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4:50 PM ET, August 13, 2021

memeorandum

 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.
RELATED:
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 …
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.
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 …
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 …
Associated Press:   The Latest: UN evaluating situation in Kabul ‘hour-by-hour’
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
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 …
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Meet the handful of Democrats who are threatening to derail Biden's agenda
Robby Soave / Reason:
3 Unvaccinated Florida Teachers Died, the Media Rushed To Blame Ron DeSantis' Mask Ban  —  These last 24 hours were a time of tragedy in Broward County, Florida, where four public school teachers all died from COVID-19.  The local CBS affiliate notes that these deaths come at a moment …
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.
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 …
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.
Carl E. Heastie / assembly.state.ny.us:
Statement from Speaker Carl Heastie on Impeachment Investigation  —  After consulting with Chair Lavine and my majority colleagues, the Assembly will suspend its impeachment investigation upon the governor's resignation taking effect on August 25.  —  There are two reasons for this decision.
Discussion: CNN, The Hill, WIVB-TV, New York Times and IJR
RELATED:
Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
Trump: 'It's about time' that ‘loser’ Cuomo resign
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: Insider
RELATED:
Geneva Sands / CNN:
Calls for violence online similar to before January 6 Capitol attack, DHS Intel chief says
Discussion: Raw Story
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 …
RELATED:
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
Evidence presented to grand jury in Durham's Russia probe
Discussion: Raw Story
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.”
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
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.
Discussion: CBS News, NPR and UPI
Insider:
We asked Republican senators about Tucker Carlson's favorite authoritarian leader.  Their praise and dodges underscore the danger to the US.  — Tucker Carlson's recent visit to Hungary sparked alarm among democracy watchdogs and Democratic lawmakers.  — But some Republican senators …
Pia Singh / CNBC:
Dr. Scott Gottlieb expects coronavirus to be an ‘endemic’ virus in U.S. after delta surge  — Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday that the coronavirus in the U.S. will become an endemic virus after the recent surge in delta cases calms down.  — The former FDA chief said the peak …
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 …
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 …
Discussion: Raw Story, Lenta.ru and Twitchy
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.
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.
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” …
New York Times:
Where Police Killings Often Meet With Silence: Rural America  —  As fatal police shootings have become a flashpoint in U.S. cities, they have also occurred at high rates in rural areas — largely without national attention.  —  PIPPA PASSES, Ky. — The man known all his life as Doughboy …
Discussion: The Marshall Project
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 …
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
 
 
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 More Items: 
Craig Bannister / CNSNews:
V.P. Biden '09: ‘We Have to Go Spend Money to Keep From Going Bankrupt’
John DiStaso / WMUR:
Former Iowa Democratic Chair Troy Price named NHDP executive director
Discussion: Associated Press
Farnaz Fassihi / New York Times:
Iran's Health System ‘Beyond Disastrous’ from Covid Surge
Washington Post:
DeJoy bought up to $305,000 in bonds from USPS board chair's investment firm
Discussion: Raw Story and Daily Kos
Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:
McAuliffe leads Youngkin by slim margin in Virginia gubernatorial race
Lucy McBride / The Atlantic:
Fear of COVID-19 in Kids Is Getting Ahead of the Data
Discussion: ABC7 and Raw Story
 Earlier Items: 
Christine Rosen / Commentary Magazine:
‘Pregnant People’ and the Erasure of Motherhood
Discussion: The Root, SELF and The Reactionary
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Whoa: Maddow heading for MSNBC's exits — in an election year?
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
If You Skip the Vaccine, It Is My ‘Damn Business’
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Four Senate Republicans wait on reelection bids as majority hangs in balance
Michael Daly / The Daily Beast:
This Tennessee Republican Nearly Died From COVID. Now He's Fighting Masks.
Discussion: Raw Story
New York Times:
Can We Ever Look at Titian's Paintings the Same Way Again?
 

 
From Techmeme:

Ina Fried / Axios:
OpenAI raised $6.6B led by Thrive Capital, the largest VC deal of all time, valuing it at $157B, with participation from Microsoft, Nvidia, SoftBank, and others

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Amazon plans to increase the number of ads on Prime Video in 2025 after not seeing a sharp drop in subscribers since adding advertisements in January 2024

Ryan McNeal / Android Authority:
Amazon announces a new lineup of Fire HD 8 tablets, with 50% more RAM than the previous models, and three new generative AI features for compatible Fire tablets

 
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