Milley defends China calls and says ‘I am certain Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese’ – as it happened

Joe Biden is canceling a planned trip to Chicago tomorrow so that he can carry on infrastructure negotiations in DC.

Talks have intensified as Republicans and moderate and progressive Democrats fragment over a package they can pass. House Democrats want to spend $3.5tn on improvements to healthcare, education and climate-resilient infrastructure, funded by tax increases. Moderate senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are opposed – threatening to derail Democrats’ ability to pass an infrastructure bill while they maintain a slim majority.

The House Progressive Caucus said it won’t vote for the bipartisan $1tn infrastructure deal until the spending plan is passed via reconciliation, and budget committee chair Bernie Sanders supported them.

Florida is suing the Biden administration over its immigration policies, while Republican governor Ron DeSantis is barring state agencies from helping with relocating undocumented immigrants.

The AP reports:

DeSantis’ order authorized the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol ‘to detain any aircraft, bus, or other vehicle within the State of Florida reasonably believed to be transporting illegal aliens to Florida from the Southwest Border.’

He also ordered the agencies to gather information on the identities of any immigrants arriving illegally in Florida from the Mexico border and told state agencies not to spend money assisting those immigrants unless required by law.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s lawsuit claims the federal immigration policy will cost the state millions of dollars and cause harm to Florida.

Biden’s immigration agenda has come under harsh scrutiny in recent weeks, after alarming footage surfaced of border agents on horseback confronting Haitian migrants in the border city of Del Rio, Texas.

Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Friday that there were no remaining migrants at the camp underneath the Del Rio bridge, and administration officials had previously said they would suspend the use of horses in Del Rio.

The US constitution gives the president little power to act unilaterally around voting. But the set of actions the White House announced on Tuesday signals an aggressive effort to use the power Joe Biden does have.

Voting rights groups have long advocated for expanded voter registration opportunities at federal agencies.

Expanding voter registration to the Indian Health Service could help 1.9m people register, according to a report issued last year by the Brennan Center for Justice. Expanding voter registration at naturalization ceremonies could help add a significant portion of the 760,000 people naturalized each year to the voter rolls, the report said.

The actions come six months after Biden issued an executive order instructing federal agencies to come up with plans to provide voter registration assistance.

The announcement also comes as the White House has faced some criticism from civil rights groups who say it is not pushing hard enough to get federal voting rights legislation through congress.

Meanwhile, on the issue of the debt ceiling, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said today that using reconciliation to raise or suspend the debt ceiling is “risky” and a “non-starter”.

But with Republicans digging in on their opposition, reconciliation may be the only option for Democrats to raise the debt ceiling in a party-line fashion.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer had suggested earlier today that reconciliation may be the path forward, but he then walked back those comments after Schumer and other Senate Democrats criticized the idea.

“Today I was asked whether reconciliation is an option to address the debt limit. It is certainly not the best option, nor the option we’re pursuing,” Hoyer said on Twitter, adding that Republicans “have a responsibility to the country to ensure the US does not default”.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that he would soon put forward a bill to fund the government past the end of the month.

If Congress does not pass a government funding bill in the next two days, the government will shut down on Friday.

“I think very soon we will put down a bill to deal with the shutdown and move forward,” Schumer said this afternoon.

Asked whether he could assure the American people that the country will avoid a government shutdown, Schumer said, “We’re doing everything we can to avoid a shutdown, and we should put something on the floor.”

The majority leader expressed hope that Senate Republicans would help Democrats pass a government funding bill, accusing them of “playing games with the American people -- political, nasty and destructive games”.

The White House press secretary reiterated that Democrats had previously hoped Republicans would help them raise the debt ceiling in a bipartisan fashion, which occurred during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Jen Psaki added, “It’s also our hope that, if Senator McConnell isn’t going to help us avoid a default and a shutdown, at least he’ll get out of the way and let Democrats do it alone, so we can avoid a default, and right now that question remains up in the air.”

But as Psaki held her briefing, McConnell threw another wrench into Democrats’ efforts to raise the debt ceiling along party lines.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer requested unanimous consent to move toward a final vote on suspending the debt limit without having to overcome a filibuster. McConnell objected, and the saga over the debt limit continues.

A reporter asked Jen Psaki whether Joe Biden would consider supporting abolishing the Senate filibuster to raise the debt ceiling.

“The president’s position has not changed on that,” the White House press secretary said.

Senate Republicans remain adamant that they will not support any effort to raise the debt ceiling, intensifying concerns over a potential default next month.

Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said in a letter today that Congress must raise or suspend the debt ceiling by October 18 to avoid economic disaster.

The White House press secretary said Joe Biden had a “constructive meeting” with Democratic senator Kyrsten Sinema today to discuss the reconciliation package.

Jen Psaki noted that Biden was still meeting with senator Joe Manchin when she came out to the briefing room.

According to Psaki, the senators agreed that the country is at a “pivotal moment” right now, but it’s unclear whether any progress was made toward agreeing on a top-line cost for the legislation.

