In the news today: President Joe Biden addressed the nation to justify the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Republicans are quickly scrubbing references to the Trump-led “peace agreement” that led to the withdrawal—and the Trump-ordered release of some of the Taliban leadership now seizing control of that nation. Here at home, America continues to see regular violence from its own reactionary, authoritarian-minded movement.

As Taliban forces entered Kabul—Afghanistan’s capital and largest city—and Afghans rushed to Hamid Karzai International Airport in a last-ditch effort to flee the regime, the Republican National Committee (RNC) decided it no longer wanted to claim credit for the “historic peace agreement” the Trump administration brokered with the Taliban.

In the days following the attack on the United States by al Qaeda militants on September 11, 2001, then-President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban government of Afghanistan hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The Taliban refused to extradite bin Laden. On October 7, the United States attacked and invaded Afghanistan to prove that no nation could safely harbor terrorists such as the al Qaeda militants. Within two months, the Taliban forces were largely driven from power.

Viral video of Afghans clinging to a U.S. military plane departing Afghanistan circulated online Monday in the aftermath of the Taliban occupying the presidential palace in Kabul and taking control. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday, The New York Times reported. For many, the takeover U.S.

 With food insecurity already present in the U.S., the coronavirus only worsened the issue nationwide. According to NPR, food insecurity more than doubled due to the economic crisis COVID-19 inflicted, impacting as many as 23% of households this year. Joe Biden and his administration announced changes to the United States’ food stamp program and its nutrition standards Monday to address the issue.