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6:15 PM ET, August 17, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden's Assurances  —  Even as the president was telling the public that Kabul was unlikely to fall, intelligence assessments painted a grimmer picture.  —  WASHINGTON — Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted …
RELATED:
Chris Kahn / Reuters:
Biden approval drops to lowest of 7-month presidency after Taliban takeover  —  President Joe Biden's approval rating dropped by 7 percentage points and hit its lowest level so far as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed over the weekend in an upheaval that sent thousands of civilians …
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:
Biden administration freezes billions of dollars in Afghan reserves, depriving Taliban of cash  —  The move comes as the White House has scrambled to redraw its Afghanistan policies  —  The Biden administration on Sunday froze Afghan government reserves held in U.S. bank accounts …
Discussion: National Review
Jim Langevin / Foreign Policy:
I'm a Democrat Who Opposed the Withdrawal.  This Catastrophe Is Why.  —  At minimum, Biden owed our allies in Afghanistan a plan.  —  During a hearing of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee about Afghanistan in May, I asked a senior Defense Department official if the U.S. military …
CNN:
The Taliban knocked on her door 3 times.  The fourth time, they killed her  —  (CNN)Najia was at home with her three young sons and daughter in a small village in northern Afghanistan when Taliban fighters knocked on their door.  —  Najia's daughter Manizha, 25, knew they were coming …
Discussion: HotAir, TheBlaze and UPI
Associated Press:
Taliban vow to honor women's rights but within Islamic law  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban spokesman promised Tuesday that the insurgents who overran Afghanistan in recent days would respect women's rights and would not exact revenge, seeking to calm a wary population and skeptical world powers.
Washington Post:
72 hours at Camp David: Inside Biden's lagging response to the fall of Afghanistan  —  Marine One lifted off Friday at 1:36 p.m. for Camp David bearing a leader headed on a long-planned August vacation: President Biden, clad in a black baseball cap and a light-blue short-sleeved shirt …
Associated Press:
Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped …
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Pentagon: We may have 10,000 Americans stuck in Kabul  —  Get ready for a hostage crisis at some point as an all-but-inevitable consequence of the collapse of American security in Afghanistan.  Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN's John Berman on New Day that estimates of trapped Americans …
Condoleezza Rice / Washington Post:
The Afghan people didn't choose the Taliban. They fought and died alongside us.
Discussion: New York Times
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Halted Dollar Shipments to Afghanistan to Keep Cash Out of Taliban's Hands
Paul LeBlanc / CNN:
Ex-defense secretary: Trump's push to get US troops out of Afghanistan possibly ‘undermined’ deal with Taliban
Discussion: Salon and Fox News
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Biden officials: Trump left bare cupboard on Afghanistan
CNN:
Biden administration embroiled in internal blame-shifting amid Afghanistan chaos
Paul Sperry / New York Post:
Taliban leader was freed from Guantanamo Bay in 2014 swap by Obama
The White House:
Remarks by President Biden on Afghanistan
Office of the Texas Governor:
Office Of The Governor Statement Concerning Governor Abbott  —  Office of the Governor Communications Director Mark Miner today issued a statement after Governor Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19:  —  “Governor Greg Abbott today tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
RELATED:
Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19  —  He spoke Monday night at a GOP event in Collin County, later tweeting photos of him addressing a maskless crowd.  Less than three hours before his diagnosis was announced Tuesday afternoon, he tweeted pictures of a meeting with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.
Eric Griffey Texas / Spectrum News 1 South Texas:
Exclusive Spectrum News/Ipsos poll finds Texas parents want common-sense precautions against COVID in schools
Discussion: ABC13, The Texas Tribune and Raw Story
Harper's:
Bad News  —  In the beginning, there were ABC, NBC, and CBS, and they were good.  Midcentury American man could come home after eight hours of work and turn on his television and know where he stood in relation to his wife, and his children, and his neighbors, and his town, and his country, and his world.
Emily Cochrane / New York Times:
House Democrats Plan to Press Ahead With Budget Blueprint Vote  —  House Democratic leaders told members of their caucus on Tuesday that they plan to press ahead with a vote advancing a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint next week, disregarding warnings from moderate Democrats who said they will oppose …
RELATED:
Politico:
Pelosi loses patience with centrists on infrastructure deal
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The House Suicide Squad's Nonsensical Reason to Kill Biden's Agenda Gottheimer claims the bridges can't wait a few weeks.
Discussion: Politico
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The latest GOP anti-mask lunacy is stirring a backlash.  New polling reveals it.  —  The other day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis likened mask and other health mandates to “medical authoritarianism.”  The Republican added that we may be witnessing “the most significant threat to freedom in my lifetime …
Molly Beck / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Sen. Andre Jacque of De Pere hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19  —  MADISON - One of the Legislature's most active lawmakers who has opposed mask and vaccine mandates has received hospital care after testing positive for COVID-19.  —  Sen. Andre Jacque, a Republican from De Pere …
Discussion: Twin Cities and Raw Story
Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:
Instagram Posts Help FBI Nab Trump-Loving Romance Novel Model Who Beat Capitol Cops  —  The FBI has arrested Logan Barnhart, whom online sleuths dubbed “CatSweat,” with the help of the Sedition Hunters community.  —  When former President Donald Trump sent a tweet early this year promoting Jan. 6 as a …
NBC4 Washington:
DC Tunnel History Site Flagged Suspicious Activity Before Capitol Insurrection  —  The founder and administrator of an obscure website about underground infrastructure in Washington, D.C., saw a sudden and suspicious spike in traffic in the days before the U.S. Capitol insurrection.
Discussion: Raw Story
Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:
U.S. to Advise Boosters for Most Americans 8 Months After Vaccination  —  Nursing home residents and health care workers will most likely be the first to get booster shots, as soon as September, followed by other older people who were vaccinated last winter.
Tim Kelly / Reuters:
As Taliban takes over, some swap iconic AK-47s for made-in-America rifles  —  The Russian Kalashnikov AK-47 and its derivatives have long been the assault rifle of choice for militant groups because of their rugged design, but some Taliban fighters are trading them in for captured U.S. guns as Afghanistan's government collapses.
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Seth Barrett Tillman / THE NEW REFORM CLUB:
What I Learned About the United States After Ten Years in Ireland  —  This is an anniversary, of sorts, for me.  I have now lived in Ireland for ten years.  They were ten good years.  During that time, I made some friends and worked with colleagues, who later became friends, and befriended some students, who later befriended me.
Amara Omeokwe / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Retail Sales Fell 1.1% in July as Spending Fell Across Categories  —  Sales are well above pre-pandemic levels, but spending on goods retreated over the month  —  Spending at U.S. retailers fell sharply in July, amid cooling purchases of goods and signs of some pullback in consumer demand …
Discussion: Kevin Drum
Wall Street Journal:
As Delta Surges, Covid-19 Breakthrough Cases Remain Uncommon  —  WSJ analysis finds higher risk of infection from strain, but research shows that vaccines still protect against most serious illness  —  The Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus appears to be breaking through the protection vaccines provide …
 