A CNN reporter spotted Sinema returning to the White House for another meeting as the press briefing started:

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, is now holding her daily briefing, and she faced questions about Pentagon officials’ testimony before the Senate today.

A reporter asked Psaki to respond to the claim from Gen Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, that he recommended keeping 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan to help ensure the stability of the Afghan government.

The reporter asked whether Joe Biden misrepresented the military advice he received, given that the president previously said he did not hear anyone suggest an ongoing troop presence in Afghanistan.

Psaki said Biden heard “a range of viewpoints” on the matter, and she argued maintaining a troop presence would have risked further casualties.

Asked who recommended the complete troop withdrawal that occurred, Psaki said, “I’m not going to get into specific details of who recommended what.”

House progressives are sticking to their position that they will not support the bipartisan infrastructure bill unless the reconciliation package is simultaneously approved.

Congresswoman Cori Bush said on Twitter, “Today is Tuesday. The infrastructure vote is Thursday. And I still will be voting ‘No’ unless we first pass the Build Back Better Act to deliver universal pre-K, tuition-free community college, Medicare expansion, paid leave, climate action, and so much more.”

But it seems virtually impossible that the reconciliation package can be advanced on that timeline, raising the possibility that both bills could fail.

Away from the Milley-McKenzie-Austin hearing, things are not getting any easier for Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden when it comes to passing Biden’s ambitious domestic spending plans.

The House Progressive Caucus says in a new statement it won’t vote for the bipartisan $1tn infrastructure deal until the spending plan is passed via reconciliation.

Caucus leader Pramila Jayapal of Washington state said of the spending plan: “This agenda is not some fringe wish list: it is the president’s agenda, the Democratic agenda, and what we all promised voters when they delivered us the House, Senate, and White House.”

In a letter to colleagues, Pelosi writes: “The change in circumstance regarding the reconciliation bill has necessitated a change in our Build Back Better legislation but not in our values.”

Pelosi also said “negotiations are being led by President Biden to advance his vision”. Biden was expected to meet two key moderate senators: Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Yesterday, prominent House progressive Ilhan Omar called the two senators “Republicans”.

Of course, no one’s word in Washington is final until it’s final. But there’s meant to be a vote on the infrastructure deal on Thursday.

The hearings before the Senate armed services committee have resumed, with Gen Kenneth McKenzie facing questions about future operations and strike capabilities regarding Afghanistan from Senator Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican.

“Hard to do but we can talk more about it in the closed session,” the general says, referring to classified aspects of the US strike capacity, then admits that the US must still rely on co-operation from Pakistan – which hosted Taliban groups during the US occupation.

“They’re going to be very conflicted about this,” he says, “as they have been for the last 20 years.”

Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is asked how many US citizens are still in Afghanistan. He tells Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat, that 21 just came out.

Here’s some essential reading from Julian Borger, about some essential reading from Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post:

Pointing to the Pentagon officials’ testimony today, Republican senator Ben Sasse accused Joe Biden of having lied about the military advice he received on Afghanistan.

“This is the worst American foreign policy disaster in a generation and the President is trying to cover his ass with political spin,” Sasse said in a statement provided to Townhall.

Gen Kenneth McKenzie. the commander of US Central Command, said he recommended keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan to help ensure the stability of the Afghan government and military, while Biden has said he never received such advice.

Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, acknowledged that he spoke to several journalists who have written books about the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency.

In response to questions from Republican senator Marsha Blackburn, Milley said he spoke to Bob Woodward for the book “Peril,” Phil Rucker and Carol Leonnig for “I Alone Can Fix It” and Michael Bender for “Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost”.

When asked whether he was accurately represented in those books, Milley replied, “I haven’t read any of the books, so I don’t know.”

During his questioning at the Senate hearing, Republican senator Tom Cotton pressed Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, on why he did not resign over Joe Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Cotton specifically referred to reports that Biden ignored Milley’s advice on keeping a US troop presence in Afghanistan, asking how the general could stay in his role after that.

“As a senior military officer, resigning is a really serious thing, and it’s a political act if I’m resigning in protest,” Milley said.

While noting that part of his job is to provide military advice to the commander-in-chief, Milley added, “The president doesn’t have to agree with that advice. He doesn’t have to make those decisions just because we’re generals. And it would be an incredible act of political defiance for a commissioned officer to just resign because my advice is not taken.”

Milley reflected on the sacrifices of people like his father, who served in World War II, and the young troops who lost friends during the Kabul evacuation mission.

“They can’t resign, so I’m not going to resign. There’s no way,” Milley said.

Senator Elizabeth Warren asked defense secretary Lloyd Austin whether he believed that remaining in Afghanistan for another year would have prevented the Taliban’s rise.

Austin said the answer to that question depends on how many US troops remained in Afghanistan and what the mission’s objectives were.

“There are a range of possibilities, but if you stayed there at a forced posture of 2,500, certainly you’d be in a fight with the Taliban, and you’d have to reinforce yourself,” Austin said.

