The Commentariat -- August 31, 2021

Unbelievably, the Comments section may be messed up again. A comment that was posted in today's Commentariat showed up in my email notifications & in my data files -- but not in the viewable comments. After I made a test comment, the first comment showed up -- more than an hour after it was posted. Although I have some stuff to do today that will keep me away from my computer off and on, I'll try to keep an eye on what's going on with the comments. In the meantime, save your work. -- Marie

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Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of developments in Afghanistan are here. The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Tuesday are here: "The Taliban took control of the Kabul airport Tuesday as celebratory gunfire echoed across the city, capping the militant group's victory in a 20-year war with the United States after the last U.S. military flight left the country. One of the Taliban's top officials, however, cautioned its fighters to be careful in how they treated the local population. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called for international investment and national unity in the country during a speech at the airport."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here.

Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "The actions of Republican governors, some of the leading stewards of the country's response to the virus, reveal how the politics of the party's base have hardened when it comes to curbing Covid. As some Republican-led states, including Florida, confront their most serious outbreaks yet, even rising death totals are being treated as less politically damaging than imposing coronavirus mandates of almost any stripe.... Most top Republicans, including every Republican governor, have been vaccinated and have encouraged others to do so. But most have also stopped short of supporting inoculation requirements and have opposed masking requirements." ~~~

~~~ The Pro-Virus Party. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Rather than work with him to vaccinate the country, [President] Biden's Republican opposition has, with only a few exceptions, done everything in its power to politicize the vaccine and make refusal to cooperate a test of partisan loyalty. The party is, for all practical purposes, pro-Covid. If it's sincere, it is monstrous. And if it's not, it is an unbelievably cynical and nihilistic strategy. Unfortunately for both Biden and the country, it appears to be working.... [For instance, after taking aggressive actions to encourage spread of the virus, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Fox 'News.'] 'You know, he said he was going to end Covid. He hasn't done that.... At the end of the day, he is trying to find a way to distract from the failures of his presidency.'... The effect of all of [Republican measures] for the country is a pandemic that won't die. The effect of it for the Republican Party is a substantial part of its base that won't take the vaccine.... [The] Republican effort to prolong the pandemic shows no sign of abating."

Florida. Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post: "Florida officials are now withholding some funding from two counties with tough school mask mandates -- despite a court decision against the state's ban on such restrictions and a move by the U.S. Education Department to investigate states with these bans. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced late Monday that the Florida Department of Education has withheld the monthly salaries of school board members in Alachua and Broward counties who voted to impose mask mandates that only provide for a medical exemption from a doctor."

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Elvis Has Left the Building

~~~ Adam Nossiter & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The last United States forces left Afghanistan late Monday, ending a 20-year occupation that began shortly after Al Qaeda's attacks on 9/11, cost over $2 trillion, took more than 170,000 lives and ultimately failed to defeat the Taliban, the Islamist militants who allowed Al Qaeda to operate there. Five American C-17 cargo jets flew out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul just before midnight, the officials said, completing a hasty evacuation that left behind tens of thousands of Afghans desperate to flee the country, including former members of the security forces and many who held valid visas to enter the United States. 'A new chapter of America's engagement with Afghanistan has begun,' Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Monday evening. 'It's one in which we will lead with our diplomacy. The military mission is over.' But the war prosecuted by four presidents over two decades, which gave Afghans a shot at democracy and freed many women to pursue education and careers, failed in nearly every other goal. Ultimately, the Americans handed the country back to the same militants they drove from power in 2001." ~~~

     ~~~ Robert Burns & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan late Monday, ending America's longest war and closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit that cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, some barely older than the war.Hours ahead of President Joe Biden's Tuesday deadline for shutting down a final airlift, and thus ending the U.S. war, Air Force transport planes carried a remaining contingent of troops from Kabul airport.... In announcing the completion of the evacuation and war effort. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said the last planes took off from Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. Washington time, or one minute before midnight in Kabul. He said a number of American citizens, likely numbering in 'the very low hundreds,' were left behind, and that he believes they will still be able to leave the country." (Also linked yesterday.)

Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "American diplomats have left Afghanistan, and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain closed, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Monday, after the military announced that it had completed its withdrawal from the country. The disintegration of U.S. diplomacy was a stunning turnabout from plans to stay and help Afghanistan transition from 20 years of war and work toward peace, however tenuous, with a government that would share power with the Taliban. Earlier this month, Mr. Blinken had pledged that the United States would remain 'deeply engaged' in Afghanistan long after the military left.... What was one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions in the world will for now be greatly scaled back, based in Doha, the Qatari capital, and focused largely on processing visas for refugees and other immigrants.... Mr. Blinken said any engagement with the Taliban -- a longtime U.S. enemy that seized power when President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan on Aug. 15 -- 'will be driven by one thing only: our vital national interests.'" Here's a transcript of Blinken's speech, via the State Department.

Laura Smith-Spark, et al., of CNN: "Nine members of one family -- including six children -- were killed in a US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential neighborhood of Kabul, a relative of the dead told a local journalist working with CNN. The US carried out a defensive airstrike in Kabul, targeting a suspected ISIS-K suicide bomber who posed an 'imminent' threat to the airport, US Central Command said Sunday. The youngest killed was a 2-year-old girl, according to a brother of the one of those killed. They were 'an ordinary family,' he said. 'We are not ISIS or Daesh and this was a family home -- where my brothers lived with their families.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

** Groundhog Day All Over Again. Frank Rich of New York: "... some two-thirds of Americans ... had never been onboard for [George W.] Bush's pivot from a war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban to a naïve and extravagant colonialist exercise in nation building. And so now we're back where we came in.... 9/11 proved to be Groundhog Day as far as the war was concerned.... Many of the loudest voices in the media and in Washington decrying our inept and catastrophic exit ... are the same voices that helped grease the skids for disaster in Afghanistan by promoting a second new war in Iraq on manufactured intelligence in the months after 9/11." Firewalled, but it's the last day of the month, so if you haven't used up your New York hits for the month, this is a fine place to spend one. Thanks to citizen625 for the link.

