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 …

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.

$3.5T or bust?  Sanders goes all-out to protect Dems' social spending plans  —  Bernie Sanders is shifting into a new phase of his legacy-defining work on Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending plan: Protecting it from members of his own party and selling it to the public.

Exclusive: Police Lieutenant Who Killed January 6 Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt Finally Identified  —  For more than seven months, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed protester climbing through a broken window in a hallway of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, has remained anonymous.

Republicans Balk on the Battle for Voting Rights  —  The Party of Lincoln has made itself the party of the new Jim Crow.  —  “Old battles have become new again,” said US Representative Terri Sewell, of Alabama, as she introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act for Tuesday's essential vote in the House.

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 …

‘This Case Was Never About Fraud’: Federal Judge Refers ‘Kraken’ Attorneys, Including Lin Wood and Sidney Powell, for ‘Possible Suspension or Disbarment’  —  A federal judge sent a strong message to each of the so-called “Kraken” lawyers behind litigation to upend the 2020 election …

The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard?  An Atheist.  —  The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.  —  The Puritan colonists who settled in New England in the 1630s …

Vaccinated Democratic Counties Are Leading the Economic Recovery  —  With Covid-19 cases once again rising across the country, the U.S. is struggling to curb the latest, delta-driven surge, as hospitalizations and deaths have steadily climbed.  But at least so far, the economy has proved highly resilient.

The Real Story Behind the $25,000 Trump Donation to Pam Bondi  —  When Trump used his charity to make a donation in 2013, executives claimed they didn't know the money was going to a political group.  Newly unearthed records prove otherwise.  —  It was the personally signed $25,000 check …

Biden signs off on highest honor for Harlem Hellfighters  —  The tough-as-nails Black infantrymen that gave America's enemies hell in World War I will be awarded Congress's highest honor posthumously under a new law President Biden signed off on Wednesday.  —  The 369th Infantry Regiment …

Why the Media is Worse for Biden Than Trump  —  Over the last week, the media has hammered Joe Biden with relentlessly critical coverage of his pullout from Afghanistan, resulting in noticeable drops in his approval ratings.  Put aside for a moment whether this reflects failures by Biden or biases by the media.

Axel Springer to Acquire POLITICO  —  Delivers on Axel Springer's growth strategy / Continuing its strategic expansion in the U.S. media market  —  BERLIN & WASHINGTON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The publishing group Axel Springer signed an agreement to acquire POLITICO, including the remaining 50 percent share …

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.