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6:20 PM ET, August 16, 2021

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 Top Items: 
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Biden must rescue thousands of U.S. citizens trapped in Afghanistan  —  As the situation on the ground in Afghanistan's capital continues to deteriorate, thousands of U.S. citizens are trapped in and around Kabul with no ability to get to the airport, which is their only way out of the country.
RELATED:
Daniel Silverberg / The Atlantic:
Biden Was Right  —  In 2017, I arrived at Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport as part of a congressional staff delegation.  Even though the U.S. embassy stood a mere four miles away, safety concerns necessitated our helicoptering from a recently constructed multimillion-dollar transit facility instead of traveling by road.
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 …
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
US reaches deal with Taliban on evacuations: report  —  The U.S. has reached a deal with the Taliban to ensure that evacuations from Kabul's airport can take place without interference from the group, according to a report by The Associated Press.  —  The deal was reached in talks in Doha …
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.
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?
The Bulwark:
'Please Don't Leave Us Behind.  We Will Be Great Americans.'  —  An interview with a U.S.-trained Afghan Air Force pilot, now hiding from the Taliban.  —  AFGHAN AIR FORCE PILOTS LAND THEIR UH-60 BLACKHAWKS ON A NARROW LANDING STRIP DURING A RESUPPLY MISSION TO AN OUTPOST IN GHAZNI PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN, SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021.
Discussion: Associated Press, HotAir and KTLA
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 …
Noah Rothman / MSNBC:
The fall of Afghanistan in 2021 is the result of years of American delusion  —  On Sunday morning, Taliban fighters captured Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield — the symbol and source of U.S. power projection in the region for 20 years — releasing thousands of prisoners.
The Guardian:
An Afghan woman in Kabul: ‘Now I have to burn everything I achieved’  —  A university student tells of seeing all around her the ‘fearful faces of women and ugly faces of men who hate women’  —  arly on Sunday morning I was heading to university for a class when a group of women came running out from the women's dormitory.
Politico:
Who's to blame for Afghanistan?  —  With help from Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman  —  Welcome to National Security Daily, POLITICO's newsletter on the global events roiling Washington and keeping the administration up at night.  I'm Alex Ward, your guide to what's happening inside the Pentagon …
Discussion: National Review, Forbes and TheBlaze
Daria Litvinova / Associated Press:
Uzbekistan says it downed Afghan military plane crossing in
Discussion: Breitbart
Anatol Lieven / Politico:
Why Afghan Forces So Quickly Laid Down Their Arms
Washington Examiner:
WATCH LIVE: Biden delivers remarks on Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
Discussion: Fox News and Crooks and Liars
Eliot A. Cohen / The Atlantic:   A Moment for Soul-Searching  —  My Afghanistan war lasted almost exactly two years …
Shannon Pettypiece / NBC News:
White House weighs response as Biden faces mounting criticism over Afghanistan crisis
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
For Biden, Images of Defeat He Wanted to Avoid
James Gordon Meek / ABC News:
Afghanistan's collapse: Did US intelligence get it wrong?
Brett Bruen / USA Today:
Ex-Obama adviser: Why Biden must fire his national security adviser for Afghanistan failure  —  The people, plans and processes that President Joe Biden has put in place to keep America safe are not working.  —  President Joe Biden needs to shake up his national security team.
RELATED:
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Joe Biden is facing a crisis of competence  —  (CNN)At the heart of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was a single word: competence.  —  After four years of Donald Trump's incompetence in, well, everything, the Biden argument was that the country badly needed a steady hand on the tiller …
Donald J. Trump:
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Tara Copp / Defense One:
Inside Reach 871, A US C-17 Packed With 640 Afghans Trying to Escape the Taliban  —  The Air Force evacuation flight from Kabul to Qatar came near the record for most people ever flown in the Boeing airlifter.  — AFGHANISTAN - WHITE HOUSE - AIR FORCE - CIVILIANS
Axios:
Scoop: Investigation finds fired Tennessee vaccine official mailed dog muzzle to self  —  A Tennessee investigation found evidence that the state's fired vaccine chief, Michelle Fiscus, purchased a dog muzzle that she previously claimed someone had mailed in an attempt to intimidate her.
Discussion: USA Today and WATE-TV
globaltimes.cn:
Afghan abandonment a lesson for Taiwan's DPP: Global Times editorial  —  The US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan has led to the rapid demise of the Kabul government.  The world has witnessed how the US evacuated its diplomats by helicopter while Taliban soldiers crowded into the presidential palace in Kabul.
RELATED:
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.
Ricardo Lopez / Minnesota Reformer:
MNGOP Chair Jennifer Carnahan resigns from board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities  —  Embattled Minnesota Republican Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan on Saturday resigned from the board of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities organization, a spokeswoman said.
RELATED:
Dave Orrick / Twin Cities:
Ugly drama inside MN GOP threatens chairwoman's job
Discussion: Fox News
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Ted Cruz, and the ugly attacks on CNN's Clarissa Ward  —  The political right has plenty to work with right now on Afghanistan.  The withdrawal from that country has gone poorly — significantly more poorly than the Biden administration predicted it would — legitimizing long-standing GOP arguments …
Eugene Scott / Washington Post:
New York lawmakers to continue investigation into Cuomo after resignation  —  New York state lawmakers announced Monday that the investigation into Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) will continue days after initially saying it would end following his resignation.  —  Carl Heastie (D) …
Discussion: Fox News and HotAir
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 More Items: 
Shirin Ghaffary / Vox:
Why no one really knows how bad Facebook's vaccine misinformation problem is
Discussion: Florida Politics and GeekWire
NBC News:
Texas requests five mortuary trailers in anticipation of Covid deaths
The New York Times Company:
Group Statement Sent to President Biden on Behalf of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post
Discussion: CNBC and Fox News
Reuters:
OPEC+ sees no need to meet U.S. call for more supply, sources say
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Twitchy
The Hill:
Our economy is on the road to recovery, and workers are in the driver's seat
Wesley Morgan / Washington Post:
He spent his adult life helping U.S. soldiers. Now, he's desperately fleeing Afghanistan.
Lindsay Kornick / Fox News:
Mark Levin: We were freer before the American Revolution than we are today
Discussion: Crooks and Liars
Jewish Journal:
A New Israel-Hating Curriculum is Coming to California School Districts
 Earlier Items: 
Bernie Becker / Politico:
The low-hanging fruit  —  Presented by the National Association of Manufacturers
CNN:
Exclusive: Title, cover and details of new Trump book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa revealed
Discussion: The Guardian
John Nichols / The Nation:
Ron Johnson Does the Bidding of the Ultra-Rich
Discussion: Salon
Meridith McGraw / Politico:
The GOP waves white flag in the same-sex marriage wars
Juan Williams / The Hill:
Trump's coup attempt should bar him from 2024 race
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Associated Press:
Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs
Discussion: The Daily Caller and HotAir
 

 
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Shirin Ghaffary / Bloomberg:
One year after Sam Altman was dramatically ousted and reinstated, OpenAI remains dominant as it continues to push ahead on impressive new products

Financial Times:
Sources: xAI raised $5B at a $45B valuation, almost double its valuation a few months ago; SpaceX prepares a tender offer that would value the company at $250B+

 
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