memeorandum: More than half of Florida's students now go to schools mandating masks in defiance of DeSantis (Valerie Strauss/Washington Post)

11:00 AM ET, August 25, 2021

Top Items:

Two Congress members make unauthorized trip to Kabul amid evacuation efforts — Two members of Congress made an unauthorized whirlwind trip to Kabul early Tuesday, leaving less than 24 hours later on a flight used for evacuating U.S. citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans.

Dion Nissenbaum / Wall Street Journal:

In Kabul, Private Rescue Efforts Grow Desperate as Time to Evacuate Afghans Runs Out — Defense contractor Erik Prince charges $6,500 a person, other groups' planes leave Kabul empty — A disparate group of American veterans, military contractors, aid workers and former spies is scrambling …

Discussion: abc7NY

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

A Better Afghan Policy — What would it have been? — What might a more successful exit from Afghanistan have looked like? — I have spent some time talking with colleagues and experts about that question, and it is a difficult one to answer. President Biden's exit certainly has not gone well.

Discussion: Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vox, Morning Consult and Reason, more at Mediagazer »

Sami Sadat / New York Times:

The Afghan Army Collapsed Against the Taliban. Here's Why. — General Sadat is a commander in the Afghan National Army. — For the past three and a half months, I fought day and night, nonstop, in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province against an escalating and bloody Taliban offensive.

Discussion: Insider, NaturalNews.com and Foreign Affairs

John Sexton / HotAir:

Is Jen Rubin now doing PR for the Taliban now or just lying by omission? — Jen Rubin has been supporting and defending the Biden administration on every possible front for months but she has really put her flack-act into high gear since Biden's drawdown of troops in Afghanistan has turned into a disaster.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Western Journal and Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal:
Afghanistan's Falling Man: The 17-Year-Old Soccer Star Who Plunged From a U.S. Military Jet

Discussion: Political Wire, New York Post, Townhall, National Review, HotAir, IJR, Reuters, Politico and USA Today

Lara Jakes / New York Times:
How Many People in Afghanistan Need to be Rescued? The Number Remains Elusive.

Discussion: Mediaite, HotAir, Insider, Politico, Washington Post, National Review, The Hill, Crooks and Liars, Forbes, New York Post, Financial Times and The American Spectator

Ben Smith / New York Times:
How Mexico Helped The Times Get Its Journalists Out of Afghanistan

more at Mediagazer »

Joseph Klein / Front Page Magazine:
Biden's Gift to Global Jihadists: A Safe National Homeland

Discussion: American Greatness, Washington Examiner, CNN, Washington Post and BizPac Review

Washington Examiner:
Biden's credibility crisis spreads far past Afghanistan

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, RedState and Mediaite

Roosevelt Room / The White House:
Remarks by President Biden on the Ongoing Evacuation Efforts in Afghanistan and the House Vote on the Build Back Better Agenda

Discussion: HotAir, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Power Line and New York Times

Natasha Korecki / Politico:
White House to media: We want our props on Afghanistan

Discussion: Fox News, Issues & Insights, CNN, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

NBC News:
Fury and disgust at CIA, Pentagon and in Congress that thousands of Afghans will be left behind

Charles Lane / Washington Post:
The U.S. dare not betray the students at the American University of Afghanistan

Discussion: Inside Higher Ed, RedState and The Hill

Bonchie / RedState:
Joe Biden, With Eyes Bloodshot and Five Hours Late, Insults Everyone Watching With Surreal Presser

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Townhall, HotAir and Instapundit

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Can the Taliban become a reliable partner to the U.S.? Only time will tell.

Discussion: CNN, RedState and New York Times

New York Times:
Interview With Kathy Hochul: Sensing a ‘Weight of Responsibility’

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Examiner

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
Biden Has Shown Us That His Promises Are Worthless

Discussion: HotAir, Wall Street Journal, Trish Regan's Intel, The US Sun and Washington Examiner

Carl Zimmer / New York Times:

Second Dose of J. & J. Vaccine Gives Strong Boost, Company Reports — Johnson & Johnson will submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration, which is evaluating similar data on boosters from Pfizer and Moderna. — A booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine dramatically raises …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, HotAir, Content Lab U.S., Politico, CBS News, UPI, Financial Times, KRQE-TV, STAT, NPR and 6abc

Leslie Josephs / CNBC:

Delta Air Lines is raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees by $200 a month to cover higher Covid costs — Starting Nov. 1, unvaccinated Delta employees who have health insurance from the companywill face $200 monthly surcharges. — From Sept. 12 …

Discussion: Morning Brew and WPRI-TV

Joe Kovacs / WND:
Gab launches brand-new job board to help unvaccinated Americans

