Top Items:
Susannah George / Washington Post:
Afghanistan's military collapse: Illicit deals and mass desertions — KABUL — The spectacular collapse of Afghanistan's military that allowed Taliban fighters to reach the gates of Kabul on Sunday despite twenty years of training and billions of dollars in American aid began with a series …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, BBC, Vox, Twin Cities, The Intercept and Political Wire
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George Packer / The Atlantic:
Biden's Betrayal of Afghans Will Live in Infamy — There's plenty of blame to go around for the 20-year debacle in Afghanistan—enough to fill a library of books. Perhaps the effort to rebuild the country was doomed from the start. But our abandonment of the Afghans who helped us …
Discussion:
USA Today, Talking Points Memo and Associated Press
John Podhoretz / Commentary Magazine:
All Biden Had to Do Was...Nothing — All Joe Biden had to do was nothing. Had Joe Biden done nothing, Afghanistan would not have fallen to the Taliban today. Had he just let the status quo continue, the status quo would have continued. Afghanistan would have plodded along and we would have kept …
Discussion:
RedState, Breitbart and Instapundit
Axios:
1 big thing: Biden's stain — Rarely has an American president's predictions been so wrong, so fast, so convincingly as President Biden on Afghanistan. — Usually military operations and diplomacy are long; the outcomes, foggy. Not here. — Just five weeks ago, President Biden assured Americans …
Discussion:
Breitbart, HotAir, The Daily Caller, National Review, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, TheBlaze, Power Line and Talking Points Memo
ABC News:
Afghanistan updates: Another 1K US troops heading to Kabul, bringing total to 6,000 — The U.S. flag has been taken down at the embassy in Kabul, an official said. — Another 1,000 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne have been ordered to head directly to Afghanistan's capital instead …
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Terrorist threat to U.S. levels up after Taliban rise, Joint Chiefs chair says — Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban much faster than President Biden or his top military leaders predicted.
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian and The US Sun
Associated Press:
Taliban enter Kabul, await ‘peaceful transfer’ of power — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Sunday and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government, officials said, as Afghans and foreigners alike raced for the exit, signaling the end …
Discussion:
CBS News, Breitbart, NPR, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, republicanleader.senate.gov, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, National File, Task & Purpose, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, Atlantic Council, The Moderate Voice, CNBC, Common Dreams, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, Insider, TheBlaze, National Review, Raw Story, Slate, CBS San Francisco, Washington Examiner, FOX 5 San Diego, Mock Paper Scissors, NBC4 Washington, Agence France-Presse and ABC News
Jeff Stein / SpyTalk:
Exclusive: U.S. Channel for Emergency Afghan Visas Crashes — State Department mailbox crashes under weight of thousands of SIV applications — The email in-box for emergency visa applications for Afghans who worked with the U.S. has crashed, according to a former Air Force serviceman trying …
Discussion:
Common Sense with Bari Weiss, Wall Street Journal and Just Security
CNN:
Biden officials admit miscalculation as Afghanistan's national forces and government rapidly fall — (CNN)President Joe Biden and his administration struggled Sunday to project order amid a race by American and other foreign personnel to evacuate Afghanistan as Taliban fighters entered Kabul.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, HotAir, Fox News, Twin Cities, Newsbusters, The National Interest and Bloomberg
Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
The Broader Questions Aside, President Biden Has Disastrously Botched this Withdrawal — Those who are defending the debacle in Afghanistan seem to believe that there is only one important question to ask here: Namely, should the United States have withdrawn per se? In reality, though there are two questions.
Discussion:
RedState and Jihad Watch
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
How America Failed in Afghanistan — The New Yorker staff writer Steve Coll on the humanitarian catastrophe that is now likely to engulf Afghan civilians. — On Sunday, as the Taliban entered Kabul—the last remaining major Afghan city not under the group's control—the President of the country …
Discussion:
Atlantic Council
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Afghans working for U.S. government broadcasters fear Taliban backlash. — More than a hundred journalists employed by the American government's own radio stations remain in Afghanistan as the Taliban take power, U.S. officials and Afghan journalists said Sunday.
