Top Items:
Gideon Rachman / Financial Times:
Joe Biden's credibility has been shredded in Afghanistan — But the fall of the country to the Taliban would also create a dilemma for China — If Donald Trump were presiding over the debacle in Afghanistan, the US foreign policy establishment would be loudly condemning the irresponsibility and immorality of American strategy.
Discussion:
The National Interest, Forever Wars, spectatorworld.com, Quartz, BizPac Review, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Fox News, UPI, Task & Purpose, Metro.co.uk and Daily Mail
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Associated Press:
Taliban sweep across Afghanistan's south; take 4 more cities — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban completed their sweep of the country's south on Friday as they took four more provincial capitals in a lightning offensive that is gradually encircling Kabul, just weeks before the U.S. is set to officially end its two-decade war.
Discussion:
Politico, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Washington Post, Associated Press, NBC News, Reuters, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Common Dreams, New York Times, Deseret News, IJR, Human Events, Washington Post, Fox News, Ace of Spades HQ, HotAir, Breitbart, Slate, HotAir, Quartz, FDD's Long War Journal, Foreign Policy, Fox News, CNN, Responsible Statecraft, Informed Comment, National Review, USNI News, Defense One, Human Events and Associated Press
Shay Khatiri / The Bulwark:
Blame Biden for Afghanistan's Return to the Dark Ages — Executions, sex slavery, ethnic cleansing—and yet the president says “I do not regret my decision.” — The Joe Biden who promised to put human rights at the center of his foreign policy is the same Joe Biden now stubbornly paving …
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Washington Examiner, ABC News, Financial Times, New York Post, POLITICUSUSA and Page Array
Washington Post:
‘Why did my friend get blown up? For what?’: Afghanistan war veterans horrified by Taliban gains — After enlisting in the U.S. military against his family's wishes, Chicago native Tom Amenta said he found himself in “middle-of-nowhere,” Afghanistan, in 2002 as an Army Ranger in a remote area …
Discussion:
The Federalist, Washington Examiner, ABC News and Fox News
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
“Not Our Tragedy”: the Taliban Are Coming Back, and America Is Still Leaving — President Biden made it very clear this week that we're out of Afghanistan, no matter what. — At least Joe Biden is owning it. “I do not regret my decision,” the President said this week …
Discussion:
CNN, NBC News, New York Post, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Althouse and Washington Post
John R. Allen / Defense One:
Biden Must Reverse His Decision to Quit Afghanistan
Biden Must Reverse His Decision to Quit Afghanistan
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Slate, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Fox News, The Western Journal and Kevin Drum
Sharif Hassan / New York Times:
An Afghan warlord who steadfastly resisted the Taliban surrendered. Others may follow his lead.
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Behind the scenes of the Biden administration as the U.S. ditches Kabul
Behind the scenes of the Biden administration as the U.S. ditches Kabul
Discussion:
Breitbart, Associated Press, NBC News, Vanity Fair, Human Events and TheBlaze
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
9 Moderate Democrats Threaten to Tank Entire Biden Presidency The party has managed to work together, until now. — Joe Biden's success to date has owed itself to many factors, the largest of which is the willingness of congressional Democrats to compromise with each other.
Discussion:
Occupy Democrats
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Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Moderates Threaten Stalemate Over Budget Vote and Infrastructure — The letter from nine Democrats, enough to block passage, threatens their party's two-track plan to pass both a $3.5 trillion social policy budget blueprint and an infrastructure bill. — WASHINGTON — Nine moderate House …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, CNN, The Daily Signal, Daily Kos, The Hill, Mother Jones, Townhall, Human Events, Slate, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Daily Caller, HotAir, Bloomberg, Common Dreams, Nevada Current, New York Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Balloon Juice, HotAir, Angry Bear, Insider, National Review, Politico, CBS San Francisco, Deseret News, Bangor Daily News and The Daily Beast
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Meet the handful of Democrats who are threatening to derail Biden's agenda — A handful of centrist Democrats issued a stark threat on Friday morning: If the House does not hold an immediate vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the Senate, they will withhold support …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Bloomberg, Fox News, Politico, CNN, NBC News, NPR, Roll Call, Breitbart, National Review, WTOP, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, CBS News and Slate
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Four Senate Republicans wait on reelection bids as majority hangs in balance
Four Senate Republicans wait on reelection bids as majority hangs in balance
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Jacobin and The Daily Poster
Matthew Loh / Insider:
4 teachers died of COVID within 24 hours in Broward County, Florida. Schools there are defying Gov. DeSantis' ban on mask mandates. — Four teachers from Broward County, Florida died from COVID-19 on Tuesday and Wednesday. — One was a high school teacher while another taught elementary school.
Discussion:
CBS News, NBC 6 South Florida, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, CBS Miami, National Review, UPI, CBS Miami, POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
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Robby Soave / Reason:
3 Unvaccinated Florida Teachers Died, the Media Rushed To Blame Ron DeSantis' Mask Ban
3 Unvaccinated Florida Teachers Died, the Media Rushed To Blame Ron DeSantis' Mask Ban
Discussion:
HotAir, Politico, CNN, Bloomberg and The Guardian
Travis Caldwell / CNN:
These 8 states make up half of US Covid-19 hospitalizations. And the surge among the unvaccinated is overwhelming health care workers
These 8 states make up half of US Covid-19 hospitalizations. And the surge among the unvaccinated is overwhelming health care workers
Discussion:
Sun-Sentinel, The Guardian and Twitchy
Matthew Loh / Yahoo News:
4 teachers died of COVID-19 within 24 hours in Broward County, Florida. Schools there are defying Gov. DeSantis' ban on mask mandates.
