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7:50 AM ET, August 23, 2021

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 Top Items: 
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: Breitbart, Washington Post, CNN and TheBlaze
RELATED:
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:
Biden says safe zone around Kabul airport to expand, as Pentagon enlists commercial airlines to aid evacuations  —  President Biden said Sunday that the U.S. military is “executing a plan” to move stranded American citizens to the Kabul airport in greater numbers, including through an expansion …
Reuters:
U.S. ‘unwavering’ in Afghanistan evacuations, Biden says; Taliban beat back crowd at airport  —  The United States has an “unwavering commitment” to get U.S. citizens and at-risk Afghans to safety out of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said, as Taliban fighters beat back thousands desperate to flee outside Kabul airport on Sunday.
John Harwood / CNN:
Why Biden's Afghanistan exit wasn't about good politics  —  (CNN)In ending America's longest war, President Joe Biden did something popular.  It was never going to help him politically.  —  That was true before damaging images of chaos and desperation filled American television screens last week.
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’
David French / The Dispatch:   They Held the Line  —  The sacrifice in Afghanistan was not in vain.
Bruce Haring / Deadline:
Fox News Rescues Afghan Nationals Who Aided Correspondents
Discussion: Fox News and RedState
Financial Times:
Johnson to host emergency G7 talks on Afghanistan with role sought for China and Russia
Discussion: Reuters
Dexter Filkins / New Yorker:
What We Left Behind in Afghanistan
Discussion: Washington Post
CNN:
Taliban issue death sentence for brother of Afghan translator who helped US troops, according to letters obtained by CNN  —  (CNN)The Taliban have sentenced the brother of an Afghan translator to death, according to letters obtained by CNN, accusing him of helping the US and providing security to his brother …
Discussion: New York Times
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 …
Martin E. Comas / Associated Press:
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz marries girlfriend in California elopement  —  MIAMI (AP) — U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, eloped to Southern California and married his girlfriend Ginger Luckey on Saturday in a small ceremony on Catalina Island.  —  The controversial 39-year-old Republican …
RELATED:
Charles Gaba / ACA Signups:
A month later, let's check in on the GOP's (supposed) COVID vaccination messaging 180º turnaround  —  Exactly a month ago I posted an in-depth analysis in which I broke out all 3,114 counties, parishes, boroughs & census areas throughout the 50 United States (+DC) into a 3x3 grid as follows:
Discussion: NBC News and Wall Street Journal
RELATED:
Mercury News:
Exclusive: First U.S. COVID deaths came earlier — and in different places — than previously thought
Discussion: Raw Story and Outside the Beltway
Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:   How the U.S. vaccination drive came to rely on an army of consultants
Peter Fenn / The Hill:
How to prevent Democrats from digging their own grave in 2022  —  Earlier this month a coalition of progressive groups announced they were going to spend upwards of $100 million on television and digital ads to boost President Biden and the Democrats.  When in doubt, flood the airwaves.  What a waste!
Brian Kahn / Gizmodo:
Trump's Border Wall Torn Apart by Arizona Monsoon Rains  —  Record monsoon rains have blown floodgates off their hinges as Trump's border wall breaks down.  —  Alerts  —  It turns out ignoring bedrock environmental laws may not have been the best choice for a multibillion-dollar construction project.
Discussion: Raw Story
Silas House / The Atlantic:
Some Americans No Longer Believe in the Common Good  —  As a child in eastern Kentucky, I often helped my grandmother work in her large garden, lush with tomatoes, beans, okra, potatoes, and peppers.  Granny was born in 1909, 62 years before me.  As we hoed the long rows …
Discussion: TheBlaze
Washington Examiner:
Democrats trust the Taliban more than their fellow Americans  —  Now that the Taliban are going door to door, hunting and executing Afghans who worked for the United States, Democrats want everyone to know that conservatives in the U.S. are just as dangerous — or even worse.
Discussion: Washington Post
Allan Smith / NBC News:
Trump booed at Alabama rally after telling supporters to get vaccinated … Former President Donald Trump was booed at a rally on Saturday in Alabama after telling supporters they should get vaccinated.  —  “And you know what?  I believe totally in your freedoms.  I do.
RELATED:
Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:   ‘What traitors do’: Trump slammed for praising Taliban at Alabama rally
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Russian Journalists Meet a Crackdown With Dark Humor, and Subscribers  —  Meduza, a leading independent news site, fights back with jokes and a stunning donation campaign.  But can it stand up to the Russian state?  —  RIGA, Latvia — There's a certain kind of American podcast …
Human Rights Watch:
Gaza: Israel's May Airstrikes on High-Rises  —  Apparently Unlawful Attacks Cause Major Lasting Harm  —  The Israeli military's airstrikes that destroyed four high-rise buildings in Gaza City during the May 2021 fighting apparently violated the laws of war and may amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Tevi Troy / Wall Street Journal:
All the President's Yes-Men  —  JFK remade his decision-making process after the Bay of Pigs debacle.
Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Democrats scramble to reclaim lost ground in statehouse battles
Yeganeh Torbati / Washington Post:
In Florida, DeSantis cut jobless aid just as virus began terrifying new wave
 Earlier Items: 
Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:
Kavanaugh Is the Last Hope for Abortion Rights
Discussion: Reason
David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
The Noisy Minority  —  The connection between Republican political views and skepticism …
Discussion: Raw Story
New York Times:
Hospitals and Insurers Didn't Want You to See These Prices. Here's Why.
 

 
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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