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11:00 AM ET, August 16, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
Afghan security forces' wholesale collapse was years in the making  —  In the summer of 2011, Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV made a round of public appearances to boast that he had finally solved a problem that had kept U.S. troops bogged down in Afghanistan for a decade.
RELATED:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
After Sunday It's Even More Clear Biden Was Right  —  Americans, or at least the commentating classes, are watching aghast as events unfold in Afghanistan.  Some are second-guessing the wisdom of withdrawal - after all, how hard is it to maintain a few thousand soldiers there permanently?
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 …
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 …
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Afghanistan Is Your Fault  —  Kabul has fallen.  Americans will now exercise their usual partisan outrage for a few weeks, and then Afghanistan, like everything else in a nation with an attention span not much longer than a fast-food commercial, will be forgotten.
Discussion: The Dispatch, New York Times and UPI
Kurt Schlichter / Townhall:
Our Military Is A Woke Joke  —  Ignore those pictures of the Afghan army that our military senior leader geniuses spent 20 years and zillions of dollars on disintegrating in the face of a pack of glorified mountain banditos from the Seventh Century - the real story is that, finally …
Wall Street Journal:
Biden's Afghanistan Surrender
Richard Haass / Project Syndicate:
America's Withdrawal of Choice
Discussion: Politico, PRESS RUN and HotAir
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 …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
The latest on Afghanistan: Four Afghans dead after fall from US plane wheel well  —  Here's the latest on the rapidly unfolding events related to Afghanistan:  —  Report: Afghans who worked for US may temporarily go to bases in Wisconsin and Texas  —  The U.S. intends to evacuate tens …
Wall Street Journal:
Three Killed in Kabul Airport as Afghans Scramble to Escape Taliban  —  Mass evacuations follow the insurgents' capture of Kabul after a rapid sweep of the country  —  At least three people were killed by gunfire Monday morning in chaotic scenes at the passenger terminal of Kabul's international airport …
BBC:
Afghanistan: US takes control of Kabul airport to evacuate staff from country  —  There have been scenes of panic at Kabul airport as desperate residents try to flee following the seizure of the Afghan capital by the Taliban.  —  Witnesses say at least three civilians died on Monday …
Discussion: Reuters, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera and Insider
Michael Lee / Fox News:
Jen Psaki ‘out of the office’ as Biden remains silent on Taliban takeover of Afghanistan  —  The timing of Psaki's time off comes as Biden has faced criticism for remaining on vacation
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.
Shannon Pettypiece / NBC News:
White House weighs response as Biden faces mounting criticism over Afghanistan crisis  —  WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden faced growing criticism from his allies in Washington following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as administration officials considered his public response.
Jazz Shaw / HotAir:
US pauses flights out of Kabul
Discussion: CNN, CBS News and Talking Points Memo
Tom Porter / Insider:
The GOP quietly removed a webpage hailing Trump's peace deal with the Taliban as the militant group seized power in Afghanistan
Associated Press:
Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan
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 …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs  —  A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders.
Discussion: HotAir
Jaclyn Peiser / Washington Post:
A conservative cardinal who criticized the vaccine caught covid.  Days later, he was put on a ventilator.  —  Most days during the coronavirus pandemic, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke could be found strolling down the streets of Rome maskless and carrying rosary beads.
Meridith McGraw / Politico:
The GOP waves white flag in the same-sex marriage wars  —  To mark the beginning of Pride Month this year, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel did what party leaders do on these types of occasions: She sent out a tweet.  —  “Happy #PrideMonth!” she wrote, " …
Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
Wall Street Journal:
Bitcoin Fans Are Suddenly a Political Force  —  A tax provision in the infrastructure bill brought the usually fractious cryptocurrency coalition together  —  A clash over tax rules for digital currencies like bitcoin turned into a political coming-of-age moment for the cryptocurrency industry …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Eliot A. Cohen / The Atlantic:
A Moment for Soul-Searching  —  My Afghanistan war lasted almost exactly two years …
TASS:
No need for evacuation of Russian embassy in Kabul, says mission
Lew Blank / Data For Progress:
NEW NY POLL: Voters Support Criminal Charges Against Andrew Cuomo
New York Times:
As Cuomo Exits, Will Congestion Pricing Still Come to New York City?
Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost:
COVID-19 Hospitalizations For Americans In Their 30s Hit All-Time High
Discussion: Raw Story
 Earlier Items: 
Timothy Bella / Washington Post:
A Black officer was a rising star. The department's ‘Jim Crow culture’ destroyed his career, lawsuit says.
Discussion: The Root and Raw Story
Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:
Early indicators suggest Democrats' House majority is in jeopardy
Discussion: Fox News, Salon and New Republic
Henry J. Gomez / NBC News:
The next big existential fight for Democrats? Pennsylvania
John Nichols / The Nation:
Ron Johnson Does the Bidding of the Ultra-Rich
Lachlan Cartwright / The Daily Beast:
Mary Trump Rails Against ‘Awful’ Meghan McCain and ‘Weak’ Uncle Donald
Discussion: Raw Story and The Guardian
Juan Williams / The Hill:
Trump's coup attempt should bar him from 2024 race
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Peter Blumberg / Bloomberg:
X sues to block California's AB 2655, aimed at curbing AI-generated deceptive election content on social media, claiming it impinges on free speech

Christopher Grimes / Financial Times:
Analysts say Netflix's live boxing match Friday night between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is designed to get new subscribers, particularly on its ad-supported tier

John Koblin / New York Times:
NBC names Craig Melvin as Hoda Kotb's successor on Today, teaming up with Savannah Guthrie, starting January 13; Melvin has been Today's news anchor since 2018

 
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