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.

Joe Biden's Critics Lost Afghanistan  —  A month ago I thought I was a cynic about our 20-year war in Afghanistan.  Today, after watching our stumbling withdrawal and the swift collapse of practically everything we fought for, my main feeling is that I wasn't cynical enough.

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

Madison Cawthorn's vile lies about Jan. 6 reveal a big truth about the right  —  Rep. Madison Cawthorn is under fire for predicting “bloodshed” if our elections “continue to be rigged” and “continue to be stolen.”  The North Carolina Republican, speaking at a political event …

No, the Taliban did not seize $83 billion of U.S. weapons  —  “ALL EQUIPMENT should be demanded to be immediately returned to the United States, and that includes every penny of the $85 billion dollars in cost.”  — Former president Donald Trump, in a statement, Aug 30

Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell is being sued for billions over election fraud claims.  She sat down with Four Corners  —  You can watch this and read at the same time with picture in picture  —  For weeks after the US election, high-profile Fox News anchors peddled Donald Trump's …

McAuliffe Holds Issue Edge in Guv Race  —  Biden and Trump factor into vote choice for some  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a lead in his bid to return to the Virginia governor's mansion after a four-year absence according to Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll.

The New Puritans  —  “It was no great distance, in those days, from the prison-door to the market-place.  Measured by the prisoner's experience, however, it might be reckoned a journey of some length.”  —  So begins the tale of Hester Prynne, as recounted in Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.

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 …

The Jolt: Anti-vaxxers shut down vaccination event, harass state health workers  —  News and analysis from the politics team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  —  The headlines out of Gov. Brian Kemp's latest press conference focused on the thousands of Georgia National Guard troops he's preparing …

Axios-Ipsos poll: Vaccine hesitancy may be crumbling  —  Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is showing signs of crumbling, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.  — Fewer adults than ever now say they won't take the shot, and in the past two weeks …

Stranded in Kabul: A U.S. Resident Runs Out of Options  —  Refugee groups say hundreds, and possibly thousands, of green card holders have been left behind.  —  WASHINGTON — For more than a week, Samiullah “Sammy” Naderi, a U.S. legal permanent resident, waited days and nights with his wife …

Trump Reveals His Master Plan for Afghanistan: We Should've ‘Let It Rot’  —  In his latest interview, the former president repeatedly failed to explain what he would have done differently if he had remained in charge.  —  Donald Trump has had a lot to say about how Joe Biden has mishandled …

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.

Majority of U.S. public favors Afghanistan troop withdrawal; Biden criticized for his handling of situation  —  With the U.S. military evacuation of Afghanistan completed - bringing America's longest war to an end - 54% of U.S. adults say the decision to withdraw troops from the country was the right one …

Go-to Lawyer for Capitol Riot Defendants Disappears  —  John Pierce has been a combative advocate for those accused of participating in the Jan. 6 attack, but he's missed court appearances for a week.  —  The mysterious disappearance of the lawyer John Pierce began last Tuesday, prosecutors say …

‘They have better things to do’ - Major Republican donors are staying away from Trump  — Several of the Republican Party's biggest and most influential donors are signaling that they don't plan on helping fund former President Trump's political operation, at least for now.

Mike Richards Is Out as ‘Jeopardy!’  Executive Producer  —  Three weeks after naming him as Alex Trebek's replacement to host the show, Sony cited “disruption and internal difficulties” in its announcement that he will leave the program entirely.  —  Sony said on Tuesday that Mike Richards …

Joe Biden ended the war in Afghanistan after 20 years.  That's a BFD.  —  OK, I'll say it again: I was wrong about Joe Biden.  —  During the 2020 presidential primaries, I was aghast at the prospect of an Iraq War supporter winning the Democratic nomination.

Mom of slain Marine protests as Facebook temporarily removes her Instagram  —  The mother of a Marine killed in the suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan last week, had her account removed from Instagram and “incorrectly deleted” from Facebook following her fierce criticism of President Biden in the wake of her son's death.

What Voters in a California Swing District Say About Afghanistan  —  In a battleground district, even some Trump voters said they were hesitant to hold President Biden accountable for the casualties and chaos in the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.  —  HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif. …

The Supreme Court Has Just Two Days to Decide the Fate of Roe v. Wade  —  In a few months, the Supreme Court will hear a case that gives the conservative justices an opportunity to overrule Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortion at early stages of pregnancy.  But Texas can't wait that long.

G.O.P. Governors Fight Mandates as the Party's Covid Politics Harden  —  As several Republican-controlled states confront their worst outbreaks yet, their leaders — following the base — have doubled down on resisting vaccine and mask requirements.  —  As a new coronavirus wave accelerated …

How Facebook Relies on Accenture to Scrub Toxic Content  —  The social network has constructed a vast infrastructure to keep toxic material off its platform.  At the center of it is Accenture, the blue-chip consulting firm.  —  In 2019, Julie Sweet, the newly appointed chief executive …

‘I have done nothing wrong,’ Colleyville Heritage principal says after GCISD puts him on paid leave  —  James Whitfield has been accused of teaching critical race theory by a group of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD parents.  —  Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield has been placed …

Taliban Seek Friendly U.S. Ties as Challenges Mount After War  — Militant leaders meet at airport after last U.S. soldiers exit  — China calls on world to provide Taliban economic assistance  —  The Taliban called for friendly ties with the U.S. hours after the last American soldiers flew …

Trump acolytes poised to push out Senate dealmakers  —  If Senate Republicans seem conservative now, just wait until next year.  The 2022 midterms could usher in a wave of full-spectrum MAGA supporters who would turn the GOP conference an even deeper shade of red — and make the Senate a lot more like the fractious House.