The Commentariat -- August 27, 2021

Marie: For the TENTH day, Reality Chex is not accepting comments, through no design or fault of my own. In desperation, I have come up with an interim plan to get around the problem, one that will mean only a little extra work for those of you who have something to say. Here are the easy instructions:

1. In the URL (address line), enter www.realitychex.com/display/Login and return. The login is case-sensitive, so that "L" in "Login" must be capitalized.

2. A log-in page will come up. Type squarespace in the Login box. Type nonsense in the password box. And return. That will get you page to the standard Reality Chex page. (Note: Don't use boldface type; I've put the stuff you have to use in boldface only to make it easier to see.)

3. Type your comment in the Comments box as usual. But at the end of the comment, sign it with your usual Reality Chex handle, because the name of the poster will say "See Above."

Special thanks to all of you who have gone to the trouble to comment under this somewhat cumbersome system.

LATE START today. I added links till 9:30 am ET. -- Marie

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Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

The Guardian's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Friday are here: "US army general William Taylor told a Pentagon press briefing: 'I can confirm that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel. That it was one suicide bomber. We're not sure how that report was provided incorrectly, but we do know it's not any surprise that in the confusion of very dynamic events like this it can cause information sometimes to be misreported or garbled. We felt it was important to correct the record.'... During a Pentagon briefing, a US military official said they now believed there was no separate explosion at the Baron hotel."

Sayed Hashemi, et al., of the AP: "Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of people desperately fleeing a Taliban takeover and killed dozens. The U.S. warned more attacks could come ahead of next week's end to America's longest war. Two officials said 169 Afghans died, but a final count might take time amid confusion, with many bodies dismembered or not yet identified. Scores more were wounded in the blasts. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The U.S. said 13 troops were killed in the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011."

They Did What??? Lara Seligman, et al., of Politico: "U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city's airport, a choice that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials. The move, detailed to Politico by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan's capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport. Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban's many checkpoints. But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials. 'Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,' said one defense official...."

James Meek of ABC News: "With the Taliban growing more violent and adding checkpoints near Kabul's airport, an all-volunteer group of American veterans of the Afghan war launched a final daring mission on Wednesday night dubbed the 'Pineapple Express' to shepherd hundreds of at-risk Afghan elite forces and their families to safety, members of the group told ABC News. Moving after nightfall in near-pitch black darkness and extremely dangerous conditions, the group said it worked unofficially in tandem with the United States military and U.S. embassy to move people, sometimes one person at a time, or in pairs, but rarely more than a small bunch, inside the wire of the U.S. military-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The Pineapple Express' mission was underway Thursday when the attack occurred in Kabul.... There were wounded among the Pineapple Express travelers from the blast, and members of the group said they were assessing whethe unaccounted-for Afghans they were helping had been killed."

Justice Breyer Has Some Thoughts. Adam Liptak of the New York Times "in an interview prompted by [Breyer's] new book.... Justice Stephen G. Breyer says he is struggling to decide when to retire from the Supreme Court and is taking account of a host of factors, including who will name his successor. 'There are many things that go into a retirement decision,' he said." MB: If Breyer is "struggling" over whether or not to retire while a Democrat is President & Democrats hold a slim, and tenuous, Senate majority, he must get downright apoplectic over every decision he renders from on high.

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The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Friday are here. The New York Times' live Afghanistan updates for Friday are here.

Sean Sullivan & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Thursday confronted the most acute crisis of his young presidency, the deaths of at least 13 Americans in Afghanistan that threatened to undermine his credentials as a seasoned global leader and a steady hand. In emotional comments at the White House, Biden made clear that the attack would not cause him to rethink his strategy. Rather, he said, it reinforced his belief that the war must end and that the evacuation must proceed. He framed the deaths as the sacrifice of heroes performing a noble mission, and he suggested that any move to cut short the evacuation of Americans and their Afghan supporters would amount to caving to the terrorists." ~~~

     ~~~ A transcript of President Biden's remarks, via the White House, is here.

