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7:05 PM ET, August 17, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden's Assurances  —  Even as the president was telling the public that Kabul was unlikely to fall, intelligence assessments painted a grimmer picture.  —  WASHINGTON — Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted …
RELATED:
Chris Kahn / Reuters:
Biden approval drops to lowest of 7-month presidency after Taliban takeover  —  President Joe Biden's approval rating dropped by 7 percentage points and hit its lowest level so far as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed over the weekend in an upheaval that sent thousands of civilians …
Jim Langevin / Foreign Policy:
I'm a Democrat Who Opposed the Withdrawal.  This Catastrophe Is Why.  —  At minimum, Biden owed our allies in Afghanistan a plan.  —  During a hearing of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee about Afghanistan in May, I asked a senior Defense Department official if the U.S. military …
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:
Biden administration freezes billions of dollars in Afghan reserves, depriving Taliban of cash  —  The move comes as the White House has scrambled to redraw its Afghanistan policies  —  The Biden administration on Sunday froze Afghan government reserves held in U.S. bank accounts …
Discussion: Politico and National Review
Washington Post:
72 hours at Camp David: Inside Biden's lagging response to the fall of Afghanistan  —  Marine One lifted off Friday at 1:36 p.m. for Camp David bearing a leader headed on a long-planned August vacation: President Biden, clad in a black baseball cap and a light-blue short-sleeved shirt …
Condoleezza Rice / Washington Post:
The Afghan people didn't choose the Taliban. They fought and died alongside us.
Discussion: New York Times and emptywheel
Paul LeBlanc / CNN:
Ex-defense secretary: Trump's push to get US troops out of Afghanistan possibly ‘undermined’ deal with Taliban
Discussion: Fox News, Salon and RedState
Reuters:
UNICEF ‘quite optimistic’ after Taliban comments on girls' education, official says
Discussion: The Daily Caller and Common Dreams
CNN:
Biden administration embroiled in internal blame-shifting amid Afghanistan chaos
Washington Post:
Taliban strikes conciliatory tone, consolidates power as de facto leader returns to country … At a wide-ranging news conference in Kabul on Tuesday, Taliban leaders in Afghanistan offered conciliatory messages, met with skepticism by experts, promising not to discriminate against women …
RELATED:
CNN:
The Taliban knocked on her door 3 times.  The fourth time, they killed her  —  (CNN)Najia was at home with her three young sons and daughter in a small village in northern Afghanistan when Taliban fighters knocked on their door.  —  Najia's daughter Manizha, 25, knew they were coming …
Discussion: HotAir, TheBlaze and UPI
Associated Press:
Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped …
Associated Press:
Taliban vow to honor women's rights but within Islamic law  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban spokesman promised Tuesday that the insurgents who overran Afghanistan in recent days would respect women's rights and would not exact revenge, seeking to calm a wary population and skeptical world powers.
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Pentagon: We may have 10,000 Americans stuck in Kabul
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Halted Dollar Shipments to Afghanistan to Keep Cash Out of Taliban's Hands
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Biden officials: Trump left bare cupboard on Afghanistan
Office of the Texas Governor:
Office Of The Governor Statement Concerning Governor Abbott  —  Office of the Governor Communications Director Mark Miner today issued a statement after Governor Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19:  —  “Governor Greg Abbott today tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
RELATED:
Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19  —  He spoke Monday night at a GOP event in Collin County, later tweeting photos of him addressing a maskless crowd.  Less than three hours before his diagnosis was announced Tuesday afternoon, he tweeted pictures of a meeting with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has sought to ban mask mandates in schools, tests positive for the coronavirus  —  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Tuesday.  —  Abbott is among the Republican governors who have resisted public-health mandates aimed …
Dartunorro Clark / NBC News:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for Covid after banning mask, vaccination mandates  —  Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for Covid-19, a spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.  —  “Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms …
Discussion: KXAN-TV, Raw Story and Yahoo
Dan Levin / New York Times:
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Discussion: Vanity Fair
Eric Griffey Texas / Spectrum News 1 South Texas:
Exclusive Spectrum News/Ipsos poll finds Texas parents want common-sense precautions against COVID in schools
Discussion: ABC13, The Texas Tribune and Raw Story
Politico:
Pelosi loses patience with centrists on infrastructure deal  —  With Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris.  —  ‘AMATEUR HOUR’ — As the world watches the fallout from Afghanistan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team are busy planning for the House's return next week.
