The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years.  How Did It Collapse So Quickly?  —  The Taliban's rapid advance has made clear that U.S. efforts to turn Afghanistan's military into a robust, independent fighting force have failed, with its soldiers feeling abandoned by inept leaders.

The Cuomo Touch How he lost the governorship.  —  In 2001, as he set out on his first, disastrous campaign for public office, Andrew Cuomo invited a columnist for this magazine to join him for a car ride through New York City.  Bill Clinton had just departed office, leaving Washington …

The strange summer land rush in Peoria's dying south end  —  Buyers from all over America — some of whom had never heard of the Illinois town — came searching for wealth amid the Rust Belt ruins  —  PEORIA, Ill. — A block that had once been home to more than 100 people was down to six who lived amid the ruins of another era.

‘Your child will wait for another child to die.’ Amid Covid-19 surge, Dallas County has no pediatric ICU beds left, county judge says  —  Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging and in Dallas County, Texas, there are “zero ICU beds left for children,” county judge Clay Jenkins said in a news conference Friday morning.

‘Like Choosing a Pope’: How Succession Got Messy at ‘Jeopardy!’  —  The decades-old game show, TV comfort food for many, has been rocked by drama over who would replace the late Alex Trebek.  —  When Ken Jennings arrived at the “Jeopardy!” studios in November for the first day of his audition …

A D.C. Cop At The Jan. 6 Riot Died By Suicide.  Sleuths Identified 1 Of The Rioters He Battled.  —  Less than 24 hours after a Capitol rioter was identified by online sleuths as a Capitol Hill chiropractor, the family of the late Officer Jeff Smith filed a lawsuit.

Biden administration offers aid to Florida schools defying DeSantis order  —  The Biden administration is stepping in to offer financial assistance to Florida educators defying Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) law banning local K-12 mask mandates.  —  Why it matters: The battle over mask mandates in schools has been brewing for weeks.

Tap Dancing With Trump: Lindsey Graham's Quest for Relevance  —  The senator went from Donald J. Trump's public enemy to his impassioned defender.  Now he's a golfing regular at Mar-a-Lago, advising the former president on his future.  What is behind one of the unlikeliest partnerships in politics?

EXCLUSIVE: At least 63 people on Martha's Vineyard have tested positive for Covid-19 since Barack Obama's maskless 60th birthday bash - the most cases on the island since April  — A total of 63 people on Martha's Vineyard have tested positive for Covid-19 since former President Barack Obama's 60th birthday on Saturday

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Haiti  —  Seismologists reported that a magnitude 7.2 quake struck in the west of the country, and heavy damage was reported in at least two cities.  —  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday morning, seismologists said …

‘This is a very dangerous combination’: New study says wildfire smoke linked to increased covid cases, deaths  —  Harvard University researchers studied more than 90 counties in the West that were hit hard by wildfires in 2020.  —  In a new study published on Friday, a team of researchers …

These People Who Work From Home Have a Secret: They Have Two Jobs  —  When the pandemic freed employees from having to report to the office, some saw an opportunity to double their salary on the sly.  Why be good at one job, they thought, when they could be mediocre at two?  —  They were bored.

Cuomo vs. de Blasio: Clash of egos ends with a whimper  —  The mayor is the last man standing amid his epic feud with the governor  —  NEW YORK — Of course Bill de Blasio was on vacation when the news broke.  —  In eight years of epic public feuding, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) …

Rebekah Jones Invents a New Insane Lie about Ron DeSantis's Press Secretary  —  A few months ago, I noted that Rebekah Jones had disgracefully and deliberately lied about Ron DeSantis's press secretary, Christina Pushaw, having turned an administrative fracas that Jones herself manufactured …

Wake up, California!  Removing Gavin Newsom would be a disaster  —  Ballots for the Sept. 14 special recall election have been mailed to 22 million California voters.  The ballot poses two questions.  The first is whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be removed from office.

Parent attacks teacher after mask dispute on first day of school in California district, official says  —  A parent attacked a teacher following a mask dispute on the first day of school, a California superintendent said.  —  The incident occurred about an hour after the first day ended …