memeorandum: N.Y.C. is expected to require shots for all education staff, including teachers and principals. (Eliza Shapiro/New York Times)

10:10 AM ET, August 23, 2021

Top Items:

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Why so many people find Biden an easy target — The vehemence with which many politicians and media pundits on the left and right have attacked President Biden should not be surprising. Given the chaotic and heart-wrenching scenes in Afghanistan, the commander in chief becomes an obvious target …

Discussion: HotAir, CNBC, Townhall, Digby's Hullabaloo, USA Today and Reuters

Axios:

Biden doesn't plan to fire anyone over Kabul chaos, sources say — Biden isn't inclined to fire any senior national security officials over the chaos in Kabul unless the situation drastically deteriorates.

Discussion: HotAir, Breitbart, Deadline, TheBlaze and CNN

Sally Lockwood / Sky News:

Afghanistan: Taliban warns there will be ‘consequences’ if Biden delays withdrawal of US troops — The Taliban meets Sky News in Doha to discuss what happens next - and issues a stark warning about the withdrawal of troops from the country. — Created with Sketch.

Discussion: HotAir, Politico, Associated Press, Yahoo News, Breitbart, RedState, The Daily Caller, USA Today, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Washington Post, NBC News and CBS News

Alissa J. Rubin / New York Times:

Did the War in Afghanistan Have to Happen? — In 2001, when the Taliban were weak and ready to surrender, the U.S. passed on a deal. Nearly 20 years later, the Taliban hold all the cards. — Taliban fighters brandished Kalashnikovs and shook their fists in the air after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks …

Discussion: New Republic and Reuters

Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:

Hundreds of Afghans arrive at Northern Virginia Community College, greeted by outpouring of support — They kept coming: people carrying bags of clothes, bags of toiletries, bags of diapers and baby formula and toys and books. — All were donations for the hundreds of Afghan refugees …

Discussion: Insider, RedState and Townhall

Washington Post:

Taliban rejects extending Aug. 31 U.S. pullout, calling it a ‘red line’ … A Taliban spokesman warned that the United States would be crossing a “red line” if the Biden administration keeps troops in Afghanistan past its declared Aug. 31 deadline. — British media reported …

Discussion: CNN, New York Post, Just Security and Associated Press

Washington Examiner:
Democrats trust the Taliban more than their fellow Americans

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, Raw Story and New York Post

John Harwood / CNN:
Why Biden's Afghanistan exit wasn't about good politics

Discussion: Politico, Common Dreams, The Stream, NPR, The Global Warming … and Trending Politics

Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:
Harris says administration ‘singularly focused’ on Afghanistan evacuation

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Wall Street Journal:
Fire Fight Erupts at Kabul Airport as Security Situation Deteriorates

Discussion: CBS News, Associated Press, Reuters, Breitbart and Trending Politics

Politico:
Deadlines burn Biden

Discussion: HotAir, CNN and National Review

Telegraph: Boris Johnson will push Joe Biden to delay US withdrawal from Afghanistan

CNN:
Taliban issue death sentence for brother of Afghan translator who helped US troops, according to letters obtained by CNN

Discussion: New York Post, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite and New York Times

Washington Post:
Biden says safe zone around Kabul airport to expand, as Pentagon enlists commercial airlines to aid evacuations

Discussion: Insider, Washington Examiner, NBC News, HuffPost, Gizmodo, New York Times, Al Jazeera, 6abc, Wall Street Journal, Politico, New York Magazine, Fox News, Financial Times, Washington Times and NPR

NBC News:
Afghan staff at U.S. Embassy losing faith in evacuation efforts, diplomatic cable says

Discussion: HotAir, Insider, New York Post, BizPac Review, Reuters, New York Times, Washington Times, Political Wire, The Western Journal, UPI, Forbes, The Drive and Washington Post

Washington Post:
At least 21 dead, 20 missing after ‘catastrophic’ flooding in central Tennessee, officials say

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, The Daily Beast, WKRN-TV and The Hill

Jon Craig / Sky News:
Afghanistan: Tony Blair slams President Biden for ‘imbecilic’ military pullout and says crisis risks relegating UK to ‘second division of global powers’