Ross Douthat of the New York Times: "... [President] Biden deserves plenty of criticism. But like the Trump administration in its wiser moments, he is trying to disentangle America from a set of failed policies that many of his loudest critics long supported. Our botched withdrawal is the punctuation mark on a general catastrophe, a failure so broad that it should demand purges in the Pentagon, the shamed retirement of innumerable hawkish talking heads, the razing of various NGOs and international-studies programs and the dissolution of countless consultancies and military contractors. Small wonder, then, that making Biden the singular scapegoat seems like a more attractive path. But if the only aspect of this catastrophe that our leaders remember is what went wrong in August 2021, then we'll have learned nothing except to always double down on failure, and the next disaster will be worse." Oh, go ahead, read it.

Lawrence O'Donnell noted Monday evening that when the U.S. fled Vietnam, President Jerry Ford never said a word. Ford issued one written statement about the evacuation.

Ryan Nobles, et al., of CNN: "The House Select Committee investigating the deadly January 6 riot has requested that a group of telecommunications companies preserve the phone records of a group of GOP members of Congress and ... Donald Trump, as well as members of the Trump family, who played some role in the "Stop the Steal" rally that served as the prelude to the Capitol insurrection.... [Sources say] the list is ... evolving and could be added to as the investigation steps up. As of now it includes Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar also of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jody Hice of Georgia and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.... The committee will also request the records of the former President be preserved, as well as his daughter Ivanka, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is Trump Jr.'s girlfriend." ~~~

~~~ Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "... Donald Trump's political operation reported paying more than $4.3 million to people and firms that organized the Jan. 6 rally since the start of the 2020 election. However, questions remain about the full extent of the Trump campaign's involvement in the 'Save America' rally on the day of the Capitol attack as a House select committee's sweeping requests attempt to shine some light on that day's events." Subpoenas from the Jan. 6 Select Committee requested information from 15 social media companies for some of the principals of the rally organizers who were recipients of Trump campaign cash. The committee asked the National Archives, FBI & DOJ to expedite records collection.

Cameron Joseph of Vice: "When Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn was asked [at a GOP event Sunday] about what he's doing to help the hundreds in jail awaiting trial for their roles in the violent January 6 riots, he called them 'political prisoners' -- and said he wanted to 'bust them out.'... Someone in the audience then asked, 'When will you call us to Washington again?' 'We are actively working on this,' Cawthorn responded. 'We have a few plans in motion I can't make public right now,' he said, before calling those facing charges for their role in the January 6 insurrection 'political hostages' for the second time.... Cawthorn's remarks came during a question-and-answer period after his speech, where he claimed that 'Trump obviously won' and repeated false claims that voter fraud had stolen the 2020 election for Democrats. 'Can we actually trust our voting system? Because I'll tell you, anybody who tells you that Joe Biden was duly elected is lying to you,' he said to cheers. 'We all saw the fraud. It was on full display in front of us, we all know it was a stolen election.' Cawthorn even claimed issues with his own state and suggested that North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper had won because of voter fraud too....

It has been a whole day since we have heard a bizarre story coming out of the bizarro Trumpland Fantasy Fun Fair. So time for another one. ~~~

~~~ January 6 (Alleged) Insurrectionists Have Fake Lawyer. Adam Klasfeld of Law & Crime: &"As high-profile conservative attorney John Pierce reportedly grapples with COVID-19, an employee has started appearing on behalf of suspected Jan. 6th rioters. That employee, Ryan Marshall, has been charged with felonies and is 'not a licensed attorney,' federal prosecutors told a judge on Monday. Known for formerly representing Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse in his homicide case, Pierce kept picking up clients fighting federal charges associated with the Jan. 6th siege of the U.S. Capitol. Rittenhouse's family fired Pierce after questioning what he did with the millions he raised for the accused murderer. Now, Pierce's relationship with some 17 other clients stands in limbo for health reasons.... Marshall was the same associate who reportedly told a judge in open court on Aug. 15: 'Mr. Pierce is in the hospital, we believe, with COVID-19, on a ventilator, non-responsive.'... Prosecutors say that they have had no contact with Pierce since Aug. 13." However, other associates of Pierce have denied he has Covid-19 or is on a ventilator.

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Monday struck down a Trump-era environmental rule that drastically limited federal restrictions against pollution of millions of streams, wetlands and marshes across the country. The Biden administration had already begun the lengthy process of undoing the policy, which ... Donald J. Trump established in 2020 to please real estate developers and farmers. Mr. Trump's policy allowed the discharge of pollutants such as fertilizers, pesticides and industrial chemicals into smaller streams and wetlands. But on Monday, Judge Rosemary Márquez of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona found 'fundamental, substantive flaws' with the Trump administration's policy and said that it was in conflict with the 1972 Clean Water Act. She warned of the 'possibility of serious environmental harm' if the Trump rule remained in place. The Trump policy allowed more than 300 projects across the country to proceed without environmental permitting, the judge noted.... The court ruling is the latest in a series of decisions by federal judges who have struck down Trump environmental policies after noting that the administration had frequently ignored the analysis of career federal scientists."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Laura Meckler of the Washington Post: "The Education Department opened civil rights investigations Monday into five states for policies banning school districts from requiring masks, upping the Biden administration's battle with Republican governors over pandemic policies for schools. Letters were sent to education officials in Iowa, South Carolina, Utah, Oklahoma and Tennessee, all of which bar local districts from mandating masks. They allege that these states may be preventing districts from meeting the needs of students with disabilities who are at heightened risk for severe illness should they contract the coronavirus. The Education Department did not open investigations in Florida, Texas, Arkansas or Arizona, all of which have tried to ban such mandates as well, because the policies there are not being enforced as a result of court orders or other state actions, the agency said."

Samuel Petrequin of the AP: "The European Union recommended Monday that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infections there, but member countries will keep the option of allowing fully vaccinated U.S. travelers in. The decision by the European Council to remove the U.S. from a safe list of countries for nonessential travel reverses the advice that it gave in June, when the bloc recommended lifting restrictions on all U.S. travelers before the summer tourism season."

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Federal researchers will not objectively study ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19, the Kentucky senator Rand Paul claimed, because 'hatred for Donald Trump' has tainted their view of those who say the drug used to deworm horses can aid the fight against the pandemic. Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic, does have uses in humans, to treat worms, lice and skin problems.... It is not proven to combat Covid-19." MB: Okay, Rand, Donald claims he singlehandedly caused Covid-19 vaccines to be developed quickly. So why don't federal regulators ban vaccines because of "hatred for Donald Trump"? (Also linked yesterday.)

A Hoax that Proved Deadly. David Gilbert of Vice: "Robert David Steele, a former CIA officer turned conspiracy theorist who claimed to be the first person to call COVID-19 a hoax, has died from COVID-19. Steele, who was among the earliest QAnon promoters and helped the conspiracy theory move from the fringes of the internet into the mainstream, was hospitalized with symptoms of COVID-19 earlier this month. But he continued to spread anti-vaccine and COVID-denial conspiracy theories until the end." One of Steele's fellow conspiracy buffs, Mark Tassi, called Steele's death "very suspicious." MB: Well, of course he did. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ohio. Jake Zuckerman of the Ohio Capital Journal: "A Butler County judge ruled in favor of a woman last week who sought to force a hospital to administer Ivermectin -- an animal dewormer that federal regulators have warned against using in COVID-19 patients -- to her husband after several weeks in the ICU with the disease. Butler County Common Pleas Judge Gregory Howard ordered West Chester Hospital, part of the University of Cincinnati network, to treat Jeffrey Smith, 51, with Ivermectin. The order, filed Aug. 23, compels the hospital to provide Smith with 30mg of Ivermectin daily for three weeks. The drug was originally developed to deworm livestock animals before doctors began using it against parasitic diseases among humans. Several researchers won a Nobel Prize in 2015 for establishing its efficacy in humans. It's used to treat head lice, onchocerciasis (river blindness) and others. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned Americans against the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19, a viral disease. It's unproven as a treatment, they say, and large doses of it can be dangerous and cause serious harm." (Also linked yesterday.) For some nuance, see Patrick's comment in yesterday's thread.

The Commentariat -- August 30, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Elvis Has Left the Building

~~~ Robert Burns & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan late Monday, ending America's longest war and closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit that cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, some barely older than the war. Hours ahead of President Joe Biden's Tuesday deadline for shutting down a final airlift, and thus ending the U.S. war, Air Force transport planes carried a remaining contingent of troops from Kabul airport.... In announcing the completion of the evacuation and war effort. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said the last planes took off from Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. Washington time, or one minute before midnight in Kabul. He said a number of American citizens, likely numbering in 'the very low hundreds,' were left behind, and that he believes they will still be able to leave the country." ~~~

~~~ From the New York Times' live updates, also linked below: "The last vestiges of the American presence in Afghanistan have departed Kabul airport, ending an occupation that resulted in a complete takeover of the country by the adversary the U.S. military spent two decades fighting, U.S. military officials said. In recent days, American military leaders said the United States would continue evacuation efforts and fully withdraw by Aug. 31. But those efforts were wrapped up a full day early. Evacuation flights ended on Monday, and the military finished packing everything it intended to fly out of the airport onto transport planes before loading the remaining U.S. service members onto planes for departure."

Ohio. Jake Zuckerman of the Ohio Capital Journal: "A Butler County judge ruled in favor of a woman last week who sought to force a hospital to administer Ivermectin -- an animal dewormer that federal regulators have warned against using in COVID-19 patients -- to her husband after several weeks in the ICU with the disease. Butler County Common Pleas Judge Gregory Howard ordered West Chester Hospital, part of the University of Cincinnati network, to treat Jeffrey Smith, 51, with Ivermectin. The order, filed Aug. 23, compels the hospital to provide Smith with 30mg of Ivermectin daily for three weeks. The drug was originally developed to deworm livestock animals before doctors began using it against parasitic diseases among humans. Several researchers won a Nobel Prize in 2015 for establishing its efficacy in humans. It's used to treat head lice, onchocerciasis (river blindness) and others. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned Americans against the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19, a viral disease. It"s unproven as a treatment, they say, and large doses of it can be dangerous and cause serious harm."

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Federal researchers will not objectively study ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19, the Kentucky senator Rand Paul claimed, because 'hatred for Donald Trump' has tainted their view of those who say the drug used to deworm horses can aid the fight against the pandemic. Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic, does have uses in humans, to treat worms, lice and skin problems.... It is not proven to combat Covid-19." MB: Okay, Rand, Donald claims he singlehandedly caused Covid-19 vaccines to be developed quickly. So why don't federal regulators ban vaccines because of "hatred for Donald Trump"?

A Hoax that Proved Deadly. David Gilbert of Vice: "Robert David Steele, a former CIA officer turned conspiracy theorist who claimed to be the first person to call COVID-19 a hoax, has died from COVID-19. Steele, who was among the earliest QAnon promoters and helped the conspiracy theory move from the fringes of the internet into the mainstream, was hospitalized with symptoms of COVID-19 earlier this month. But he continued to spread anti-vaccine and COVID-denial conspiracy theories until the end.

Laura Smith-Spark, et al., of CNN: "Nine members of one family -- including six children -- were killed in a US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential neighborhood of Kabul, a relative of the dead told a local journalist working with CNN. The US carried out a defensive airstrike in Kabul, targeting a suspected ISIS-K suicide bomber who posed an 'imminent' threat to the airport, US Central Command said Sunday. The youngest killed was a 2-year-old girl, according to a brother of the one of those killed. They were 'an ordinary family,' he said. 'We are not ISIS or Daesh and this was a family home -- where my brothers lived with their families.'"

