This Is How the U.S.'s Afghanistan Exit Plan Unraveled  —  President Biden promised an orderly withdrawal.  That pledge, compounded by missed signals and miscalculations, proved impossible.  —  WASHINGTON — The nation's top national security officials assembled at the Pentagon early …

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 …

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 …

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.

Taliban soldiers wearing U.S.-made gear mock iconic World War II image of Marines raising flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 and release propaganda footage showing them armed with American weapons while on patrol in Afghanistan  — The Taliban's Badri 313 Battalion released a collection of propaganda footage this past week

Outspoken conservative radio host Phil Valentine dies after battling COVID-19  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — Conservative talk radio host Phil Valentine has died following a lengthy battle with COVID-19.  He was 61 years old.  —  His death was announced by SuperTalk 99.7 WTN on Saturday afternoon …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Florida's COVID deaths climb as children lead state in positivity rate  —  The state reports 1,486 deaths and 150,118 new coronavirus infections as the pandemic starts to affect young Floridians.  —  Florida's pandemic is getting deadlier and infecting more children.

The Fall of Kabul, Washington and the Guys at the Fancy Magazines  —  I wrote at the beginning of the week that the lightning collapse of the Afghan Army and the Afghan state, far from making me question the decision to withdraw, had removed any doubt in my mind that it was the correct one.

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 …

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.

‘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) …

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 …