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.

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.

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, " …

Exclusive: Title, cover and details of new Trump book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa revealed  —  (CNN)First it was “Fear,” then it was “Rage,” now it is “Peril.”  That is the title of the highly-anticipated third book about President Trump from legendary journalist Bob Woodward …

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.

Ex-Rep. Paul Mitchell dies.  He quit GOP over its refusal to accept Trump's defeat  —  Former U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, a conservative who quit the Republican Party over its allegiance to President Donald Trump after the 2020 election, has died after a diagnosis of stage IV renal cancer.  He was 64.

Ron Johnson Does the Bidding of the Ultra-Rich  —  A new study reveals that Johnson's “principled” stand for tax reform may enrich two of his campaign donors by half a billion dollars.  —  Ron Johnson's public image is that of a delusional conspiracy theorist who struggles to pull together coherent sentences.

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 …

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America  —  Joe Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy, and many other issues.  Everyone knew he couldn't handle the pressure.  Even Obama's Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, said as much.