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The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Monday are here: "Rockets were fired at Kabul airport early Monday but as many as five were intercepted by a missile defense system, highlighting the continual threat to the international rescue mission ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline for American troops to pull out. There were no initial reports of U.S. casualties, reported Reuters, citing an unidentified American official. A Taliban spokesman said that there were no reports of Afghan deaths and that the Islamist group was investigating the attack." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Monday are here. The New York Times' live updates Monday are here. ~~~

~~~ Hannah Ellis-Petersen of the Guardian: "Several rockets were fired at Kabul airport on Monday, less than 48 hours before the United States is due to complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Eyewitnesses said the rockets were launched from a car and were aimed towards the airport on Monday morning. It appears Salim Karwan, a neighbourhood adjacent to the airport, was hit in one of the blasts. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack."

Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "The United States and 97 other countries said on Sunday that they would continue to take in people fleeing Afghanistan after the American military departs this week and had secured an agreement with the Taliban to allow safe passage for those who are leaving. The Taliban's chief negotiator, Sher Mohammed Abas Stanekzai, had announced on Friday that the group would not stop people from departing, no matter their nationality or whether they had worked for the United States during the 20-year war. The joint statement released on Sunday on behalf of more than half of the world's governments and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said that they had 'received assurances from the Taliban' that people with travel documents showing they were clear to enter any of those countries could safely depart. The countries also pledged to 'continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans' and cited a 'clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban' of their safe passage.... Notably missing from the statement were Russia and China, two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council who have pledged to help the Taliban rebuild Afghanistan." The Hill's story is here.

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "President Joe Biden met in solemn privacy Sunday with the families of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the suicide attack near the Kabul airport as the remains of their loved ones returned to U.S. soil from Afghanistan. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were also to attend the 'dignified transfer' of the fallen troops while at Dover Air Force Base, a military ritual of receiving the remains of those killed in foreign combat." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Kathy Gannon, et al., of the AP: "A U.S. drone strike Sunday struck a vehicle carrying 'multiple suicide bombers' from Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate before they could target the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul's international airport, American officials said. There were few initial details about the incident, as well as a rocket that struck a neighborhood just northwest of the airport, killing a child. The Taliban initially described the two strikes as separate incidents, though information on both remained scarce and witnesses heard only one large blast Sunday in the Afghan capital." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ David Zucchino of the New York Times: "A U.S. drone strike on Sunday destroyed an explosives-laden vehicle that the Pentagon said posed an imminent threat to Afghanistan's main airport, as the massive airlift of Afghans fleeing Taliban rule shut down just two days before the scheduled final withdrawal of American forces. Afghans said the drone strike killed as many as nine civilians, including children, and the U.S. military said it was investigating the assertions. The U.S.-led coalition told Afghans awaiting transport out of the country that for them the airlift was over. 'We regret to inform you that international military evacuations from Kabul airport have ended,' it said in a text message sent late Saturday night, 'and we are no longer able to call anyone forward for evacuation flights. 'The airlift has flown more than 117,000 people out of the country since Aug. 14, most of them Afghans, and some Afghans may already be in the airport waiting for flights, but it is leaving untold thousands behind. The desperate, dangerous scramble to reach Kabul's international airport and the deadly attack there last Thursday by an Islamic State branch have defined the chaotic and bloody end to America's longest war."

Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "Hundreds of students and alumni of American University of Afghanistan gathered at a safe house on Sunday and boarded buses in what was supposed to be a final attempt at evacuation on U.S. military flights, students and alumni said. But after seven hours of waiting for clearance to enter the airport gates and driving around the city, the group met a dead end: Evacuations were permanently called off. The airport gates remained a security threat, and civilian evacuations were ending Monday.... [An] email asked the 600 or so students and alumni to return home. The U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan must be completed by a Tuesday deadline, so the U.S. military is turning from evacuating civilians to bringing its own personnel home. The group was then alarmed to learn that the university had shared a list of names and passport information of hundreds of students and alumni with the Taliban guarding the airport checkpoints, said four students...."

David Edwards of the Raw Story: "During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell argued that the Afghanistan war had been a 'complete success' and that the U.S. could safely maintain an indefinite military presence in the country with just 2,500 troops. But [host Chris] Wallace pointed out that President Joe Biden's Pentagon advisers have said that at least 10,000 more troops would be required if the war continues.... McConnell insisted that the assessment was 'totally not accurate.'"

Sammy Westfall & Paulina Villegas of the Washington Post: "Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was relieved of command after a video of him criticizing senior U.S. officials for 'failures' in Afghanistan went viral, said Sunday that he will be leaving the Marine Corps after 17 years. 'All I asked for was accountability of my senior leaders when there are clear, obvious mistakes that were made,' he said in a video posted on LinkedIn this weekend."

A Marine & His Dogs. Gina Harkins of the Washington Post: Former British Royal Marine Paul "Pen" Farthing, who ran an animal shelter in Afghanistan, airlifted dogs & cats to Heathrow airport in a private plane, apparently after the Taliban let the dogs out, but not Farthing's staff. He vows to evacuate his human friends, too. "But some British leaders said Farthing was pulling precious resources from the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Kabul.... British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace ... [said] that Farthing's supporters had 'taken up too much time of my senior commanders.'"

Prospect of Hard Evidence Makes Jungle Gym Jordan Change His Story. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "... Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) confessed to a Politico reporter that he probably had multiple talks with the president that day instead of just one. In July, Jordan claimed, 'I spoke with him that day, after? I think after. I don't know if I spoke with him in the morning or not. I just don't know.... I don't know when those conversations happened,' reported Rolling Stone. According to Politico's Olivia Beavers, the Ohio conservative is altering his story on the heels of the House select committee on the Jan 6th insurrection asking phone companies for records on phone calls during that day.... Politico's Playbook is reporting, 'Look, I definitely spoke to the president that day. I don't recall -- I know it was more than once, I just don't recall the times,' Jordan explained when pressed." MB: Jordan is like criminals in murder mysteries; under questioning, they claim they didn't speak to someone during a critical time period -- till the detective shows them their phone records. Cuff him! ~~~

     ~~~ According to the Politico report, which is down the page here, "After a group of lawmakers were evacuated from the House chamber to a safe room on Jan. 6, Jordan was joined by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for a call during which they implored Trump to tell his supporters to stand down, per a source with knowledge of that call. The source declined to say how Trump responded to this request."

Marie: If you think a news story seems bizarre, it's probably more bizarre than you think. ~~~

     ~~~ The Lady Disappears. Matt Shuham of TPM: As we've learned, "Tina Peters, the clerk in conservative Mesa County, Colorado, [is] now under investigation for allegedly helping facilitate the leak of sensitive election software information to a QAnon influencer.... Peters ... has acknowledged taking digital images of her election machines' hard drives both before and after a May 25 software update [in an effort to prove election law violations.... But] someone [else] in the room took surreptitious video and pictures[, too]." Next, QAnon Guy Ron Watkins released footage of the sensitive hard drive on his Telegram account, and investigators swarmed Peters' office. Meanwhile, Peters went to speak at Mike Lindell's flop of a "cyber-symposium"; in keeping with the theme of the event -- "Cyber-symposium Flops" -- Peters' 'revelations" of election-machine irregularities were "unimpressive." But wait. A story set in Colorado & South Dakota surely needs ... a surfer! Back on stage, QAnon Guy suddenly alleged surfer Conan Hayes had stolen the Mesa County harddrives. Whereupon, whereupon, "Tina Peters leaped to the stage, denying that any county property had left her office -- and seemingly setting off a recording of a duck quacking.... And then, and then -- Peters disappeared! And who helped her in this dramatic after-act? Why, Mike Lindell, the MyPillow Guy. He first ferried Peters to Texas, then accidentally leaked her location, then moved her again. Tune in for the next exciting episode. Will officers find Tina? Or is she in disguise, hanging out in a wetsuit & hanging ten of them toes over the edge of a surfboard? (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post: Even if you never use Facebook, Facebook is collecting intimate details (your brand of underwear!) about you. "Facebook has become too big to escape.... Facebook is so big, it has convinced millions of other businesses, apps and websites to also snoop on its behalf. Even when you're not actively using Facebook. Even when you're not online. Even, perhaps, if you've never had a Facebook account.... Facebook provides its business partners tracking software they embed in apps, websites and loyalty programs. Any business or group that needs to do digital advertising has little choice but to feed your activities into Facebook's vacuum: your grocer, politicians and, yes, even the paywall page for this newspaper's website. Behind the scenes, Facebook takes in this data and tries to match it up to your account.... Facebook may be free, but you pay for it with your privacy. And Facebook keeps raising the price."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here: "The daily average for hospitalized Covid-19 patients in the United States is now more than 100,000. That average, calculated over the last seven days, is higher than in any previous surge except last winter's, before most Americans were eligible to get vaccinated.... Hospitalizations nationwide have increased by nearly 500 percent in the past two months, particularly across Southern states, where I.C.U. beds are filling up, a crisis fueled by some of the country's lowest vaccination rates and widespread political opposition to public health measures like mask requirements." ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The NYT's stand-alone story, by Dan Levin, on the 100,000+ daily average of new cases is here.

