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Former President Barack Obama said Friday he was left "heartbroken" following Thursday's bombing in Kabul that killed more than 100 people, including 13 service members from the United States.

The attack outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport killed at least 95 Afghans. Eleven Marines and one Navy medic were among the 13 service members killed, with 15 more U.S. personnel injured. The bombing came as the Taliban's recent takeover of the Afghan government has prompted hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked with the U.S. military over the last two decades to attempt to flee the country.

"Like so many of you, Michelle and I were heartbroken to hear about the terrorist attack outside the Kabul airport," Obama tweeted. "As president, nothing was more painful than grieving with the loved ones of Americans who gave their lives serving our country."

Obama also extended his condolences toward the families of the Afghans killed, "many of whom stood by America and were willing to risk everything for a chance at a better life."

PENTAGON WALKS BACK REPORTS OF SECOND EXPLOSION IN KABUL

President Joe Biden said he is committed to removing any remaining U.S. citizens in Afghanistan and punish those responsible for the attack. On Thursday, he warned the Islamic State, which is believed to have carried out the attack, that the U.S. will "hunt you down and make you pay."

Obama and Biden disagreed on Afghanistan policy during the former's presidency. Biden voiced caution against sending more troops to the region before Obama's 2009 decision to increase U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan. Biden argued at the time that the Pentagon's plan was too broad and expensive.

"The estimates of the cost of this war over the last 20 years ranged from a minimum of $1 trillion to a think tank at one of the universities saying $2 trillion," Biden said last week.

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The U.S. is ramping up its efforts to evacuate as many citizens and eligible Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas before Tuesday's hard deadline for the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Countries such as Spain and Poland have already ended their evacuation missions from the region, and forces from the United Kingdom are preparing to end their mission on Friday.

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Tags: News, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Foreign Policy, National Security

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: Obama says he is 'heartbroken' following terror attack in Kabul

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President Joe Biden has seen his approval rating drop as he faces scrutiny over the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the crisis there.

The Claim

While Biden's approval rating has dipped, some are still comparing it favorably to his predecessors' ratings.

Matthew Dowd, who was the chief strategist for the 2004 Bush-Cheney presidential campaign and is author of A New Way: Embracing the Paradox as We Lead and Serve, compared it to the ratings of former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

"Here is a fact: President Biden's avg approval rating is higher today than Trump's was at any point of his presidency," Dowd tweeted.

"Also, Biden's approval rating is higher than Clinton's at this point in his presidency and about the same as where Obama's was at this point."

This tweet has been retweeted more than 1,000 times and liked more than 7,000 times at the time of writing.

The Facts

On the comparison to Trump, Biden's approval rating has remained higher than his immediate predecessor achieved at any point during his single termas previously reported by Newsweek.

Looking at Gallup ratings, Biden's approval rating does surpass Clinton's at a comparable point. In polling from August 23 to 25, 1993, during the first year of his first term, Clinton's approval rating was 44 percent.

Biden's in the latest Gallup polling, carried out August 2 to 17, 2021, is at 49 percent. It is worth noting that this data was collected largely before the Afghanistan controversy blew up.

However, FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics' latest averages, which correlate closely with Gallup's ratings, are close to this figure as of August 23at 48.5 percent and 48.3 percent respectively.

In terms of Obama's rating at a similar point in his first term, Biden's numbers are close to histhough slightly lower.

Obama's Real Clear Politics average on August 21, 2009, was 52.2 percent approval.

Looking at Gallup, his approval rating from polling carried out August 17 to 23, 2009, was 52 percent.

While that is higher than Biden's latest Gallup rating, the margin of error in Gallup's latest polling is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The difference would therefore fall within this range.

An article alongside Gallup's latest approval rating for Biden said: "With Biden's last two job approval ratings around 50 percent, the honeymoon phase of his presidency is over.

"His approval shows its first sustained decline and now sits below the historical average 53 percent job approval rating.

"The Afghanistan crisis may serve to further erode his public support."

The Ruling

True.

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK

While Biden's approval rating has been diminished of late, it remains higher than Clinton's and similar to Obama's at comparable points in their presidencies.

For Clinton's, it was demonstrably higher, per Gallup figures.

Though Obama's was slightly higher than Biden's, the difference is within the polling's margin of error.

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Fact Check: Is Joe Biden's Approval Rating Above Bill Clinton's, Close to Barack Obama's? - Newsweek

Chicago leader, friend of Obama killed in Hazel Crest attack

Johnnie Owens was shot and killed inside his Hazel Crest home last Tuesday. His family says they believe it was out of retaliation after one of Owens sons testified against a shooting suspect three years ago.

