Austin contradicts Biden, says Americans have been ‘beaten’ by the Taliban  —  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers Friday that Americans trying to leave Afghanistan have been beaten by Taliban fighters, according to several people who participated in a briefing call with Austin and other top officials.

EXCLUSIVE FBI finds scant evidence U.S. Capitol attack was coordinated-sources  —  The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.

Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt exonerated in internal probe  —  The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt outside a door of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot has been formally exonerated after an internal investigation, according to a department memo obtained by NBC News.

‘These people were in bad, bad shape.’ A look inside of a Florida library converted to a Covid-19 treatment site  —  (CNN)The scene at the Jacksonville main public library was haunting, Louis Lopez recalled.  As he waited for a Covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatment, he saw people so sick they couldn't even stand.

The new ‘Jeopardy!’ host, Mike Richards, quits.  —  Mike Richards, who was named the new host of “Jeopardy!” last week, is abruptly leaving the role as the beloved game show confronts a roiling controversy over offensive and sexist comments he made on a podcast several years ago.

University of Virginia disenrolls 238 students for not complying with vaccine requirement  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE — The University of Virginia disenrolled 238 students ahead of its fall semester for noncompliance with the school's COVID-19 vaccine requirement.  —  Of that number …

The F.D.A. is aiming to give full approval to Pfizer's Covid vaccine on Monday.  —  The Food and Drug Administration is pushing to approve Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, further expediting an earlier timeline for licensing the shot, according to people familiar with the agency's planning.

One of QAnon's Most Antisemitic Influencers Is Actually a 39-Year-Old Baptist From Florida  —  One of QAnon's most prolific, popular, and antisemitic influencers has been revealed to be a deeply religious 39-year-old Trump supporter in Florida.  —  Researchers at Logically on Friday published …

AP urges DeSantis to end bullying aimed at reporter  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press called on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday to end “harassing behavior” by one of his press aides against an AP reporter who has received threats and other online abuse.

Facebook, Fearing Public Outcry, Shelved Earlier Report on Popular Posts  —  The company praised itself this week for being “the most transparent platform on the internet.”  —  When Facebook this week released its first quarterly report about the most viewed posts in the United States …

Maker of Popular Covid Test Told Factory to Destroy Inventory  —  One of the leading producers of rapid tests purged supplies and laid off workers as sales dwindled.  Weeks later, the U.S. is facing a surge in infections with diminished capacity.  —  For weeks in June and July …

Orlando urges reduced water usage as liquid oxygen used to purify water goes to COVID patients  —  The city of Orlando and its water utility made an urgent appeal Friday afternoon for residents to cut back sharply on water usage for weeks because of a pandemic-triggered shortage of liquid oxygen used to purify water.

The Science of Masking Kids at School Remains Uncertain  —  At the end of May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a notable, yet mostly ignored, large-scale study of COVID transmission in American schools.  A few major news outlets covered its release by briefly reiterating …

Biden Insiders: Our Afghanistan Exit Is a Part of a Much Bigger Reset  —  THE END OF THE POST-9/11 ERA … Biden and his team have clearer memories of the long litany of egregious and crippling missteps America's leaders made during the first years of this century than do their critics.

COVID anxiety rising amid delta surge, AP-NORC poll finds  —  DENVER (AP) — Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation's hospitals once again fill to capacity.

Gov. Cuomo has been railroaded: The governor's adviser says the attorney general's report is a sham  —  The last few weeks have been trying.  COVID has returned with a vengeance, the Taliban has taken back Afghanistan, and yes, we are about to change administrations in Albany.

Biden to nominate Rahm Emanuel to serve as ambassador to Japan  —  President Biden will nominate former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as ambassador to Japan and R. Nicholas Burns to serve as ambassador to China, the White House announced Friday.  —  Emanuel previously worked …

U.S. Finalizing Agreement to Send 4,000 Afghans to Colombia  —  The U.S. and Colombia are finalizing an agreement that could send as many as 4,000 Afghans who worked with the U.S. government in Afghanistan to Colombia temporarily until their paperwork is processed, according to two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter.

Mostly Pre-Afghanistan Turmoil, Biden Job Approval 49%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gallup's latest job approval rating for President Joe Biden, conducted mostly before the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban earlier this week, is 49%.  The current rating is one percentage point below the 50% registered …