memeorandum: Weapon seizures ‘massive boon’ for Taliban as cities fall (France 24)

1:05 AM ET, August 15, 2021

Top Items:

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 …

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Townhall, Lenta.ru, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Caller, National File, Forbes, Task & Purpose, Insider and Reuters

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 …

Discussion: Breitbart, Washington Post, Slate, Instapundit, Mother Jones, Just Security, NPR, justoneminute.typepad.com, New York Post, Liberty Unyielding and Townhall

New York Times:

Taliban Sweep in Afghanistan Follows Years of U.S. Miscalculations — An Afghan military that did not believe in itself and a U.S. effort that Mr. Biden, and most Americans, no longer believed in brought an ignoble end to America's longest war. — WASHINGTON — President Biden's top advisers concede …

Discussion: The Hill, Jihad Watch, RedState, New York Post, USA Today, Reuters, BizPac Review, Washington Examiner, WTOP and DCReport.org

Washington Post:

Biden administration scrambled as its orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan unraveled — By the middle of the week, as cities across Afghanistan were falling like dominoes to the Taliban and U.S. diplomats appeared increasingly at risk, President Biden's plan for an orderly end to the United States' longest war was quickly falling apart.

Discussion: Bloomberg, The National Interest, USA Today, Washington Examiner and Financial Times

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, Insider and The Guardian

Jessica Donati / Wall Street Journal:

Afghans Despair Over Long Visa Process as Taliban Close In on Kabul — U.S. is airlifting visa holders out of the country every day, but tens of thousands of applicants in Afghanistan await processing — WASHINGTON—Rahmat said he was relieved when the Central Intelligence Agency phoned …

Discussion: RedState and Fox News

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 …

Discussion: Kevin Drum

France 24:
Weapon seizures ‘massive boon’ for Taliban as cities fall

Discussion: Breitbart

Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:
How the Afghan Army, Built by the U.S. Over Two Decades, Was Overrun

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:
As Taliban widens its grip, Afghans reckon with life under militant rule

Discussion: Forbes

Kamran Bokhari / Wall Street Journal:
The Taliban's Afghan Advance Spells Trouble for Pakistan and China

Discussion: New York Post

Reuters:

Quake kills hundreds in Haiti, worsening Caribbean nation's plight — At least 304 people died and hundreds were injured after a major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, authorities said, reducing churches, hotels, schools and homes to rubble in the latest tragedy to hit the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Discussion: CBS News, The Moderate Voice, Breitbart, RedState and The Atlantic

New York Times:
Strong Earthquake Rocks Haiti, Killing Hundreds

Discussion: Sputnik News, Slate, The Hill and The Daily Beast

ABC News:
Haiti earthquake latest: At least 227 people dead, more than 1,500 injured

Discussion: BBC, Associated Press and Mother Jones

Miami Herald:
Major 7.2 earthquake hits Haiti, at least 225 people dead

Discussion: New York Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, UPI and Forbes

Luke Kenton / The US Sun:
HAITI HORROR Haiti earthquake - Huge magnitude 7 quake strikes in Caribbean as THOUSANDS feared dead after buildings collapse

Discussion: Cyprus Mail and HotAir

AnneClaire Stapleton / CNN:
At least 29 dead after 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti

Discussion: NPR, Joe.My.God., Common Dreams and UPI

Washington Post:
At least 29 dead in Haiti in wake of 7.2-magnitude earthquake

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Examiner

Maria Abi-Habib / New York Times:
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Haiti

Discussion: Financial Times

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.

Discussion: The Wrap, Instapundit, Mediaite, Twitchy and justoneminute.typepad.com

Matt Taibbi / TK News:
The Vanishing Legacy of Barack Obama

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ

Ashton Pittman / Mississippi Free Press:

Mississippi 8th Grader Dies With COVID Hours After Gov. Reeves Downplays Child Cases — An eighth-grade girl died this morning in Raleigh, Miss., mere hours after testing positive for COVID-19. Multiple sources told the Mississippi Free Press that the student attended classes at the school …

Nick Judin / Mississippi Free Press:
Gov. Reeves For Vaccinations, But Chides Against ‘Virtue-Signaling’ About Mask Need

Discussion: WJTV and The Hill

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.

Discussion: Law & Crime, Raw Story, The US Sun, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, POLITICUSUSA, Alpha News, Joe.My.God. and The Hill

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story: Teen accused of assisting GOP strategist with sex trafficking arrested in Florida: report

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.

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid

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

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 …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Hill, BizPac Review, HotAir, Fox News and CBS New York

Los Angeles Times:

One person stabbed as COVID anti-vaxxers and counterdemonstrators clash in front of L.A. City Hall — An anti-vaccine rally at Los Angeles City Hall turned violent on Saturday, with one person stabbed and a reporter claiming he was assaulted, according to police and protesters on the scene.