A primer on false narratives about Afghanistan  —  There are many alarmist headlines pronouncing with certitude what has occurred or will occur in Afghanistan.  Many are premature — or alternatively, out of date.  Others ignore information now available to us that debunks fanciful explanations …

Kinder, gentler Taliban murder woman in the streets for not wearing a burqa  —  I'm not sure, but it sounds as if not all of the Taliban militants received their copy of the strongly worded letter from the United Nations.  The New York Post is reporting today that a woman in Takhar province …

Israeli data: How can efficacy vs. severe disease be strong when 60% of hospitalized are vaccinated?  —  A surge involving the rapidly-transmitting Delta variant in heavily vaccinated countries has led to much hand-wringing that the vaccines are not effective against Delta, or vaccine efficacy wanes after 4-6 months.

CIA's Former Counterterrorism Chief for the Region: Afghanistan, Not An Intelligence Failure — Something Much Worse  —  While it's certainly convenient to depict the shock and miscalculation U.S. officials claim over Afghanistan's tragic, rapid fall to the Taliban as an intelligence failure, the reality is far worse.

Vaccines' protection against virus infection is waning, C.D.C. studies suggest.  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released three studies on Wednesday that federal officials said provided evidence that booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines …

Biden to require nursing homes get staff vaccinated or lose federal funds  —  Surgeon general on Covid-19 boosters: The time is now  —  (CNN)The Biden administration will direct all nursing homes to require their staff be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare …

EXC: Joe Biden's State Dept Halted A Trump-Era ‘Crisis Response’ Plan Aimed At Avoiding Benghazi-Style Evacuations Just MONTHS Before Taliban Takeover.  —  Joe Biden's State Department moved to cancel a critical State Department program aimed at providing swift and safe evacuations of Americans …

Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Kabul (August 18, 2021)  —  U.S. government-provided flights are departing.  U.S. citizens, LPRs, and their spouses and unmarried children (under age 21) should consider travelling to Hamid Karzai International Airport.   You should plan to enter the airport at Camp Sullivan.

Latest Polls Of The California Recall Election  —  Voters will decide whether to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom and — if removed — whom to replace him with  —  Opponents of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California have gathered enough signatures to trigger a recall election for him on Sept. 14 …

Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani resurfaces in UAE after fleeing Kabul, Emirati government says  — Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled his country as its capital Kabul was being overtaken by Taliban fighters, is now in the United Arab Emirates.

Poll finds growing support for voter ID requirements  —  A large majority of voters support laws requiring photo identification, according to a new poll from an election integrity group conducted as Democrats push for sweeping elections reforms.  —  A poll released this week …

Mississippi eighth grader dies a day after positive coronavirus test  —  (CNN)A 13-year-old Mississippi girl has died just one day after testing positive for coronavirus, according to Smith County School District Superintendent Nick Hillman.  —  The girl wasn't feeling well last Thursday and her mother kept her home, Hillman said.

U.S. Households Paying No Income Tax Hit 61% of Total Last Year  — Stimulus payments, other aid slashed federal tax bills  — Zero-tax filers to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022  —  Nearly 61% of U.S households paid no federal income taxes during pandemic-stricken year of 2020 …

The U.S. could be on the verge of a productivity boom, a game-changer for the economy  —  Rapid adoption of robots and artificial intelligence during the pandemic combined with a rebound in government investment is making some economists optimistic about a return of a 1990s economy with widespread benefits

The Biden administration will use a federal civil rights office to deter states from banning universal masking in classrooms.  —  The Biden administration, escalating its fight with Republican governors who are blocking local school districts from requiring masks to protect against the coronavirus …