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 …

Has Delta Peaked?  —  We investigate Covid's mysterious two-month cycle.  —  Has the Delta-fueled Covid-19 surge in the U.S. finally peaked?  —  The number of new daily U.S. cases has risen less over the past week than at any point since June, as you can see in this chart:

With ban in effect, Texas abortion clinics will no longer terminate pregnancies after 6 weeks  —  AUSTIN — A Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect Wednesday, as a midnight deadline for the Supreme Court to stop it came and went without action.

The Ashli Babbitt Standard  —  For those who have followed news coverage of police shootings of unarmed civilians in the last few years, Capitol Hill Police lieutenant Michael Byrd's interview with NBC News had a familiar ring.  The veteran officer voiced his fears about the situation he faced on Jan. 6 …

Texas parents accused a Black principal of promoting critical race theory.  The district has now suspended him.  —  At a heated Texas school board meeting in late July, a man accused a Black principal of promoting critical race theory and “the conspiracy theory of systemic racism.”

What Happened to the Babylon Bee?  —  Until a few years ago, the Babylon Bee was a niche humor site—the Onion for conservative Protestants.  The Bee was founded seven months before Donald Trump took office and became popular mostly because many of the jokes were very funny—but also …

Julie Pace named new Associated Press executive editor  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Julie Pace, a longtime Washington journalist who managed coverage of the U.S. government during a period of historic tumult, was named Wednesday as the executive editor and senior vice president of The Associated Press.

The Trump News Show Is Over and We're All Healthier For It  —  What have you been doing with your time?  The numbers tell us that the average news consumer is watching a whole lot less cable news and has gone on a restricted online news diet.  Over the past year, the major cable channels …

GOP douses Afghanistan withdrawal with misinformation  —  The Afghanistan withdrawal has gone poorly enough for the Biden administration, and it did itself no favors with its faulty predictions about how it would be carried out.  —  But even in the midst of the worst stretch …

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 …

A Former Top DOJ Official's Smooth Landing  —  John Demers, who served in both the Trump and Biden Administrations, is going back to Boeing—in an interesting new role.  —  John Demers, who served as assistant attorney general for the National Security Division (NSD) during …

Police Say Demoralized Officers Are Quitting In Droves.  Labor Data Says No.  —  While other industries were devastated by the pandemic last year, police departments felt a much smaller impact.  —  Since last summer's Black Lives Matter protests, there's a popular refrain echoing through …

Four conservative radio talk-show hosts bashed coronavirus vaccines.  Then they got sick.  —  Marc Bernier was adamant: He was not going to get a coronavirus vaccination.  —  “I'm Mr. Anti-Vax,” he told listeners of his talk-radio program in Daytona Beach, Fla., after the federal government …

Biden Administration Erased Afghan Weapons Reports From Federal Websites  —  The War in Afghanistan has always been a black box, but the Biden administration just made matters worse.  —  According to an admission obtained from the State Department, Biden officials recently directed federal agencies …

Mutually Assured Destruction, Nancy Pelosi's Plans and the Savviness of Bernie Sanders  —  Democrats finally have power.  So of course they're squabbling over what to do with it.  —  Lately, the drama has centered on the group of moderate House Democrats who threatened to tank approval …

Vietnamese-Americans Organize to Aid Afghan Refugees  —  People who arrived in the U.S. after the Vietnam War see similarities in the plight of Afghans today  —  Vietnamese-Americans who came to the U.S. as refugees more than 40 years ago and their children are mobilizing to help Afghans …

CDC director says unvaccinated people shouldn't travel over Labor Day weekend  — “If you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling,” CDC Director Walensky said.  — Walensky also recommended spending time outside over the Labor Day weekend, and to mask up when indoors …

The fully vaccinated are more likely to die from bee stings than COVID-19  —  Large swaths of America continue to live in a state of fear.  Last year, that might have been warranted, but today, for the fully vaccinated, it has no basis.  —  I see the fear every day where I live …

Follow the Science . . . Toward Tyranny  —  The methods of natural science would destroy the ways of a free society.  The Supreme Court nixes the Center for Disease Control's power grab.  —  Modern science as a discipline carries within itself the seeds of tyrannical rule, for the scientific method requires controlled experiments.