Matthieu Aikins, et al., of the New York Times: "Two explosions killed dozens of people, including at least 13 U.S. troops, ripping through the crowds outside Afghanistan's main airport on Thursday, just hours after Western governments had warned of an imminent Islamic State attack and told their people to stay away from the airport. The attack, by at least two suicide bombers, struck at the only avenue of escape for the thousands of foreign nationals and tens -- or hundreds -- of thousands of their Afghan allies who are trying to flee the country following the Taliban takeover and ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. troops, set for next Tuesday. Afghan health officials gave varying estimates of the toll at the international airport in Kabul, the capital -- from at least 30 dead to more than 60, and from 120 wounded to 140 -- while a Taliban spokesman cited at least 13 civilians killed and 60 wounded. For American forces, the attacks were a gruesome coda to almost 20 years of warfare in Afghanistan-- one of their heaviest losses, just days before they are set to leave the country. In addition to 13 service members killed, 15 were wounded, the Pentagon said." ~~~

~~~ Ivana Kottasová, et al., of CNN: "Twelve US service members and dozens of Afghans have been killed in two bombing attacks outside Kabul's airport, according to the Pentagon and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health.... An official with Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health told CNN on Thursday that more than 60 people were dead and 140 wounded. Fifteen US service members were injured in addition to the 12 dead, said Gen. Frank McKenzie, Commander of US Central Command." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ From the NYT live updates Thursday: "At least two blasts rattled the area outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed, just hours after Western governments had warned of a security threat there. While the numbers of injured or dead were still unconfirmed, reporters at a nearby emergency room said that at least 30 people had been brought to the site, and the Pentagon said there were a number of casualties.... 'We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties,' John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a post on Twitter. 'We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Barbara Starr, et al., of CNN: "An explosion was reported outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, according to two US officials. One official said there are injuries among Afghans, but there is no information yet on any US casualties. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby confirmed there was an explosion outside of the airport. 'We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. An explosion was reported outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, according to two US officials. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,' he said in a tweet. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ezra Klein of the New York Times has some thoughts on our sloppy -- and now bloody -- NATO Alliance exit from Afghanistan. They aren't all his thoughts, as he readily states, but he doesn't think much of some of the prevalent thoughts we're hearing on the airwaves. Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have a thought, too: that old chestnut "We get the government we deserve." Afghanistan will now return to a form of government that is more democratic than the one we tried to impose on it; that is, for the first time in nearly 20 years, it will return to the same form of self-rule it had when NATO showed up in late 2001. If you are inclined to think that rule is barbaric, bear in mind that it's not so much different from the type of government/perpetual war Europe had until 1945 and which still pops up in parts of Europe from time to time. I don't recommend blowing up little girls in their schools because the people in those venues belong to some other Islamic faction, just as I never recommended my Irish "relatives" blow each other up because those on "the other side" belonged to a different Christian faction. And, thanks to our escapade in Afghanistan, one faction in Afghanistan has grown much larger; that's the liberal, enlightened faction. Eventually the "liberal elites" may get some of their way.

Rich Schapiro, et al., of NBC News: "In the chaotic minutes before he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Lt. Michael Byrd ... and a few other officers of the U.S. Capitol Police set up a wall of furniture outside the doors.... 'If they get through that door, they're into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress,' [said] Byrd, who gave NBC News permission to use his name after authorities had declined to release it.... Byrd, a 28-year veteran of the Capitol Police, took a defensive posture with his gun drawn as rioters smashed the glass doors. He said he yelled repeatedly for them to get back. But the mob kept pressing forward, and then a lone rioter tried to climb through one of the doors. What happened next was captured on video: Byrd fired one shot, striking Babbitt in the shoulder. Babbitt ... died from her injuries later."

This "Great White Savior" Is, Well, White. Sarah Ellison & Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: "A lawyer for the famed all-girls Afghan robotics team has sent a cease-and-desist letter to an Oklahoma woman, telling her to stop taking credit for the girls' escape from Kabul and warning that her numerous media appearances endanger their organization's remaining members in Afghanistan. The woman, Allyson Reneau, spoke last week to Today.com and then to several other media outlets, telling a story of her supposed involvement in the evacuation of several members of the robotics team.... These outlets reported that she had 'saved' the girls from probable oppression under the Taliban.... A spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, which helped evacuate many Afghans, including the robotics team members, also accused Reneau of taking credit for a rescue she had little to do with -- and lambasted the U.S. media for making her a 'White savior.'... [A Today.com] story said that Reneau -- an entrepreneur who graduated from Harvard's extension school in 2016 and serves on the board of the Mars Explore foundation -- had met some of the girls at a 2019 space exploration conference in D.C. and then kept in touch with them.... The Wall Street Journal editorial page, which [inaccurate wrote that Reneau had flown to Qatar,] suggested that President Biden put 'this extraordinary woman' in charge of the Afghanistan evacuation -- before correcting the editorial to note that Reneau had not flown anywhere." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What? Harvard grants extension degrees? I think I'll get me one, then run around claiming I'm a Harvard grad. I could make me a crimson coat with black stripes on the ample sleeves & a flowing cowl scarf. Or. Maybe I won't bother.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here: "One year after becoming ill with the coronavirus, nearly half of patients in a large new study were still experiencing at least one lingering health symptom, adding to evidence that recovery from Covid-19 can be arduous and that the multifaceted condition known as 'long Covid' can last for months. The study, published Thursday in the journal The Lancet, is believed to be the largest to date in which patients were evaluated one year after being hospitalized for Covid. It involved 1,276 patients admitted to Jin Yin-tan Hospital in Wuhan, China, who were discharged between Jan. 7 and May 29, 2020." MB: Bear in mind that the study doesn't suggest that these symptoms go away in a year; the related maladies could last for decades; it's just that we haven't had decades to find out. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.

Adam Liptak & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the Biden administration's latest moratorium on evictions, ending a political and legal dispute during a public health crisis in which the administration's shifting positions had subjected it to criticism from adversaries and allies alike. The court issued an eight-page majority opinion, an unusual move in a ruling on an application for emergency relief, where terse orders are more common. The court's three liberal justices dissented. The decision puts hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of losing shelter, while the administration struggles to speed the flow of billions of dollars in federal funding to people who are behind in rent because of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic hardship. Only about $5.1 billion of the $46.5 billion in aid had been disbursed by the end of July, according to figures released on Wednesday, as bureaucratic delays at the state and local levels snarled payouts." An NBC News story is here.

"Seriously, Y'all. Stop It." Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "When users visit the telemedicine [pro-Trump] website SpeakWithAnMD.com, they are immediately hit with a warning: 'Due to overwhelming demand, we are experiencing longer than usual wait times.' The demand is for ivermectin, a drug primarily used to deworm animals that has become the latest false cure for Covid-19. And the website, in partnership with the organization America's Frontline Doctors, whose founder stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, has become well-known in the Facebook groups and Reddit communities where anti-vaccination sentiment thrives.... In recent weeks, a variety of conservative figures and anti-vaccination activists have embraced the drug. Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson have mentioned it.... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory Thursday warning of a rapid increase in ivermectin prescriptions and reports of severe illness by people using ivermectin products.... And in perhaps a prime example of the exhaustion with which some public health professionals have confronted ivermectin, the FDA recently tweeted: 'You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it.'"

Florida. Why Can't Biden Be More Like DeSantis? Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said President Biden has failed to 'end covid' and should follow his state's lead, even as Florida experiences record-breaking cases, deaths and hospitalizations. Florida is now reporting an average of 227 covid-19 deaths each day -- a state record and by far the highest count in the nation. The daily death count in Florida, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, has increased by 613 percent in the past seven days, according to data compiled by The Washington Post."

Australia. Gina Harkins of the Washington Post: "Debra Cowdery ... died of cancer this month at 63. She lived in Brisbane, Queensland. [Her nephew, Ben] Jackson[, a sheep farmer was unable to attend her funeral ... [because of] Australia's pandemic restrictions[, which] made crossing state lines tough, [and Jackson lives in a different state from Queensland, where his aunt died]." So Jackson, who had made sheep art before, laid just the right amount of barley in a large heart shape and filmed the sheep from a drone. "The video played at Cowdery's funeral, which was live-streamed." The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

Beyond the Beltway

California. No Way to Pick a Governor. Paul Krugman of the New York Times: California "may be about to absent-mindedly acquire a Trumpist governor who could never win a normal election. This would happen at a moment when control of statehouses is especially crucial because it shapes the response to the coronavirus.... [California's] recall process is crazy. Voters answer two questions: Should [current Gov. Gavin] Newsom be recalled? And who should replace him? If a majority vote 'yes' on recall, whoever is chosen by the largest number of people on the second question becomes governor, even if that person receives far fewer than the number of votes to keep Newsom in office. And the most likely outcome if Newsom is ousted is that Larry Elder, a right-wing talk-radio host who is vehemently opposed to mask and vaccine mandates, will end up in the governor's office despite receiving only a small fraction of the total vote." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As Chris Hayes of MSNBC pointed out this week, California's recall system is as anti-democratic as can be. Under the law, Newsom could get 49 percent of the vote (i.e., 49 percent of voters vote not to recall him); then Elder could become governor by getting, say, 10 percent of the vote (among those running to replace Newsom). Crazy, Krugman asserts? Yes, yes, it is.

New York. Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Conditions at a high-security federal jail in Lower Manhattan have deteriorated so much that federal officials said on Thursday that they planned to close the facility, at least temporarily. The decision comes just weeks after the deputy attorney general, Lisa O. Monaco, visited the jail in order to get a firsthand look at its operations, 'given ongoing concerns,' as the Justice Department said at the time. The rust-colored lockup, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, has long been criticized by inmates, lawyers and even judges for the conditions in which prisoners have been held.... The jail is perhaps best known as the place where Jeffrey Epstein ... was found dead in his cell in August 2019 in what was ruled a suicide. Two jail guards were later accused of surfing the internet and napping rather than regularly checking in on him as they were supposed to do the night before he was found dead."

Tennessee. Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "A closer look at what happened in the days, years and even decades before [deadly floods hit Middle Tennessee last week] reveals that a series of government decisions -- where and how to build, when to update flood maps, whether to join the federal flood insurance program and how to warn of dangerous floods -- left residents more exposed to flooding than they had to be.... In general, communities that decide to stay out of the [federal] flood insurance program typically do so because of an aversion to building restrictions ... [which] govern the way houses must be built, to make them more likely to withstand natural disasters and other dangers.... While most states adopt a [mandatory] building code..., Tennessee lets local governments decide whether to follow the state rules, or establish rules of their own, or have none at all." Also, FEMA maps had not been updated & underestimated flood risk. And flood warnings from the National Weather Service were too late in coming." MB: See, I don't think it's technically a "flood warning" if you send it after the creeks have overflowed.

Texas. Eva Moravec & Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Defying a months-long Democratic protest, the Texas House on Thursday moved forward wide-ranging voting restrictions that opponents say will make casting ballots and administering elections harder in the state. Elections bill SB1 passed 79-37 mostly along party lines after 12 hours of impassioned debate. Democrats -- who broke quorum for weeks, fled Texas and faced the threat of arrest to stave off passage of the measure this summer -- did not have the numbers to overcome the chamber's Republican majority. The bill is set for final passage in the House on Friday."

News Ledes

** Weather Channel: "Hurricane Ida is forecast to hammer the northern U.S. Gulf Coast as a major hurricane this weekend with life-threatening storm surge, dangerous rainfall flooding, potentially catastrophic winds and tornadoes. Hurricane Ida has made landfall in far western Cuba in Pinar Del Rio province with winds of 80 mph. New hurricane and storm surge warnings have been issued."

New York Times: "Jerry Harkness, a former All-American forward who led Loyola University Chicago's integrated basketball team to the 1963 N.C.A.A. championship, along the way defeating a Mississippi State team that had previously refused to play against Black athletes, died on Tuesday in Indianapolis. He was 81.... The 1963 tournament, and in particular Loyola's second-round game against Mississippi State on March 11, illustrated the racial tension that was prevalent in sports in the early 1960s. The all-white Mississippi State Bulldogs had chosen not to go to three previous N.C.A.A. tournaments, to avoid facing Black opponents. George Ireland, the coach of the Loyola Ramblers, had been irritating rival coaches by starting four Black players, including Harkness, violating a practice at the time of playing no more than three." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Good place for me to plead ignorance. In 1963, I was going to college basketball games, and I had no idea then, or until now, that there was a "gentlemen's agreement" among coaches not to start more than three Black players. The best thing about growing old is that you keep learning what was really going on around you as you glided through life in blissful ignorant.

The Commentariat -- August 26, 2021

