Say goodbye to Afghanistan

But not until Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack that ultimately led to the U.S.'s military presence in the country. The decision by President Biden to delay the full withdrawal of troops until September defies a May 1 deadline set by the previous administration in a peace agreement reached with the Taliban last year. Before meeting with foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in Brussels today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will work with its NATO allies on a "coordinated" withdrawal. —Al Jazeera

• — China. China has dethroned non-state terrorism as the top national security threat, according to a new assessment from the U.S. intelligence community. The report says China is working to best the U.S. in nuclear capacity, space capabilities, and global influence. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines is testifying on the Hill about the assessment today in the first such hearing in over a year. No threat assessment was issued and no open hearings were held in 2020 to avoid offending Donald Trump's worldview. —NBC News
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• — Russia. In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden proposed a summit to address global concerns about the buildup of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin has already rejected calls by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to end the "unjustified, unexplained, and deeply concerning" buildup that Germany earlier today said Russia is using to "provoke" conflict. Putin is said to be studying the summit proposal. —BBC News
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• — UAE. After a pause for review, the Biden Administration is moving ahead with a controversial $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates that was approved under the previous administration. The sale has drawn ire from some lawmakers critical of the UAE's role in Yemen's civil war against the Houthi rebels, which has killed thousands of civilians and led to a dire humanitarian crisis. —The Hill

Bipartisan bill addresses anti-Asian hate crimes

In a rare moment of bipartisanship, Democrats and Republicans are negotiating legislation designed to combat the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans. The bill would designate a Justice Department official to expedite review of potential hate crimes against Asian Americans, set up a voluntary database of such crimes, and issue guidance to local law enforcement to help facilitate reporting. "For more than a year, the Asian-American community has been fighting two viruses—the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Asian hate," says Rep. Grace Meng. "We have to take action to combat this xenophobia and violence, and supporting this bill would greatly help us achieve all these critical goals." —Los Angeles Times

MORE: Senate filibuster test over Asian-American hate crime bill —Associated Press

Last: The GOP's 2024 game plan

"This is how authoritarianism starts. A society goes from the rule of law, to rule by law—where the minority gets just enough power to change the laws so that they can amass more power. And here is a serious question: If Republicans managed enough votes to sustain an objection to counting Electoral Votes, what would our recourse be? Crossing our fingers and hoping that the Supreme Court steps in? What we are seeing—in broad daylight—is another proof of the idea that democracy runs on the honor system. If you have two parties and one of them is openly attempting to subvert democracy...well, good luck. The time to fight against authoritarianism isn't December 2024. It's now." —Jonathan Last in The xxxxxx

Jonathan Last is an author and the executive editor of The xxxxxx.

MORE: Patrick Hedger: J.D. Vance shows how the populist right adopted the logic of 'you didn't build that' —The Dispatch

Walls closing in on Gaetz

Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector indicted in a Justice Department sex crimes probe that includes Rep. Matt Gaetz, is cooperating with federal authorities. Meeting with investigators several times, Greenberg reportedly has told them that he and Gaetz had encounters with multiple women, including at least one minor, who were given money or gifts in exchange for sex. The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation of Gaetz, to which he responded, predictably, "The swamp is out to drown me with false charges." Facing increasing calls to resign, including from fellow Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Gaetz has vowed not to step down. —The Hill

MORE: New details shed light on Gaetz's Bahamas trip —Politico

Folke: COVID-19 teaches the value of resilience

"The pandemic has cruelly highlighted the risks of ignoring resilience. Our economies have become so mutually dependent that the fate of one rests on the performance of others half a world away. Our cities, usually hives of industry and innovation, have become disease hotspots. Our transport systems are perfectly designed for shuttling pathogens around the planet. And some of our main communication networks prioritize lies and misinformation over truth, making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction." —Carl Folke on Project Syndicate

Carl Folke is the director of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the founder and science director of the Stockholm Resilience Center at Stockholm University.

MORE: Stephen Wunker: Government's role in innovation: Lessons from COVID-19 for another looming crisis —Forbes

Focus on the insurrection

In a scathing, 104-page report entitled "Review of the Events Surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Takeover of the U.S. Capitol," U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton finds that Capitol Police officers were ill-prepared and instructed by leaders not to use their most aggressive tactics in response to the mob of pro-Trump rioters who stormed the building on Jan. 6.

• — "Congress itself is the target." Bolton reports that, three days before the attack, officials were warned in an intelligence assessment of the potential for violence. "Stop the Steal's propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike," the assessment said. 
•  
• — "Because of orders from leadership." Despite that assessment, the Capitol Police's Civil Disturbance Unit, which is responsible for handling large protests, was ordered by supervisors not to use its most powerful tools and techniques. "Heavier, less-lethal weapons" were not used, even though responding officials later told Bolton that they would have helped police "push back the rioters." 
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• — "A decreased level of readiness." Moreover, Bolton found that the unit was operating below capacity due to "a lack of standards for equipment," including the absence of functional shields used by Capitol Police officers. Bolton is expected to testify about his findings before the House Administration Committee tomorrow. Stay tuned. —The Hill

Galston: The case for a Summit for Democracy

"During his presidential campaign, Mr. Biden proposed convening a 'Summit for Democracy' to reinvigorate the global democracy movement. Some have criticized this step as premature at best, saying America should get its own democratic house in order before trying to rally others to the cause. The new [Global Trends] report takes the opposite tack: By focusing on democracy in the world, the U.S. will have fresh incentives to improve democracy at home." —William Galston in The Wall Street Journal

William Galston, a political science educator and author, holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution's Governance Studies Program. He previously served as deputy assistant for domestic policy to former President Bill Clinton.

MORE: Ilene Nathanson: How to protect our country's democracy —amNY

It is really a shame what is happening in Minnesota. At the risk of being idealistic or simplistic, I've always believed that if people just behaved themselves, the police would have the easiest job in the world. —John V., Florida

Recent events across the country are showing White people that being Black in America carries daily burdens we never think of. But I learned this over 50 years ago.

Growing up in Queens County, New York—far from Donald Trump's Jamaica Estates, in Archie Bunker's much less affluent but more multi-ethnic Astoria—the consistently best-dressed of my mostly White bunch of high school friends was one of the few Black guys in our group.

We would often take the subway into Manhattan on summer days or spring or autumn Saturdays to visit a museum, go to a "first-run" movie, or just walk around Rockefeller Center to look at the tall buildings and the pretty girls, and he always dressed as if he were going on a first date or a job interview.

No T-shirt or tank top. Or shorts or jeans. And always sensible, dress shoes…never white high-top Converse sneakers and drooping blue-ribbed tube socks.

One warm summer day, I ran into him on the subway coming back from Manhattan. He was wearing a crisp, button-down, pinstriped shirt, dark trousers, and sturdy shoes. He was obviously not dressed for comfort.  

I asked him why he always dressed so well when he went into Manhattan. I presumed it was in case he met a girl. When I was 17, I assumed everything my friends did was related to helping them meet girls.

His answer has stayed with me for more than five decades:

"The police are less likely to hassle a Black guy if he’s well-dressed."

Instantly I understood. And although I thought we were really so similar—we had the same interests, after all: baseball, rock and roll, the TV show "The Fugitive"—we really did look at the world very differently…because the world looked at us differently.

And then he added, "When your mother wants you to dress well when you go out, it's because she doesn't want people to think her son's a slob. When my mother wants me to dress well, she's also thinking about my own safety."

I am now in my early 70s. God willing, so is he. And if he is now a grandfather, I can picture him boring his grandchildren with obscure baseball trivia, citing specific songs to demonstrate why the music of the sixties is superior to the garbage you hear now…and reminding them to always, always, dress well when you go out in America. —John V., New York

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.