Top Items:
New York Times:
The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years. How Did It Collapse So Quickly? — The Taliban's rapid advance has made clear that U.S. efforts to turn Afghanistan's military into a robust, independent fighting force have failed, with its soldiers feeling abandoned by inept leaders.
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Signal, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, IJR and Patterico's Pontifications
RELATED:
Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Afghanistan's Unraveling May Strike Another Blow to U.S. Credibility — Allies may understand the desire to give up on a failed project, but the retreat heightens the sense that America's backing is no longer unbounded. — BRUSSELS — Afghanistan's rapid unraveling is already raising grumblings …
Discussion:
Just Above Sunset, Japan Times and EEAS
Jon Lee Anderson / New Yorker:
The Return of the Taliban — Their comeback has taken twenty years, but it is a classic example of a successful guerrilla war of attrition. — Watching Afghanistan's cities fall to the Taliban in rapid succession, as the United States completes a hasty withdrawal from the country …
Deirdre Shesgreen / Yahoo News:
Reports: US Embassy in Kabul directs staff to destroy sensitive documents as many diplomats prepare for evacuation — The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has directed its staff to destroy sensitive documents as well as other material that could be used as propaganda, according to — CNN and other media outlets.
Discussion:
HotAir, USA Today, CNN, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Power Line, Gizmodo and Bangor Daily News
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
America's Catastrophic Afghanistan Exit Has Many Fathers
America's Catastrophic Afghanistan Exit Has Many Fathers
Discussion:
Liberty Unyielding
Reuters:
Canada to accept 20,000 vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders, human rights workers
Canada to accept 20,000 vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders, human rights workers
Discussion:
Asian, Middle-East …, Sputnik News and Pajhwok Afghan News
Washington Post:
Taliban assault imperils slow-building U.S. effort to rescue Afghan allies
Taliban assault imperils slow-building U.S. effort to rescue Afghan allies
Discussion:
New York Times, Power Line, Los Angeles Times, Atlantic Council and Mediaite
The United Nations:
Secretary-General's press encounter on Afghanistan
Secretary-General's press encounter on Afghanistan
Discussion:
Washington Post, NATO, The Hill and Associated Press
Rupam Jain / Reuters:
Afghan women forced from banking jobs as Taliban take control
Afghan women forced from banking jobs as Taliban take control
Discussion:
The Guardian and Financial Times
Paul McLeary / Politico:
Sources: U.S. planning for a full embassy withdrawal as the Taliban close in on Kabul
Sources: U.S. planning for a full embassy withdrawal as the Taliban close in on Kabul
Discussion:
The Guardian, Defense One, Raw Story, ABC News and POLITICUSUSA
CNN:
‘Your child will wait for another child to die.’ Amid Covid-19 surge, Dallas County has no pediatric ICU beds left, county judge says — Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging and in Dallas County, Texas, there are “zero ICU beds left for children,” county judge Clay Jenkins said in a news conference Friday morning.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Dallas Morning News, CBS News, Daily Kos, Mediaite and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
RELATED:
New York Magazine:
The Cuomo Touch How he lost the governorship. — In 2001, as he set out on his first, disastrous campaign for public office, Andrew Cuomo invited a columnist for this magazine to join him for a car ride through New York City. Bill Clinton had just departed office, leaving Washington …
Discussion:
HuffPost, BizPac Review, Fox News, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Townhall, TheBlaze, Politico and The Wrap
Shawn Cohen / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: At least 63 people on Martha's Vineyard have tested positive for Covid-19 since Barack Obama's maskless 60th birthday bash - the most cases on the island since April — A total of 63 people on Martha's Vineyard have tested positive for Covid-19 since former President Barack Obama's 60th birthday on Saturday
Discussion:
BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, Sputnik News, Breitbart and Metro.co.uk
Shawna Chen / Axios:
Biden administration offers aid to Florida schools defying DeSantis order — The Biden administration is stepping in to offer financial assistance to Florida educators defying Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) law banning local K-12 mask mandates. — Why it matters: The battle over mask mandates in schools has been brewing for weeks.
Discussion:
Fox News, Politico, Mediaite, Insider and Political Wire
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Ana Ceballos / Miami Herald:
Education Secretary ‘deeply concerned’ about DeSantis' order
Education Secretary ‘deeply concerned’ about DeSantis' order
Discussion:
Sacramento Bee, Dallas Morning News, Florida Politics and The Guardian
Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
The strange summer land rush in Peoria's dying south end — Buyers from all over America — some of whom had never heard of the Illinois town — came searching for wealth amid the Rust Belt ruins — PEORIA, Ill. — A block that had once been home to more than 100 people was down to six who lived amid the ruins of another era.