Marie: For the NINTH day, Reality Chex is not accepting comments, through no design or fault of my own. In desperation, I have come up with an interim plan to get around the problem, one that will mean only a little extra work for those of you who have something to say. Here are the easy instructions:

1. In the URL (address line), enter www.realitychex.com/display/Login and return. The login is case-sensitive, so that "L" in "Login" must be capitalized.

2. A log-in page will come up. Type squarespace in the Login box. Type nonsense in the password box. And return. That will get you page to the standard Reality Chex page. (Note: Don't use boldface type; I've put the stuff you have to use in boldface only to make it easier to see.)

3. Type your comment in the Comments box as usual. But at the end of the comment, sign it with your usual Reality Chex handle, because the name of the poster will say "See Above."

Special thanks to all of you who have gone to the trouble to comment under this somewhat cumbersome system.

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Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Ivana Kottasová, et al., of CNN: "Twelve US service members and dozens of Afghans have been killed in two bombing attacks outside Kabul's airport, according to the Pentagon and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health.... An official with Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health told CNN on Thursday that more than 60 people were dead and 140 wounded. Fifteen US service members were injured in addition to the 12 dead, said Gen. Frank McKenzie, Commander of US Central Command." ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden is scheduled to address the country at 5 pm ET.

From the NYT live updates: "At least two blasts rattled the area outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed, just hours after Western governments had warned of a security threat there. While the numbers of injured or dead were still unconfirmed, reporters at a nearby emergency room said that at least 30 people had been brought to the site, and the Pentagon said there were a number of casualties.... 'We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties,' John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a post on Twitter. 'We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.'"

Barbara Starr, et al., of CNN: "An explosion was reported outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, according to two US officials. One official said there are injuries among Afghans, but there is no information yet on any US casualties. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby confirmed there was an explosion outside of the airport. 'We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. An explosion was reported outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, according to two US officials. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,' he said in a tweet.

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The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Thursday are here: "The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans late Wednesday to avoid traveling to Kabul airport because of unspecified security threats, and advised citizens at three airport gates to 'leave immediately.' Australia and Britain also issued comparable warnings that Afghanistan was facing 'high threat' of a terrorist attack. Although officials did not provide more details, the Biden administration has previously warned that Islamic State poses a threat to the evacuation mission. The warnings come as NATO allies, including Poland and Belgium, ended their evacuation flights ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline for American troops to depart."

Lara Jakes & Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "At least 1,500 American citizens remain in Afghanistan with just days left before the scheduled U.S. withdrawal from the country, but officials on Wednesday acknowledged the reality that tens of thousands of Afghan allies and others at high risk of Taliban reprisals would be left behind. The sound of gunfire, and clouds of tear gas and black smoke, filled the air around the international airport in Kabul, the capital, as thousands of Afghans massed at the gates on Wednesday, desperate to escape ahead of the American military's final departure on Aug. 31.... As military and government charter flights took off every 45 minutes as part of an airlift, Biden administration officials said they had evacuated about 82,300 people since Aug. 14, the day before Kabul fell to the Taliban. Around 4,500 of them were American citizens, with 500 more expected to depart soon."

Lauren Leatherby & Larry Buchanan of the New York Times: "At least 250,000 Afghans who may be eligible for expedited American visas remain in Afghanistan, far too many for American forces to rescue before their deadline to leave next week, new estimates suggest.... These estimates are based on reports on Afghan employment published annually by the Department of Defense and analyzed by the Association of Wartime Allies, a group that advocates for Afghans affiliated with the U.S., and researchers at American University. Other estimates vary widely....."

We Are Not Amused. Paul Kane & Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted two lawmakers who surreptitiously flew into Kabul without approval to examine conditions at the international airport where a massive airlift is underway to evacuate U.S. citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans. '... there's a real concern about members being in the region,' Pelosi told reporters Wednesday at her weekly briefing. There was an 'opportunity cost' of protecting Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), she said. 'This is deadly serious. We do not want members to go.' The sentiment was echoed across the Biden administration Wednesday morning. 'The secretary [Lloyd Austin] would have appreciated the opportunity to have had a conversation before the visit took place,' said Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby during his briefing.... 'They certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day.'... Some of the harshest criticism came from one of the lawmakers' colleague on the House Armed Services Committee[.] 'Neither one of them should have their ass in Afghanistan right now. The Defense Department has enough to do without having to try to protect two members of Congress. Period,' said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the top Republican on the Armed Services panel." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "In an interview, Mr. Moulton and Mr. Meijer defended their decision to travel into a dangerous and unpredictable situation and said they had walked away with important insights. They said the trip had changed their minds about Mr. Biden's Aug. 31 deadline for a full withdrawal, which they had previously urged the administration to extend. Given that there is little chance that all Americans and Afghan allies can be evacuated in the next two weeks, they said, a swift departure is the only way for the United States to ensure that the Taliban will cooperate in eventually getting those left behind to safety."

** Sí, Se Puede. Ben Smith of the New York Times: "A group of Afghans who worked for The New York Times, along with their families, touched down safely early Wednesday ... at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City. The arrival of the 24 families was the latest stop in a harrowing escape from Kabul. And Mexico's role in the rescue of journalists from The Times and, if all goes as planned, The Wall Street Journal offers a disorienting glimpse of the state of the American government as two of the country's most powerful news organizations frantically sought help far from Washington. Mexican officials, unlike their counterparts in the United States, were able to cut through the red tape of their immigration system to quickly provide documents that, in turn, allowed the Afghans to fly from Kabul's embattled airport to Doha, Qatar. The documents promised that the Afghans would receive temporary humanitarian protection in Mexico while they explored further options in the United States or elsewhere." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Gives New Meaning to "(In) Loco Parentis." Cameron Jenkins of the Hill: "Dozens of California students and parents are stranded in Afghanistan after taking a summer trip to the country. Mor than 20 students and 16 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon, Calif., visited Afghanistan on summer vacation. Now they are among thousands of people who are waiting to leave the country amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal that has caused political unrest across the nation, according to the Los Angeles Times." MB: This has to be the dumbest school vacation ever organized. Any school employees or board members who approved this trip should resign or be fired. Nitwits. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** John Wagner of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection issued its first sweeping requests Wednesday for records from federal agencies pertaining to the attack on the Capitol and ... Donald Trump's efforts to subvert the election. In letters demanding materials from the National Archives and seven other agencies, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the committee chairman, signaled that an expansive investigation is underway, touching not only on what happened Jan. 6 but also on matters such as 'the former President's knowledge of the election results and what he communicated to the American people about the election.' Thompson gave the agencies a two-week deadline to produce materials and asked Archivist of the United States David Ferriero to use his authority under federal regulations to swiftly address the request for records from the Trump White House.... The requests include information on 'communications within and among the White House and Executive Branch agencies during the leadup to January 6th and on that day,' as well as on issues further removed, such as 'attempts to place politically loyal personnel in senior positions across government after the election.'" The Huffington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Betsy Swan & Nicholas Wu of Politico: "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 ... Donald Trump, according to new documents.... The liberal-leaning government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared them with Politico.... The Secret Service's emails shed light on intelligence lapses by the Capitol Police previously highlighted by both the department's inspector general and a bipartisan report by Senate committees. Since then, the Hill's law enforcement agency has pledged reform and said it has made changes to ensure the effective sharing of intelligence."

Trump's Lawyers Disciplined, Ordered to Go to Law School. Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "A federal judge in Michigan has ordered that Sidney Powell, L. Lin Wood and seven other attorneys who filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election be disciplined, calling the suit 'a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.' In a scathing 110-page opinion, Federal District Judge Linda V. Parker wrote that the lawyers had made assertions in court that were not backed by evidence and had failed to do the due diligence required by legal rules before alleging mass fraud in the Michigan vote. 'This case was never about fraud,' she wrote. 'It was about undermining the People's faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so.' She ordered the lawyers to pay the attorney's fees for their opponents in the case -- the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. She also wrote that she will require them to attend legal education classes. And she referred the group to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, as well as attorney disciplinary committees in the states where each attorney is licensed, which could initiate proceedings that could result in the lawyer's being disbarred.&" Law & Crime's report is here.

Look, when President Trump was president, you didn't see crisis after crisis. You just didn't see it. I shudder to think about what Covid would have been like under Joe Biden. -- Kayleigh McInany, who must have been on mind-altering drugs while press secretary to the Former Guy, on Fox "News" Tuesday

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "Sirhan B. Sirhan, convicted of the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, will face a California parole board for the 16th time Friday in a prison outside San Diego. But unlike the first 15 times, no prosecutor will stand to oppose the release of Sirhan, who is now 77. Sirhan was arrested at the scene of Kennedy's shooting in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for the assassination of a U.S. senator who appeared headed for the Democratic presidential nomination. The assassination, along with that of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. two months earlier, created a turning point in American history with the sudden elimination of the charismatic leaders of the American civil rights movement and the Democratic Party." MB: I don't think any political assassin should get out of jail. Ever. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates Thursday are here: "There are more than 100,000 people hospitalized with covid-19 in the United States, a level not seen since Jan. 30 -- when coronavirus vaccines were not widely available -- as the country grapples with the delta variant's spread. Hospitalizations are highest across the South, where every state in the region has a higher portion of its population currently hospitalized with covid-19 than the national level, according to a Washington Post database. More than 17,000 people are currently hospitalized with covid-19 in Florida, which has the most hospitalizations for covid-19 of any state in the country, followed by Texas, which has more than 14,000."

Leslie Josephs of CNBC: "Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian notified employees Wednesday that they will face $200 monthly increases on their health insurance premiums starting Nov. 1 if they aren't vaccinated against Covid-19, citing steep costs to cover employees who are hospitalized with the virus. Unvaccinated employees will face other restrictions, including indoor masking effective immediately and weekly Covid-19 tests starting Sept. 12, the Atlanta-based airline said in announcing new Covid policies for employees." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Arkansas. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "The Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville ... and its health-care provider [-- Karas Health Care--] are facing criticisms of 'medical experimentation' because the jail's medical staff has been treating covid-19 patients with ivermectin, a drug commonly used for deworming livestock.... [County Sheriff Tim] Helder told the Press-Democrat that he has known since July that jail detainees were being treated with ivermectin, and he praised Karas as a health-care partner.... The Post viewed screenshots of [Karas owner Dr. Robert] Karas's since-deleted Facebook posts in which he touts the use of ivermectin and indicates that more than 350 people at the jail had been given the drug, allegedly to no ill effect."

New York. Marina Villeneuve of the AP: "Delivering another blow to what's left of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's legacy, New York's new governor acknowledged on her first day in office that the state has had nearly 12,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than Cuomo told the public. 'The public deserves a clear, honest picture of what's happening. And that's whether it's good or bad, they need to know the truth. And that's how we restore confidence,' Gov. Kathy Hochul said on NPR. In its first daily update on the outbreak Tuesday evening, Hochul';s office reported that nearly 55,400 people have died of the coronavirus in New York based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's up from about 43,400 that Cuomo reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Florida. Dan Levin of the New York Times: "More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic, underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state. This week, 227 virus deaths were being reported each day in Florida, on average, as of Tuesday, a record for the state and by far the most in the United States right now. The average for new known cases reached 23,314 a day on the weekend, 30 percent higher than the state's previous peak in January, according to a New York Times database.... And hospitalizations in Florida have almost tripled in the past month..., stretching many hospitals to the breaking point.... Even as cases continue to surge, with more than 17,200 people hospitalized with the virus across Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has held firm on banning vaccine and mask mandates." ~~~

