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, Fox News, Task & Purpose, Metro.co.uk, Daily Mail, New York Times, Sputnik News, New York Magazine, Politico, Military.com and New Republic
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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, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, Human Events, Common Dreams, CBS News, Washington Post, Deseret News, Breitbart, The Atlantic, Ace of Spades HQ, The Western Journal, EEAS, Fox News, HotAir, Slate, IJR, HotAir, FDD's Long War Journal, 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, NBC News, Page Array, New York Post and POLITICUSUSA
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, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, New York Post, Althouse and Washington Post
John R. Allen / Defense One:
Biden Must Reverse His Decision to Quit Afghanistan — The administration must act now. Here's what they must do. — Afghanistan stands on the knife's edge and history may hold President Joe Biden and his administration personally responsible if the worst comes to pass.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Slate, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Fox News, The Western Journal and Kevin Drum
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
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
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.’
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, Vanity Fair, Human Events and TheBlaze
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
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:
The National Interest, Zandar Versus The Stupid and UPI
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, The Hill, Human Events, Slate, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bloomberg, Common Dreams, Politico, Nevada Current, Balloon Juice, HotAir, National Review, Insider, Angry Bear, 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:
Bloomberg, Fox News, Politico, NPR, CNN, NBC News, POLITICUSUSA, Roll Call, Breitbart, CBS News, 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
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:
NBC 6 South Florida, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, National Review, 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:
CBS News, CNN, UPI 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
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:
Vox, Daily Kos, WPLG-TV, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Joe.My.God., Miami Herald and Florida Politics
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 …
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:
CNN:
Biden's new eviction moratorium can remain in place for now, judge rules
Biden's new eviction moratorium can remain in place for now, judge rules
Discussion:
USA Today, Bloomberg, UPI 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, The Hill, Roll Call and National Review
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
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:
The Reactionary, HotAir, Sputnik News and National Review
RELATED:
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
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, The Wrap, The Gateway Pundit, Snopes.com and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
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, Townhall, Trending Politics, Liberty Tree, RedState, BizPac Review, Mediaite, Twitchy, CBS News and IJR
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, The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter and Fox News
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:
Washington Examiner, UPI, Centers for Disease Control, The Daily Caller and New York Post
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
Grant Stern / The Stern Facts:
DeSantis Press Sec. taking criminal plea deal for violating Rebekah Jones' restraining order (EXCLUSIVE) — Florida's Governor hired Christina Pushaw despite unresolved criminal charges against her for violating an interim restraining order in Maryland. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis …