In Florida, the pandemic is worse now than it has ever been before.  —  More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic, underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state.

Henry Kissinger on why America failed in Afghanistan  —  It was not possible to turn the country into a modern democracy, but creative diplomacy and force might have overcome terrorism, says the American statesman … THE TALIBAN takeover of Afghanistan focuses the immediate concern …

Federal judge in Michigan orders pro-Trump lawyers disciplined over lawsuit seeking to overturn 2020 election  —  A federal judge in Michigan has ordered that Sidney Powell, L. Lin Wood and seven other attorneys who filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election be disciplined …

A naked baby helped Nirvana sell millions of records.  Now 30, he's suing the band for ‘child pornography.’  —  Spencer Elden may very well be the most famous naked baby the world has ever seen.  —  A photo of him as an infant — submerged in water and seemingly chasing a dollar bill dangling …

U.S. Allies Halt Afghanistan Evacuations, Warn of Growing Threat From Islamic State  —  European countries say they can't airlift citizens, Afghans to safety because U.S. forces need to prepare for withdrawal  —  Several European countries said they were halting evacuation flights from Afghanistan …

Lester Holt to interview Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt  —  NBC News's Lester Holt will interview the Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the network announced.  —  The interview, set to air Thursday …

The Real Winner of the Afghan War?  It's Not Who You Think.  —  Pakistan, nominally a U.S. partner in the war, was the Afghan Taliban's main patron, and sees the Taliban's victory as its own.  But now what does it do with its prize?  —  Just days after the Taliban took Kabul …

Herschel Gets In  —  “Mr. Walker, you have admitted you carried a gun and wanted to kill a man.”  —  “Mr. Warnock, that experience led me to Jesus.  You're a minister and you tried to run over your wife.”  —  A Herschel Walker v. Raphael Warnock debate would be one for the ages and Walker wants to make it happen.

OnlyFans Drops Planned Porn Ban, Will Continue to Allow Sexually Explicit Content … OnlyFans dropped plans to ban pornography from its service, less than a week after the U.K. content-creator subscription site had announced the change citing the need to comply with policies of banking partners.

Fact check: Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy makes at least 5 false claims in 7-minute Fox News interview  —  This is what Trump said about US' evacuation of Afghan allies  —  Washington (CNN)House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy made at least five false claims during a seven-minute Sunday interview on Fox News.

Despite declining polls, Biden's Afghanistan debacle may actually help his agenda in Congress  —  President Joe Biden's poll numbers are weakening.  —  While most people agree that it was past time to end the war in Afghanistan, a new NBC News poll shows that only 25% approve of his handling of the current situation.

Taliban show off U.S.-made weapons and gear in a bid to intimidate, project authority  —  On his tour through the fallen city of Kabul last week, Taliban-aligned militant Khalil Haqqani rose to address a crowd at the capital's largest place of worship, Pul-i-Khishti Mosque.

Let's Not Pretend That the Way We Withdrew From Afghanistan Was the Problem  —  In 2005, my colleagues at The American Prospect, Sam Rosenfeld and Matt Yglesias, wrote an essay I think about often.  It was called “The Incompetence Dodge,” and it argued that American policymakers …

EXCLUSIVE Internal UN document says Taliban threatened, beat staff  —  The Taliban stopped an Afghan United Nations staff member as he tried to reach Kabul airport on Sunday.  They searched his vehicle and found his U.N. identification.  Then they beat him.