~~~ "Bodies Stacked to the Ceiling." Michelle Meredith of WESH Orlando: "At West Side Crematory in Winter Garden, they're overwhelmed with the remains of people that need to be cremated. There's an influx of bodies like they've never seen, worse than the first wave of COVID-19. The area where bodies are stored prior to being cremated is stacked to the ceiling. The staff is working day and night to honor the dead. WESH 2 called 20 funeral homes and crematories and many were too busy to be part of our story."

South Dakota. How Could This Have Happened? Ben Kesslen & Joe Murphy of NBC News: "Two weeks after the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, reported Covid infections in the state have risen nearly sixfold. South Dakota counted 3,819 new cases in the past two weeks, including seven deaths, up from 644 cases in the 14 days preceding it. That makes it the state with the largest percent increase in Covid cases in the past two weeks.... Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has been firm in keeping South Dakota open throughout the pandemic, shunning mask mandates, criticizing public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, and insisting on holding mass gatherings against CDC recommendations."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Mike Baker & Michael LaForgia of the New York Times: Aggressive developers of the luxury condomiumum complex built in 1980 in Surfside, Florida, one tower of which collapsed this year causing extensive loss of life, threatened the small town with lawsuits & bullied the town commissioners & building department. "The development team ... had a dubious record. The architect had been disciplined previously for designing a building with a sign structure that later collapsed in a hurricane. The structural engineer had run into trouble on an earlier project, too, when he signed off on a parking garage with steel reinforcement that was later found to be dangerously insufficient. The early 1980s was a freewheeling period for construction in the Miami area, known at the time for its uneven enforcement of regulations, but the Champlain Towers project stood apart -- both for the tumult that occurred on the job site and the brazenness of the developers behind the project."

