Exclusive: Before Afghan collapse, Biden pressed Ghani to ‘change perception’  —  In the last call between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics …

Fort Walton Beach Man Faces Federal Indictment For $25 Million Scheme To Defraud  —  PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Stephen M. Alford, 62, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury on counts of wire fraud and the attempted prevention of seizure of an electronic device …

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 …

Florida changed its COVID-19 death data just as surge began  —  As the delta variant spreads through Florida, data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest this could be the most serious and deadly surge in COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

Afghan Interpreter Who Helped Rescue Biden in 2008 Left Behind After U.S. Exit  —  Interpreter stranded in Afghanistan makes a White House appeal: 'Don't forget me here.'  —  Thirteen years ago, Afghan interpreter Mohammed helped rescue then- Sen. Joe Biden and two other senators stranded …

Paul Ryan says former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election  —  The former speaker says he doesn't see himself on a ballot anytime soon  —  Hide Transcript Show Transcript  —  The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.  —  Your Email Address  —  Submit

Go-to Lawyer for Capitol Riot Defendants Disappears  —  John Pierce has been a combative advocate for those accused of participating in the Jan. 6 attack, but he's missed court appearances for a week.  —  The mysterious disappearance of the lawyer John Pierce began last Tuesday, prosecutors say …

Sacramento area students confirmed trapped in Afghanistan |  The Sacramento Bee  —  At least 24 Sacramento-area students are confirmed to be stranded in Afghanistan as turmoil continues in Kabul, according to school officials.  —  San Juan Unified school district staff said 24 students …

I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: 3-year-old California boy stranded in Afghanistan … EXCLUSIVE: 3-year-old California boy stranded in Afghanistan  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KGO) — The US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has stranded between 100 and 200 American citizens who want to return to the states.

Texas election bill passes legislature, heads to Abbott for signature  —  Three months after House Democrats first broke quorum to stymie a previous iteration of the legislation, Republicans in the House and Senate Tuesday signed off on the final version of Senate Bill 1 to further tighten …

Taliban members escorted Americans to gates at Kabul airport in secret arrangement with US  —  (CNN)The US military negotiated a secret arrangement with the Taliban that resulted in Taliban members escorting groups of Americans to the gates of the Kabul airport as they sought to escape Afghanistan, according to two defense officials.

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 …

‘We Feel His Presence in the Department Is Threatening’  —  State employees protest the continued employment of an “antisemitic” blogger in their ranks.  —  A group of more than 70 State Department officials sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voicing alarm about …

The Jolt: Anti-vaxxers shut down vaccination event, harass state health workers  —  News and analysis from the politics team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  —  The headlines out of Gov. Brian Kemp's latest press conference focused on the thousands of Georgia National Guard troops he's preparing …

The New Puritans  —  “It was no great distance, in those days, from the prison-door to the market-place.  Measured by the prisoner's experience, however, it might be reckoned a journey of some length.”  —  So begins the tale of Hester Prynne, as recounted in Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.

Social Security is projected to be insolvent a year earlier than previously forecast.  —  The financial outlook for Social Security is eroding more quickly than previously expected, as the coronavirus pandemic has drained government revenues and put additional strain on one of the nation's most important social safety net programs.

Rural Oregon school superintendent fired after enforcing state mask mandate  —  ADRIAN - Kevin Purnell was fired Monday as superintendent of the Adrian School District just one week after students returned to school.  —  The Adrian School Board, convening in an emotionally charged special meeting …

The U.S. government left its own journalists behind in Afghanistan  —  Now that the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete, many stories of heroic efforts to save Americans and Afghan allies are pouring out, each describing one facet of the chaos and dysfunction that plagued …

Joe Biden's Critics Lost Afghanistan  —  A month ago I thought I was a cynic about our 20-year war in Afghanistan.  Today, after watching our stumbling withdrawal and the swift collapse of practically everything we fought for, my main feeling is that I wasn't cynical enough.

FBI examining $100M tax refund push by Gov. Ducey staffers after Arizona Republic investigation  —  The FBI's Public Corruption unit is investigating efforts by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's past and current staffers - including one who is now a federal judge - to push for a closed-door deal …

The Problem With Media  —  Groupthink and economic precarity go together  —  Though portrayed as an existential threat to the free press for all four years of his exhausting and excruciating presidency, Donald Trump was nothing of the sort.  This was obvious to anyone who paid attention …

‘They have better things to do’ - Major Republican donors are staying away from Trump  — Several of the Republican Party's biggest and most influential donors are signaling that they don't plan on helping fund former President Trump's political operation, at least for now.

Ida's sweltering aftermath: No power, no water, no gasoline  —  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Louisianans sweltered in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Tuesday with no electricity, no tap water, precious little gasoline and no clear idea of when things might improve.

Majority of U.S. public favors Afghanistan troop withdrawal; Biden criticized for his handling of situation  —  With the U.S. military evacuation of Afghanistan completed - bringing America's longest war to an end - 54% of U.S. adults say the decision to withdraw troops from the country was the right one …

Madison Cawthorn's vile lies about Jan. 6 reveal a big truth about the right  —  Rep. Madison Cawthorn is under fire for predicting “bloodshed” if our elections “continue to be rigged” and “continue to be stolen.”  The North Carolina Republican, speaking at a political event …

Mike Richards Is Out as ‘Jeopardy!’  Executive Producer  —  Three weeks after naming him as Alex Trebek's replacement to host the show, Sony cited “disruption and internal difficulties” in its announcement that he will leave the program entirely.  —  Sony said on Tuesday that Mike Richards …

Remarks by President Biden on the End of the War in Afghanistan  —  THE PRESIDENT: Last night in Kabul, the United States ended 20 years of war in Afghanistan — the longest war in American history.  —  We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history, with more than 120,000 people evacuated to safety.

BREAKING: In a major blow to vaccine efforts, senior FDA leaders stepping down  —  Two of the FDA's most senior vaccine leaders are exiting from their positions, raising fresh questions about the Biden administration and the way that it's sidelined the FDA.  —  Marion Gruber …

Thousands of posts around January 6 riots go missing from Facebook transparency tool  —  Scores of Facebook posts from the days before and after the January 6 Capitol Hill riots in Washington are missing.  —  The posts disappeared from Crowdtangle, a tool owned by Facebook that allows researchers …

This Is the Moment the Anti-Vaccine Movement Has Been Waiting For  —  Ms. Haelle is a science journalist who covers vaccine hesitancy and the anti-vaccine movement.  She is the author of “Vaccination Investigation: The History and Science of Vaccines.”  —  As the coronavirus began pushing …

40 Ways Things Are Getting Better  —  “What has gotten materially better in America in, say, the last twenty years?”  David Walsh, a University of Virginia postdoctoral fellow, casually asked on Twitter yesterday.  —  Hundreds of responses poured in, citing everything from consumer goods …

McAuliffe Holds Issue Edge in Guv Race  —  Biden and Trump factor into vote choice for some  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a lead in his bid to return to the Virginia governor's mansion after a four-year absence according to Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll.