TALIBAN REBELS conquered Afghanistan in a few days as U.S troops withdrew (Shutterstock).

The latest Afghan war is over. The political battle over who is to blame continues.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, two top military officials spoke on what might have been done to avert the rapid conquest of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

According to the Associated Press, Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the committee that he favored keeping a residual force of several thousand U.S. troops in the country as the American military was otherwise withdrawn.

He described the conquest of the central Asian nation as “a couple of hundred men on motorcycles, without a shot being fired.”

Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of the Central Command with responsibility for Afghanistan, said “I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and I also recommended early in the fall of 2020 that we maintain 4,500 at that time, those were my personal views.”

Dire effects of not raising debt limit?

SHOULD THE U.S. DEBT limit be lifted?(Shutterstock).

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of  “catastrophic” effects if Congress did not either raise the federal debt limit, or suspend it. On Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, she warned of an economic recession and financial crisis, according to The New York Times.

The deadline is Oct. 18, although some government shutdown could start by Thursday or Friday.

Fearful of the possible consequences, stocks took a dive on Tuesday.  The bellwether S&P Index declined 2 percent, the biggest drop since May.  The Dow Jones Average fell 1.63 percent (569.38 points) and Nasdaq by 2.83 percent (423.29 points.

Also in the News …

• A ban on requiring mask wearing in schools in Arizona was ruled unconstitutional on Tuesday. According to United Press International, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper said the ban was unlawful because it had been packed within the state budget.
• Racial disparities in COVID vaccination are narrowing. USA Today reported that a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that 73 percent of Hispanic adults, 71 percent of white adults and 70 percent of Black adults have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Sports: Wins not enough for Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers (now 101-56) edged the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Tuesday night, but that didn’t improve their situation in the National League West race. That’s because the San Francisco Giants (103-54) defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 to maintain their two-game edge in the division race.

That means the Blue Crew must win at least four of their remaining five games, and hope the Giants lose at least two games, in order to grab the pennant. A second place finish would mean a wild card spot, and a one-game “play-in” game to advance further in the post-season.

The Los Angeles Angels lost 5-2 to the Texas Rangers in Arlington, to see their record drop to 74-83. The Halos have now lost 9 of their last 11 games.

Weather: Warmer, but not hot

Warmer days are coming to West Orange County, but not quite as toasty as originally forecast. According to Weather.com, Wednesday’s high will be 78 (overnight low of 58) and then rise to 88 on Thursday and Friday and a bit higher at 89 on Saturday and Sunday. Temps will start to drop on Monday (82) and Tuesday (78). In the coastal areas of Huntington Beach, daytime temperatures are expected to be five to eight degrees cooler.