CHICAGO - A South Side community is coming together to remember a Chicago leader and friend of President Barack Obama.

Johnnie Owens, 65, was killed in a south suburban attack.

Owens was a Husband and father of six children four of which he and his wife adopted. He was also longtime friend of President Obama and loved educating the community on healthy eating.

Community organizing and development was Owens greatest passion. He created a community garden near 42nd Street and Calumet Avenue nearly six years ago.

An advocate for healthy eating, he would hold cooking demonstrations, train volunteers and give fresh produce to residents.

Owens was shot and killed inside his Hazel Crest home last Tuesday. His family says they believe it was out of retaliation after one of Owens sons testified against a shooting suspect three years ago.

The family says the shooter entered their home early Tuesday morning, shot the 65-year-old in the head and also shot his son seven times.

The shooter remains on the loose.

"He shouldn't have been released from the start. So I blame Kim Foxx, the lawmakers for not putting tougher laws in place," Owens' step-son said.

FOX 32 reached out to Hazel Crest police about the case and are still waiting to hear back. Meanwhile, Owens wife and Bronzeville residents say they are going to continue to maintain his garden, saying that is what Owens would want them to do.

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Chicago leader, friend of Obama killed in Hazel Crest home invasion - FOX 32 Chicago

Its just absolutely shocking to me that the U.S. cant even claim a draw in Afghanistan. The U.S. was defeated by the Taliban and as a reward for their win we handed over a billion dollars in high-tech weaponry and aircraft.

And to top it all, one of their leaders is one of the terrorists that former President Obama traded for an Army deserter, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. International News Today reported, A Taliban prisoner who was released from the Guantanamo Bay prison in 2014 by former US President Barack Obama is emerging as the key figure who reunited the insurgents and helped them capture the power in Afghanistan. Khairullah Khairkhwa was released along with four others in exchange for captured U.S. Army soldier, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. ...

The Gitmo Five were labelled (the) hardest of the hardcore by U.S. intelligence officials who urged Obama to reconsider his decision. However, those warnings were ignored, with assurance that these five terrorists will be kept in Qatar, so that they are not able to indulge in active politics in Afghanistan.

Well, I guess that didnt go as planned. We get to fight these same terrorists again.

That Joe Biden is in obvious cognitive decline was quite evident back in February when he was questioned about migrant detention centers, specifically about children in tents, and he fumbled the question and his wife had to step in to cover for him. Watching the president, his mental decline is blatantly obvious. This is the man weve put in charge of our nuclear arsenal?

How could this man be elected? Simple: Biden never got one vote for president; every vote Biden got was a vote against Donald Trump. Remember the old saying, watch what you wish for as you may just get it!

Originally posted here:
Terrorist Obama released helped mastermind Taliban takeover | Letters | dailyadvance.com - The Daily Advance

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were overlooked by former President Barack Obama when it came to celebrating his recent birthday.

And that is going to be a bitter pill to swallow going forward. That is according to Royal expert Angela Levin. The former President was known for being very close to the monarchy, as shown by the numerous state visits he had made to the UK during his presidency.

But given that the couple have left the Royal family, in addition to giving their controversial interview on CBS, it seems the Obamas were trying to distance themselves from any controversy.

In an interview with TalkRADIO, the shows host said: The only friends they do have or that they count as friends are all the people who got invited to Barack Obamas 60th birthday party, to which Angela replied: Thats right.

Im sure they havent got over that and wont for many years. Some of the stars who attended the party included Oprah Winfrey herself. Naturally, given that she had conducted the interview, there is no doubt that she discussed the couple with the Obamas.

Having said all that, not everyone has been worried by the snub. Another Royal commentator, Omid Scobie, has played down their absence from the celebration. Instead, Omid has stressed that the couple are firmly focused on their own projects going forward.

After all, they have various deals with Netflix to consider, to a name a few ventures. That is why they are looking after things at home first. In an interview with Good Morning America, Omid stated: One of the lessons learned by the couple was its ok to slow down.

We saw them jump from one big project to the next, especially when they moved over to the US, but theyre on parental leave at the moment, enjoying that important family time from home.

Time will tell whether other big names will snub the couple from their events going forward. But one thing for sure is that Harry and Meghan will continue regardless of what people think. And that, at the very least, should be applauded.

Let us know what you think in the comment section down below. Remember to stay up to date with the latest news onTheOvertimer. Dont forget to visitScreenstingerfor great videos, news, and gameplay!

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Prince Harry And Meghan Markle 'Haven't Got Over' Former President Barack Obama's Failure To Invite Them To His Birthday Party - The Overtimer