memeorandum: Former California Democratic majority leader endorses Larry Elder in campaign against Gov. Newsom (Emma Colton/Fox News)

12:15 PM ET, August 25, 2021

Top Items:

In Kabul, Private Rescue Efforts Grow Desperate as Time to Evacuate Afghans Runs Out — Defense contractor Erik Prince charges $6,500 a person, other groups' planes leave Kabul empty — A disparate group of American veterans, military contractors, aid workers and former spies is scrambling …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, abc7NY, Townhall, Mediaite, Insider and New York Times

Washington Post:

Two Congress members make unauthorized trip to Kabul amid evacuation efforts — Two members of Congress made an unauthorized whirlwind trip to Kabul early Tuesday, leaving less than 24 hours later on a flight used for evacuating U.S. citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans.

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

A Better Afghan Policy — What would it have been? — What might a more successful exit from Afghanistan have looked like? — I have spent some time talking with colleagues and experts about that question, and it is a difficult one to answer. President Biden's exit certainly has not gone well.

Discussion: HotAir, Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vox and Morning Consult, more at Mediagazer »

Sami Sadat / New York Times:

The Afghan Army Collapsed Against the Taliban. Here's Why. — General Sadat is a commander in the Afghan National Army. — For the past three and a half months, I fought day and night, nonstop, in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province against an escalating and bloody Taliban offensive.

Discussion: Insider, HotAir, NaturalNews.com, Foreign Affairs and RedState

John Sexton / HotAir:

Is Jen Rubin now doing PR for the Taliban now or just lying by omission? — Jen Rubin has been supporting and defending the Biden administration on every possible front for months but she has really put her flack-act into high gear since Biden's drawdown of troops in Afghanistan has turned into a disaster.

Discussion: Washington Post, Insider, New York Times, Trending Politics, The Moderate Voice, Power Line, The Western Journal and Wall Street Journal

Lara Jakes / New York Times:
How Many People in Afghanistan Need to be Rescued? The Number Remains Elusive.

Discussion: Insider, Politico, HotAir, Mediaite, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, TheBlaze, The Hill, National Review, Financial Times and The American Spectator

Wall Street Journal:
Afghanistan's Falling Man: The 17-Year-Old Soccer Star Who Plunged From a U.S. Military Jet

Washington Examiner:
Biden's credibility crisis spreads far past Afghanistan

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, RedState and Townhall

Joseph Klein / Front Page Magazine:
Biden's Gift to Global Jihadists: A Safe National Homeland

Discussion: HotAir, American Greatness, The White House, Human Events, Washington Post, RedState, NBC News, Washington Examiner, CNN, BizPac Review, Power Line and Washington Post

Ben Smith / New York Times:
How Mexico Helped The Times Get Its Journalists Out of Afghanistan

more at Mediagazer »

Natasha Korecki / Politico:
White House to media: We want our props on Afghanistan

Discussion: Breitbart, Digby's Hullabaloo, Twitchy, Fox News, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times and Townhall

Charles Lane / Washington Post:
The U.S. dare not betray the students at the American University of Afghanistan

Discussion: HotAir, Digby's Hullabaloo, Inside Higher Ed and Forbes

Leslie Josephs / CNBC:

Delta Air Lines is raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees by $200 a month to cover higher Covid costs — Starting Nov. 1, unvaccinated Delta employees who have health insurance from the companywill face $200 monthly surcharges. — From Sept. 12 …

Discussion: Morning Brew, Raw Story, Progress Pond, Politico and Forbes

Content Lab U.S.:

Johnson & Johnson Announces Data to Support Boosting its Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine — Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster, after single dose primary regimen, provided rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies — New studies build on data demonstrating strong durability through eight months after immunization

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Al Jazeera, New York Post, The Daily Caller, UPI, KRQE-TV, NPR, KRON4, Forbes and WPRI-TV

JoNel Aleccia / Kaiser Health News:
Hot Spots Where Covid Vaccination Lags Push Experimental Antibody Treatment

Discussion: New York Times, TheBlaze, CNBC, New York Post, Centers for Disease Control …, New York Times and KTLA

Carl Zimmer / New York Times:
Second Dose of J. & J. Vaccine Gives Strong Boost, Company Reports

Discussion: HotAir, ABC News, Politico, Ohio State announces …, Financial Times, 6abc and STAT

Joe Kovacs / WND:
Gab launches brand-new job board to help unvaccinated Americans

Discussion: The Daily Caller, National Review and HotAir

Andrew Demillo / Associated Press:
Arkansas runs out of intensive care beds for COVID patients

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, CNN, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Caller

Thomas Mates / WKMG:
Children 5 to 14 make up largest group of new COVID cases in Orange County

Discussion: Axios, CNBC and Fox News

Ian Millhiser / Vox:

The Supreme Court's stunning, radical immigration decision, explained — The Court's decision on Trump's “Remain in Mexico” policy upends decades of precedent warning that judges shouldn't mess with foreign affairs. — The Supreme Court handed down an order Tuesday evening that makes no sense.

