memeorandum: U.S. diplomats in Afghanistan face daunting, dangerous mission with little military backup (Washington Post)

10:35 AM ET, July 18, 2021

Top Items:

Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:

In Undervaccinated Arkansas, Covid Upends Life All Over Again — While much of the nation tiptoes toward normalcy, the coronavirus is again swamping hospitals in places like Mountain Home, in a rural county where fewer than one-third of residents are vaccinated.

Washington Examiner:

Biden team fumbled early response to Cuban unrest — The Biden administration has been far from stellar in its reaction to the unrest in Cuba, but at least its tepid message is improving. — As Biden at first took far too long to comment on the wave of protests against Cuba's vicious communist regime …

Jorge Felipe Gonzalez / The Atlantic:

Black Lives Matter Misses the Point About Cuba — Last Sunday, Cubans in a small town 16 miles from Havana filled the streets to demonstrate against the government. The unrest quickly spread on social media, igniting protests across the island, marking the first such nationwide wave of protest in the communist country in decades.

Discussion: Washington Post

Jasper Scherer / Houston Chronicle:

3 Texas House Democrats test positive for COVID-19 in D.C. — Three Democratic state lawmakers who left the state for Washington, D.C., this week have tested positive for COVID-19, the Texas House Democratic Caucus announced Saturday. — All three members are fully vaccinated …

Discussion: The Hill, KTAR.com, The Federalist, Insider, Washington Examiner, Deadline, TheGrio, TheBlaze and NBC Los Angeles

Austin American-Statesman:
3 Texas Democrats test positive for COVID-19 in Washington, D.C.

Discussion: CBS News, TheBlaze, mailchi.mp, Associated Press, The Hill, BizPac Review, Fox News, Townhall, UPI, Politico, Washington Times, HuffPost, Breitbart, Instapundit, New York Post, CNN, The Texas Tribune, Power Line and Twitchy

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Democrats are making headlines on voting rights, but little more to counter restrictive efforts by Republicans

Discussion: Vox

CBS News:

Biden nets positive marks for handling pandemic, but vaccine resistance, Delta concern remains - CBS News poll — Six months into President Biden's administration, Americans are less apprehensive about the year than they were at the start of it. — They think the battle against the pandemic …

Alaina Demopoulos / The Daily Beast:

Gaetz and Greene Hold Bizarre Outdoor ‘Protest’ After Multiple Venues Bailed — The controversial pair were forced to address supporters on the street outside the Riverside City Hall, after three California venues turned their planned “protest” away. — Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz …

Discussion: Orange County Register, UPROXX, Mother Jones and Mercury News

CBS Los Angeles:
‘America First’ Rally Supposed To Be Held In Anaheim Cancelled For Third Time

Discussion: NBC Los Angeles, Mediaite, TMZ.com, Insider, Washington Examiner and RedState

Brooke Staggs / Orange County Register:
As protests mount, Reps. Gaetz, Greene move America First rally back to Orange County

Discussion: The Hill, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, Press Enterprise, Crooks and Liars and Mercury News

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:

Can the Southwest Survive With Less Water? — Sometime next month, for the first time, the federal government is likely to declare a water shortage at Lake Mead. — This vast turquoise reservoir, formed in 1935 when the Hoover Dam corked the Colorado River in Arizona and Nevada …

Andrew Demillo / Associated Press:

GOP governor's vaccination tour reveals depths of distrust — TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — Free lottery tickets for those who get vaccinated had few takers. Free hunting and fishing licenses didn't change many minds either. And this being red-state Arkansas, mandatory vaccinations are off the table.

Guy Rosen / About Facebook:

Moving Past the Finger Pointing — At a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in America, the Biden administration has chosen to blame a handful of American social media companies. While social media plays an important role in society, it is clear that we need a whole of society approach to end this pandemic.

Discussion: Fox News, HotAir, New York Times, Insider, Fox Business, The Verge, The Guardian, CNBC and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, more at Techmeme »

Associated Press:

Sorting out Trump's comments on the Arizona audit — PHOENIX — Former President Donald Trump issued three statements in two days falsely claiming that voting fraud and irregularities cost him Arizona's electoral votes. — Trump relied on comments made Thursday by contractors hired …

Discussion: CNN, Insider, Raw Story and Arizona Republic

CNN:
2020 election becomes early dividing line for Republicans in crucial 2022 Senate race in Arizona

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Salon and Raw Story

Washington Post:

U.S. diplomats in Afghanistan face daunting, dangerous mission with little military backup — The conclusion of the Pentagon's two-decade effort in Afghanistan lays bare the challenges facing U.S. diplomats and aid workers who remain behind, as a modest civilian force attempts …

Teo Armus / Washington Post:

Arlington approves collective bargaining for county employees, marking shifting tides on labor in Virginia — The Arlington County Board voted to allow collective bargaining for the county's nearly 4,000 public employees on Saturday, giving labor unions the right to negotiate pay, benefits and other working conditions.

Discussion: Blue Virginia

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:

‘Shadow State’: Embracing corporate governance to escape constitutional limits — Teddy Roosevelt gave a speech in 1902, “The Control of Corporations,” which warned of the danger of corporate power over citizens' lives. Calling corporations “creatures of the state,” he said they must be controlled by …

The Hill:

Death of a legend: Louisiana's Edwin Edwards didn't stoop to racism — There may be no Southern politician who was more colorful, controversial and consequential than Edwin Edwards, who dominated Louisiana politics for more than three decades. — Everything about Edwards, who died this week at 93 …

Washington Post:

Police search for killer of 6-year-old girl remembered for her energy and smile — She liked to mimic her grandmother, so a week ago, Nyiah Courtney got her hair braided. — “We twins now,” the smiling 6-year-old told Andrea Courtney. — It was one of the last times the two talked.

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Tampa Bay Times:

Florida leads nation in coronavirus infections in 2020-like surge — Nearly one-in-five of the nation's new COVID-19 infections comes from Florida, according to the White House. — Updated Earlier today — The coronavirus is surging in Florida in ways not seen since the pandemic summer of 2020.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Courthouse News Service

New York Times:

As Frozen Land Burns, Siberia Fears: 'If We Don't Have the Forest, We Don't Have Life' — Northeastern Siberia is a place where people take Arctic temperatures in stride. But 100-degree days are another matter entirely. — MAGARAS, Russia — The call for help lit up villagers' phones …