RELATED:
Harper's:
Bad News  —  In the beginning, there were ABC, NBC, and CBS, and they were good.  Midcentury American man could come home after eight hours of work and turn on his television and know where he stood in relation to his wife, and his children, and his neighbors, and his town, and his country, and his world.
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The latest GOP anti-mask lunacy is stirring a backlash.  New polling reveals it.  —  The other day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis likened mask and other health mandates to “medical authoritarianism.”  The Republican added that we may be witnessing “the most significant threat to freedom in my lifetime …
Seth Barrett Tillman / THE NEW REFORM CLUB:
What I Learned About the United States After Ten Years in Ireland  —  This is an anniversary, of sorts, for me.  I have now lived in Ireland for ten years.  They were ten good years.  During that time, I made some friends and worked with colleagues, who later became friends, and befriended some students, who later befriended me.
Molly Beck / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Sen. Andre Jacque of De Pere hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19  —  MADISON - One of the Legislature's most active lawmakers who has opposed mask and vaccine mandates has received hospital care after testing positive for COVID-19.  —  Sen. Andre Jacque, a Republican from De Pere …
Discussion: Twin Cities and Raw Story
NBC4 Washington:
DC Tunnel History Site Flagged Suspicious Activity Before Capitol Insurrection  —  The founder and administrator of an obscure website about underground infrastructure in Washington, D.C., saw a sudden and suspicious spike in traffic in the days before the U.S. Capitol insurrection.
Discussion: Raw Story
Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:
Instagram Posts Help FBI Nab Trump-Loving Romance Novel Model Who Beat Capitol Cops  —  The FBI has arrested Logan Barnhart, whom online sleuths dubbed “CatSweat,” with the help of the Sedition Hunters community.  —  When former President Donald Trump sent a tweet early this year promoting Jan. 6 as a …
Amara Omeokwe / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Retail Sales Fell 1.1% in July as Spending Fell Across Categories  —  Sales are well above pre-pandemic levels, but spending on goods retreated over the month  —  Spending at U.S. retailers fell sharply in July, amid cooling purchases of goods and signs of some pullback in consumer demand …
Discussion: Kevin Drum
Tim Kelly / Reuters:
As Taliban takes over, some swap iconic AK-47s for made-in-America rifles  —  The Russian Kalashnikov AK-47 and its derivatives have long been the assault rifle of choice for militant groups because of their rugged design, but some Taliban fighters are trading them in for captured U.S. guns as Afghanistan's government collapses.
Discussion: The Daily Caller
The Intercept:
The Taliban Have Seized U.S. Military Biometrics Devices … The Taliban have seized U.S. military biometrics devices that could aid in the identification of Afghans who assisted coalition forces, current and former military officials have told The Intercept.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:
NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins On Boosters, Covid and Kids, Public Heath Comms
Discussion: CNBC and The Federalist
Joe Cunningham / RedState:
The Worst Part? The Democrats Can't Use the 25th Amendment
Discussion: HotAir and BizPac Review
YouTube:
Adam Laxalt: The Good Guys
Discussion: The Hill, Politico and The Daily Caller
Paul P. Murphy / CNN:
FBI joins investigation into QAnon-affiliated leak of voting machine logins in Colorado
Discussion: The Hill and Denver Post
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Another GOP voter caught casting a ballot for a dead relative
Discussion: Raw Story
Jamie Killin / Insider:
I'm a landlord with 24 properties. We're suffering during Biden's eviction ban, too, and no one is helping.
 Earlier Items: 
Abdullah Shihipar / Slate:
You Should Start Telling Your Unvaccinated Relatives They're Not Welcome at Thanksgiving
U.S. Department of Justice:
Pharmacist Arrested for Selling COVID Vaccination Cards Online
New York Times:
American Hospitals Buckle Under Delta, With I.C.U.s Filling Up
Discussion: The Atlantic
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CNN's Poppy Harlow Will Take Hiatus to Pursue Legal Studies (EXCLUSIVE)
Discussion: The US Sun and The Hill
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Mike Lee holds commanding lead over GOP challengers in new Utah poll
Discussion: Political Wire
Wall Street Journal:
As Delta Surges, Covid-19 Breakthrough Cases Remain Uncommon
Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:
U.S. to Advise Boosters for Most Americans 8 Months After Vaccination