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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:
BBC, Fox News, Twin Cities, Vox, Washington Monthly, The Intercept, HotAir and New York Times
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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.
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
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
For Biden, Images of Defeat He Wanted to Avoid — President Biden will go down in history, fairly or unfairly, as the president who presided over a humiliating final act in the American experiment in Afghanistan. — Rarely in modern presidential history have words come back to bite …
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, Associated Press and Daily Kos
Sarah Zheng / South China Morning Post:
China, Russia embassies stay put in Afghanistan as US and allies flee Taliban — Collapse of Afghan government sets off evacuation scramble but Beijing and Moscow have no current plans to remove staff Chinese embassy warns its nationals to stay indoors, take safety precautions and keep …
Discussion:
RedState
United States Department of State:
Joint Statement on Afghanistan — The following is the text of a joint statement on Afghanistan initially released by the following: Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark …
Discussion:
RedState
Julian Borger / The Guardian:
Taliban's Abdul Ghani Baradar is undisputed victor of a 20-year war — Return to power of movement's co-founder embodies Afghanistan's inability to escape history of conflict — Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader freed from a Pakistani jail on the request of the US less than three years ago …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Wall Street Journal:
‘Saigon on Steroids’: The Desperate Rush to Flee Afghanistan — Kabul airport descends into chaos as Afghan civilians besiege the terminal and Western countries scramble to evacuate personnel, in a dizzying coda to America's longest war — KABUL—The lucky few were already inside …
Discussion:
CNN, Bloomberg, Insider, Japan Times and globalnews.ca
Associated Press:
Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials were stunned on Sunday by the pace of the Taliban's nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation.
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Daily Wire, CNN, RealClearPolitics, claytoonz, Newsbusters, RedState and ABC13
James Gordon Meek / ABC News:
Afghanistan's collapse: Did US intelligence get it wrong? — American intelligence sources say they correctly predicted the fall of Kabul. — As panicked Afghans watched Taliban fighters roll into the capital city of Kabul Sunday, sealing the collapse of the U.S.-backed government there …
Discussion:
Fox News, Breitbart and The Dispatch
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:
The Bulwark, Fox News, The Guardian, CNN and The US Sun
Wall Street Journal:
Chaotic Afghanistan Pullout Caps Two Decades of Missteps — Successive U.S. administrations followed strategies that inadvertently fueled support for the insurgency and missed key windows to negotiate — WASHINGTON—In early July, President Biden stood in the East Room of the White House …
Discussion:
TIME, National Review, Associated Press and New York Times
Robin Wright / New Yorker:
Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era?
Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era?
Discussion:
New York Post, Breitbart, Insider and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Michael Lee / Fox News:
Jen Psaki ‘out of the office’ as Biden remains silent on Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
Jen Psaki ‘out of the office’ as Biden remains silent on Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy, RedState and National File
BBC:
Afghanistan conflict: As Kabul falls, Biden backlash grows
Afghanistan conflict: As Kabul falls, Biden backlash grows
Discussion:
New York Times, Breitbart, The US Sun, Townhall and The Daily Beast
Jeff Stein / SpyTalk:
Exclusive: U.S. Channel for Emergency Afghan Visas Crashes
Exclusive: U.S. Channel for Emergency Afghan Visas Crashes
Discussion:
Common Sense with Bari Weiss, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post
Financial Times:
Low morale, no support and bad politics: why the Afghan army folded
Low morale, no support and bad politics: why the Afghan army folded
Discussion:
Atlantic Council
Associated Press:
“Game over:” Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans
“Game over:” Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit and CBS News
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
How America Failed in Afghanistan
How America Failed in Afghanistan
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Atlantic Council and 19FortyFive
Lindsay Kornick / Fox News:
Rep. Van Drew calls for Biden's resignation amid Taliban takeover in Afghanistan
Rep. Van Drew calls for Biden's resignation amid Taliban takeover in Afghanistan
Discussion:
Breitbart
CNN:
Biden officials admit miscalculation as Afghanistan's national forces and government rapidly fall
Biden officials admit miscalculation as Afghanistan's national forces and government rapidly fall
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, HuffPost, Twin Cities, Newsbusters, The National Interest, UPI and Bloomberg
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, Telegraph, The Daily Caller, Page Array and Althouse
The Daily Beast:
Kabul Falls, Afghanistan Burns
Kabul Falls, Afghanistan Burns
Discussion:
France 24, Associated Press, Bipartisan Report, RedState, New York Times, TheBlaze and NPR
Mark Moore / New York Post:
Milley moves up terror threat to US after Taliban's gains in Afghanistan
Milley moves up terror threat to US after Taliban's gains in Afghanistan
Discussion:
Politico, The Guardian and Jihad Watch
Krista Torralva / Dallas Morning News:
Texas Supreme Court blocks mask mandates in Dallas, Bexar counties — The entirely Republican court granted a temporary stay at the request of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Sunday. — Two days after a Dallas appeals court dealt Texas Gov. Greg Abbott …
Discussion:
CBS News, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
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Chuck Lindell / Austin American-Statesman:
Texas Supreme Court blocks lower-court rulings that allowed mask mandates
Texas Supreme Court blocks lower-court rulings that allowed mask mandates
Discussion:
The Hill, San Antonio Express-News, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, Politico, Associated Press and KXAN-TV
Annie Linskey / Washington Post:
From Saigon to Kabul: Biden's response to Vietnam echoes in his views of Afghanistan withdrawal — The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights — Two weeks before Saigon fell in April 1975, a 32-year-old Joe Biden was among the senators summoned to the White House …
Discussion:
Politico
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Gillian Brockell / Washington Post:
The fall of Saigon: As Taliban seizes Kabul, the Vietnam War's final days remembered
The fall of Saigon: As Taliban seizes Kabul, the Vietnam War's final days remembered
Discussion:
Mediaite, Twitchy and Trending Politics
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:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Trending Politics, Fox News, TheBlaze and Insider
U.S. Embassy / U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan:
Security Alert - U. S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan — Event: The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly including at the airport. There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place. — U.S. citizens wanting assistance …
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United States Department …, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, NPR, New York Times, Mediaite, National File, Associated Press, BBC, Power Line, Forbes, HotAir, Al Jazeera and CNN
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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:
Associated Press and 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:
NBC News, The US Sun and Bloomberg
Seth Moulton / U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton:
Moulton Statement on the Situation in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON — Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) issued the following statement on Afghanistan: — To say that today is anything short of a disaster would be dishonest. Worse, it was avoidable. The time to debate whether we stay …