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," …

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.

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.

The Behind-The-Scenes Campaign For The Next Social Security Commissioner  —  Former Rep. Donna Shalala, a White House aide and a Social Security expert are all up for the job.  —  An aide to President Joe Biden on labor issues is among the top contenders to lead the Social Security Administration …

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.

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.

Disgraced Gov. Cuomo files for $50K pension ahead of delayed resignation  —  Disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed retirement papers with the state to receive a $50,000 annual lifetime pension — just days before his resignation takes effect over his sexual harassment scandal.

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 …

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? …

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.