Michigan. Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times: "The only defendant to plead guilty to taking part in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan was sentenced on Wednesday to six years and three months in prison. Ty G. Garbin, 25, an airplane mechanic, was the first defendant to be sentenced for what prosecutors have described as an extremist plot driven by anger at the governor's efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The 14 men arrested in October face charges in federal and state courts in one of the most significant domestic terrorism plots ever to come to trial in the United States. The defendants, many of them members of an antigovernment paramilitary group in Michigan called the Wolverine Watchmen, coalesced around protests against Covid-19 lockdown measures. After initially weighing storming the State Capitol in Lansing, they decided to abduct Governor Whitmer from her vacation home, according to prosecutors. Their efforts were seen as a precursor to the violence unleashed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6." The AP's story is here.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & Jeffery Mays of the New York Times: "Gov. Kathy C. Hochul has chosen Brian A. Benjamin, a Democratic state senator from Harlem, to be her lieutenant governor, the second highest-ranking position in New York State, according to a person familiar with the decision. Ms. Hochul, a Democrat from Western New York who was sworn in as the state's first female governor on Tuesday, is expected to announce the appointment later this week. The selection of Mr. Benjamin, who is Black, underscored Ms. Hochul's attempt to diversify her ticket as she mounts her first campaign for governor next year, choosing a potential running mate who could help broaden her appeal in the voter-heavy New York City region." MB: Or maybe she likes the guy and is comfortable working with him. Not everything is transactional, even in politics. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