~~~ Mississippi. Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "... the health care system in the nation's poorest state is close to buckling under the latest avalanche of cases triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.... The current coronavirus spike has hit the South hard, but a combination of poverty and politics made Mississippi uniquely unprepared to handle what is now the worst coronavirus outbreak in the nation. The state has fewer active physicians per capita than any other. Five rural hospitals have closed in the past decade, and 35 more are at imminent risk of closing, according to an assessment from a nonprofit health care quality agency. There are 2,000 fewer nurses in Mississippi today than there were at the beginning of the year, according to the state hospital association.... Mississippi has waged decades of political battles over health care policy.... Most crucially, the state rejected a proposal to expand Medicaid.... What Mississippi has been left with, after years of infighting, is a system believed to be the weakest in the nation."

Florida. Mark Harper of the Daytona Beach News-Journal: "Marc Bernier, a talk radio host in Daytona Beach for 30 years, died after a three-week battle with COVID-19, WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announced on Twitter Saturday night. Bernier, 65, of Ormond Beach, has been remembered in recent days as a conservative who sought out and aired others' points of view while airing a morning comment, three-hour afternoon show, weekend shows and specials.... He also was an outspoken opponent of vaccinations." Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Texas. Fake "Freedom Defender" Dies. AP: "A man who led efforts in his Central Texas community against mask wearing and other preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic has died from COVID-19, one month after being admitted to the emergency room. Caleb Wallace died on Saturday, his wife Jessica Wallace said on a GoFundMe page where she had been posting updates on his condition, the San Angelo Standard-Times reported Saturday. He was 30 years old and a father of three children. His wife is pregnant with their fourth child." More on Caleb Wallace in yesterday's Commentariat. MB: Let's see. He's 30 years old, has three children, a pregnant wife who had to rely on GoFundMe to survive, he refuses the vaccine, takes horse dewormer & Vitamin C instead, encourages others to put themselves & associates at risk. Everything about this guy was irresponsible. I don't "wish him dead," as his wife implies; I wish he had behaved like a responsible adult so he'd still be alive & he'd have a family he took care of. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Ledes