Atefa Alizada / The Guardian:
Afghan women's defiance and despair: 'I never thought I'd have to wear a burqa. My identity will be lost'
Afghan women's defiance and despair: 'I never thought I'd have to wear a burqa. My identity will be lost'
Discussion:
Associated Press, Page Array, The Daily Caller and Althouse
Associated Press:
Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan
Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan
Discussion:
Fox News, Boston Herald, Associated Press, Newsbusters, The Daily Wire, ABC13 and claytoonz
Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
U.S. completes evacuation from American embassy in Kabul
U.S. completes evacuation from American embassy in Kabul
Discussion:
New York Post, New York Times, Associated Press, HotAir, Political Wire and Mediaite
Associated Press:
Concerns over US terror threats rising as Taliban hold grows
Concerns over US terror threats rising as Taliban hold grows
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and TheBlaze
Tara Palmeri / Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: How the White House wants to spin the fall of Kabul
POLITICO Playbook: How the White House wants to spin the fall of Kabul
Discussion:
The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Trending Politics and Fox News
Wall Street Journal:
Intelligence Reports From Afghanistan Missed One Key Element: Speed
Intelligence Reports From Afghanistan Missed One Key Element: Speed
Discussion:
Twin Cities and HotAir
Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:
Taliban Enter Kabul as Panic Spreads in Afghanistan's Capital
Taliban Enter Kabul as Panic Spreads in Afghanistan's Capital
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Sky News, Breitbart, Power Line and National Review
ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript 8-15-21: Sec. Antony Blinken & Rep. Liz Cheney
‘This Week’ Transcript 8-15-21: Sec. Antony Blinken & Rep. Liz Cheney
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Townhall and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
New York Times:
A frenzied flight from Kabul as the U.S. evacuation accelerates.
A frenzied flight from Kabul as the U.S. evacuation accelerates.
Discussion:
Insider, Task & Purpose, Al Jazeera and Townhall
Michael R. Gordon / Wall Street Journal:
Biden's Afghanistan Exit Raises Questions About His Foreign-Policy Record
Biden's Afghanistan Exit Raises Questions About His Foreign-Policy Record
Discussion:
New York Times, RedState, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and Trending Politics
CNN:
US completes evacuation of embassy in Afghanistan as flag comes down at diplomatic compound
US completes evacuation of embassy in Afghanistan as flag comes down at diplomatic compound
Discussion:
The Independent Tribune, IJR, Mediaite, Politico, UPI, HotAir, The Hill, The US Sun, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner and One America News Network
BBC:
Afghanistan conflict: As Kabul falls, Biden backlash grows
Afghanistan conflict: As Kabul falls, Biden backlash grows
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Daily Beast and The US Sun
Siobhan Hughes / Wall Street Journal:
Biden Officials Blame Trump Administration, Security Forces for Afghanistan Collapse
Biden Officials Blame Trump Administration, Security Forces for Afghanistan Collapse
Discussion:
RedState
Associated Press:
The Latest: UN to hold emergency meeting on Afghanistan
The Latest: UN to hold emergency meeting on Afghanistan
Discussion:
Insider, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, National File, ABC News, Bloomberg, One America News Network and HotAir
Andrew A. Michta / 19FortyFive:
Why America Was Destined to Fail in Afghanistan
Why America Was Destined to Fail in Afghanistan
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Post, spectatorworld.com and Trending Politics
Politico:
Taliban seize power amid chaos in Kabul
Taliban seize power amid chaos in Kabul
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, NBC News, abc7NY, Forbes and justoneminute.typepad.com
Allahpundit / HotAir:
“Forget the visas”: The scramble is on to save Afghan partners as Taliban close in
“Forget the visas”: The scramble is on to save Afghan partners as Taliban close in
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Politico and Washington Post
Laura Reiley / Washington Post:
Biden administration approves largest increase to food assistance benefits in SNAP program history — Benefits will rise by 25 percent on average, an infusion of cash that advocates say better reflects the modern cost of a basic diet. — The Biden administration has approved the largest increase …
Discussion:
Politico
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Jason DeParle / New York Times:
Biden Administration Prompts Largest Permanent Increase in Food Stamps
Biden Administration Prompts Largest Permanent Increase in Food Stamps
Discussion:
Bloomberg and The US Sun
NBC News:
‘Easy money’: How international scam artists pulled off an epic theft of Covid benefits — Last June, the FBI got a warrant to hunt through the Google accounts of Abedemi Rufai, a Nigerian state government official. — What they found, they said in a sworn affidavit, was all the ingredients for a …
Roger L. Simon / theepochtimes.com:
Elder Ignores Mainstream Media in First Online Press Conference — Who'd a thunk it? — Neither the Los Angeles Times nor Politico (both of whom had multiple reporters) and a host of other mainstream media suspects, including the Associated Press, got to ask a single question Friday …