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3:40 AM ET, August 18, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
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," …
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 …
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 …
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: NBC News and New York Times
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.
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 …
Discussion: Fox News, Bloomberg and Raw Story
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Halted Dollar Shipments to Afghanistan to Keep Cash Out of Taliban's Hands  —  U.S. officials are also blocking Taliban from Afghan government accounts managed by the Fed and U.S. banks  —  WASHINGTON—The Biden administration last week canceled bulk shipments of dollars headed …
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.
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:
Biden administration freezes billions of dollars in Afghan reserves, depriving Taliban of cash
Tim Kelly / Reuters:
As Taliban takes over, some swap iconic AK-47s for made-in-America rifles
Discussion: The Daily Caller
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.
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: The Hill and Raw Story
Rudy Takala / Mediaite:
Twitter Says Taliban Spokesman Will be Allowed to Remain if He Doesn't Get Too Violent  —  Twitter is refusing to join its peers in the social-media world in prohibiting the Taliban from using its platform.  —  Asked on Tuesday whether Twitter would join Facebook, TikTok and other tech companies …
Jeremy B. White / Politico:
Republican rivals attack recall frontrunner Larry Elder in California debate  —  SACRAMENTO — Republicans running to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom attacked absent frontrunner Larry Elder in a Tuesday night debate that exposed cracks in a crowded GOP field.
Discussion: Los Angeles Times, KRON4 and Raw Story
RELATED:
Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times:
Column: Sorry, Democrats — Latino anger toward Republicans isn't enough to save Newsom's political hide
Discussion: Breitbart
Edmund Lee / New York Times:
The owner of Politico is said to be seeking $1 billion in a deal with Axel Springer.  —  Politico, the Washington news site popular with Beltway power brokers, is seeking as much as $1 billion in a potential deal with the German publishing giant Axel Springer.
Kate Murphy / Raleigh News & Observer:
UNC Chapel Hill Journalism School Dean Susan King resigning  —  The dean of UNC-Chapel Hill's Hussman School of Journalism and Media is stepping down after nearly a decade leading the school.  —  Susan King announced that this will be her last year as dean in her weekly email newsletter to journalism faculty.
Discussion: The Progressive Pulse
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.
Georgia Slater / People.com:
CNN's Abby Phillip Welcomes First Baby, Daughter Naomi Angelina, with Husband Marcus Richardson  —  Abby Phillip shared her pregnancy news to The Cut back in March  —  This just in: Abby Phillip is officially a mom!  —  The CNN anchor and senior political correspondent, 32 …
Discussion: TheGrio
Paul Blest / VICE:
How to Actually Get a Trump Voter Vaccinated  —  Woodford County is the second-most-vaccinated county in Kentucky, with a rate 14 points higher than the state as a whole.  It also happens to be firmly in so-called “Trump country”; the county just west of Lexington went for the former president by double digits in 2020.
Discussion: Raw Story
Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Dear Colleague on Passing Budget Resolution to Deliver Once-in-a-Generation Progress For The People  —  Today, President Biden endorsed the House Rule which will allow us to consider the budget resolution, H.R. 4 and the bipartisan infrastructure bill next week.
Discussion: The Hill and Politico
Washington Post:
Florida officials find two school districts violated DeSantis's mask mandate restrictions … PLEASE NOTE  —  The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.  For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter …
Wall Street Journal:
The Democratic Food-Stamp Boom  —  The average family of four will get more than they spend on food.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  What a telling juxtaposition.  Amid the throes of its Afghanistan retreat, the Biden Administration on Monday announced a giant food-stamp expansion.
Washington Post:
Durham grand jury explores theory someone presented FBI with fabricated evidence in 2016 Russia probe  —  Special counsel John Durham — the prosecutor examining the origins of the FBI's investigation into a possible conspiracy between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign …
Joshua Fechter / The Texas Tribune:
Texas Supreme Court says House Democrats can be arrested and brought to the Capitol, siding with Republicans trying to secure a quorum  —  In a bid to block a voting restrictions bill, House Democrats for weeks have denied the lower chamber the number of present members needed to pass legislation.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Newsroom leadership has never been this diverse, but that's not enough
Jacquelynn Kerubo / New York Times:
What Gentrification Means for Black Homeowners
Miami Herald:
Some Haitians frustrated at slow pace of aid
Bill Glauber / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
And now there are 11: Steven Olikara officially enters crowded Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
Discussion: The Hill
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
The January 6 corporate accountability index
Nora Sackett / Office of the Governor:
New Mexico to re-implement indoor mask mandate; vaccinations required in hospitals, congregate settings
Discussion: The Hill and Los Angeles Blade
 Earlier Items: 
Washington Post:
Juliet Eilperin to become deputy climate and environment editor
Joe Cunningham / RedState:
The Worst Part? The Democrats Can't Use the 25th Amendment
Discussion: HotAir and The Western Journal
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.
 

 
From Techmeme:

Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
President Biden signs the ByteDance-TikTok divest-or-ban bill into law, after the Senate passed it by 79-18; the House passed the legislation 360-58 on April 20

Joanna Nelius / The Verge:
Qualcomm details its Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite chips; benchmarks from a demo suggest the chips match Apple's M3, Intel's Core Ultra 9, and AMD's Ryzen 9

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft begins rolling out Windows 11 Start menu ads that show app “recommendations” from “a small set of curated developers”; users can disable the ads

 
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