New York Times: "Rescue teams fanned out across Louisiana on Monday searching for people left stranded in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, even as New Orleans emerged from its most serious onslaught since Hurricane Katrina confident that its levees had held. While city residents could take a measure of relief at having dodged a catastrophic flood, several surrounding communities remained cut off by the storm, with the extent of the devastation in those areas still coming into focus. More than a million people, including most of New Orleans, were left without electricity, more than 300,000 were without water and some 2,000 were in shelters, officials said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Appreciated some of the comments I heard on the teevee from the Man on the Flooded Street, which ran to, "Wow! We never thought it was gonna be this bad. We thought we was gonna die." Yeah, how could they have known? ~~~

~~~ Weather Channel: "Roads are covered in water, buildings have been ripped apart and rescue calls were coming in after Hurricane Ida roared ashore in southeastern Louisiana Sunday with crushing storm surge and extreme winds. The storm made landfall near Port Fourchon and is ripping a path of destruction as it marches inland." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates of storm developments Monday are here. The New York Times' live updates are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The New Orleans Times-Picayune front page has links to numerous stories. MB: I don't know whether or not these -- or some of these -- are firewalled. ~~~

     ~~~ AP: "A fearsome Hurricane Ida left scores of coastal Louisiana residents trapped by floodwaters and pleading to be rescued Monday while making a shambles of the electrical grid across a wide swath of the state in the sweltering, late-summer heat. One of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. mainland weakened into a tropical storm overnight as it pushed inland over Mississippi with torrential rain and shrieking winds, its danger far from over. Ida was blamed for at least one death -- someone hit by a falling tree outside Baton Rouge -- but the full extent of its fury was still coming into focus at daybreak." ~~~

Near St. Pius Church, Marrero, Louisiana.     ~~~ New York Times photographers dispatched to Louisiana to document some of the damage. Marie: In the one photo, there is a sign of eternal hope: it appears Very White Jesus has been saved, if just barely. There is little to laugh about in a hurricane/flood situation, and I don't mean to make light of this great difficulty, but that photo did cause me to laugh out loud. I can see where a lot of people would not find this at all funny.

The Commentariat -- August 29, 2021

Marie: The Reality Chex Comments function is all better now. You no longer need to jump through hoops to post a comment . So comment as usual. No need to sign in.

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Afternoon Update:

Marie: If you think a news story seems bizarre, it's probably more bizarre than you think. ~~~

     ~~~ The Lady Disappears. Matt Shuham of TPM: As we've learned, "Tina Peters, the clerk in conservative Mesa County, Colorado, [is] now under investigation for allegedly helping facilitate the leak of sensitive election software information to a QAnon influencer.... Peters ... has acknowledged taking digital images of her election machines' hard drives both before and after a May 25 software update [in an effort to prove election law violations.... But] someone [else] in the room took surreptitious video and pictures[, too]." Next, QAnon Guy Ron Watkins released footage of the sensitive hard drive on his Telegram account, and investigators swarmed Peters' office. Meanwhile, Peters went to speak at Mike Lindell's flop of a "cyber-symposium"; in keeping with the theme of the event -- "Cyber-symposium Flops" -- Peters' 'revelations" of election-machine irregularities were "unimpressive." But wait. A story set in Colorado & South Dakota surely needs ... a surfer! Back on stage, QAnon Guy suddenly alleged surfer Conan Hayes had stolen the Mesa County harddrives. Whereupon, whereupon, "Tina Peters leaped to the stage, denying that any county property had left her office -- and seemingly setting off a recording of a duck quacking>.... And then, and then -- Peters disappeared! And who helped her in this dramatic after-act? Why, Mike Lindell, the MyPillow Guy. He first ferried Peters to Texas, then accidentally leaked her location, then moved her again.Tune in for the next exciting episode. Will officers find Tina? Or is she unrecognizable, hanging out in a wetsuit & hanging ten of them toes over the edge of a surfboard?

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "President Joe Biden met in solemn privacy Sunday with the families of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the suicide attack near the Kabul airport as the remains of their loved ones returned to U.S. soil from Afghanistan. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were also to attend the 'dignified transfer' of the fallen troops while at Dover Air Force Base, a military ritual of receiving the remains of those killed in foreign combat."

Kathy Gannon, et al., of the AP: "A U.S. drone strike Sunday struck a vehicle carrying 'multiple suicide bombers' from Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate before they could target the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul's international airport, American officials said. There were few initial details about the incident, as well as a rocket that struck a neighborhood just northwest of the airport, killing a child. The Taliban initially described the two strikes as separate incidents, though information on both remained scarce and witnesses heard only one large blast Sunday in the Afghan capital."

Florida. Mark Harper of the Daytona Beach News-Journal: "Marc Bernier, a talk radio host in Daytona Beach for 30 years, died after a three-week battle with COVID-19, WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announced on Twitter Saturday night. Bernier, 65, of Ormond Beach, has been remembered in recent days as a conservative who sought out and aired others' points of view while airing a morning comment, three-hour afternoon show, weekend shows and specials.... He also was an outspoken opponent of vaccinations." Emphasis added.

Texas. Fake "Freedom Defender" Dies. AP: "A man who led efforts in his Central Texas community against mask wearing and other preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic has died from COVID-19, one month after being admitted to the emergency room. Caleb Wallace died on Saturday, his wife Jessica Wallace said on a GoFundMe page where she had been posting updates on his condition, the San Angelo Standard-Times reported Saturday. He was 30 years old and a father of three children. His wife is pregnant with their fourth child." More on Caleb Wallace in yesterday's Commentariat. MB: Let's see. He's 30 years old, has three children, a pregnant wife who had to rely on GoFundMe to survive, he refuses the vaccine, takes horse dewormer & Vitamin C instead, encourages others to put themselves & associates at risk. Everything about this guy was irresponsible. I don't "wish him dead," as his wife implies; I wish he had behaved like a responsible adult so he'd still be alive & he'd have a family he took care of.

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The New York Times' live updates of developments in Afghanistan Sunday are here.

Dave Mistich of NPR: "President Biden on Saturday vowed to continue to target the Islamic State affiliate ISIS-K in retaliation for the group's bombing at the Kabul airport, while warning that another terrorist attack on the airport is 'highly likely' on Sunday or Monday. U.S. military officials announced Friday evening that a drone strike killed an ISIS-K target in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. On Saturday, officials updated that to say that two 'high-profile' targets -- described as 'a planner and a facilitator' -- were killed and one other person from the terrorist group was injured in the retaliatory strike. 'This strike was not the last,' Biden said in a statement Saturday. 'We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay.' The Department of Defense on Saturday also released the names of the U.S. service members killed in Thursday's attack. ~~~

~~~ Lara Seligman of Politico: "The U.S. military is actively hunting terrorists connected to the deadly attack in Kabul this week and expects to carry out additional airstrikes in the coming days and weeks, according to U.S. officials. President Joe Biden has given the Pentagon the 'green light' to strike any targets affiliated with the Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan, ISIS-K, the group responsible for the attack, without seeking White House approval, according to three U.S. officials with knowledge of the operation. Senior Pentagon leaders already had this authority, but Biden reaffirmed it in instructions to the military on Friday, one of the officials said."

