| | | | | | | Presented By Facebook | | | | Axios AM | | By Mike Allen · Aug 15, 2022 | | Good Monday morning. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,172 words ... 4½ mins. Edited by Jennifer Koons. 💻 Axios Codebook, our twice-weekly cybersecurity newsletter, relaunches this week with reporter Sam Sabin. Sign up here. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Afghanistan in anguish |  | | | Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Ami Vitale/Getty Images | | | | A year ago today, the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. Since then, life for most of the country's 40 million residents has gotten worse: 1. The economy has imploded, Axios' Felix Salmon reports. - The Afghan government's 2022 budget is down over 60% from its 2020 level. Prior to 2021, the country was reliant on foreign aid for 75% of public spending.
- Basic household goods inflation is at 52% year-on-year. Per capita income is down to about $375 per year, its lowest level in over a decade.
2. Humanitarian catastrophe: - Economic privation, a severe drought and other factors have left about 24 million Afghans — more than half the country's population — in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.
- Aid groups say their biggest challenge over the past year has not been security concerns, but a shortfall in funding compounded by the fact much of the world's attention turned to Ukraine following Russia's invasion in February.
3. Deteriorating human rights: - The Taliban promised they had changed, especially on human rights. A year later, the group's promises remain unfilled. Schools are still closed to most girls and young women after sixth grade.
- Taliban officials have cracked down on the media. Human rights groups have documented arbitrary arrests and summary executions of dissidents.
4. Refugees in limbo: - Outside of Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghans have been evacuated and are piecing together new lives. But they face language barriers, a housing shortage, inflation and limited pathways to permanent status, Axios' Stef Kight reports.
- More than 81,000 Afghans have been brought to the U.S. Thousands of other Afghans remain in limbo, including in Qatar and UAE.
🔮 What's next: Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University in Kabul, says change will have to come from within Afghanistan: "When the lives of common Afghans change, the grounds for radicalism will change [and] the people's minds will change." - Hopelessness, he said, is "not a luxury we can afford."
Share this story. |     | | | | | | 2. 📊 Biden's Kabul scars |  Data: Gallup. Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios The fall of Kabul to the Taliban sparked a new crisis for the Afghan people, and a sobering reality check about what two decades of Western intervention couldn't accomplish. - The chaotic Afghanistan exit also soured Americans on President Biden's ability to deliver on promises, Axios' Margaret Talev and Dave Lawler write.
- Horrific scenes from Kabul damaged Biden's relations with allies overseas — though his handling this year of the Ukraine crisis has restored much of the lost confidence, diplomats told Axios.
Why it matters: Independents' divided approval of Biden dropped during the withdrawal and hasn't rebounded. - Democrats' high approval of Biden declined during the withdrawal, then rebounded — only to begin a longer slide since the fourth quarter of last year as inflation took off.
Biden's approval rating was 49% at the start of August 2021, according to Gallup polling. A month later, after the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, it was 43%. Today, it's 38%. 🧠 Reality check: The economy, not foreign policy, is historically the biggest driver of presidential approval ratings. - Mohamed Younis, editor-in-chief of Gallup News, told Axios: "When we ask people, 'What are you going to vote on?,' foreign affairs is almost never mentioned."
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👀 What we're watching: The White House will send a memo to Capitol Hill defending the Afghanistan withdrawal, saying the move strengthened national security by freeing up critical military and intelligence agents, Axios' Alayna Treene scoops. | | | | | | | | 3.🎒 K-12 school of the future |  | | | The new Ehrman Crest Elementary/Middle School, opening next week in the Pittsburgh suburbs, has a dynamic interior ramp + lots of windows. Rendering: CannonDesign | | | | The hallway-and-classroom model of school architecture has been eclipsed. - Schools of the future have flexible "learning spaces," wellness rooms, touch-free lighting and plumbing — and of course, souped-up HVAC for optimum ventilation, Jennifer A. Kingson writes in Axios What's Next.
Why it matters: Lots of pandemic relief money is earmarked for school improvements. So there's a big window of opportunity for construction projects that boost students' physical and mental well-being. Popular features include transparent walls connecting students to the outdoors, movable partitions and furniture, "calming spaces" to address mental health and "learning stairs" — steps that double as amphitheater-style seats. - Other modern touches — gender-neutral bathrooms, bigger access ramps and whiteboard walls — are also on the wish list.
Case in point: At the Ehrman Crest Elementary/Middle School (rendering above) — opening next week in Seneca Valley, Pa., in the Pittsburgh suburbs — corridors include a solar calendar that projects the time. Cafeterias are more likely to be open areas where eating, studying and socializing happen at all times, while libraries are turning into "maker spaces" with 3D printers and other tech. - Space that can be used for educational gaming, virtual reality and coding lessons is at a premium.
School designers also are factoring in enhanced security — like open lines of sight — and climate change, which has some districts building storm and tornado shelters. - Architects are giving more prominence to automotive and culinary arts programs, to show schools aren't just for the college-bound.
Share this story. | | | | | | | | A message from Facebook | | Facebook is taking action to keep its platform safe | | |  | | | | We spent $16 billion to enhance safety and security across our platforms over the past 6 years. That's enough to build 7 pro stadiums. And it's just one example of the work we're doing to create safer connections. Learn more about our work ahead. | | | | | | 4. 🌡️ America's new Extreme Heat Belt |  Shaded counties are those that will, on average, have half a day or more at or above a 125F° heat index in 2053. Data: First Street Foundation. Map: Axios Visuals A new study reveals the emergence of an Extreme Heat Belt from Texas to Illinois, where the heat index could reach 125°F at least one day a year by 2053, Andrew Freedman writes in Axios Generate. - That sweltering region includes St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, Tulsa and Chicago.
- By 2030, some coastal areas in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic may also experience days with a heat index above 125°F, the report found.
The findings come from a hyperlocal analysis of current and future extreme heat events published today by the nonprofit First Street Foundation. - The report examines current and future heat risks down to the property level across the country, joining similar risk analyses First Street has completed for flooding and wildfires.
🔎 Search your risk by address, ZIP, city or county. | | | | | | | | 5. ⚠️ FBI, DHS warn of "civil war" threats |  | | | Mar-a-Lago last week. Photo: Marco Bello/Reuters | | | | An intelligence bulletin from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warns of a surge in threats to federal officials and buildings following the search of former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. - The agencies "have identified multiple articulated threats and calls for the targeted killing of judicial, law enforcement, and government officials associated with the Palm Beach search, including the federal judge who approved the Palm Beach search warrant," the bulletin says, according to CBS News and other outlets.
Threats include "a so-called dirty bomb in front of FBI Headquarters and ... general calls for 'civil war' and 'armed rebellion,'" with mentions of specific "targets, tactics, or weaponry," the bulletin adds. | | | | | | | | 6. 🏈 1 fun thing: NFL lookahead |  Data: FanDuel. Chart: Axios Visuals The Buffalo Bills are the favorite to win the Super Bowl as NFL preseason begins, Axios Sports editor Kendall Baker writes. - On their tails are the past three winners: Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Bucs, the Kansas City Chiefs and the L.A. Rams.
The regular season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 8, when the Rams host the Bills. | | | | | | | | A message from Facebook | | We have over 40,000 people working on safety and security | | |  | | | | That's more than the size of the FBI. And they're working to create more meaningful connections for our communities. That's just one example of the work we're doing. Facebook is taking action to keep its platform safe. Learn more about our work ahead. | | | | 📬 Invite your friends to sign up here for their daily essentials — Axios AM, PM and Finish Line. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | |
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