Axios Sneak Peek:🚨Swan/Basu exclusive: Trump's war with his generals

Plus: Scoop: Lincoln Project offshoot aims to boost civics education | Sunday, May 16, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By U.S. Bank   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·May 16, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. The fighting in Gaza is a new-war worry for the U.S. Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 1,156 words, a 4.5-minute read.     1 big thing: 🚨 Exclusive — Trump's war with his generals Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images   Axios' "Off the rails" series documents the end of the Trump administration, from election night 2020 through the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol. One important piece is only now beginning to emerge, Jonathan Swan and Zach Basu report in this new episode: Former President Donald Trump's last-minute bid to pull U.S. forces from Afghanistan and swaths of the Middle East, Africa and even Europe ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration — and why he blinked. John McEntee, one of Donald Trump's most-favored aides, handed retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor a piece of paper with a few notes scribbled on it. He explained: "This is what the president wants you to do." 1. Get us out of Afghanistan. 2. Get us out of Iraq and Syria. 3. Complete the withdrawal from Germany. 4. Get us out of Africa. It was Nov. 9, 2020 — days after Trump lost his re-election bid, 10 weeks before the end of his presidency and just moments after Macgregor was offered a post as senior adviser to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller. Macgregor was astonished. He told McEntee, head of the powerful Presidential Personnel Office, that he doubted they could do all of these things before Jan. 20. "Then do as much as you can," McEntee replied. ... A one-page memo signed by Trump was delivered by courier to Miller's office two days later, seemingly out of nowhere: All U.S. military forces were to be withdrawn from Somalia by Dec. 31, 2020. All U.S. forces were to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by Jan. 15, 2021. What the fuck is this? Miller wondered. ... Top military brass, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, were appalled. This was not the way to conduct policy. A call was quickly placed to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. In turn, Cipollone notified the national security adviser, Robert O'Brien. Neither Cipollone nor O'Brien had any idea what the order was or where it had come from. Yet the paper bore Trump's distinctive Sharpie signature. The U.S. government's top national security leaders soon realized they were dealing with an off-the-books operation by the commander-in-chief himself. ... In a remarkable and previously unreported incident in early December, top Trump administration officials reviewed classified intercepts from the National Security Agency that led them to believe Milley was undercutting the civilian leadership of the Pentagon, according to three sources with firsthand knowledge. The intercepts included a conversation between an American who had spoken to Milley and a senior Afghan official. The American told the Afghan official that Milley had no confidence in the civilian Pentagon leadership that Trump had installed. Another intercept indicated that senior Afghan officials had been convinced that Trump's generals were going to defy the president's desire for a speedy draw-down and would slow-roll his orders. ... On April 14, President Biden announced he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Read the full investigative story. 🎬 The backstory: Axios' Margaret Talev spoke with Jonathan and Zach about their reporting during tonight's "Axios on HBO" episode.     2. Congress largely silent on Gaza fighting A Palestinian boy mourns an airstrike victim today. Photo: Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images   The pitched criticism by conservatives over progressive outrage about the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians overshadows a larger silence by the vast majority of Congress, Axios' Sarah Mucha writes. Why it matters: In the largely permissive environment, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ratcheting up its military engagement in Gaza. The death toll is rising, and a spectacular weekend attack leveled a building housing the Associated Press and other outside media. The House and Senate returned from recesses last week but made no move to pass a symbolic, bipartisan resolution urging each side to halt the fighting. Sources tell Axios the relevant foreign relations committees haven't even talked about something that would have previously been an automatic topic. On Saturday, though, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a dramatic statement that surprised Israelis: "I am deeply troubled by reports of Israeli military actions that resulted in the death of innocent civilians in Gaza, as well as Israeli targeting of buildings housing international media outlets." While most other lawmakers did little to take on Israel, its retaliation after Hamas launched rocket attacks from there sparked universal outrage by The Squad. What they're saying: "We can't stand idly by when the United States government sends $3.8 billion of military aid to Israel that is used to demolish Palestinian homes, imprison Palestinian children and displace Palestinian families," Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said in a tweet. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also posted critical tweets. Such statements triggered their own backlash from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). "There is no moral equivalency between Israel and Hamas," he tweeted. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) chased after Ocasio-Cortez last week, accusing her of supporting Hamas — which governs Gaza — because of her pro-Palestinian statements. The bottom line: The progressive statements — including a New York Times op-ed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — reflect that old-school Democratic leaders such as Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be out of step with their younger, more vocal members when it comes to blind support for Israel. Keep reading.     3. By the numbers: U.S. loses more tax revenue than any nation Data: Tax Justice Network; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios The Biden White House wants to invest in tax enforcement to help pay for its infrastructure plan and social spending, saying it could bring the federal government about $700 billion in 10 years, Axios' Stef Kight writes. By the numbers: There's some dispute over the exact amount of money the U.S. government loses because of tax evasion —but it's decidedly a lot. One report by the Tax Justice Network found the country loses more taxes each year than any other nation, although the amount equates to about 6% of its public health budget.     A message from U.S. Bank What can small businesses expect in 2021?     Small businesses are optimistic about the future despite a year of hardship. 89% of decisionmakers believe their businesses will survive the pandemic. 55% believe economic conditions will improve in 2021. Find out how U.S. Bank is supporting a strong recovery.     4. Scoop: Lincoln Project offshoot aims to boost civics education Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   An offshoot of the Lincoln Project is launching Tuesday, aiming to unify people opposed to partisan dysfunction and authoritarianism through civics education and grassroots organizing, Axios' Glen Johnson has learned. Why it matters: The Franklin Project, while a nonprofit and legally distinct from its predecessor, will target "the exact same problem ... but from different angles and with different methods," says co-executive director Greg Jenkins, a George W. Bush alumnus. Lincoln's brash, anti-Trump ads will be replaced with nonpartisan education and collaboration tailored to build consensus. "We're not the megaphone; we're the convener," Jenkins said. Franklin organizers believe civics discussions have devolved from an exchange of ideas to "an unhealthy game of winners and losers," as their prospectus states. That's triggered extreme partisanship, fueling the rise of authoritarian figures. The Franklin Project plans to develop and provide a K-12 civics education program it will offer free to local school districts. It also will establish the "Democracy Corps," a hyper-local movement spread across the nation "that will advocate for and amplify the values upon which America was founded," the prospectus says. The Project does not plan to align with or endorse candidates, offering a true big tent to anyone feeling misrepresented by either major party, or left out of the current political system, said Jenkins, who is leading the group with co-executive director Erin Dobson, a veteran communications strategist. Keep reading.     5. Tweet du jour Via Twitter   Our brother-in-arms Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News shows his investigative skills extend to the golf-handicap database.     A message from U.S. Bank Most are optimistic, but small businesses still face challenges     Of businesses with less than $1 million in revenue: Only 44% believe economic conditions will improve for them in 2021. Only 33% expect to hire more employees in the year ahead, compared to 48% of larger small businesses. See how U.S. Bank is supporting small businesses.   🚀 Thanks for starting your week with Sneak. Please let your family, friends and colleagues know they can sign up for email delivery through this link.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: