Security Alert - Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (August 21, 2021)  —  Event: Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions …

U.S. Considers Ordering Commercial Airlines to Help in Afghan Evacuation  —  The Biden administration is making preparations to invoke an emergency civil aviation program, while adding to the number of U.S. bases that can house Afghan evacuees.  —  WASHINGTON—The Biden administration …

Trump's rally in Alabama is a boon for Mo Brooks' Senate campaign  —  (CNN)Former President Donald Trump will rally the faithful in Alabama on Saturday, a boon to Rep. Mo Brooks, his favored Senate candidate, who is behind in the money race there and struggling to attract some Republicans unnerved …

As Kabul turmoil mounts, Taliban's PR offensive falters  —  In the last few days, TV crews from Afghanistan's Al-Emarah Studio, which produces pro-Taliban multimedia content, have been out on the streets of Kabul speaking to residents with reassuring messages about life returning to normal.

Elite Taliban unit wearing US gear appears to mock iconic American WWII photo  —  Propaganda videos show Taliban fighters carrying U.S. and U.S. ally-made weapons  —  Biden refuses to identify the Taliban as an enemy  —  A Taliban fighting unit called the Badri 313 Battalion …

Minnesota GOP ‘in ruins’ after shocking scandal  —  Less than a year ago, Minnesota looked every bit a swing state.  Donald Trump was pouring millions of dollars into his campaign there, after nearly flipping the state in 2016, Republicans were making inroads in the ancestrally Democratic Iron Range.

Florida's COVID surge ‘a crisis of unprecedented proportions,’ doctor says; school districts battle for masks.  Latest COVID-19 updates  —  Jeanine Santucci Christine FernandoUSA TODAY  —  Florida became the third state in the U.S. to reach 3 million cases of COVID-19, a total surpassed by only 15 countries in the world.

University of Virginia disenrolls unvaccinated students ahead of fall semester  —  Officials said 49 students who have registered for fall classes are not in compliance with the school's vaccine mandate  —  Forty-nine students who registered for fall classes at the University of Virginia …

Mississippi Official's Plea for People Not to Get Covid Treatment at Feed Stores Utterly Stuns Rachel Maddow: ‘Why Are They Dealing With This?’  —  On Friday night, Rachel Maddow highlighted a pleas by an exasperated public health official in Mississippi, who implored residents …

Pence aide blames Stephen Miller for ‘devastating’ visa system for Afghans  —  WASHINGTON - A former aide to former Vice President Mike Pence blamed racist views of a top Trump administration official for the inability of many translators and other allies to get out of Afghanistan before the U.S. withdrew troops.

‘The Temperature in Saigon Is 105 and Rising’  —  As a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam (1965-1966), a reporter who was among the last to be evacuated from Saigon by helicopter (1975) and a correspondent who covered the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan from the Afghan side (1980) …

Afghanistan proves our failed generals no longer care about winning  —  To the surprise of only the Biden administration and its top brass, the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan last week after 20 years of frivolous American adventurism.  It was a spectacular failure of American diplomacy …

Henri Upgraded to Hurricane, Heads Toward Long Island  —  Forecasts call for potentially dangerous storm surges, heavy rain and strong winds  —  Henri was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday morning and was expected to make landfall on Long Island or in southern New England on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Prop.  22, the gig worker exemption for Uber and Lyft, is ruled unconstitutional  —  Proposition 22, which exempts gig work companies like Uber and Lyft from treating drivers as employees, is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Friday.  —  The measure, which 59% of state voters supported last fall …

Turmoil Was Brewing at Time's Up Long Before Cuomo  —  The prominent anti-harassment charity, criticized for its relationship with the former New York governor, is facing an identity crisis over its ties to those in power.  —  Nearly four years ago, moving with resolve after the global #MeToo explosion …

The Elephant in the Room Republicans carefully run for president, not knowing if the last one will, too.  —  One night in June, hundreds of Republicans gathered in suburban Des Moines, Iowa, for two traditions: raising money for their party and listening to a presidential hopeful …

EU says no recognition of Taliban, no political talks  —  The European Union has not recognised the Taliban, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, nor is it holding political talks with the militants, a week after they seized control of Afghanistan.