President Biden's statement Saturday on the evacuation mission in Kabul is here.

They Lived All Their Lives in a Country at War. Until It Killed Them. Marc Fisher, et al., of the Washington Post: "The 13 American service members killed in Kabul on Thursday died in gruesome violence, victims of a terrorist bombing. They were, with one exception, 9/11 babies, born within a few years of the terrorist attacks that led the United States into a military conflict that stretched across four presidencies and throughout the lives of these 11 men and two women. They never knew a United States that was not at war, never lived in the world before the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, a country without ID checks in office buildings, metal detectors at schools, shoes X-rayed at the airport. Instead, they grew up keenly conscious of security concerns, in a culture now sometimes fixated on safety.... They were in Afghanistan this month not to fight, but to help finally end a war that has lasted two decades. In the pictures they posted, the videos they sent home, they held Afghan babies and guided fleeing families and stood guard in a hectic, precarious place."

Helene Cooper, et al., of the New York Times: "The suicide bomber waited until the last possible moment, U.S. officials said.... At 5:48 p.m., the bomber, wearing a 25-pound explosive vest under clothing, walked up to the group of Americans who were frisking people hoping to enter the complex. He waited, officials said, until just before he was about to be searched by the American troops. And then he detonated the bomb, which was unusually large for a suicide vest, killing himself and igniting an attack that would leave dozens of people dead, including 13 American service members.... Pentagon officials said they were still piecing together the chain of events that took place at Abbey Gate on Thursday."

Kori Schake, in a New York Times op-ed: "... in both hubris and folly, [no other president] come[s] close to matching Donald Trump. For someone who prided himself on his abilities as a dealmaker and displayed an 'I alone can fix it' arrogance, the agreement he made with the Taliban is one of the most disgraceful diplomatic bargains on record. Coupled with President Biden's mistakes in continuing the policy and botching its execution, the deal has now led to tragic consequences for Americans and our allies in Kabul. Mr. Trump's handling of Afghanistan is an object lesson for why presidents of both parties need to be better constrained by Congress and the public in their conduct of foreign policy.... The problem with Mr. Trump's Taliban deal ... was that the strongest state in the international order let itself be swindled by a terrorist organization.... We agreed to disreputable terms, and then proceeded to pretend that the Taliban were meeting even those." Schake was an NSC official under Dubya.

The "Shadow Docket." Supreme Friends of Trump Not So Friendly to Biden. Steve Vladeck in a Washington Post Outlook opinion piece: "A quiet but undeniable trend during the Trump administration was the dramatic rise in the federal government's applications to the Supreme Court for what lawyers call 'emergency relief.' On 41 occasions, the Trump Justice Department asked the court to put on hold an adverse lower-court ruling for the duration of the government's appeal. In 28 of those cases, the Supreme Court granted the relief, at least in part. But on Tuesday, the court refused the Biden administration's very first request for such relief -- declining to freeze a district court injunction that requires the administration to restart the shuttered 'Remain in Mexico' program.... In so ruling, the court has sent a clear signal to President Biden that he may not expect the same deference accorded to his predecessor Donald Trump when it comes to 'emergencies.'... Most of the 28 grants of relief [to Trump & Co.] came over dissents from at least one -- and sometimes all four -- of the progressive justices. Although almost none of the court's rulings were accompanied by any analysis.... For better or worse, these stays had the effect of allowing policies that no court ever actually upheld to remain in place for years."

Chauncey DeVega in Salon assures us that old white folks really do believe the crap they hear on Fox "News," and if you try to rattle them with facts, they might shoot you. Marie: He reminds me of the guy who, way last week, decided to blow up Washington, D.C., because Joe Biden had taken healthcare benefits away from the guy's mother & given the benefits to Afghans. Biden had to call him on the phone, resign & reinstall Trump in the White House. Or else.

** The Leesburg Stockade Girls. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff of the Washington Post: Shirley Green-Reese was 13 in July 1963 when she tried to buy tickets at the front of an Americus, Georgia, movie theater instead of lining up in a back alley. Police arrested her, then "transported [her] from cell to cell in rural southwest Georgia before [she] finally end[ed' up in a stockade in Leesburg, where she was among 15 girls imprisoned for at least 45 days without ever being charged with a crime.... For a long time, their parents had no idea where they were.... Conditions inside the Civil War-era structure in the backwoods of Lee County were appalling.... As the days wore on, conditions worsened.... Finally, after weeks of wondering whether anyone would come to help them, the girls noticed a White photographer by the window.... He was [Danny Lyon,] a 21-year-old photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) who had been rooming with SNCC leader John Lewis. He had been assigned to find the stockade by James Forman, the executive secretary of SNCC...." Lyon took his photos quickly while someone distracted the guard, and Jet Magazine published them in September, "bringing national attention to the Leesburg Stockade Girls. They were released the same week four Black girls were killed in the Ku Klux Klan bombing of the 16th Street Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala...."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The Guardian's live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.

Ariana Cha of the Washington Post: "On May 19, one teacher [in a Marin County, California, elementary school], who was not vaccinated against the coronavirus..., [took off her mask] so she could read to the class. By the time she learned she was positive for the coronavirus two days later, half her class of 24 had been infected -- nearly all of them in the two rows closest to her desk -- and the outbreak had spread to other classes, siblings and parents, including some who were fully vaccinated.... The case study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and highlighted by CDC director Rochelle Walensky during a briefing on Friday, highlights the potential danger for children under the age of 12 -- the only group in the United States ineligible for coronavirus vaccines as a hyper-infectious variant tears across the country.... The fourth wave of the coronavirus is hitting children and families faster and harder than before...."

