Top Items:
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
A primer on false narratives about Afghanistan — There are many alarmist headlines pronouncing with certitude what has occurred or will occur in Afghanistan. Many are premature — or alternatively, out of date. Others ignore information now available to us that debunks fanciful explanations …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, HotAir, NPR, New York Post and Breitbart
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Mike Pence / Wall Street Journal:
Biden Broke Our Deal With the Taliban — It's a foreign-policy humiliation unlike anything our country has endured since the Iran hostage crisis. — 'The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country [of Afghanistan] is highly unlikely," …
Reuters:
Biden's vow to airlift Afghan allies meets ticking clock, risky rescue — President Joe Biden's pledge to evacuate thousands more at-risk Afghans who worked for the U.S. government will run into the cold reality of a fast-closing window of time, insecurity all over Afghanistan and major logistical hurdles.
Discussion:
HotAir, UnHerd, Washington Post, BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Portland Mercury, CNN, Politico, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, HotAir, New York Post, The Daily Caller, National Review, New York Times and Foreign Policy, more at Mediagazer »
Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:
Taliban Block Routes to Kabul Airport, Hampering Evacuations From Afghanistan — Residents in eastern city of Jalalabad stage first protest against Taliban rule — Afghans and Westerners stranded in Kabul after Sunday's Taliban takeover started trickling into the city's U.S.-controlled airport …
Discussion:
HotAir, Anadolu Ajansı … and Townhall
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, HotAir, Washington Post, CNN, IJR, Reason, The Dispatch, Insider, Bloomberg, Power Line, Breitbart, Forbes, Washington Free Beacon, Raw Story, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Mahablog and The Daily Caller
David Rohde / New Yorker:
Trying—and Failing—to Save the Family of the Afghan Who Saved Me — Twelve years ago, Tahir Luddin helped us both escape after we were kidnapped by the Taliban. Now I am struggling to get his family out of Kabul. — In the middle of March, I texted my friend Tahir Luddin …
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Post, The Dispatch, Common Dreams, New York Post, CNN, National Review, Townhall, Politico and Washington Monthly, more at Mediagazer »
Jerry Dunleavy / Washington Examiner:
From prison to power: Taliban leaders go from jail, to negotiating table, to Kabul — Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund returned to Afghanistan after nearly two decades on Tuesday, a reversal of fortune that saw him go from Taliban co-founder to prisoner in Pakistan to negotiator in Qatar to a now-central figure in Kabul.
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Post and The Moderate Voice
New York Times:
The Taliban respond with force to an outpouring of public anger. — Even as the Taliban took their first steps to create a functioning government, they faced the first street protests on Wednesday against their takeover of Afghanistan, with demonstrations in at least two cities.
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Post, The Guardian, Breitbart and Al Jazeera
Quin Hillyer / Washington Examiner:
After epochal disaster in Afghanistan, Biden should step down — President Joe Biden should resign in disgrace. — Seriously. As I have argued for decades , it is long past time for American politicians to adopt the Asian cultural model of resignations, as a matter of honor, for gross failures or derelictions.
Discussion:
Just Security, Washington Post, The Stream and Louder With Crowder
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Senate Dem: We're gonna get to the bottom of this disgrace in Afghanistan; UPDATE: Pelosi too? — Joe Biden's speech on Monday clearly didn't solve any of his problems — not in Kabul and not in Washington DC. Unmoved by Biden's finger-pointing, even his own party's leadership wants …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Carpentariat and Townhall
Devi Ruia / Data For Progress:
Voters Support Withdrawing Troops from Afghanistan and Providing Afghans With Special Immigrant Visas
The Intercept:
The Taliban Have Seized U.S. Military Biometrics Devices
Discussion:
Task & Purpose, Washington Post, The Drive, Raw Story, HotAir, The Hill, Opinion Today and New York Times, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Taliban strikes conciliatory tone, consolidates power as de facto leader returns to country
New York Times:
For Afghan Women, Taliban Stir Fears of Return to a Repressive Past
Discussion:
National Review, The Daily Beast, HotAir, Washington Post, Summit News, CNN, The Nation, Financial Times, New York Post, euronews, IWMF, Talking Points Memo and Insider
New York Times:
Afghanistan Live Updates: Taliban Meet Public Protest With Violence
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Post, Stars & Stripes, Associated Press, UPI, Financial Times, Al Jazeera and BizPac Review, more at Techmeme »
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Biden's approval rating drops below 50
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and American Greatness
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
A First Amendment Precedent — The Supreme Court may reconsider a major case concerning freedom of the press.
