Top Items:
Mike Pence / Wall Street Journal:
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," …
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Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
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 Many are premature — or alternatively, out of date.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 …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Just Security and NPR
Reuters:
Biden's vow to airlift Afghan allies meets ticking clock, risky rescue — President Joe Biden's pledge to evacuate thousands more at-risk Afghans who worked for the U.S. government will run into the cold reality of a fast-closing window of time, insecurity all over Afghanistan and major logistical hurdles.
Discussion:
New York Times, HotAir, BBC, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, UnHerd, Reuters, Washington Post, CNN, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Politico, Portland Mercury, Washington Post, New York Post, National Review, Washington Monthly, The White House and Foreign Policy, more at Mediagazer »
Chris Kahn / Reuters:
Biden approval drops to lowest of 7-month presidency after Taliban takeover — President Joe Biden's approval rating dropped by 7 percentage points and hit its lowest level so far as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed over the weekend in an upheaval that sent thousands of civilians …
Discussion:
New York Times, HotAir, CNN, Washington Post, Reason, The Nation, The Dispatch, Insider, Bloomberg, New York Post, Power Line, Breitbart, Forbes, Washington Free Beacon, Raw Story and The Mahablog
David Rohde / New Yorker:
Trying—and Failing—to Save the Family of the Afghan Who Saved Me — Twelve years ago, Tahir Luddin helped us both escape after we were kidnapped by the Taliban. Now I am struggling to get his family out of Kabul. — In the middle of March, I texted my friend Tahir Luddin …
Discussion:
The Dispatch, New York Post, National Review, HotAir, IWMF, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Townhall, Politico and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »
Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:
Taliban Block Routes to Kabul Airport, Hampering Evacuations From Afghanistan — Residents in eastern city of Jalalabad stage first protest against Taliban rule — Afghans and Westerners stranded in Kabul after Sunday's Taliban takeover started trickling into the city's U.S.-controlled airport …
Discussion:
HotAir, Anadolu Ajansı … and Townhall
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Senate Dem: We're gonna get to the bottom of this disgrace in Afghanistan; UPDATE: Pelosi too? — Joe Biden's speech on Monday clearly didn't solve any of his problems — not in Kabul and not in Washington DC. Unmoved by Biden's finger-pointing, even his own party's leadership wants …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Carpentariat and Townhall
The Intercept:
The Taliban Have Seized U.S. Military Biometrics Devices … The Taliban have seized U.S. military biometrics devices that could aid in the identification of Afghans who assisted coalition forces, current and former military officials have told The Intercept.
Discussion:
Task & Purpose, Washington Post, The Drive, Raw Story and New York Times, more at Techmeme »
Jerry Dunleavy / Washington Examiner:
From prison to power: Taliban leaders go from jail, to negotiating table, to Kabul — Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund returned to Afghanistan after nearly two decades on Tuesday, a reversal of fortune that saw him go from Taliban co-founder to prisoner in Pakistan to negotiator in Qatar to a now-central figure in Kabul.
Discussion:
Vox, The Moderate Voice and Washington Post
Quin Hillyer / Washington Examiner:
After epochal disaster in Afghanistan, Biden should step down — President Joe Biden should resign in disgrace. — Seriously. As I have argued for decades , it is long past time for American politicians to adopt the Asian cultural model of resignations, as a matter of honor, for gross failures or derelictions.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Stream, Foreign Affairs and Louder With Crowder
Washington Post:
Taliban strikes conciliatory tone, consolidates power as de facto leader returns to country
New York Times:
The Taliban respond with force to an outpouring of public anger.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Guardian and Al Jazeera
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Biden's approval rating drops below 50
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post and American Greatness
New York Times:
Afghanistan Live Updates: Taliban Meet Public Protest With Violence
Discussion:
Washington Post, HotAir, Associated Press, UPI, Financial Times, BizPac Review and Al Jazeera, more at Techmeme »
Haley Strack / The Federalist:
Obama Freed The Taliban Leader Who Engineered Kabul Takeover
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Summit News, Hindustan Times, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News and New York Post
CNN:
Biden administration faces daunting odds of pulling off massive Afghanistan evacuation in 2 weeks
Discussion:
New York Post, Mediaite and Breitbart
Edmund DeMarche / Fox News:
No official US evacuation plan for Americans outside Kabul, report says
Discussion:
HotAir, RedState and Yahoo Lifestyle
New York Times:
Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden's Assurances
Discussion:
National Review, Daily Mail, New York Post, Breitbart, Politico, NBC News, CNN, HuffPost, HotAir, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Insider, Talking Points Memo, The Colorado Sun and Opinion Today
Nik DeCosta-Klipa / Boston.com:
‘Utter BS’: Seth Moulton rebukes Biden's claim that some Afghans ‘did not want to leave earlier’
New York Times:
Body Parts Found in Landing Gear of Flight From Kabul, Officials Say
Discussion:
Israpundit, Washington Post, The US Sun, CNN, Common Dreams and Washington Examiner
Samuel Chamberlain / New York Post:
Trump calls Afghanistan collapse ‘most humiliating’ moment for US
Discussion:
HuffPost, Metro.co.uk, National Review and Sputnik News
Jeffrey Morris / Covid Data Science:
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.
Discussion:
Calculated Risk
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Phil Helsel / NBC News:
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 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Insider, KXII-TV, Raw Story and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Reuters:
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.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Houston Chronicle, Forbes, The Guardian and Washington Examiner
al.com:
Alabama has net of only 2 ICU beds in state, hospital association says — As Alabama faces a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to a low vaccination rate and the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, the state has a net of only two ICU beds, the Alabama Hospital Association said Monday.
Discussion:
WSFA-TV, The Hill, Washington Post, Mediaite and The Guardian
Cameron Jenkins / The Hill:
Arizona governor withholding grants to schools with mask mandates
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
CNN:
Arizona governor to exclude school districts with mask mandates from new education grants
Discussion:
Arizona Republic, Reason, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, CBS News, Office of the Arizona Governor and Washington Post
Klark Byrd / Paris News:
Paris ISD to require masks as part of dress code
Discussion:
CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, Washington Examiner, Political Wire and Washington Post
Kelly Weill / The Daily Beast:
QAnon 'Queen's' Followers Are Sending Insane Anti-Vaxx Notes to Hospitals
Office of the Arizona Governor:
Governor Ducey Announces $163 Million To Increase Per Pupil Funding In Schools
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, UPI and Arizona House Democrats
Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Texas Tribune, HuffPost, CNN, The Root, CNN, New York Times, Slate, KXAN-TV, HuffPost, Bloomberg, CBS News, Insider, Chad Prather for Texas, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Forbes, National Review, The Wrap, NPR, VICE, USA Today, UPI, Breitbart, Common Dreams, HotAir, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Reuters, Sputnik News, Crooks and Liars, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, Louder With Crowder, TMZ.com, KTLA, Twin Cities, Denver Post, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, Off the Kuff, Political Wire and KVEO-TV
New York Times:
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.
Julie Barrett / The Federalist:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Wall Street Journal:
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 …
Steve Israel / The Hill:
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.
HuffPost:
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 …
Steven Allen Adams / Martinsburg Journa:
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.
Discussion:
The Nation
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