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:
Task & Purpose, Fox News, BizPac Review, Metro.co.uk, Daily Mail, New York Times, New Republic, Politico and New York Magazine
RELATED:
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:
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, New York Times, Human Events, CBS News, Washington Post, Ace of Spades HQ, HotAir, Politico, The Western Journal, The Moderate Voice, Breitbart, TheBlaze, IJR, FDD's Long War Journal, Fox News, Slate, Quartz, CNN, Fox News, Foreign Policy, Responsible Statecraft, Informed Comment, National Review, USNI News, Defense One, Human Events, Associated Press and New York Times
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:
Financial Times, Page Array, New York Post, The National Interest, POLITICUSUSA and NBC 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:
Washington Examiner, NBC News, Vanity Fair, CNN, The Guardian, Washington Post and Althouse
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Biden, July 8: ‘The Taliban Overrunning Everything and Owning the Whole Country Is Highly Unlikely.’
Biden, July 8: ‘The Taliban Overrunning Everything and Owning the Whole Country Is Highly Unlikely.’
Sharif Hassan / New York Times:
An Afghan warlord who steadfastly resisted the Taliban surrendered. Others may follow his lead.
New York Post:
This Afghan rout is entirely on Joe Biden
This Afghan rout is entirely on Joe Biden
Discussion:
HotAir, U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, New York Times and Associated Press
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:
Human Events, The Western Journal and Associated Press
Spencer Ackerman / Forever Wars:
Everything That Will Follow A Taliban Victory Is Still A Part of America's War
Everything That Will Follow A Taliban Victory Is Still A Part of America's War
Discussion:
Zandar Versus The Stupid, UPI, The National Interest and The Federalist
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.
RELATED:
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:
CNN, HotAir, Associated Press, Mother Jones, Townhall, Human Events, Slate, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, HotAir, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams, Bloomberg, The Hill, Nevada Current, New York Post, CBS San Francisco, Balloon Juice, Lawyers, Guns & Money, National Review, Politico, Insider, Angry Bear, Bangor Daily News, The Daily Beast, Deseret News and Washington Post
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:
Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, NPR, Politico, Roll Call, Breitbart, POLITICUSUSA, CNN, The Daily Caller, National Review 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, Jacobin, Raw Story and The Daily Poster
Tony Pipitone / NBC 6 South Florida:
As COVID Hits Florida's Children, DeSantis Stands Firm, Says ‘Deal With’ It — The delta variant of COVID-19 is different, more contagious, and it is fueling a record-high wave of virus in Florida that is rapidly impacting its children. — Florida's plight was a top item on Thursday's agenda of the White House COVID Response Team.
Discussion:
Vox, The Hill, NPR and POLITICUSUSA
RELATED:
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:
Reason, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, CBS Miami, The Guardian and Raw Story
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:
Washington Examiner and Insider
Alyssa Hyman / NBC 6 South Florida:
Four Broward Teachers Die From COVID-19: Union
Four Broward Teachers Die From COVID-19: Union
Discussion:
Bloomberg, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
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 …
Adam Schrader / Reuters:
Dr. Fauci warns Americans may face having booster shots INDEFINITELY and says fully-vaccinated ‘breakthrough’ infections could still cause long COVID: FDA approves third dose for those with weakened immune systems — Fauci said ‘there are a lot of factors’ that go into making decisions …
Discussion:
Page Array and Deseret News
RELATED:
Erika Edwards / NBC News:
FDA OKs third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people
FDA OKs third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Post, Gizmodo, Mother Jones, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, US Food and Drug …, Fox News, KRON4, ABC News, New York Times, NBC Chicago, Cele|bitchy, Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Politico, Poynter, CBS News, KTVX-TV, New York Post, UPI, The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Verge and ABC7
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.”
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:
Snopes.com and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
Zeke Miller / Associated Press:
Biden eyes tougher vaccine rules without provoking backlash — WASHINGTON (AP) — When the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. first began to slow, President Joe Biden backed incentives like million-dollar cash lotteries if that's what it took to get shots in arms.
Discussion:
HotAir, Human Events, Breitbart, National File, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Louder With Crowder, Twitchy and Florida Politics
RELATED:
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, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Trending Politics, Townhall, Liberty Tree, BizPac Review, Mediaite, CBS News and IJR
Christine Rosen / Commentary Magazine:
‘Pregnant People’ and the Erasure of Motherhood — This week, the Centers for Disease Control revealed its guidance on COVID vaccinations for what it called “pregnant and recently pregnant people.” Earlier CDC guidance for pregnant women has now been altered to reflect the new dispensation …
Discussion:
The Reactionary, The Western Journal and WBBH-TV
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:
Associated Press, The Reactionary, Sputnik News and National Review
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
The Supreme Court won't block Indiana University's vaccine mandate. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court allowed Indiana University on Thursday to require students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. — Eight students had sued the university, saying the requirement violated …
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, New York Times, HuffPost, Townhall, UPI, UPROXX, HotAir and Daring Fireball
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.
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Whoa: Maddow heading for MSNBC's exits — in an election year? — Color me skeptical, especially given the timing. Rachel Maddow provides the linchpin to MSNBC's prime time and its election coverage. Even so, the Daily Beast reports that Maddow may hit the road just as Democrats prepare …
Discussion:
Yahoo News, Poynter and Hollywood Reporter, more at Mediagazer »
Kim Bellware / Washington Post:
Colorado Republican official accused after voting system passwords are leaked to right-wing site — A bizarre security breach of a rural Colorado county's voting system has in a matter of days escalated into a criminal probe of the clerk's office, a ban on the county's existing election equipment …
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors, CBS Denver, Colorado Newsline, CNN, Colorado Public Radio, Joe.My.God., The Colorado Sun, Raw Story, Denver Post, Raw Story and NPR
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 and MIT Technology Review
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
If You Skip the Vaccine, It Is My ‘Damn Business’ — When asked if he had gotten a Covid-19 vaccine, Lamar Jackson, a quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, declined to answer. “I feel it's a personal decision,” he said. “I'm just going to keep my feelings to my family and myself.”
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:
Al Jazeera
Michael Daly / The Daily Beast:
This Tennessee Republican Nearly Died From COVID. Now He's Fighting Masks. — State Rep. David Byrd needed a liver transplant after 55 days on a ventilator. Now he's thanking the medical professionals who saved his life by battling mask and vaccine mandates.
Discussion:
Raw Story