South Dakota. He Killed a Man, Fled the Scene, and Is Still Attorney General. Stephen Groves of the AP: "South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will avoid a trial and take a plea deal on misdemeanor traffic charges in a crash last year in which he hit and killed a man who was walking along a rural highway, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Beadle County State's Attorney Michael Moore, who is one of two prosecutors on the case..., declined to discuss further details of the arrangement. The plea will be entered Thursday, when Ravnsborg's trial was scheduled to begin, he said. Moore said a judge's order that bars state officials from discussing details of the investigation prevented him from disclosing more.... The charges don't affect the Republican's qualification to hold the office of attorney general in South Dakota, but lawmakers from his own party have called for him to step down and pushed for the Legislature to impeach him." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "In an interview with The New York Times, his first with a news organization since his arrest in January, [Russian dissident Aleksei] Navalny talked about his life in prison, about why Russia has cracked down so hard on the opposition and dissidents, and about his conviction that 'Putin's regime,' as he calls it, is doomed to collapse." Excerpts of the interview are here.

News Lede

CNBC: "Initial claims for unemployment insurance were little changed over the past week, hovering around Covid pandemic-era lows as the jobs market shows further signs of healing. First-time filings totaled 353,000 for the week ended Aug. 21, a slight increase from the previous week's 349,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.... A separate economic reading showed that gross domestic product increased at a 6.6% annualized pace in the second quarter, according to the second estimate Thursday from the Commerce Department."

The Commentariat -- August 25, 2021

Marie: For the EIGHTH day, Reality Chex is not accepting comments, through no design or fault of my own. In desperation, I have come up with an interim plan to get around the problem, one that will mean only a little extra work for those of you who have something to say. Here are the easy instructions:

1. In the URL (address line), enter www.realitychex.com/display/Login and return. The login is case-sensitive, so that "L" in "Login" must be capitalized.

2. A log-in page will come up. Type squarespace in the Login box. Type nonsense in the password box. And return. That will get you page to the standard Reality Chex page. (Note: Don't use boldface type; I've put the stuff you have to use in boldface only to make it easier to see.)

3. Type your comment in the Comments box as usual. But at the end of the comment, sign it with your usual Reality Chex handle, because the name of the poster will say "See Above."