CNN:
Biden administration faces daunting odds of pulling off massive Afghanistan evacuation in 2 weeks
Discussion:
New York Post, RedState and Mediaite
Haley Strack / The Federalist:
Obama Freed The Taliban Leader Who Engineered Kabul Takeover
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Summit News, Hindustan Times, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News and New York Post
Samuel Chamberlain / New York Post:
Trump calls Afghanistan collapse ‘most humiliating’ moment for US
Discussion:
HuffPost, Metro.co.uk, National Review and Sputnik News
Jeffrey Morris / Covid Data Science:
Israeli data: How can efficacy vs. severe disease be strong when 60% of hospitalized are vaccinated? — A surge involving the rapidly-transmitting Delta variant in heavily vaccinated countries has led to much hand-wringing that the vaccines are not effective against Delta, or vaccine efficacy wanes after 4-6 months.
Discussion:
Calculated Risk
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Phil Helsel / NBC News:
Texas school district makes masks part of dress code to get around Gov. Abbott's order … A small Texas school district has made facial coverings part of its dress code, in a bid to get around Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning mask mandates. — The board of the Paris Independent …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, KXII-TV, Insider, Houston Chronicle, Raw Story and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Reuters:
U.S. reports more than 1,000 COVID deaths in single day — The United States reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, equating to around 42 fatalities an hour, according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant continues to ravage parts of the country with low vaccination rates.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Forbes, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, NBC News and The Hill
al.com:
Alabama has net of only 2 ICU beds in state, hospital association says — As Alabama faces a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to a low vaccination rate and the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, the state has a net of only two ICU beds, the Alabama Hospital Association said Monday.
Discussion:
WSFA-TV, The Hill, Washington Post, Mediaite and Insider
Cameron Jenkins / The Hill:
Arizona governor withholding grants to schools with mask mandates — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) on Tuesday announced that the state would refuse to provide federal COVID-19 relief funds to public school districts that have mask mandates in place. — “Parents are in the driver's seat …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
CNN:
Arizona governor to exclude school districts with mask mandates from new education grants
Discussion:
Arizona Republic, Reason, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, CBS News, Office of the Arizona Governor and Washington Post
Klark Byrd / Paris News:
Paris ISD to require masks as part of dress code
Discussion:
CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, Political Wire and Washington Post
Kelly Weill / The Daily Beast:
QAnon 'Queen's' Followers Are Sending Insane Anti-Vaxx Notes to Hospitals
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Guardian and Washington Examiner
Office of the Arizona Governor:
Governor Ducey Announces $163 Million To Increase Per Pupil Funding In Schools
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, UPI and Arizona House Democrats
Anita Sircar / Los Angeles Times:
Op-Ed: As a doctor in a COVID unit, I'm running out of compassion for the unvaccinated. Get the shot
Discussion:
NOQ Report
Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Texas Tribune, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Root, CNN, HuffPost, New York Times, KXAN-TV, HuffPost, Slate, VICE, Bloomberg, CBS News, Insider, The Wrap, Chad Prather for Texas, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Forbes, National Review, NPR, VICE, USA Today, UPI, Breitbart, Common Dreams, HotAir, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Sputnik News, Reuters, Crooks and Liars, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, Louder With Crowder, TMZ.com, KTLA, Off the Kuff, Twin Cities, Denver Post, Political Wire and KVEO-TV
New York Times:
The School Culture Wars: ‘You Have Brought Division to Us’ — From mask mandates to critical race theory and gender identity, educators are besieged. “You are just trying to keep everything from collapsing,” one official said. — July and August are supposed to be the quietest months of the school year.
Julie Barrett / The Federalist:
How To See If Critical Race Theory Is In Your Kids' School—And Fight It — If your school district is anything like mine, they don't call it critical race theory, and they insist people who use that term are crazy, right-wing conspiracy theorists. We're not.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Jesús A. Rodríguez / Politico:
What Kamala Harris' Law School Years Reveal About Her Politics — The signs in downtown San Francisco that day, outside of the University of California Hastings College of the Law, might as well have been plucked from today's racial justice protests. “Rise Above Racism,” “Should This Still Be Happening? …
Wall Street Journal:
BuzzFeed Clashed With NBCUniversal as It Pursued SPAC Deal — Chief Executive Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed signed off on terms that could put more pressure on the company if its shares don't rise. He is confident investors will be pleased with the results. — As BuzzFeed Inc. was exploring plans …
Steve Israel / The Hill:
Do not underestimate Kathy Hochul — As summer winds down, the most frequently asked questions in New York are: — A) What happened to the Mets? — B) Mask or no mask? — The first three engender hot debate. The fourth requires an understanding of New York politics to answer.
HuffPost:
The Behind-The-Scenes Campaign For The Next Social Security Commissioner — Former Rep. Donna Shalala, a White House aide and a Social Security expert are all up for the job. — An aide to President Joe Biden on labor issues is among the top contenders to lead the Social Security Administration …
Brendan Farrington / Associated Press:
DeSantis top donor invests in COVID drug governor promotes — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates and vaccine passports — is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor's company has invested millions of dollars.
Discussion:
RedState, Raw Story, Twitchy and Hackwhackers
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