Afghan American woman's escape highlights secretive CIA role in Kabul rescues  —  Five days after Afghanistan's fall, Shaqaiq Birashk, holed up in her Kabul apartment, was contacted by a stranger offering to have her picked up and escorted to the airport for evacuation.

Why Our Monsters Talk to Michael Wolff  —  In his new book, the author of “Fire and Fury” continues his specialty: teasing out stories from men in power.  —  It's early 2019, a few months before Jeffrey Epstein will be arrested on sex charges, and he is sitting in the vast study …

POLITICO Playbook: Grisham dishes on Melania  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE WEEK AHEAD: JOE BIDEN campaigns with GAVIN NEWSOM in Long Beach, Calif., tonight before voters there decide Tuesday whether Newsom should be recalled (polls show him up by double digits) ... Secretary …

Gavin Newsom and the Revenge of California's ‘Anger’ Lobby  —  The political universe has been transfixed by what could happen to California's governor on Tuesday: A special election may throw Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — who won his last election with a decisive 62 percent of the vote …

Justice Amy Coney Barrett argues Supreme Court isn't ‘a bunch of partisan hacks’  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the wake of a controversial decision on abortion rights, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a crowd of more than 100 here that she doesn't believe the highest court in the land is politically driven.

Red flags for Biden's “over-the-horizon” strategy  —  The Biden administration's “over-the-horizon” strategy in Afghanistan is drawing serious questions from lawmakers and counterterrorism experts, as the U.S. withdrawal shifts calculations about threats and capabilities.

Trump says Dems ‘disparaged’ COVID-19 vaccine while he was president: ‘Now they wonder why’ some are hesitant  —  Trump criticizes Biden's new COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employers  —  Joe Biden's Massive Vaccine Mandates  —  EXCLUSIVE: Former President Donald Trump blamed Democrats …

Scoop: Warner warns he may vote against $3.5 trillion budget  —  Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is warning that he could vote against the $3.5 trillion budget package, if more money isn't added for housing assistance to close the racial wealth gap in the current House version of the bill, Axios has learned.

It made me sick to watch a once-male special forces combat veteran beat up a woman on TV - it's time to stop this trans sport insanity before women start being killed  —  It was the moment ideology met cold, hard reality.  —  Alana McLaughlin, 38, the second transgender MMA fighter to compete in the sport …

The Legacy of America's Post-9/11 Turn to Torture  —  Twenty years after the attacks, the United States is still grappling with the consequences of brutal interrogations carried out in the name of national security.  —  NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — Mohamedou Ould Slahi is almost clinical …

Alabama man dies after being turned away from 43 hospitals as covid packs ICUs, family says  —  When Ray DeMonia was having a cardiac emergency last month, his Alabama family waited anxiously for a nearby hospital with available space in its intensive care unit.

Trump Politicizes Soldier Deaths.  Gold Star Families Call It ‘Disgusting.’  —  Former President Donald Trump has taken to calling out President Joe Biden for soldier deaths in Afghanistan.  Gold Star families aren't so pleased.  —  “Gross.”  “Disgusting.”  “Without honor.”

House, Senate Spar Over Reducing Drug Prices  —  There's overwhelming support among Democrats for finally allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies.  But the details matter.  —  Differences have emerged between the House's conception of drug price reform and a more modest Senate proposal.

Banished reality hit ‘Cops’ will return on Fox News Media's streaming service  —  “Cops,” the reality TV series depicting law enforcement in action, was pulled off the air last year after 32 seasons amid the nationwide protests over policing sparked by the murder of George Floyd.

How a Syrian War Criminal and Double Agent Disappeared in Europe  —  In the bloody civil war, Khaled al-Halabi switched sides.  But what country does he really serve? … On a September day in 1961, a thin man with a small mustache walked into a post office in Damascus to pick up a parcel addressed to Georg Fischer.

Long-Secret FBI Report Reveals New Connections Between 9/11 Hijackers and Saudi Religious Officials in U.S.  —  “This validates what we have been saying,” says an attorney for families of 9/11 victims who are suing the Saudi government over alleged support of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Texas wanted to be the tech haven of the U.S. Its new abortion bill and other measures are causing workers to rethink their move.  —  Tech workers are marking Texas off the list of places they'd consider working after the state passed the nation's most restrictive abortion law

Biden's vaccine mandate theater  —  If you want to understand President Joe Biden's motives, look no further than White House chief of staff Ron Klain's Twitter feed.  —  Less than an hour after Biden ordered his Labor Department to issue a nationwide vaccine mandate in the workplace …

More than half of Americans support vaccine mandates for workplaces, classrooms and sporting events  —  Biden to the unvaccinated: ‘Our patience is wearing thin’  —  (CNN)Americans have grown more supportive of coronavirus vaccine mandates for workers, students, and in everyday public life …

Fauci says he would support vaccine requirements for air travel  —  Anthony Fauci said in a new interview that he would support vaccine requirements for air travel.  —  “I would support that, if you want to get on a plane and travel with other people that you should be vaccinated,” …

New book reveals how Biden's family used his position for profit  —  “Jim's job,” one of his former business partners told author Ben Schreckinger of President Biden's younger brother Jim, “is to ensure the lifestyle is good for the family.”  Son Hunter Biden later joined that pursuit …

Trump's White House chief of staff is target of Capitol attack records request  —  House select committee investigating 6 January wants telecom and social media companies to preserve records on Mark Meadows  —  The House select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the Capitol …

Union Veteran Takes Over at Emily's List as Abortion Fights Loom  —  Laphonza Butler, a labor leader turned strategist, will become the first woman of color — and the first mother — to lead the Democratic fund-raising powerhouse.  —  Emily's List, the fund-raising powerhouse …

Biden tries to build back cooler and a new and improved Power Up  —  Good morning and welcome to The Early 202 newsletter — Power Up's glow up, so to speak.  —  If you loved Power Up, we think you'll love The Early 202 even more.  We'll continue to bring you the most important political stories …

Democrats face divisions over pledge to scrap Trump's tax cuts  —  ‘Will not have my vote’: Manchin explains opposition to $3.5 trillion economic package  —  (CNN)Democrats have been waiting for years to reimagine the tax code so that, in their words, the wealthy are paying their “fair share” …

I spent 5 years inside DC's foreign policy ‘blob.’ Here's why the experts keep getting us into unwinnable wars like Afghanistan. … One autumn afternoon a few years ago, I took the subway from my Brooklyn apartment to a mansion on the Upper East Side.  I was nervous.