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6:40 PM ET, August 14, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Axios:
Scoop: Biden braces for brutal loss  —  The Biden administration is preparing for the fall of Kabul and a retreat from any U.S. diplomatic presence in Afghanistan — a stunning reversal of expectations.  — It's looking increasingly likely to high-ranking aides to President Biden that the U.S …
RELATED:
The White House:
Statement by President Joe Biden on Afghanistan  —  Over the past several days, I have been in close contact with my national security team to give them direction on how to protect our interests and values as we end our military mission in Afghanistan.  —  First, based on the recommendations …
New York Times:
Afghanistan's commercial hub, Mazar-i-Sharif, falls to the insurgents.  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The last major city in northern Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on Saturday night, marking the complete loss of the country's north to the Taliban as the insurgents appear on the verge of a full military takeover.
Discussion: Townhall and Insider
Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
From hubris to humiliation: America's warrior class contends with the abject failure of its Afghanistan project  —  Twenty years ago, when the twin towers and the Pentagon were still smoldering, there was a sense among America's warrior and diplomatic class that history was starting anew …
Associated Press:
Taliban capture major northern city, approach Afghan capital  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban have captured a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government, and the insurgents are approaching the capital less than three weeks before the U.S. hopes to complete its troop withdrawal.
Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:
How the Afghan Army, Built by the U.S. Over Two Decades, Was Overrun  —  Afghanistan's military was molded to match American operations and collapsed without U.S. air support and intelligence  —  KABUL—The Afghan government outpost in Imam Sahib, a district of northern Kunduz province …
Discussion: France 24
Washington Post:   As Taliban widens its grip, Afghans reckon with life under militant rule
Washington Post:
Taliban advances closer to Kabul as U.S. seeks to avoid battles with its troops staging evacuations
Kamran Bokhari / Wall Street Journal:
The Taliban's Afghan Advance Spells Trouble for Pakistan and China
Discussion: New York Post
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Behold Barack Antoinette  —  WASHINGTON — Jay Gatsby gave big, lavish, new-money parties at his sprawling mansion on the water because he wanted to seem cool.  He wanted Daisy to notice him.  —  Barack Obama gave a big, lavish, new-money party at his sprawling mansion on the water because he wanted to seem cool.
RELATED:
Matt Taibbi / TK News:
The Vanishing Legacy of Barack Obama
Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ
Miami Herald:
Major 7.2 earthquake hits Haiti, at least 225 people dead  —  A major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti early Saturday, collapsing buildings and historical cathedrals in a nation still struggling to recover from a devastating quake that left more than 300,000 dead over a decade ago …
RELATED:
Maria Abi-Habib / New York Times:
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Haiti
Discussion: Financial Times
Washington Post:
At least 29 dead in Haiti in wake of 7.2-magnitude earthquake
Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:
Police Arrest Teen Accused of Helping GOP Strategist's Underage Sex Trafficking  —  Shortly after arresting GOP strategist Anton Lazzaro for underage sex trafficking, police say they've caught up with his 19-year-old associate, who now faces the same charges.
RELATED:
Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
Teen accused of assisting GOP strategist with sex trafficking arrested in Florida: report  —  According to a report from the Daily Beast, a 19-year-old woman who has been accused of assisting a GOP strategist with sex trafficking of underage f girls was taken into custody in Florida.
Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
How Andrew Cuomo's Exit Tarnished a Legacy and Dimmed a Dynasty  —  For 40 years, the Cuomo name has been synonymous with Democratic power in New York.  Now it could mean something else.  —  Andrew M. Cuomo always cared about his place in history.  —  And so, early in his governorship …
Aya Elamroussi / CNN:
‘This is starting to look really ominous in the South,’ expert says, as US is among nations with highest rate of new Covid-19 cases  —  (CNN)The US remains among nations with the highest rate of new Covid-19 cases, driven mostly by a surge in the South, where many states are lagging in getting people vaccinated against the coronavirus.
WNCT-TV:
NC Rep. Keith Kidwell, wife in hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19  —  WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — NC Rep. Keith Kidwell, who serves District 79 and Beaufort County, announced on Friday that he is in the hospital after his wife was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Discussion: Crooks and Liars
Ana Ceballos / Miami Herald:
Biden tells Broward superintendent he backs school mask mandate  —  President Joe Biden on Friday night called Broward County Schools interim superintendent Vickie Cartwright to say he supports the district's staying the course on mask mandates in defiance of Gov. Ron DeSantis' order …
Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos and TheBlaze
RELATED:
Andrew Atterbury / Politico:
Biden administration offers financial help to Florida school leaders defying DeSantis
Washington Post:
‘Outsider’ Buttigieg plays a skillful inside game, positioning himself for the future  —  Over Mexican food one recent evening, Pete Buttigieg told war stories from his presidential run to a small group of senators — including one who would have been an implausible dinner companion 18 months ago.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
New Covid-19 Hospitalizations for 30- to 39-Year-Olds at Record Rate
12news.com:
Arizona schools suing state government over classroom mask mandate ban
Anne Tate / Washingtonian:
Now You Can Get Your Covid Vaccine Delivered Just Like a Pizza
Washington Post:
Dodgers star Trevor Bauer, on leave amid assault probe, was subject of previous protection order
Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:
Biden Administration Plans for Vaccine Boosters, Perhaps by Fall
Discussion: Denver Post
Helaine Olen / Washington Post:
Why the heck are members of Congress allowed to trade individual stocks?
Nick Judin / Mississippi Free Press:
Gov. Reeves For Vaccinations, But Chides Against ‘Virtue-Signaling’ About Mask Need
Discussion: WJTV and The Hill
 Earlier Items: 
Michael Mechanic / Mother Jones:
America Still Hasn't Processed Its Original Sin
George Soros / Wall Street Journal:
Xi's Dictatorship Threatens the Chinese State
New York Times:
‘Like Choosing a Pope’: How Succession Got Messy at ‘Jeopardy!’
Discussion: HotAir and Mercury News
Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
The strange summer land rush in Peoria's dying south end
 

 
From Techmeme:

Financial Times:
Sources: xAI raised $5B at a $45B valuation, almost double its valuation a few months ago; SpaceX prepares a tender offer that would value the company at $250B+

Jibin Joseph / PCMag:
UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 creates Daisy, an AI-generated “scambaiter” tool that mimics the voice of an elderly woman to waste scammers' time

Decrypt:
Eighteen GOP state AGs sue the SEC and its commissioners, including Gary Gensler, alleging crypto regulatory overreach without Congressional authorization
 
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