4 teachers died of COVID-19 within 24 hours in Broward County, Florida. Schools there are defying Gov. DeSantis' ban on mask mandates.
Discussion:
RedState, Crooks and Liars, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and Joe.My.God.
Tony Pipitone / NBC 6 South Florida:
As COVID Hits Florida's Children, DeSantis Stands Firm, Says ‘Deal With’ It
As COVID Hits Florida's Children, DeSantis Stands Firm, Says ‘Deal With’ It
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Vox, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Florida Politics, WPLG-TV, Tallahassee Democrat and Miami Herald
Dean Sterling Jones / BuzzFeed News:
The Co-Founder Of The Fact-Checking Site Snopes Was Writing Plagiarized Articles Under A Fake Name — David Mikkelson, the co-founder of the fact-checking website Snopes, has long presented himself as the arbiter of truth online, a bulwark in the fight against rumors and fake news.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, HotAir, National Review, The Wrap, The Gateway Pundit, LifeNews.com, Snopes.com, The Daily Caller and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
Steve Contorno / Tampa Bay Times:
Inside Fox News, DeSantis is ‘the future of the party.’ And he's taking advantage. — Emails show the Florida governor is in high demand on the network — and gets his way. — Updated Just now — Early in Florida's vaccine rollout, during a period marked by confusion and images of seniors …
Wall Street Journal:
Durham Probe of What Sparked Russia Investigation Examines FBI Tipsters — The special counsel is expected to submit a final report in the coming months — WASHINGTON—Special Counsel John Durham, appointed during the Trump administration to examine the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia probe …
Discussion:
HotAir, The Reactionary, National Review and Sputnik News
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Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
Evidence presented to grand jury in Durham's Russia probe
Evidence presented to grand jury in Durham's Russia probe
Discussion:
Raw Story
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 …
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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:
Raw Story
Fox News:
Sec. Mayorkas says border crisis ‘unsustainable’ and 'we're going to lose' in leaked audio — Mayorkas visited the Texas border where he announced that there were more than 212,000 migrant encounters by agents in July — DHS Secretary Mayorkas announces 212,672 migrant encounters in July
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, HotAir, New York Post, Page Array, TheBlaze, RedState, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, BizPac Review, Trending Politics, Liberty Tree, Mediaite, Ace of Spades HQ, Twitchy, IJR and CBS News
Brent Kendall / Wall Street Journal:
Federal Judge Leaves New Eviction Moratorium in Place — Any stop to moratorium must come from higher court, judge says — WASHINGTON—A federal judge on Friday allowed the Biden administration's new eviction moratorium to remain in place, saying she didn't have authority to block it despite her misgivings about the ban's legality.
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Free Beacon and National Review
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CNN:
New intel reports indicate fresh efforts by Russia to interfere in 2022 election — Washington (CNN)The Biden administration is receiving regular intelligence reports indicating Russian efforts to interfere in US elections are evolving and ongoing, current and former officials say, and in fact …
Arnold Schwarzenegger / The Atlantic:
Don't Be a Schmuck. Put on a Mask. — Earlier this week, I delivered a simple message: There is a virus here. It kills people. The only way you can prevent it is to get vaccinated, wear masks, and do social distancing. — Some people are complaining, “Well, my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.”
Discussion:
Insider, Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap
Kasha Patel / Washington Post:
July 2021 was Earth's hottest month ever recorded, NOAA finds — If you thought this July was just toasty, you probably didn't realize you were living through the hottest month in modern history. On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared July 2021 the world's hottest month in 142 years of records.
Jesse Sarles / CBS Denver:
South Park Creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone Say They've Agreed To Buy Casa Bonita — DENVER (CBS4) - “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone told Colorado's governor they've tentatively agreed to purchase Casa Bonita, the Colorado landmark in Lakewood that is both a restaurant and a beloved small entertainment center.
Discussion:
The Wrap, New York Post, Mediaite, TMZ.com, Denver Post and UPROXX
Kelvin Chan / Associated Press:
Man kills 5, himself in UK's first mass shooting in decade — LONDON (AP) — Police investigating Britain's first mass shooting in more than a decade — which left six dead, including the gunman — said Friday the motive was unclear but there were no immediate signs that the crime was an act of terrorism …
Discussion:
Denver Post, The Daily Caller, Al Jazeera and WTOP
Jim Swift / The Bulwark:
The GOP Is Playing Itself — Senate Democrats barely have a majority, but they're legislating and trolling the GOP at the same time. — When you're a Senate staffer, you get used to long nights with silly amendments being added to bills under consideration, often sponsored by senators making posturing speeches.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Hannah Sampson / Washington Post:
27 people test positive for coronavirus on Carnival cruise ship — A Carnival Cruise Line ship that left from Galveston, Tex., has 27 coronavirus-positive people on board, according to the Belize Tourism Board. The outbreak is among the highest number of publicly reported cases on a ship sailing …
Discussion:
UPI, Centers for Disease Control, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and New York Post
Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:
McAuliffe leads Youngkin by slim margin in VA gubernatorial race — Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is leading Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin with less than three months to go until the 2021 general election, according to a new poll shared with The Hill Friday.
The Guardian:
America is full of ‘democracy deserts’. Wisconsin rivals Congo on some metrics — Gerrymandering allows legislators to ignore what voters really want. And experts fear it's about to get a lot worse — he United States is becoming a land filled with “democracy deserts” …
Discussion:
The Nation, National Review and MIT Technology Review