US special operations vets carry out daring mission to save Afghan allies  —  At least 13 service members were killed in an attack in Kabul Thursday.  —  With the Taliban growing more violent and adding checkpoints near Kabul's airport, an all-volunteer group of American veterans …

Texas Anti-Mask ‘Freedom Rally’ Organizer Fighting For His Life With COVID-19  —  A Texas man who helped organize protests against pandemic restrictions is fighting for his life after being hospitalized for nearly a month with COVID-19, the  —  San Angelo Standard-Times reported.

Dad of Marine Slain in Kabul Vents Anger at Military, Biden  —  Kareem Nikoui was one of at least 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday.  —  Thursday was “an excruciating day” for California carpenter Steve Nikoui.

Lincoln Project lambastes Ron DeSantis for school COVID-19 surge … Jacob Ogles  —  Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg.

Justice Breyer on Retirement and the Role of Politics at the Supreme Court  —  In an interview prompted by his new book, the 83-year-old leader of the court's liberal wing said he is working on a decision about when to step down.  —  WASHINGTON — Justice Stephen G. Breyer says he is struggling …

Jen Psaki Says Probably the Worst Thing She Could After Biden's Afghanistan Presser  —  As we reported yesterday, President Joe Biden gave a self-serving speech Thursday afternoon on what was a very dark day for America and her allies in Afghanistan after suicide bombings left, at last count …

Having SARS-CoV-2 once confers much greater immunity than a vaccine—but no infection parties, please  —  The natural immune protection that develops after a SARS-CoV-2 infection offers considerably more of a shield against the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus than two doses …

A school district opted out of a free meals program, saying students could ‘become spoiled’  —  With two girls in elementary school and a mother who is a teacher, the Dringenburg household in a Milwaukee suburb had been joyous and excited about back-to-school season — until this year …

Police report: Herschel Walker's ex-girlfriend claimed he threatened her life  —  A Texas woman who claimed to have a long romantic relationship with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker told police in 2012 that he threatened to “blow her head off” and then kill himself when she tried to end the relationship.

What California's Recall Election Says About America  —  We did not meet at the French Laundry.  —  Gavin Newsom, the California governor who faces a recall election on September 14, hasn't been back to the extravagantly expensive Napa Valley restaurant since he dined there with lobbyists …

Renewed fears of political violence grip Capitol Hill ahead of right-wing rally  —  (CNN)Lawmakers and law enforcement officials are growing concerned about the possibility of violence and unrest on Capitol Hill as two key dates approach next month: a right-wing rally in support …

Better Covid Data Will Guide Us Out of This Pandemic  —  Who should get vaccine booster shots and when?  Can vaccinated people with a breakthrough infection transmit the virus as easily as unvaccinated people?  How many people with breakthrough infections die or get seriously ill, broken down by age and underlying health conditions?

EXCLUSIVE: Newly Unsealed Transcript Reveals Crux Of Mueller's Collusion Case  —  Internal Trump campaign polling data from the 2016 election was sent to a person close to Russia's leader, according to recently unsealed statements by a prosecutor from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office.

In Britain, Young Children Don't Wear Masks in School  —  During the Delta surge, British schools emphasized other safety measures: quarantining and regular testing for the virus.  —  From late spring into early summer, Britain's elementary and secondary schools were open during an alarming wave of Delta infections.

GOP senator to Asheville business group: COVID-19 unvaccinated the problem, not immigrants  —  ASHEVILLE - Sen. Thom Tillis told a conservative local business group that anti-pandemic measures should focus on getting North Carolinians vaccinated, not on migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

These Afghans Won the Visa Lottery Two Years Ago — Now They're Stuck in Kabul and Out of Luck  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  Fakhruddin Akbari is allowing his full name …

Inflation is cooling off just as economists, the Fed, and Biden expected  — The PCE inflation measure rose 0.4% in July, signaling a slowdown in price growth from the prior month.  — The print matched the median economist estimate.  It was the slowest price growth since February.

“Afghanistan Controlled by the Taliban Is Not My Country”  —  Afghan mayors' stark choice: Cooperate with the Taliban or flee.  —  As the Taliban advanced in Afghanistan this month, I have been talking to Daoud Sultanzoy and with Tawfiq Amini.  Sultanzoy is the mayor of Kabul.

Wyoming Marine among those killed in Afghanistan airport bombing  —  A Marine from Wyoming was among the troops killed Thursday in a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan.  —  Rylee McCollum had been sent to Afghanistan on his first deployment when the American evacuation began, his sister said …

New York's Private Schools Tackle White Privilege.  It Has Not Been Easy.  —  In this world — where tuition runs as high as $58,000 — the topic has become flammable.  Parents, faculty, students and alumni have all entered the fray.  —  Several years back Grace Church School …

Taliban kill squad hunting down Afghans — using US biometric data  —  The Taliban has mobilized a special unit, called Al Isha, to hunt down Afghans who helped US and allied forces — and it's using US equipment and data to do it.  —  Nawazuddin Haqqani, one of the brigade commanders over the Al Isha unit …