Killing People Bad for DeSantis' Poll Numbers. Florida. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been untouchable for the past year as he commanded the Republican culture wars to become heir apparent to Donald Trump. The latest coronavirus surge is starting to change that. Covid infection rates continue to climb as the state faces shortages of health care staff, morgue space and even oxygen for patients. About 16,000 people are hospitalized. Child infection rates have shot up. School districts -- even in Republican strongholds -- have rebelled against DeSantis' anti-mask mandates. And cruise lines are resisting DeSantis' vaccine passport ban. Even his recent poll numbers are slipping. It's new terrain for a Republican governor who defied dire expectation during the first wave of Covid-19 but has continued his hands-off approach as the more contagious Delta variant infects large swaths of Florida's unvaccinated population." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The headline here should be something like, "Floridians Belatedly Notice Governor Is Determined to Kill Schoolchildren, Others" Instead, it's a calm, matter-of-fact assessment of how killing schoolchildren affects Babyface DeSantis' poll numbers. Dixon is treating mass homicide like a position on a tax bill. ~~~

~~~ Steve Contorno & Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times: "A California psychiatrist who has advised Gov. Ron DeSantis on the coronavirus pandemic recently promoted a drug for COVID-19 patients that federal disease experts have strongly warned against after a spike in calls to poison control centers.... Dr. Mark McDonald of Los Angeles is among a fringe group of outspoken medical professionals who have pushed ivermectin as an alternative to widespread vaccination against coronavirus. McDonald called ivermectin 'effective, safe, inexpensive treatment' in a Aug. 5 Twitter post.... McDonald called people who think ivermectin is a drug for horses 'ignoramuses' in a tweet posted Monday. (The drug can treat parasites in both humans and animals like horses.)... McDonald was one of several doctors summoned by DeSantis for a July closed-door discussion on mask policies in schools.... [McDonald has] shared on social media a graphic that called people who wear masks 'retarded,' and he has posted comments skeptical of vaccines."

Now, what with its being Sunday, we will take a brief respite to listen to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves' uplifting Christian message. ~~~

~~~ Mississippi. Gov. Reeves: We Aren't Afraid of Covid Because Jesus. Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press: "Mississippi has now surpassed the state of New York, the nation's original pandemic hotspot, in total COVID-19 deaths per capita. The only state where the pandemic has proven deadlier than the Magnolia State is New Jersey. Mississippi displaced New York with a report of 65 additional deaths on Friday.... After Mississippi became the world's No. 1 hotspot for COVID-19, Gov. Tate Reeves told attendees at a Republican Party fundraiser in Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, that Mississippians 'are a little less scared' of COVID-19 than other Americans because most share Christian beliefs.... 'When you believe in eternal life -- when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don't have to be so scared of things,' Bill Dries reported the governor saying in the Daily Memphian.... Mississippi's actual COVID death toll ... is almost certainly thousands higher than the 8,279 officially confirmed; MSDH has recorded at least 11,435 excess deaths since spring 2020." The linked Memphian story is firewalled, and you can't get there from here unless you're a subscriber. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Tate might be right; that more Mississippians are believing Christians than are Americans as a whole. And he also might be right that the reason so many Mississippians are reckless about Covid and irresponsible about everything else is that "What, Me Worry?" attitude the preacher taught them.

U.K. Robin McKie of the Guardian: "Coronavirus infections in England are now 26 times the levels that were experienced this time last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Scientists described the figures as 'sobering', warning that reopening schools this week was likely to trigger further rises in cases -- with more to follow when students return to universities and colleges.... As a result, pressure is mounting on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to approve the deployment of booster jabs for vulnerable people and the extension of vaccinations to most 12- to 15-year-olds. The latter move would bring the UK into line with the US and most large European nations and is backed by most ministers."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Ed Asner, the burly character actor who won seven Emmy Awards -- five of them for playing the same character, the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, introduced on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' -- and later starred in film hits like 'Up' and 'Elf' — died on Sunday. He was 91.... Mr. Asner also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985 and was active in political causes both within and beyond the entertainment industry. The issues he supported over the years included unionism (in particular the air traffic controllers' strike of 1981) and animal rights; those he protested against included the American military presence in El Salvador." ~~~

Weather Channel: "Hurricane Ida is now a major hurricane as it draws closer to the northern Gulf Coast this weekend, where it will bring life-threatening storm surge, dangerous rainfall flooding, potentially catastrophic winds and tornadoes. Pressure is rapidly dropping and lightning is enveloping the eyewall. A new rapid intensification phase is underway. This could be the second Category 4 landfall in Louisiana in a year." ~~~

     ~~~ The front page of the New Orleans Times-Picayune has links to numerous stories about the hurricane. The New York Times' live updates Sunday are here. ~~~

     ~~~ From the NYT live updates: "Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, battering the southeastern coast with an onslaught of gushing waters and dangerous winds and threatening to assail Baton Rouge and New Orleans.... The storm sent hundreds of thousands of people scrambling to evacuate, and left countless others bracing for survival, in an eerie reprisal of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in Louisiana 16 years ago to the day. Ida's eye came ashore about 11:55 a.m. local time on Sunday near Port Fourchon, La., with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles an hour, just shy of the 157 m.p.h. winds of a Category 5 storm. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 50 miles from the storm's center, which was moving northwestward, menacing Baton Rouge and New Orleans." ~~~

~~~ Times-Picayune: "A slow-moving Hurricane Ida has left all of Orleans Parish customers without power due to 'catastrophic transmission damage,' according to Entergy New Orleans. A company spokesperson said the storm had caused a 'load imbalance to the company's transmission and generation' and that Entergy is 'making every effort to identify and rectify.'"