 
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 More Items: 
David Shepardson / Reuters:
U.S. will extend COVID-19 transport mask mandate through Jan. 18
Discussion: USA Today, The Hill and CNBC
YouTube:
Adam Laxalt: The Good Guys
Discussion: The Hill, Politico and The Daily Caller
Paul P. Murphy / CNN:
FBI joins investigation into QAnon-affiliated leak of voting machine logins in Colorado
Discussion: The Hill and Denver Post
Miles Parks / NPR:
Death Threats And Conspiracy Theories: Why 2020 Won't End For Election Officials
Discussion: Raw Story
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Another GOP voter caught casting a ballot for a dead relative
Discussion: Raw Story
 Earlier Items: 
Jamie Killin / Insider:
I'm a landlord with 24 properties. We're suffering during Biden's eviction ban, too, and no one is helping.
Abdullah Shihipar / Slate:
You Should Start Telling Your Unvaccinated Relatives They're Not Welcome at Thanksgiving
Amy Nelson / Fox News:
Pollster: Biden receives F grade from independents for Afghanistan speech
U.S. Department of Justice:
Pharmacist Arrested for Selling COVID Vaccination Cards Online
New York Times:
American Hospitals Buckle Under Delta, With I.C.U.s Filling Up
Discussion: The Atlantic
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CNN's Poppy Harlow Will Take Hiatus to Pursue Legal Studies (EXCLUSIVE)
Discussion: The US Sun and The Hill
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Mike Lee holds commanding lead over GOP challengers in new Utah poll
Discussion: Political Wire
 

 
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

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

Mia Sato / The Verge:
Facebook makes Views its primary metric for content, bringing it in line with Instagram; each time a piece of content appears on a screen, it counts as a View

 
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