percentage points in the latter.
From all the survey participants who are registered voters, 50% have said they approve of Biden’s performance as president, while 48% disapproved. 1000 adults were interviewed by the network, and the survey has a margin of error of either plus or minus 3.10 percent. The survey also took place between August 14 and August 17.