Josh Partlow / Washington Post:
‘This is a very dangerous combination’: New study says wildfire smoke linked to increased covid cases, deaths — Harvard University researchers studied more than 90 counties in the West that were hit hard by wildfires in 2020. — In a new study published on Friday, a team of researchers …
Discussion:
Raw Story
New York Times:
Tap Dancing With Trump: Lindsey Graham's Quest for Relevance — The senator went from Donald J. Trump's public enemy to his impassioned defender. Now he's a golfing regular at Mar-a-Lago, advising the former president on his future. What is behind one of the unlikeliest partnerships in politics?
Discussion:
Raw Story
Lauren Trager / KMOV-TV:
Two St. Louis sheriff deputies fired after working private security for Rep. Cori Bush — ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — Two St. Louis City sheriff deputies were fired after working security for Congresswoman Cori Bush. Now, one of them is defending himself, saying his firing was unfair.
Discussion:
TheBlaze and New York Post
Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:
A D.C. Cop At The Jan. 6 Riot Died By Suicide. Sleuths Identified 1 Of The Rioters He Battled. — Less than 24 hours after a Capitol rioter was identified by online sleuths as a Capitol Hill chiropractor, the family of the late Officer Jeff Smith filed a lawsuit.
Discussion:
Washington Post
Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
The most dangerous Trump official you've never heard of needs to be heard from — “People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in. People want me to replace DOJ leadership,” President Donald Trump told acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen on a Dec. 27, 2020, phone call …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and CNN
Los Angeles Times:
Recall candidate Larry Elder appears to have not properly disclosed his finances — Larry Elder, the leading contender vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom if he is recalled, appears to have not properly listed his business holdings on a financial disclosure statement designed to reveal …
Los Angeles Times:
Wake up, California! Removing Gavin Newsom would be a disaster — Ballots for the Sept. 14 special recall election have been mailed to 22 million California voters. The ballot poses two questions. The first is whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be removed from office.
Wilson Wong / NBC News:
Parent attacks teacher after mask dispute on first day of school in California district, official says — A parent attacked a teacher following a mask dispute on the first day of school, a California superintendent said. — The incident occurred about an hour after the first day ended …
Discussion:
KQCA-TV, Insider, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, Digby's Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, TheBlaze and The Daily Caller
Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
Rebekah Jones Invents a New Insane Lie about Ron DeSantis's Press Secretary — A few months ago, I noted that Rebekah Jones had disgracefully and deliberately lied about Ron DeSantis's press secretary, Christina Pushaw, having turned an administrative fracas that Jones herself manufactured …
Discussion:
The Other McCain, RedState, HotAir, The Stern Facts, hogewash and Twitchy
Rachel Feintzeig / Wall Street Journal:
These People Who Work From Home Have a Secret: They Have Two Jobs — When the pandemic freed employees from having to report to the office, some saw an opportunity to double their salary on the sly. Why be good at one job, they thought, when they could be mediocre at two? — They were bored.
Discussion:
Althouse, more at Techmeme »
Department of Homeland Security:
Summary of Terrorism Threat to the U.S. Homeland — The Secretary of Homeland Security has issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin regarding the current heightened threat environment across the United States. The Homeland continues to face a diverse …
Discussion:
Sputnik News, CBS News, Lenta.ru, POLITICUSUSA, RedState, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Insider and CatholicVote org
RELATED:
Geneva Sands / CNN:
Calls for violence online similar to before January 6 Capitol attack, DHS Intel chief says
Calls for violence online similar to before January 6 Capitol attack, DHS Intel chief says
Discussion:
Strangely Blogged and Raw Story
CNN:
Volatile California governor recall has Democrats nervous about Feinstein seat — CA gubernatorial candidate Elder pushes back on being called a ‘Trump supporter’ — (CNN)It's the Democrats' doomsday scenario: California Gov. Gavin Newsom loses his recall race this fall, and a Senate vacancy is later filled by a GOP governor.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Raw Story, Mercury News and Truth or Fiction?
RELATED:
John Nichols / The Nation:
The Next Gerrymandering Nightmare Has Begun
The Next Gerrymandering Nightmare Has Begun
Discussion:
Breitbart and The Guardian
The Bulwark:
An Open Letter to Joe Biden on Afghanistan — It's not too late to change course, protect America's interests, and stop a humanitarian disaster. — (PHOTOS: GETTYIMAGES) — The situation in Afghanistan is dire. But it is not too late to deploy forces to stabilize it, and ultimately turn it around.
Discussion:
Financial Times and Defense One