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2:30 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:
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Biden officials: Trump left bare cupboard on Afghanistan  —  Senior national security officials presiding over a historic foreign policy collapse are privately expressing deep frustrations about the thin Afghanistan withdrawal plans left behind by Donald Trump.
Politico:
Pelosi loses patience with centrists on infrastructure deal  —  With Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris.  —  ‘AMATEUR HOUR’ — As the world watches the fallout from Afghanistan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team are busy planning for the House's return next week.
The White House:
Remarks by President Biden on Afghanistan  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon.  I want to speak today to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan: the developments that have taken place in the last week and the steps we're taking to address the rapidly evolving events.
CNN:
Biden administration embroiled in internal blame-shifting amid Afghanistan chaos  —  Washington (CNN)Factions within the Biden administration are embroiled in a blame game over why the US government didn't act sooner to withdraw American citizens and Afghans who helped the US over two decades of war …
Luis Martinez / ABC News:
Human remains found in wheel well of C-17 military plane that departed from Kabul  —  The discovery was made after a day of chaotic evacuations from Kabul's airport.  —  A U.S. official has confirmed that human remains were found inside the wheel well of a C-17 military plane that had been swarmed …
Discussion: The Daily Caller and HotAir
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 …
Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia gov open to accepting Afghanistan refugees after Taliban takeover  —  Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday criticized the “failure” to prevent the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan and suggested that Georgia was ready to take in some refugees following the repressive Taliban regime's swift takeover of the country.
Discussion: Boston Herald
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 …
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.
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:   Biden administration freezes billions of dollars in Afghan reserves, depriving Taliban of cash
Dan Bilefsky / New York Times:
A Taliban official's TV interview with a female presenter is part of a broader campaign.
Discussion: Slate
Washington Post:
Last images from the Afghan war capture a 20-year failure to acknowledge how badly the conflict was going
Discussion: Reuters
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: The Mahablog
Bush Center:
Statement by President and Mrs. Bush on Afghanistan
Samuel Benson / Deseret News:
They aided the U.S. military in Afghanistan for years. Have we left them to die?
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.
Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:
Instagram Posts Seal Fate Of Trump-Loving Bodybuilder Who Dragged Capitol Cop  —  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 …
RELATED:
CNN:
Some US Capitol rioters stay defiant, even while pleading guilty
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.
RELATED:
Francis Fukuyama / American Purpose:   No Decent Interval  —  With the Taliban now moving into Kabul, the collapse …
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: Raw Story
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 …
Discussion: The Hill, National Review and Raw Story
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 …
Discussion: National Review and Political Wire
 
 
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 More Items: 
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
Discussion: RedState and Townhall
New York Times:
American Hospitals Buckle Under Delta, With I.C.U.s Filling Up
Discussion: The Atlantic
Yahoo Finance:
Janet Yellen: Biden's infrastructure plan is a down payment on the economy America can - and should - have
Discussion: Insider
Bill Glauber / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Head of GOP Senate campaign arm suggests U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson will run for reelection next year
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CNN's Poppy Harlow Will Take Hiatus to Pursue Legal Studies (EXCLUSIVE)
Discussion: The Hill and The US Sun
Lachlan Markay / Axios:
Federal watchdog warns of foreign money in U.S. politics
 Earlier Items: 
Sarah Chayes:
The Ides of August  —  I've been silent for a while.  I've been silent about Afghanistan for longer.
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Mike Lee holds commanding lead over GOP challengers in new Utah poll
Discussion: Political Wire
Peter Hasson / Fox News:
Ayanna Pressley, ‘cancel rent’ advocate, discloses thousands of dollars in rental income
Discussion: RedState and Townhall
Michael Rubin / Washington Examiner:
After Afghanistan disaster, Taiwan must go nuclear
Patrick Marley / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin seek to intervene in redistricting case brought by Democrats
Discussion: The Hill
Hayes Brown / MSNBC:
Afghan refugees after the fall of Kabul need a home in America
Discussion: Politico
Emma Green / The Atlantic:
He Taught a Ta-Nehisi Coates Essay. Then He Was Fired.
Discussion: WJHL
 

 
From Techmeme:

Emma Roth / The Verge:
Mark Zuckerberg says Threads is testing custom feeds for certain profiles or topics; the Threads' version seems easier to use than Bluesky's custom feeds

Jibin Joseph / PCMag:
UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 creates Daisy, an AI-generated “scambaiter” tool that mimics the voice of an elderly woman to waste scammers' time

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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