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:
BizPac Review, TheBlaze, Fox News, Task & Purpose, Metro.co.uk, Daily Mail, New York Times, New York Magazine, Sputnik News and Politico
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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:
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, Human Events, Common Dreams, CBS News, Washington Post, Deseret News, The Western Journal, HotAir, Ace of Spades HQ, Breitbart, The Atlantic, The Moderate Voice, EEAS, IJR, Fox News, Slate, FDD's Long War Journal, HotAir, Quartz, 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:
ABC News, Financial Times, Washington Post, Page Array, NBC News, POLITICUSUSA and New York Post
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, CNN, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, New York Post, 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.’
John R. Allen / Defense One:
Biden Must Reverse His Decision to Quit Afghanistan
Biden Must Reverse His Decision to Quit Afghanistan
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Western Journal, Daily Mail, Fox News and Kevin Drum
New York Times:
Afghanistan Live Updates: U.S. Readies Evacuation as Major Cities Fall With Stunning Speed
Afghanistan Live Updates: U.S. Readies Evacuation as Major Cities Fall With Stunning Speed
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
Sharif Hassan / New York Times:
An Afghan warlord who steadfastly resisted the Taliban surrendered. Others may follow his lead.
Washington Post:
‘Why did my friend get blown up? For what?’: Afghanistan war veterans horrified by Taliban gains
‘Why did my friend get blown up? For what?’: Afghanistan war veterans horrified by Taliban gains
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Federalist and ABC News
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:
Associated Press, Human Events and Breitbart
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:
UPI, Zandar Versus The Stupid and The National Interest
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:
CNN, HotAir, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, Townhall, Human Events, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Slate, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Common Dreams, New York Post, Balloon Juice, HotAir, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bloomberg, Politico, Nevada Current, National Review, CBS San Francisco, Insider, Politico, Angry Bear, 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:
Bloomberg, Fox News, Politico, NPR, CBS News, Roll Call, NBC News, Breitbart, POLITICUSUSA, CNN, National Review, The Daily Caller 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, POLITICUSUSA and NPR
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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, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, National Review, CBS Miami, The Guardian and Raw Story
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:
CNN
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, UPI, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
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:
National Review
RELATED:
John Kruzel / The Hill:
Federal judge rejects effort to block eviction moratorium
Federal judge rejects effort to block eviction moratorium
Discussion:
NBC News, USA Today, UPI, National Review and One America News Network
Politico:
Biden's new eviction ban survives initial court challenge
Biden's new eviction ban survives initial court challenge
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon and Roll Call
Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
Federal judge leaves CDC evictions moratorium in place
Federal judge leaves CDC evictions moratorium in place
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit and Associated Press
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
The Supreme Court won't block Indiana University's vaccine mandate.
The Supreme Court won't block Indiana University's vaccine mandate.
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Slate, Washington Examiner, SCOTUSblog, Politico, Washington Post, Townhall, New York Times, UPROXX, HotAir and Daring Fireball
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 …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Insider, Florida Politics, Mediaite, Crooks and Liars, Breitbart and Raw Story
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
Evidence presented to grand jury in Durham's Russia probe — WASHINGTON (AP) — John Durham, the federal prosecutor tapped to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation, has been presenting evidence before a grand jury as part of his probe, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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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, Snopes.com and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
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 …
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:
UPROXX and Denver Post
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, The Gateway Pundit, Trending Politics, Townhall, RedState, Liberty Tree, BizPac Review, Mediaite, Twitchy, CBS News and IJR
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, The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter and Fox News
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:
SELF, The Reactionary and The Western Journal
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 and Alpha News
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 — (CNN)As experts race to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 by encouraging vaccinations and mask wearing, hospital systems in a handful of states are now straining to keep up with the surge.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Sun-Sentinel and Forbes