Warren took issue with Austin’s assessment, saying, “One more year of propping up a corrupt government and an army that wouldn’t fight on its own was not going to give us a different outcome and anyone who thinks differently is either fooling himself or trying to fool the rest of us.”

Republican senator Dan Sullivan asked Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, whether he considered the Kabul evacuation mission to be a success.

The Alaska senator noted that the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal received international criticism.

“It was a logistical success but a strategic failure” Milley said.

Republican senator Roger Wicker asked the Pentagon leaders whether they believed the handling of the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan had “damaged” America’s international credibility.

“I think that our credibility with allies and partners around the world and with adversaries is being intensely reviewed by them to see which way this is going to go,” said Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

“And I think that ‘damaged’ is one word that could be used, yes.”

Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said it was his assessment that 2,500 US troops should remain in Afghanistan, with the option to increase that to 3,500 troops depending on need.

When asked by Republican senator Tom Cotton whether he shared that assessment with Joe Biden, Milley said he would not go into detail about his personal consultations with the president.

Gen Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of the US Central Command, echoed Milley’s opinion about keeping troops in Afghanistan, but he also would not say whether that viewpoint was shared with Biden.

Defense secretary Lloyd Austin deflected Cotton’s questioning over whether Biden lied about being advised to keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, simply saying that senior Pentagon officials were given the opportunity to share their opinions with the president.

Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said House speaker Nancy Pelosi called him on January 8 to inquire about Donald Trump’s ability to launch nuclear weapons.

“I sought to assure her that nuclear launch is governed by a very specific and deliberate process,” Milley said in his opening remarks at the Senate committee hearing.

“She was concerned and made various personal references characterizing the president. I explained to her that the president is the sole nuclear launch authority and he doesn’t launch them alone and that I am not qualified to determine the mental health of the president of the United States.”

In their conversation, Milley repeatedly reassured Pelosi that there was “no chance of an illegal, unauthorized or accidental launch” of nuclear weapons.

Defense secretary Lloyd Austin said it was necessary to consider some “uncomfortable truths” about the US military’s 20-year mission in Afghanistan.

“We helped build a state, Mr Chairman, but we could not forge a nation,” Austin said.

“The fact that the Afghan army that we and our partners trained simply melted away – in many cases without firing a shot – took us all by surprise. And it would be dishonest to claim otherwise.”

The Pentagon leader added that the US “didn’t fully comprehend the depth of corruption and poor leadership” among the Afghan senior ranks.

Defense secretary Lloyd Austin began his opening remarks by defending the execution of the Kabul mission, noting that the US military helped evacuate more than 120,000 people over two and a half weeks.

“Was it perfect? Of course not,” Austin said.

The defense secretary acknowledged that the Pentagon is “still working to get out Americans who wish to leave,” as well as Afghan allies who have applied to the special immigrant visa program.

“That part of our mission is not over,” Austin said.

Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, sharply criticized the Biden administration for its coordination with the Taliban.

The Republican senator accused the White House of negotiating with terrorists amid the Kabul evacuation mission.

But as a Washington Post reporter noted, Inhofe previously praised Donald Trump’s talks with the Taliban, describing them as “historic steps towards peace in Afghanistan”.

Senator Jack Reed, the Democratic chairman of the armed services committee, opened the hearing with some criticism of today’s witnesses.

Reed said he was “disappointed” that the Pentagon leaders did not send their opening statements to the committee until late last night, giving senators and staffers very little time to review their remarks.

Reed encouraged the officials to abide by committee guidelines the next time they are called to testify.

At the Senate hearing, Gen Mark Milley, alongside the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and the head of US central command, Gen Kenneth McKenzie, will face stern questioning from both sides over the chaotic last days of the 20-year US military presence in Afghanistan, and asked why some many Afghans who had been granted special immigrant visas or had visa applications pending were left behind to fend for themselves after Kabul fell to the Taliban.

McKenzie will also have to answer questions about a 29 August drone strike that was meant to target an Islamic State car bomb but instead killed 10 members of a family, seven of them children.

Milley will be asked why he deemed it a “righteous strike” before all the evidence was available, and all three men will have to respond to concerns that such deadly mistakes could become more concerning as the US resorts to an over-the-horizon approach to counter-terrorist operations in Afghanistan in the future, flying long-distance bombing sorties with little or no human intelligence on the ground to guide attacks.

The top US general will appear before Congress on Tuesday in what is expected to be the most heated cross-examination of a senior US military officer in over a decade.

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mark Milley, can expect a hostile interrogation from Republicans on the Senate armed services committee after accounts in a recent book that he carried out acts of insubordination to prevent Donald Trump from starting a war as a diversion from his election defeat last year.

In the book, Peril, the Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa report that Milley twice called his Chinese opposite number to reassure him that the US would not conduct a surprise attack, and that the US general would alert Beijing if the president tried to order one.

Milley will be facing senior Republican senators who have been calling for his resignation since the book came out this month.

Some Democrats, though generally thankful that Milley stepped in to rule out a potentially catastrophic military diversion ordered by a volatile and defeated president, are also concerned about the precedent it sets for the future power balance between elected civilian leaders and US generals and admirals.