CIA Director William Burns held secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar  —  CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul on Monday with the Taliban's de facto leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban …

Biden decides to keep August 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan as evacuations accelerate  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden has decided, in consultation with his national security team, to stick with the August 31 deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official.

‘Time to fold’: The rebels threatening Biden's agenda are increasingly isolated  —  The Sabotage Squad is still at it.  As of early Tuesday morning, the nine conservative House Democrats working to derail the strategy that's essential to passing President Biden's agenda are still threatening …

Breaking: Herschel Walker is running for U.S. Senate in Georgia  —  Former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker — at the urging of former President Donald Trump —launched a campaign Tuesday for the U.S. Senate, bringing both his celebrity and his untested political background …

Maryland's Kimberly Klacik sues conservative commentator Candace Owens for defamation, asks for $20 million in damages  —  Kimberly Klacik, a former Republican congressional candidate in Maryland, is suing conservative commentator Candace Owens for $20 million in damages over an Instagram video Owens …

Exclusive: Americans' harsh judgment on Afghanistan costs Biden's approval, down to 41%  —  Susan Page Matthew Brown Mabinty QuarshieUSA TODAY … Was the longest war worth it?  —  After two decades of combat, Americans by more than 2-1 say the war in Afghanistan, launched in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, wasn't worth it.

Hawaii governor tells tourists to stay home as coronavirus surges across islands  —  Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) is telling tourists to stay away from the islands amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.  —  In a news conference on Monday, Ige encouraged visitors and residents to reduce travel to essential business activities.

Conservative Bill Kristol endorses McAuliffe in race for Virginia governor  —  RICHMOND — Bill Kristol is just like all the other disaffected Virginia Republicans whom gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin needs to win over, only famous.  —  The longtime conservative commentator …

Reuters photographer was killed after being left behind in Afghan retreat, general says  —  Danish Siddiqui was with soldiers on the front line of an Afghan Special Forces clash with the Taliban.  New reporting, and his last photographs, cast light on his final hours, on the collapse of the Afghan military …

6 In 10 Floridians Support Requiring Masks In Schools, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 61% Say Recent Rise In COVID-19 Cases In Florida Was Preventable  — mail_outline  —  As Florida deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases and a battle intensifies over an executive order issued …

A top Republican in Pennsylvania promises to review the 2020 results as conspiracy theories flourish.  —  The top Republican in the Pennsylvania State Senate promised this week to carry out a broad review of the 2020 election results, a move that comes as G.O.P. lawmakers continue to sow doubts …

Mosque bomber now identifies as a woman, says right-wing blogs fueled ‘inner conflict’ leading up to attack  —  Says confusion, right-wing posts fed “inner conflict.”  —  TEXT SIZE  —  MORE  —  The militia leader who's facing life in prison for masterminding the bombing of a Minnesota mosque …

Playbook Interview with Rep. Dan Crenshaw  —  As the Biden administration grapples with the bungled Afghanistan pullout, Playbook co-authors Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels dissected the latest with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas).  Crenshaw — a former Navy SEAL who deployed five times overseas …

NEW POLL: Veterans strongly support withdrawal from Afghanistan; Republicans out of step with rest of America on Afghan refugees  —  WASHINGTON, DC - A new poll commissioned by VoteVets shows that American veterans overwhelmingly support President Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan, along with all Americans.

J.D. Vance has become the politician he once said he couldn't support  —  If you want to win a Republican primary in a Republican state, you could do worse than getting into a public fight with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.).  —  After all, primary electorates tend to be more partisan than the electorate overall …

He Was the ‘Perfect Villain’ for Voting Conspiracists  —  Eric Coomer had an election-security job at Dominion Voting Systems.  He also had posted anti-Trump messages on Facebook.  What happened next ruined his life.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Kathy Hochul becomes New York's first female governor  —  Gov. Kathy Hochul became New York's first female governor at midnight on Tuesday, assuming office after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal.  —  Hochul, who has in recent days attempted …

Trump teases potential 2024 bid amid Afghanistan crisis  —  Former President Trump teased a potential 2024 presidential run in an interview released Tuesday.  —  “We won it twice.  I've won it twice and now I have to win it again.  I guess if we're going to save the country, look …

An Open Letter to Governor Ron DeSantis  —  This letter is in response to the ad hominin attacks by your press secretary, Christina Pushaw, on Associated Press reporter Brendan Farrington, regarding his article on your program to provide monoclonal antibody treatments to those infected with Covid-19.

Possible case of ‘Havana syndrome’ in Vietnam delays Vice President Harris' visit  —  Vietnam is the latest country where a mysterious incident has been reported.  —  Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Vietnam on Tuesday was interrupted by a report of an “anomalous health incident,” …

Florida hasn't asked for $820 million in federal food assistance for children  —  The DeSantis administration hasn't applied for a federal food aid program, part of a larger effort by the governor to return life to normal.  —  TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has not yet applied …