memeorandum: Marriage and work are worth fighting for (Washington Examiner)

8:15 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: New York Times, Mediaite, Reuters, Townhall, Politico, Task & Purpose, The Daily Caller, Forbes, National File and Insider

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: The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Insider, CNBC, The Times of Israel, RedState, Metro.co.uk, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Al Jazeera and NBC4 Washington

New York Times:

A frenzied flight from Kabul as the U.S. evacuation accelerates. — KABUL, Afghanistan — As the Taliban stood at the gates of Kabul, completing the near total takeover of Afghanistan two decades after the American military drove them from power, a chaotic and frenzied evacuation of U.S. diplomats …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

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: Axios, The Hill, Breitbart, RedState, USA Today, Mother Jones, Fox News, HotAir and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Liz Sly / Washington Post:

Afghanistan's collapse leaves allies questioning U.S. resolve on other fronts — LONDON — The Taliban's stunningly swift advances across Afghanistan have sparked global alarm, reviving doubts about the credibility of U.S. foreign policy promises and drawing harsh criticisms even from some of the United States' closest allies.

Discussion: Politico

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: The Guardian, The Hill, Boston Herald, The National Interest, USA Today and Washington Examiner

Associated Press:

Taliban capture key northern city, approach Afghan capital — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban on Saturday captured a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government, and were approaching the capital of Kabul, less than three weeks before the U.S. hopes to complete its troop withdrawal.

Discussion: Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Slate, FOX 5 San Diego, TheBlaze, The Hill, WGN-TV, NPR, HotAir, Forbes, CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Bloomberg

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 …

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: Insider, Washington Examiner, Instapundit and Townhall

Greg Jaffe / Washington Post: From hubris to humiliation: America's warrior class contends with the abject failure of its Afghanistan project

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

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Breitbart

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

Discussion: The Dispatch and HotAir

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: The Moderate Voice, CBS News, Breitbart, RedState, The Atlantic and Washington Post

New York Times:
Strong Earthquake Rocks Haiti, Killing Hundreds

Discussion: The Long Version, Metro.co.uk, Associated Press, Japan Times, Slate, The Hill, Al Jazeera and The Daily Beast

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

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

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

Discussion: Common Dreams, UPI and New York Times

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

Discussion: HotAir

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

Washington Examiner:

Marriage and work are worth fighting for — It was the centerpiece of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. It is a big chunk of his $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. But not enough people are talking about the radical change to family policy that Biden included …

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.

Discussion: HuffPost, Al Jazeera, TheGrio, The US Sun, The Hill, The Daily Beast, ABC7, New York Post, Hollywood Reporter, TheBlaze, Fox News and KTLA

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: Insider

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

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

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ

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: The US Sun, Law & Crime, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and The Hill