It was an hour President Joe Biden would no doubt like to forget.
News
Grove City OH
Description
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was an hour President Joe Biden would no doubt like to forget. Top White House aides set up a "wall" to shield President Biden from unscripted events and long interviews amid fears of the president’s testiness and habit of mangling statements, a string of events over the course of an hour laid bare the challenges ahead The headlines, all within an hour, On Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged that a drone strike in Afghanistan killed 10 civilians, including seven children, not terrorists. A panel advising the Food and Drug Administration voted to not recommend COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans over age 16, dashing an administration hope. And France announced it was recalling its ambassador to the United States out of anger for being cut out of a secret nuclear submarine deal Biden had struck with the United Kingdom and Australia. Biden aides in recent days had quietly expressed relief that the Afghanistan withdrawal. That feeling was shattered Friday afternoon when the Pentagon revealed the errant target for what was believed to be the final American drone strike of the war. The administration had hoped to roll out tougher vaccine guidelines, and to cajole fellow Democrats to pass the two far-reaching spending bills that make up the heart of his agenda. The end in Afghanistan was part of an effort to refocus foreign policy on China, an aim that accelerated with the surprise announcement of the agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. But not only did Beijing balk, so did Paris, as France angrily accused the U.S. of cutting France out of the alliance and scuttling its own submarine deal with Australia. And then France recalled its ambassador after its officials expressed dismay that, in their estimation, Biden had proven to be as unreliable a partner as his predecessor Donald Trump. The strain with France came just as Biden had hoped to pivot to his ambitious domestic agenda. The Pentagon announced the drone strike in Kabul that Biden once touted as killing ISIS-K terrorists had actually killed 10 civilians; a Food and Drug Administration panel rejected an application to provide vaccine boosters to people over 16, though it endorsed the shots for people 65 and older and those at high risk of severe Covid; and the French government recalled its ambassador in Washington for consultation amid a transatlantic spat over submarines.
Discussion
By posting you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.