Discussion: Hackwhackers, The Daily Caller and Mother Jones

Dan Bilefsky / New York Times:
Live Updates: Pressure Grows on Biden to Extend Afghan Withdrawal Deadline

Discussion: Reason, Talking Points Memo, Trending Politics, The Guardian, UPI, Slate and Associated Press

Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Afghans' suffering is ‘heartbreaking’ but unavoidable, Biden says

Discussion: Boston Herald, Breitbart, Washington Times, HotAir, The Dispatch, Washington Post, Washington Post, The Spectator World, Fox News, Washington Post, New Yorker, Financial Times, Instapundit and U.S. Department of Defense

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Distinguished persons of the week: Let's hear it for the deep state

Discussion: Financial Times, Daily Kos, New Republic, The American Spectator, HotAir, Twitchy and The Irish Times

Josie Ensor / Telegraph:
Joe Biden's aides ‘too afraid’ to tell him he was wrong on Afghanistan, say White House insiders

Washington Post:

Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine wins full FDA approval, potentially persuading the hesitant to get a shot — The licensing is a landmark event that could have major effects, experts said. — Federal regulators Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine …

Discussion: CNN, Politico, ABC News, Associated Press, New York Times, New York Post, STAT, ABC13, UPI and Forbes

US Food and Drug Administration:

FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine — Approval Signifies Key Achievement for Public Health — For Immediate Release: — Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine …

Discussion: NBC News, CBS News, Washington Examiner, KRQE-TV and Fox News

New York Times:

The F.D.A. grants full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and up, making it the first to move beyond emergency use status in the United States.

Discussion: NPR and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Third Pfizer dose significantly lowers risk of infection in seniors, Israeli data shows … PLEASE NOTE — The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.

Discussion: Breitbart, The Hill and Washington Examiner

Politico: States gripped by Delta variant face case surge with fewer health workers

Mercury News:
Exclusive: First U.S. COVID deaths came earlier — and in different places — than previously thought

Discussion: Homeless on the High Desert, Raw Story, ACA Signups, Washington Post, NBC News and Wall Street Journal

Michelle Hackman / Wall Street Journal: Why Illegal U.S. Border Crossings Likely Aren't Fueling the Covid-19 Surge

Brendan J. Lyons / Albany Times Union:

Cuomo's dog Captain left at mansion after governor departed — ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has been staying with one of his sisters in Westchester County in the final days of his third term, recently has asked staff members at the Executive Mansion if anyone would like to keep his dog …

Discussion: Mediaite and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Let's take the win. Let's do infrastructure first. — The authors are Democratic members of the House of Representatives from Georgia, Hawaii, California, Texas, Maine, New Jersey and Oregon. — Time kills deals. This is an old business saying and the essence of why we are pushing …

Discussion: The Hill, Politico, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal and Common Dreams

Russell Berman / The Atlantic:

The Man in Joe Biden's Way — The biggest roadblock to President Joe Biden's domestic agenda at the moment isn't centrist Senator Joe Manchin or a progressive like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—it's a third-term New Jersey Democrat who most Americans have never heard of: Representative Josh Gottheimer.

Discussion: Politico, Roll Call, Real Clear Politics, The Hill, CNN, UPI, NBC News and Florida Politics

Olivia Beavers / Politico:
McCarthy faces speakership test on infrastructure vote

Discussion: Raw Story, Maryland Matters and The Hill

Eliza Shapiro / New York Times:

N.Y.C. is expected to require shots for all education staff, including teachers and principals. — New York City will require every Department of Education employee — including teachers, principals, custodians and all central office staff — to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine …

Matthew Boyle / Breitbart:

'I'd Follow Him Through Hell With Gasoline Pants On': Outlaw Platoon's Sean Parnell Surges in PA as Biden Fails in Afghanistan — Sean Parnell, the Afghanistan war veteran who led the infamous “Outlaw Platoon” for more than a year of heavy fighting against the Taliban and terrorists …

The New York Times Company:

Zeynep Tufekci Joins The New York Times as an Opinion Columnist — Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist and writer, joins Opinion as a columnist. Her columns bring readers deep reporting that examines big ideas, on the pandemic and far beyond it. Read more in this note from Kathleen Kingsbury.