OnPolitics: ‘Life or death’ consequences in Afghanistan
A Human Terrain Team (HTT) consisting of U.S. Army soldiers and civilians, along with an Afghan translator, meet with local citizens of a village near Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, April 3, 2013. HTTs are composed of military and civilian personnel that interact with the local populace to gain knowledge, so they may aid in creating a stable environment and learn on how to conduct future military and humanitarian operations. (Photo: Staff Sgt. Stephen Schester, U.S. Army)
It’s a new week, OnPolitics friends. (But the GOP is still dealing with Liz Cheney drama.)
Today, U.S. veterans groups are calling on the Biden administration to evacuate Afghans who worked with American troops during the war.
And as supply grows higher than demand, President Joe Biden is set to talk with three Democratic and three Republican governors today about innovative ways to get more people vaccinated.
It’s Mabinty. We’ve got a lot to cover.
The danger of leaving Afghanistan
Thousands of Afghans are desperately seeking to leave their homeland as the Biden administration withdraws the last 2,500 American troops in the coming months. These Afghans fear that once U.S. forces are gone, the Taliban will sweep back into power and target them as traitors.
Because of such dangers, Congress created a special visa program in 2006 for Afghans and Iraqis who worked alongside American troops in those two conflicts. But the program is backlogged and limited.
It takes an average of nearly three years for Afghans’ applications to be processed, in part because of the rigorous vetting involved, according to the State Department. Read more of the investigation from USA TODAY’s Deirdre Shesgreen.
It’s getting harder to get people vaccinated
Biden will meet virtually with the leaders of Ohio, Utah, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota and New Mexico Tuesday to share best practices as the administration moves toward its goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.
Not good news: Most states are at or near the point where supply is outpacing demand, according to an analysis released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health research organization.
But, steps are being taken: The administration is taking several steps to vaccinate harder-to-reach populations, including redirecting federal assistance from mass vaccination sites to more pop-up and mobile clinics. Most pharmacies participating in the federal vaccination program are offering walk-in appointments. The administration also is sending doses directly to rural communities.
What else is going on?
- 🐶 💔 The Obamas said goodbye to family dog Bo, who died Saturday following a battle with cancer.
- Rep. Henry Cuellar, one of Biden’s harshest critics on the migrant surge, urges White House to listen to border towns
- Biden’s support of labor unions is historic. Here’s what it means
- States, cities to receive first chunk of $350 billion in aid this weekfrom COVID stimulus passed in March
- GOP takes sides on Cheney’s ouster, with one congressman calling party ‘basically the Titanic’
- Reversing Trump, US restores transgender health protections
You have one week to get those taxes in!! —Mabinty
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