U.S. Used a Special Hellfire Missile in Afghanistan Airstrike on Islamic State  —  A secret weapon until recently, the missile employs blades instead of explosives, officials say, to limit damage  —  WASHINGTON—The Pentagon used a special Hellfire missile that packs no explosives …

What Went Wrong With the Pandemic in Florida  —  Even a large state that emphasized vaccinations in combating the coronavirus can be crushed by the Delta variant when no other measures are put in place.  —  MIAMI — The unexpected and unwelcome coronavirus surge now unfolding in the United States …

DOD Identifies Marine Corps, Navy and Army Casualties  —  The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 13 service members who were supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel.  They died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Statement by President Joe Biden on the Evacuation Mission in Kabul  —  This morning, I met with my national security team in Washington and my commanders in the field.  We discussed the strike that U.S. forces took last night against the terrorist group ISIS-K in Afghanistan.

Miss. Gov.: South's response to COVID impacted by belief in ‘eternal life’  —  Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves talked about the pandemic Thursday, Aug. 26, at a re-election fundraiser in Shelby County held at a replica of the Mississippi governor's mansion. … TOPICS

Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war  —  KABUL — On the day that Afghanistan's capital fell to the Taliban, delivering the definitive verdict on a war that had lumbered on ambiguously for nearly 20 years, one of the city's top security officials woke up preparing for battle.

Donald Trump's recounting of his 2020 conversation with a Taliban leader is something else  —  (CNN)Donald Trump called into conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt's show on Thursday, spending almost 45 minutes doling out his usual mix of braggadocio, blame-gaming and just plain old riffing.

A Calif. elementary school teacher took off her mask for a read-aloud.  Within days, half her class was positive for delta.  —  A CDC-funded simulation projects that without masking or testing, up to 75 percent of children under 12 could be infected within three months.

Clarissa Ward's chilling interview with ISIS-K leader  —  The terror group ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing attack outside Kabul airport which killed 13 US troops and more than 90 Afghans.  CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward speaks with an ISIS-K leader …

All in or All Out?  Biden Saw No Middle Ground in Afghanistan  —  President Biden's reductionist formula has prompted a debate over whether the mayhem in Kabul was inevitable or the result of a failure to consider other options.  —  As the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan capping …

Doctor advising DeSantis promoted ivermectin to treat COVID-19 despite FDA warnings  —  'Any physician that espouses this should be reported to the state medical association," one medical expert said.  —  Updated Just now  —  A California psychiatrist who has advised Gov. Ron DeSantis …

Justified shooting or fair game?  Shooter of Ashli Babbitt makes shocking admission  —  “That's my job.”  Those three words summed up a controversial interview this week with the long-unnamed officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6.  Shortly after being cleared by the Capitol Police …

The Sanctioning of Trump's Lawyers Is Exactly What Is Supposed to Happen  —  The lawyers who battled for President Donald Trump in the days after the 2020 election are now fighting to salvage their professional careers—a fight they pretty much invited by openly flouting many of the core ethical precepts …

Anti-vaxx police officer who had been taking horse worm medicine dies from Covid  —  Joe Manning complained that Facebook ‘censured’ him for posting misinformation about the coronavirus  —  COVID victim's family turn wake into testing event  —  A police officer who frequently voiced anti-vaccine sentiments …

Trumpists live in an alternate reality — but they believe in it, and that's terrifying  —  It has shaped their world, and it's killing America  —  I had not seen my mother for two years, for reasons we all understand too well.  Several weeks ago, I was finally able to journey home.

Died, Two Women on the Frontline  —  The Defense Department on Saturday officially identified the service members who were killed, and family and friends paid tribute to their lives and their sacrifice.  —  One of the last photos that Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee shared with her family shows …

A Journey Through Kabul on the Day of the Fall  —  A Times correspondent who grew up in the Afghan capital returned before the Taliban's victory, taking in the end of one era and the fearful start of another.  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — In the hours before the Taliban walked into Kabul …

Americans Are Losing Sight of the Pandemic Endgame  —  Doctors and scientists need to have an honest conversation with the American people about what the goals of COVID-19 vaccination are and how the pandemic will end.  —  Even without the rise of the Delta variant, no one should be surprised …