Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal; Dylan Accused Of Sex Abuse

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Aug. 17. Here are a few of the things we’ll tell you about today: President Joe Biden defiantly defends his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, now under Taliban control. Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in 1965. And Mark Konkol catches up with a former Chicago AM radio producer who’s chasing his dreams in Hollywood.

Biden, whose administration was caught unprepared for the velocity of the Afghan government’s collapse, on Monday defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces, saying there was “never a good time” to end America’s longest war.

Biden was defiant at times during a nationally televised address. He said he had a choice of sticking to the previously negotiated agreement to withdraw troops by the end of the year, or commit thousands more to a “third decade of war.”

“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.”

The president did not admit any U.S. fault in how the drawdown was executed but acknowledged that the Taliban takeover unfolded faster than had been anticipated. » Read it on Across America Patch and watch the replay: Biden ‘Squarely Behind’ Decision To Leave Afghanistan

Top military officials privately doubted Afghanistan would ever be able to build a military without the money and firepower of the U.S.-led forces, according to documents that The Washington Post obtained for its forthcoming book “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War.”

» Read it on The Washington Post: Afghan security forces’ wholesale collapse was years in the making

Bob Dylan Accused Of Sex Abuse

Bob Dylan is accused of drugging and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Manhattan in 1965, according to a new lawsuit filed by a woman who says she was his victim. The woman claims Dylan abused her in his apartment at the Chelsea Hotel between April and May 1965, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Dylan’s representative denied the allegations, telling news outlets “the 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.” » Read it, via Midtown-Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, Patch: Bob Dylan Accused Of Abusing Teen Girl In 1965 Manhattan

Mark Konkol’s Road Trip

Who’d have thought Michael Heidemann — the producer of Chicago WGM 720 AM producer and a singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name of “Michael J. Foxy” — would pack up his Chevy Malibu and disappear without so much as a goodbye?

Patch columnist Mark Konkol didn’t know Heidemann was gone until he saw him on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and later picking a guitar in a toga on “Let’s Make A Deal,” a shtick that won him a washer and dryer.

“I thought I was living the dream, just being the radio guy by day and then playing shows on the weekend,” Heidemann told Konkol when they caught up on the Venice Beach boardwalk. “And then everything changed.”

It was time to get out out of town. » Read it on Los Angeles Patch: Former WGN Producer Chases Hollywood Dream, Wins Washer And Dryer

Dogfighting Ring Busted

A Maryland man is charged with more than 40 counts of animal cruelty after authorities accused him of taking part in a dogfighting ring. Eleven dogs were rescued when authorities raided the site of the fights.

Three of the dogs were “so overtly aggressive that rehabilitation was deemed too dangerous,” and they were euthanized. » Read it on Woodbridge, Virginia, Patch: 47 Animal Cruelty Charges Filed Against Woodbridge Man

Quotable

“What a great day for a fabulous celebration of 65 years of marriage, love, partnership, friendship, truth and best of all raising this extraordinary family — including past and present four-legged members. …”

— Vicki Schaar, officiating as her parents renewed their wedding vows for their 65th anniversary, via Oak Lawn, Illinois, Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

Tracking Fred: As residents of the Florida Panhandle anxiously await the arrival of Tropical Storm Fred — which is expected to bring dangerous storm surges and heavy rains — an eighth tropical depression is forming in the Atlantic Ocean, via Pensacola, Florida, Patch.

‘Don’t Florida Our Virginia’: If Florida is the poster state for COVID-19 resurgence, Virginia aims to be its antithesis, via Falls Church, Virginia, Patch.

Back To COVID: Sarasota County Schools reported nearly 200 students, teachers and staff have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, via Sarasota, Florida, Patch.

House Porn: Got an extra $10 million to invest? Here are a few places in the San Francisco area that will make you feel fancy, via San Francisco Patch.

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