Trump's Pledge to Exit Afghanistan Was a Ruse, His Final SecDef Says  —  Chris Miller now says talk of a full withdrawal was a “play” to convince a Taliban-led government to keep U.S. counterterrorism forces.  — AFGHANISTAN - WHITE HOUSE - PENTAGON - TERRORISM

Biden says he did not see a way to withdraw from Afghanistan without ‘chaos ensuing’  —  In an exclusive ABC News interview, Biden opens up on his decision to withdraw.  —  In an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, and the president's first since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban …

Larry David ‘screamed’ at Alan Dershowitz at grocery store over Trump ties  —  It seems that Alan Dershowitz's ties to the Trump administration have made him persona non grata among the Martha's Vineyard elite — including Larry David.  —  A Page Six spy spotted the Harvard Law professor …

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.

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 …

A mom of 4 who died of covid days after her husband makes one final wish: ‘Make sure my kids get vaccinated’  —  A few weeks ago, Lydia Rodriguez thought her body was strong enough to fight the coronavirus without the vaccine.  —  But after a week-long church camp, she and other members …

Miami-Dade Votes to Mandate Masks in Schools, Setting Up Fight With DeSantis  —  The district and Hillsborough County voted to require masks, a day after the state sanctioned other districts  —  MIAMI—Two of Florida's largest school districts voted Wednesday to implement mask mandates …

Stunning Poll Reveals Trump Would Win Election Held Today, As Nearly 1 In 10 Democrats ‘Regret’ Their 2020 Vote.  —  Stunning new poll numbers from Rasmussen Reports suggest nearly 1 in 10 Democrats regret their vote in the 2020 Presidential election, with 12 percent of ‘Moderates’ saying the same …

“A Smile With Sharp Teeth”: Mike Richards's Rise to ‘Jeopardy!’  Host Sparks Questions About His Past  —  The ‘Jeopardy!’ host search is finally over.  New reporting reveals that concerns about Richards and the show's selection process remain.  —  One day in the fall of 2013, Mike Richards called Ken Jennings.

We Spoke to the Family of the Afghan Teenager Who Fell to His Death From a US Military Plane  —  The 17-year-old had hoped to escape Taliban rule and go to Canada or the United States.  —  On Monday, 17-year-old Reza left home with his 16-year-old brother, Kabeer.

Kushner Friend Who Was Pardoned by Trump Is Charged in New York  —  Ken Kurson, the former editor of The New York Observer, has been charged with two felonies.  Prosecutors said he installed spyware on his former wife's computer in order to surveil her.  —  Seven months after he was pardoned …

Federal judge rejects Trump-era permits for major Alaska oil project  —  Wednesday's decision is a setback for ConocoPhillips's Willow project, which aims to produce more than 100,000 barrels a day on the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska  —  A federal judge on Wednesday threw out the permits …

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 …

The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now.  But we need help.  —  Ahmad Massoud is the leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.  —  In 1998, when I was 9 years old, my father, the mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, gathered his soldiers in a cave in the Panjshir Valley of northern Afghanistan.

Movement for Black Lives: Feds targeted BLM protesters  —  The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement that swept the nation last summer in the wake …

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 …

War correspondent Joe Galloway died on Wednesday  —  War correspondent and author Joseph Galloway, who covered the front lines from the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965 to an onion field outside Basra in 1991, died Wednesday of complications following a heart attack.  He was 79.