Special thanks to all of you who have gone to the trouble to comment under this somewhat cumbersome system.

~~~~~~~~~~

Afternoon Update:

We Are Not Amused. Paul Kane & Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted two lawmakers who surreptitiously flew into Kabul without approval to examine conditions at the international airport where a massive airlift is underway to evacuate U.S. citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans. '... there's a real concern about members being in the region,' Pelosi told reporters Wednesday at her weekly briefing. There was an 'opportunity cost' of protecting Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), she said. 'This is deadly serious. We do not want members to go.' The sentiment was echoed across the Biden administration Wednesday morning. 'The secretary [Lloyd Austin] would have appreciated the opportunity to have had a conversation before the visit took place,' said Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby during his briefing.... 'They certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day.'... Some of the harshest criticism came from one of the lawmakers' colleague on the House Armed Services Committee[.] 'Neither one of them should have their ass in Afghanistan right now. The Defense Department has enough to do without having to try to protect two members of Congress. Period,' said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the top Republican on the Armed Services panel."

** Sí, Se Puede. Ben Smith of the New York Times: "A group of Afghans who worked for The New York Times, along with their families, touched down safely early Wednesday ... at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City. The arrival of the 24 families was the latest stop in a harrowing escape from Kabul. And Mexico's role in the rescue of journalists from The Times and, if all goes as planned, The Wall Street Journal offers a disorienting glimpse of the state of the American government as two of the country's most powerful news organizations frantically sought help far from Washington. Mexican officials, unlike their counterparts in the United States, were able to cut through the red tape of their immigration system to quickly provide documents that, in turn, allowed the Afghans to fly from Kabul's embattled airport to Doha, Qatar. The documents promised that the Afghans would receive temporary humanitarian protection in Mexico while they explored further options in the United States or elsewhere."

Gives New Meaning to "(In) Loco Parentis." Cameron Jenkins of the Hill: "Dozens of California students and parents are stranded in Afghanistan after taking a summer trip to the country. More than 20 students and 16 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon, Calif., visited Afghanistan on summer vacation. Now they are among thousands of people who are waiting to leave the country amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal that has caused political unrest across the nation, according to the Los Angeles Times." MB: This has to be the dumbest school vacation ever organized. Any school employees or board members who approved this trip should resign or be fired. Nitwits.

** John Wagner of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection issued its first sweeping requests Wednesday for records from federal agencies pertaining to the attack on the Capitol and ... Donald Trump's efforts to subvert the election. In letters demanding materials from the National Archives and seven other agencies, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the committee chairman, signaled that an expansive investigation is underway, touching not only on what happened Jan. 6 but also on matters such as 'the former President's knowledge of the election results and what he communicated to the American people about the election.' Thompson gave the agencies a two-week deadline to produce materials and asked Archivist of the United States David Ferriero to use his authority under federal regulations to swiftly address the request for records from the Trump White House.... The requests include information on 'communications within and among the White House and Executive Branch agencies during the leadup to January 6th and on that day,' as well as on issues further removed, such as 'attempts to place politically loyal personnel in senior positions across government after the election.'&" The Huffington Post's story is here.

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "Sirhan B. Sirhan, convicted of the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, will face a California parole board for the 16th time Friday in a prison outside San Diego. But unlike the first 15 times, no prosecutor will stand to oppose the release of Sirhan, who is now 77. Sirhan was arrested at the scene of Kennedy's shooting in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for the assassination of a U.S. senator who appeared headed for the Democratic presidential nomination. The assassination, along with that of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. two months earlier, created a turning point in American history with the sudden elimination of the charismatic leaders of the American civil rights movement and the Democratic Party." MB: I don't think any political assassin should get out of jail. Ever.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & Jeffery Mays of the New York Times: "Gov. Kathy C. Hochul has chosen Brian A. Benjamin, a Democratic state senator from Harlem, to be her lieutenant governor, the second highest-ranking position in New York State, according to a person familiar with the decision. Ms. Hochul, a Democrat from Western New York who was sworn in as the state's first female governor on Tuesday, is expected to announce the appointment later this week. The selection of Mr. Benjamin, who is Black, underscored Ms. Hochul's attempt to diversify her ticket as she mounts her first campaign for governor next year, choosing a potential running mate who could help broaden her appeal in the voter-heavy New York City region." MB: Or maybe she likes the guy and is comfortable working with him. Not everything is transactional, even in politics.

New York. Marina Villeneuve of the AP: "Delivering another blow to what's left of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's legacy, New York's new governor acknowledged on her first day in office that the state has had nearly 12,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than Cuomo told the public. 'The public deserves a clear, honest picture of what's happening. And that's whether it's good or bad, they need to know the truth. And that's how we restore confidence,' Gov. Kathy Hochul said on NPR. In its first daily update on the outbreak Tuesday evening, Hochul's office reported that nearly 55,400 people have died of the coronavirus in New York based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's up from about 43,400 that Cuomo reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office."

Look, when President Trump was president, you didn't see crisis after crisis. You just didn't see it. I shudder to think about what Covid would have been like under Joe Biden. -- Kayleigh McInany, who must have been on mind-altering drugs while press secretary to the Former Guy, on Fox "News" Tuesday

Leslie Josephs of CNBC: "Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian notified employees Wednesday that they will face $200 monthly increases on their health insurance premiums starting Nov. 1 if they aren't vaccinated against Covid-19, citing steep costs to cover employees who are hospitalized with the virus. Unvaccinated employees will face other restrictions, including indoor masking effective immediately and weekly Covid-19 tests starting Sept. 12, the Atlanta-based airline said in announcing new Covid policies for employees."

South Dakota. He Killed a Man, Fled the Scene, and Is Still Attorney General. Stephen Groves of the AP: "South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will avoid a trial and take a plea deal on misdemeanor traffic charges in a crash last year in which he hit and killed a man who was walking along a rural highway, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Beadle County State's Attorney Michael Moore, who is one of two prosecutors on the case..., declined to discuss further details of the arrangement. The plea will be entered Thursday, when Ravnsborg's trial was scheduled to begin, he said. Moore said a judge's order that bars state officials from discussing details of the investigation prevented him from disclosing more.... The charges don't affect the Republican's qualification to hold the office of attorney general in South Dakota, but lawmakers from his own party have called for him to step down and pushed for the Legislature to impeach him."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Wednesday are here: "The Taliban has blocked Afghans from Kabul airport -- and is trying to lure key officials back to work .... The Islamist militants have reportedly ordered some mid-level bureaucrats at Afghanistan's finance ministry and central bank to resume work, as the new regime faces a cash squeeze and a looming humanitarian crisis. The hasty departure of trained officials, journalists, human rights advocates and others is leaving the war-torn country lacking in expertise needed to govern, analysts say."

Mark Landler & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden said Tuesday that the United States intended to withdraw completely from Afghanistan at the end of the month as planned, rebuffing pleas from Britain, France and other NATO allies to keep troops in Kabul and hastening the end of a frantic evacuation that has become a grim coda to two decades of war. Even as Mr. Biden spoke from the White House, officials said the United States had already begun to reduce its military presence at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, sending about 300 of the 5,800 Marines and soldiers home in anticipation of the conclusion of their rescue mission within a week.... But Mr. Biden did not close the door to extending what has become an immense evacuation effort. He said that he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans in case it became necessary to stay longer...."

"The president said that more than 70,000 people had been ferried out of harm's way since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban swept into power in Kabul; on Tuesday, the Pentagon reported its biggest number of daily evacuations from the Kabul airport so far, saying it had airlifted 21,600 people out of the country over 24 hours."

     ~~~ Marie: That Biden allowed only two weeks to get out of country 100,000 - 300,000 Americans & Afghans shows that he was never serious about saving these people. You just think about any time you've had a minor problem that only U.S. bureaucracy could solve; did you think the bureaucrats would take care of it in two weeks? Leaving these people behind was always the plan, not a glitch or unforeseen circumstance. ~~~

Kevin Liptak of CNN: "President Joe Biden has decided, in consultation with his national security team, to stick with the August 31 deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official. Biden made the decision mindful of the security risks in remaining the country longer, the official said, and he has asked for contingency plans in case he determines at a later date the US needs to remain in the country for longer." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ From Tuesday's Washington Post live updates: "The Taliban was still allowing foreign nationals to leave, but [Zabihullah] Mujahid said that the group was stopping Afghan nationals from reaching the airport as it was dangerous and their skills were needed to rebuild the country. 'We are asking the American please change your policy and don't encourage Afghans to leave,' he said." A CNBC story is here. MB: Yeah, I wondered how long it would take the Taliban to notice that the best & the brightest were leaving the country. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "... it's becoming clear that thousands of the Afghans who helped the U.S. won't be evacuated, a scenario that has engendered deep frustration inside U.S. national security agencies. 'People are furious and disgusted,' said a former U.S. intelligence official.... A defense official said he grew nauseated as he considered how many Afghan allies would be left behind. At the CIA, 'officers feel a real sense of obligation, moral obligation and personal obligation' to the Afghans they supported and trained, said former CIA Director John Brennan.... But the precarious situation for U.S. troops on the ground left [President] Biden with no good options to extend their presence, military officials said."

"Moronic and Selfish." Annie Linskey, et al., of the Washington Post: "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. The visit by Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) -- which was not approved as part of the normal process for congressional fact-finding trips -- served as a distraction for military and civilian staffers attempting to carry out frenzied rescue efforts, according to two people familiar with the trip who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the matter. It is not clear how the lawmakers, both of whom served in Iraq before being elected to Congress, first entered Afghanistan.... The cloak-and-dagger trip infuriated some officials at the Pentagon and the State Department, where diplomats, military officers and civil servants are working around-the-clock shifts in Washington and at the Kabul airport.... 'They're taking seats away from Americans and at-risk Afghans -- while putting our diplomats and service members at greater risk -- so they can have a moment in front of the cameras,' [said a senior administration official]." ~~~