Discussion: HotAir, CBS News, One America News Network, Louder With Crowder, BizPac Review, Townhall, Conservative Brief, Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and ABC News

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Supreme Court says Biden administration must comply with ruling to restart ‘remain in Mexico’ program for asylum seekers

Jeremy Beaman / Washington Examiner:
Supreme Court reinstates Trump ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

Discussion: Trish Regan's Intel, IJR and The Federalist

Select Committee to Investigate …:

Select Committee Issues Sweeping Demand for Executive Branch Records — Bolton, MS—Today, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson announced the Select Committee's first round of demands for records as the committee expands its investigation into the January 6th violent attack on the U.S. Capitol and its causes.

CNN:
House committee seeks documents from agencies on January 6 Capitol attack, signaling massive investigative effort

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement and Crooks and Liars

Matthew Cooper / Washington Monthly:

House Democratic Moderates Have Reason to Boast — They're in a stronger position to pass the bipartisan infrastructure deal that may be key to their political survival. — Most observers thought that when nine House moderates dared to challenge Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the tiny group would get pounded into oblivion by her iron gavel.

Discussion: Washington Post, No Labels and Washington Times

Emily Brooks / Washington Examiner:
Hard-line conservatives press McCarthy to whip votes against infrastructure bill

Discussion: CNBC, Raw Story and ABC13

Emma Colton / Fox News:

Former California Democratic majority leader endorses Larry Elder in campaign against Gov. Newsom — The California recall election will be held on Sept. 14 — Larry Elder reveals how he's going to fix California — The former Democratic majority leader for the California state Senate …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, BizPac Review, Breitbart and Raw Story

Shawn Hubler / New York Times:
How Did Larry Elder Become a Front-Runner in California's Governor Race?

Discussion: Breitbart, Raw Story, DemCast and The Guardian

Valerie Strauss / Washington Post:

More than half of Florida's students now go to schools mandating masks in defiance of DeSantis — More than half of Florida's students are now enrolled in public school districts with mask mandates despite threats of sanctions from the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) …

Discussion: The Hill, WESH-TV, Forbes, CNN, Orlando Sentinel and Quinnipiac University Poll

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Ron DeSantis's anti-mask mania is deeply unpopular. Democrats must jump on that.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, CNN, Sun-Sentinel, Crooks and Liars, ABC News, PRESS RUN, HotAir, Raw Story, NBC 6 South Florida and Discourse.net

New York Times:

About 89% of Rental Assistance Funds Have Not Been Distributed, Figures Show — Just $1.7 billion in funds intended to prevent eviction were disbursed in July as the White House braces for a Supreme Court decision that could strike down its eviction moratorium.

Discussion: New York Times, Forbes and Common Dreams

Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
As eviction crisis loomed, rental relief barely picked up in July

Discussion: Bloomberg, HuffPost, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CBS News and Politico

Marina Villeneuve / Associated Press:

New NY governor adds 12,000 deaths to publicized COVID tally — ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised more government transparency on her first day in office and by day's end her administration had quietly delivered it by acknowledging nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state …

Discussion: National Review, Insider, HotAir, Forbes and Twitchy

Politico:

Secret Service warned Capitol Police about violent threats 1 day before Jan. 6 — Just a day before the Jan. 6 riot, the Secret Service warned the U.S. Capitol Police that their officers could face violence at the hands of supporters of former President Donald Trump, according to new documents reviewed by POLITICO.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Raw Story and Political Wire

U.S. Department of Justice:

Leader of ‘Atomwaffen’ conspiracy sentenced to 3 years in prison for threatening journalists and advocates — Seattle - Cameron Shea, 25, a leader of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington to 3 years …

Discussion: UPI

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story: Neo-Nazi gets three years in prison for threat campaign that targeted Jewish journalists

Associated Press:

‘Pain compliance’: Video shows trooper pummeling Black man — MONROE, La. (AP) — Graphic body camera video kept secret for more than two years shows a Louisiana State Police trooper pummeling a Black motorist 18 times with a flashlight — an attack the trooper defended as “pain compliance.”

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:

FCC looks to fine conservative activists $5 million for false mail voting robocalls — The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $5.1 million fine against conservative activists Jacob Wohl and John Burkman and J.M. Burkman & Associates for making 1,141 unlawful robocalls that made false claims …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Daily Kos, HuffPost, Slate, Politico, The Verge, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo and The New Civil Rights Movement

Ally Mutnick / Politico:

How screwed is Adam Kinzinger? — Former President Donald Trump would love to take down Adam Kinzinger, one of his chief House GOP antagonists, in next year's midterms. But Democrats might beat him to it. — Illinois lawmakers are on the verge of rolling out a new congressional map …

Discussion: New York Post, Washington Times and NBC News

Wall Street Journal:

This Illinois County Is Losing People Faster Than Anywhere in the U.S. — Alexander County, home to Cairo, dropped more than a third of its population in past decade, as big U.S. counties grew and small ones shrank — CAIRO, Ill.—In a nation where more than half of all counties saw …

Discussion: Reason