Discussion: Gab News

JoNel Aleccia / Kaiser Health News:
Hot Spots Where Covid Vaccination Lags Push Experimental Antibody Treatment

Discussion: National Review and TCPalm.com

Thomas Mates / WKMG:
Children 5 to 14 make up largest group of new COVID cases in Orange County

Discussion: Ohio State announces …, CNBC and TheBlaze

Andrew Demillo / Associated Press:
Arkansas runs out of intensive care beds for COVID patients

Discussion: The Hill and Axios

New York Times:
Many Older Americans Still Aren't Vaccinated, Making the Delta Wave Deadlier

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Jackson County, Oregon, USA, Centers for Disease Control …, Axios, Fox News, Politico, KTLA, Forbes, CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Washington Examiner and HotAir

Jackie Salo / New York Post:
Fauci: Early use of monoclonal antibodies can cut risk of hospitalization, death up to 85%

Discussion: CNBC and New York Times

Ian Millhiser / Vox:

The Supreme Court's stunning, radical immigration decision, explained — The Court's decision on Trump's “Remain in Mexico” policy upends decades of precedent warning that judges shouldn't mess with foreign affairs. — The Supreme Court handed down an order Tuesday evening that makes no sense.

Discussion: HotAir, CBS News, One America News Network, Louder With Crowder, BizPac Review, Townhall, Conservative Brief, The Federalist, Trish Regan's Intel, Crooks and Liars and IJR

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Supreme Court says Biden administration must comply with ruling to restart ‘remain in Mexico’ program for asylum seekers — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Biden administration must comply with a lower court's ruling to reinstate President Donald Trump's policy that required …

New York Times:

About 89% of Rental Assistance Funds Have Not Been Distributed, Figures Show — Just $1.7 billion in funds intended to prevent eviction were disbursed in July as the White House braces for a Supreme Court decision that could strike down its eviction moratorium.

Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:

As eviction crisis loomed, rental relief barely picked up in July — Last month, nearly $1.7 billion was spent on rent, utilities and missed payments, slightly more than the $1.5 billion in June — The amount of emergency rental aid reaching tenants and landlords barely picked up in July compared to June …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CBS News and Politico

Valerie Strauss / Washington Post:

More than half of Florida's students now go to schools mandating masks in defiance of DeSantis — More than half of Florida's students are now enrolled in public school districts with mask mandates despite threats of sanctions from the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) …

Discussion: The Hill, WESH-TV, CNN and Quinnipiac University Poll

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Ron DeSantis's anti-mask mania is deeply unpopular. Democrats must jump on that.

Discussion: CNN, ABC News, Crooks and Liars, Sun-Sentinel, PRESS RUN, Raw Story, HotAir and Discourse.net

David Dayen / American Prospect:

Infrastructure Summer: The Gottheimer Gang's Pointless Standoff — Conservative Democrats got a guarantee that the House would vote on the infrastructure bill by late September. But that changes nothing about the process. — The problem for the Gottheimer gang is they simply …

Discussion: Raw Story, Politico, email.punchbowl.news and Indian Country Today

U.S. Department of Justice:

Leader of ‘Atomwaffen’ conspiracy sentenced to 3 years in prison for threatening journalists and advocates — Seattle - Cameron Shea, 25, a leader of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington to 3 years …

Discussion: UPI

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story: Neo-Nazi gets three years in prison for threat campaign that targeted Jewish journalists

Associated Press:

‘Pain compliance’: Video shows trooper pummeling Black man — MONROE, La. (AP) — Graphic body camera video kept secret for more than two years shows a Louisiana State Police trooper pummeling a Black motorist 18 times with a flashlight — an attack the trooper defended as “pain compliance.”

Politico:

Secret Service warned Capitol Police about violent threats 1 day before Jan. 6 — Just a day before the Jan. 6 riot, the Secret Service warned the U.S. Capitol Police that their officers could face violence at the hands of supporters of former President Donald Trump, according to new documents reviewed by POLITICO.

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story and Political Wire

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:

FCC looks to fine conservative activists $5 million for false mail voting robocalls — The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $5.1 million fine against conservative activists Jacob Wohl and John Burkman and J.M. Burkman & Associates for making 1,141 unlawful robocalls that made false claims …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Slate, HuffPost, Politico, The Verge, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo and The New Civil Rights Movement

Ally Mutnick / Politico:

How screwed is Adam Kinzinger? — Former President Donald Trump would love to take down Adam Kinzinger, one of his chief House GOP antagonists, in next year's midterms. But Democrats might beat him to it. — Illinois lawmakers are on the verge of rolling out a new congressional map …

Discussion: New York Post, Washington Times and NBC News

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

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 …