Oklahoma congressman threatened embassy staff as he tried to enter Afghanistan, U.S. officials say  —  The call to the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan came in Monday.  On the line, two U.S. officials said, was Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) with an unusual and urgent request …

Fort Walton Beach Man Faces Federal Indictment For $25 Million Scheme To Defraud  —  PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Stephen M. Alford, 62, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury on counts of wire fraud and the attempted prevention of seizure of an electronic device …

The Hidden Message In Joe Biden's Afghanistan Speech  —  They were words no president has ever spoken, at least not since the Cold War began three-quarters of a century ago.  —  They spoke not of global responsibility nor the “indispensable” role of the United States, but of what this richest …

Exclusive: Before Afghan collapse, Biden pressed Ghani to ‘change perception’  —  In the last call between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics …

Rural Oregon school superintendent fired after enforcing state mask mandate  —  ADRIAN - Kevin Purnell was fired Monday as superintendent of the Adrian School District just one week after students returned to school.  —  The Adrian School Board, convening in an emotionally charged special meeting …

Taliban members escorted Americans to gates at Kabul airport in secret arrangement with US  —  (CNN)The US military negotiated a secret arrangement with the Taliban that resulted in Taliban members escorting groups of Americans to the gates of the Kabul airport as they sought to escape Afghanistan, according to two defense officials.

An angry Biden blames Trump for Afghan pullout — then takes credit for it  —  MORE FROM:  —  President Biden stood before the American people on a Tuesday afternoon and angrily informed us all that he had no choice but to end things the way he did in Afghanistan.  No choice!  NO!  CHOICE!

Afghan Interpreter Who Helped Rescue Biden in 2008 Left Behind After U.S. Exit  —  Interpreter stranded in Afghanistan makes a White House appeal: 'Don't forget me here.'  —  Thirteen years ago, Afghan interpreter Mohammed helped rescue then- Sen. Joe Biden and two other senators stranded …

Starting Tomorrow, “Roe v. Wade” Will Functionally Cease to Exist in Texas  —  Unless the Supreme Court steps in, the country's most dangerous anti-abortion law will go into effect, banning abortions after six weeks and placing a cash bounty on providers.  —  I feel like people are waiting …

NPR Trashes Free Speech.  A Brief Response  —  In an irony only public radio could miss, “On the Media” hosts an hour on the perils of “free speech absolutism” without interviewing a defender of free speech.  —  The guests for NPR's just-released On The Media episode about the dangers …

Al Leiter, John Smoltz won't appear at MLB Network studios after refusing vaccine  —  Hall of Famer John Smoltz and former Met and Yankee Al Leiter will no longer appear in-studio for MLB Network after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, The Post has learned.

‘We Feel His Presence in the Department Is Threatening’  —  State employees protest the continued employment of an “antisemitic” blogger in their ranks.  —  A group of more than 70 State Department officials sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voicing alarm about …

Paul Ryan says former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election  —  The former speaker says he doesn't see himself on a ballot anytime soon  —  Hide Transcript Show Transcript  —  The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.  —  Your Email Address  —  Submit

Florida changed its COVID-19 death data just as surge began  —  As the delta variant spreads through Florida, data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest this could be the most serious and deadly surge in COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

Texas G.O.P. Passes Election Bill, Raising Voting Barriers Even Higher  —  The bill, which will tighten what were already some of the nation's strictest voting rules, represents a major victory for Republicans in their nationwide push to overhaul elections.  —  HOUSTON — The Republican …

Dems sweat Latino turnout in California recall  —  LOS ANGELES — With two weeks of early voting left before the California recall election, Democrats are tracking a worrisome sign for Gov. Gavin Newsom and the party at large — the governor's relative weakness with Latinos.

The U.S. government left its own journalists behind in Afghanistan  —  Now that the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete, many stories of heroic efforts to save Americans and Afghan allies are pouring out, each describing one facet of the chaos and dysfunction that plagued …

I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: 3-year-old California boy stranded in Afghanistan … EXCLUSIVE: 3-year-old California boy stranded in Afghanistan  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KGO) — The US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has stranded between 100 and 200 American citizens who want to return to the states.

What Dr. Leana Wen's improbable journey says about our country  —  Until I picked up her recently published memoir, I knew Dr. Leana Wen pretty much the way most readers of The Post do: as a source of medical expertise and common sense whose columns and newsletter have been invaluable during the most serious pandemic of our lifetimes.

BREAKING: In a major blow to vaccine efforts, senior FDA leaders stepping down  —  Two of the FDA's most senior vaccine leaders are exiting from their positions, raising fresh questions about the Biden administration and the way that it's sidelined the FDA.  —  Marion Gruber …

EXCLUSIVE U.S. Treasury issued new license to ease flow of aid in Afghanistan  —  The United States last week issued a license authorizing it and its partners to continue to facilitate humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, a Treasury Department official told Reuters, after the Taliban …

Sacramento area students confirmed trapped in Afghanistan |  The Sacramento Bee  —  At least 24 Sacramento-area students are confirmed to be stranded in Afghanistan as turmoil continues in Kabul, according to school officials.  —  San Juan Unified school district staff said 24 students …