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11:30 AM 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 …
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.
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.
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 …
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 …
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’ …
Liv Klingert / Politico:   Taliban threaten consequences if US delays Afghanistan exit
Washington Post:
Biden says safe zone around Kabul airport to expand, as Pentagon enlists commercial airlines to aid evacuations
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 and NPR
Berkeley Lovelace Jr / CNBC:
FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid shot, clearing path to more vaccine mandates  — The FDA granted Pfizer and BioNTech full U.S. approval of their Covid-19 vaccine.  — The move may encourage some unvaccinated Americans to get the shots as well as give …
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 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.
Politico:   States gripped by Delta variant face case surge with fewer health workers
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
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: Insider
Olivia Beavers / Politico:
McCarthy faces speakership test on infrastructure vote
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 …
Discussion: Associated Press and POLITICUSUSA
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.
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
USA Today:
No vaccination? Americans back tough rules and mask mandates to protect the common good
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
Lucas Kunce / Kansas City Star:
Here are two sentences of truth about the US and Afghanistan | The Kansas City Star
Kurt Schlichter / Townhall:
Save the Military By Starting with a Woke Purge
Kristina Wong / Breitbart:
Deep State Failure: Russ Travers, Fired by Trump, Is in Top Afghan Evacuation Role Under Biden
 Earlier Items: 
Caitlin Owens / Axios:
We're all going to pay for the unvaccinated  —  The spike in hospitalizations of unvaccinated adults …
Discussion: Forbes
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+

Jibin Joseph / PCMag:
UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 creates Daisy, an AI-generated “scambaiter” tool that mimics the voice of an elderly woman to waste scammers' time
 
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