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12:15 PM ET, August 23, 2021

memeorandum

 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 …
RELATED:
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 …
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.
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.
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 …
Jack Newman / Daily Mail:   ‘There will be consequences’: Taliban warn US and Britain to get out, saying August 31 withdrawal deadline is a ‘red line’ …
Washington Post:
Biden says safe zone around Kabul airport to expand, as Pentagon enlists commercial airlines to aid evacuations
Liv Klingert / Politico:   Taliban threaten consequences if US delays Afghanistan exit
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 …
RELATED:
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 …
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: USA Today, Breitbart, Raw Story and NPR
NBC News:
FDA grants full approval to Pfizer's Covid vaccine  —  The Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose vaccine Monday for people ages 16 and up, making it the first Covid-19 vaccine to pass this final regulatory hurdle.  —  “The FDA's approval of this vaccine …
Discussion: CNN, Roll Call, IJR, UPI and Just The News
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.
Associated Press:
US regulators give full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
Discussion: CBS San Francisco and ABC7
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Sinema: I simply won't back a $3.5T spending bill  —  Kyrsten Sinema still opposes her party's plans for a $3.5 trillion, party-line spending bill.  And she's not up for a negotiation about it.  —  As House Democratic leaders hold back Sinema's own Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill …
Discussion: The Hill and Insider
RELATED:
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 …
Thomas Franck / CNBC:
Wall Street calls moderates' bluff, urges investors to prepare for infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills
Discussion: The Daily Caller
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 …
Eliza Shapiro / New York Times:
N.Y.C. Will Mandate Vaccines for Teachers and School Staff  —  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 by Sept. 27 …
Lucas Kunce / Kansas City Star:
Here are two sentences of truth about the US and Afghanistan |  The Kansas City Star  —  What we are seeing in Afghanistan right now shouldn't shock you.  It only seems that way because our institutions are steeped in systematic dishonesty.  It doesn't require a dissertation to explain what you're seeing.
Washington Free Beacon:
Democratic National Committee's Top Data Firm Stands by Cuomo  —  A top Democratic National Committee firm is allowing outgoing New York governor Andrew Cuomo to solicit donations, even as party leaders and fundraising platforms have abandoned the scandal-plagued Democrat in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
RELATED:
Jimmy Vielkind / Wall Street Journal:
Andrew Cuomo Keeps Low Profile in Final Days as New York Governor
Discussion: USA Today and The 19th
COVID at Rice:
COVID-19 Response weekly update: August 22  —  Today I write to report on issues we experienced with our testing program as well as a few other updates.  —  We've discovered some anomalies with the test results we received this week from one of our three providers.
 
 
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 More Items: 
USA Today:
No vaccination? Americans back tough rules and mask mandates to protect the common good
Discussion: Iowa Capital Dispatch
Will Carless / USA Today:
Armed protests are picking up, and a new study says they're more likely to turn violent
Robin Wright / New Yorker:
Afghanistan, Again, Becomes a Cradle for Jihadism—and Al Qaeda
Discussion: New Republic
Kurt Schlichter / Townhall:
Save the Military By Starting with a Woke Purge
Caitlin Owens / Axios:
We're all going to pay for the unvaccinated  —  The spike in hospitalizations of unvaccinated adults …
Discussion: Forbes
 Earlier Items: 
The New York Times Company:
Zeynep Tufekci Joins The New York Times as an Opinion Columnist
more at Mediagazer »
American Prospect:
Why Mass Immigration Is the Key to American Renewal
Discussion: ImmigrationProf Blog
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
Peter Fenn / The Hill:
How to prevent Democrats from digging their own grave in 2022
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Russian Journalists Meet a Crackdown With Dark Humor, and Subscribers
Brian Kahn / Gizmodo:
Trump's Border Wall Torn Apart by Arizona Monsoon Rains
Discussion: Metro.co.uk and Raw Story
 

 
From Techmeme:

Emma Roth / The Verge:
Mark Zuckerberg says Threads is testing custom feeds for certain profiles or topics; the Threads' version seems easier to use than Bluesky's custom feeds

Financial Times:
Sources: xAI raised $5B at a $45B valuation, almost double its valuation a few months ago; SpaceX prepares a tender offer that would value the company at $250B+

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Bluesky says it has “no intention” of taking user content to train AI tools, ahead of X implementing new terms of service that let it train AI on user content
 
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