Biden Broke Our Deal With the Taliban  —  It's a foreign-policy humiliation unlike anything our country has endured since the Iran hostage crisis.  —  'The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country [of Afghanistan] is highly unlikely," …

Texas school district makes masks part of dress code to get around Gov. Abbott's order … A small Texas school district has made facial coverings part of its dress code, in a bid to get around Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning mask mandates.  —  The board of the Paris Independent …

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.

The School Culture Wars: ‘You Have Brought Division to Us’  —  From mask mandates to critical race theory and gender identity, educators are besieged.  “You are just trying to keep everything from collapsing,” one official said.  —  July and August are supposed to be the quietest months of the school year.

Alabama has ‘negative’ ICU beds free as U.S. hospitals struggle with surge of cases … PLEASE NOTE  —  The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.  For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.

BuzzFeed Clashed With NBCUniversal as It Pursued SPAC Deal  —  Chief Executive Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed signed off on terms that could put more pressure on the company if its shares don't rise.  He is confident investors will be pleased with the results.  —  As BuzzFeed Inc. was exploring plans …

Do not underestimate Kathy Hochul  —  As summer winds down, the most frequently asked questions in New York are:  — A) What happened to the Mets?  — B) Mask or no mask?  —  The first three engender hot debate.  The fourth requires an understanding of New York politics to answer.

Progressive group launches ReplaceJoeManchin.com  —  CHARLESTON — Whether U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin decides to run for a third six-year term in 2024 or retires sometime in the near future, a group of progressive activists are creating a framework in the hopes of replacing Manchin down the road.

Arizona governor to exclude school districts with mask mandates from new education grants  —  (CNN)Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday that the state would use federal Covid relief money to increase the funding available to public school districts only if they're open …

DeSantis top donor invests in COVID drug governor promotes  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates and vaccine passports — is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor's company has invested millions of dollars.

Are the wheels coming off the Biden administration?  —  When we look back at the first year of Joe Biden's presidency, will August of 2021 stand out as the time the wheels came off?  —  Despite the Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, a substantial legislative accomplishment …

U.S. reports more than 1,000 COVID deaths in single day  —  The United States reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, equating to around 42 fatalities an hour, according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant continues to ravage parts of the country with low vaccination rates.

How To See If Critical Race Theory Is In Your Kids' School—And Fight It  —  If your school district is anything like mine, they don't call it critical race theory, and they insist people who use that term are crazy, right-wing conspiracy theorists.  We're not.

Republican rivals attack recall frontrunner Larry Elder in California debate  —  SACRAMENTO — Republicans running to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom attacked absent frontrunner Larry Elder in a Tuesday night debate that exposed cracks in a crowded GOP field.

What Kamala Harris' Law School Years Reveal About Her Politics  —  The signs in downtown San Francisco that day, outside of the University of California Hastings College of the Law, might as well have been plucked from today's racial justice protests.  “Rise Above Racism,” “Should This Still Be Happening? …

QAnon 'Queen's' Followers Are Sending Insane Anti-Vaxx Notes to Hospitals  —  A group of Americans who follow a Canadian QAnon influencer are spamming hospitals and doctors with fake cease-and-desist letters to stop the COVID-19 vaccine.  —  COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

UNC Chapel Hill Journalism School Dean Susan King resigning  —  The dean of UNC-Chapel Hill's Hussman School of Journalism and Media is stepping down after nearly a decade leading the school.  —  Susan King announced that this will be her last year as dean in her weekly email newsletter to journalism faculty.