~~~ Ginger Gibson of NBC News: "Two House members issued a scathing statement Tuesday after they took a secret trip to the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, saying 'Washington should be ashamed' about the effort to evacuate Americans and allies. Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Peter Meijer, R-Mich., said they traveled to Kabul, the capital, on Tuesday as part of an effort to persuade President Joe Biden to extend the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops, which would effectively end the effort to evacuate Americans and others who helped the U.S. over two decades of war. 'After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11,' the lawmakers ... said in a joint statement. 'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'"

You Can't Play Soccer in a Burqa. Liz Clarke of the Washington Post: "A plane carrying more than 75 Afghan female soccer players, officials and relatives under threat from the Taliban left Kabul on Tuesday, bound for Australia, the first country to offer a haven in response to pleas from a multinational network of athlete advocates and human-rights lawyers. With many more imperiled athletes still in Afghanistan, evacuation efforts are continuing around-the-clock, with outreach to multiple countries including the United States. But the efforts are getting more challenging by the day, according to Haley Carter, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and former assistant coach of the Afghan women's team. Carter played a key role in orchestrating the initial evacuation, alongside Fifpro, the international soccer players' union, and other advocates working to lobby governments to grant the athletes asylum."

John Hudson of the Washington Post: "CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting Monday in Kabul with the Taliban's de facto leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the militants seized the Afghan capital, according to U.S. officials.... The CIA declined to comment on the Taliban meeting, but the discussions are likely to have involved an impending Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. military to conclude its airlift of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies." MB: Based on the stories linked above, it would seem the meeting didn't go to well for the U.S. (Also linked yesterday.)

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "When the Taliban were last in power, Afghan women were generally not allowed to leave their homes [link fixed] except under certain narrowly defined conditions. Those who did risked being beaten, tortured or executed. In the nine days since the Taliban swept back into control, their leaders have insisted that this time will be different.... But early signs have not been promising, and that pattern continued on Tuesday with a statement from a Taliban spokesman that women should stay home, at least for now. Why? Because some of the militants have not yet been trained not to hurt them, he explained. The spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, called it a 'temporary' policy intended to protect women until the Taliban could ensure their safety.... Mr. Mujahid said that women should stay home 'until we have a new procedure,' and that 'their salaries will paid in their homes.'"

Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "A divided House on Tuesday approved a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that would pave the way for a vast expansion of social safety net and climate programs, as Democrats overcame sharp internal rifts to advance a critical piece of President Biden's ambitious domestic agenda. Approving the budget was a major step in Democrats" drive to enact their top priorities -- including huge investments in education, child care, health care, paid leave, and tax increases on wealthy people and corporations -- over united Republican opposition. With a single vote on Tuesday, they laid the groundwork to move quickly on legislation that would accomplish those goals, setting a late September deadline for action on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.... The vote was 220 to 212 on party lines.... While the budget plan, which passed the Senate this month, does not have the force of law, it allows Democrats to move forward with a fast-track process known as reconciliation. That would enshrine the details of the blueprint in legislation that is shielded from a filibuster, allowing it to pass over the objections of Republicans." The AP's report is here. ~~~

~~~ Toljaso. Heather Caygle, et al., of Politico: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a band of Democratic centrists are finalizing a deal that would clear the way for passage of the party's $3.5 trillion budget framework and set a Sept. 27 House vote on infrastructure -- an offer both sides hope will end their weekslong standoff. After several hours of furious negotiating Monday night, Pelosi and her team are close to announcing the compromise, which they hope to put on the floor as soon as Tuesday afternoon, according to several people familiar with discussions. Most, if not all, of the recalcitrant moderates -- led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J..) -- were expected to accept the deal and back the budget blueprint on the floor later Tuesday, though terms are not yet finalized." (Also linked yesterday. See also yesterday's Commentariat -- including the Comments section -- for context.)

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The House voted on Tuesday to restore federal oversight of state election laws under the 1965 Voting Rights Act and expand its reach, as Democrats moved to strengthen a crowning legislative achievement of the civil rights era amid a renewed national fight over access to the ballot box. The legislation, named after Representative John Lewis of Georgia, the civil rights icon who died last year, is a linchpin of the party's strategy to combat voting restrictions in Republican-led states. It would reverse two Supreme Court rulings that gutted the statute, reviving the power of the Justice Department to bar some discriminatory election changes from taking effect and easing the path to challenge others in court. Up against urgent deadlines before next year's midterm elections, Democrats voted along party lines to adopt the bill 219 to 212 in a rare August session, just days after it was introduced. But stiff Republican opposition awaits in the Senate, where a likely filibuster threatens to sink it before it can reach President Biden's desk." NPR's report is here.

Rachel Lerman of the Washington Post: "The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a $5.1 million fine against two right-wing operatives known for perpetuating conspiracy theories, in one of its largest penalties to date. Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman improperly made 1,141 robocalls to cellphones without getting people's consent first, which the law requires, according to the agency. The penalty, which is not final, is the largest proposed by the FCC for this specific violation. The agency has, however, imposed much larger fines for 'spoofing' robocalls, where the caller makes it appear as though a call is coming from a different number. This year it fined Texas telemarketers $225 million. Wohl and Burkman will have a chance to respond, and the penalty could require a commission vote before it is finalized." The NBC News report is here.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a ruling from a federal judge in Texas requiring the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era immigration program that forces asylum seekers arriving at the southwestern border to await approval in Mexico. The court's brief unsigned order said that the administration had appeared to act arbitrarily and capriciously in rescinding the program, citing a decision last year refusing to let the Trump administration rescind the Obama-era program protecting the young immigrants known as dreamers. The court's three more liberal members -- Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- said they would have granted a stay of the trial judge's ruling. They did not give reasons. The case will now be heard by an appeals court and may return to the Supreme Court." Politico's story, by Josh Gerstein, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's the rationale, then: We refused to block a humane policy; therefore, in all fairness, we must sustain an inhumane policy. A fascistic interpretation of "law & order." As we've already learned, you can goose-step in a judicial robe. ~~~

     ~~~ Ian Millhiser of Vox: "One of the most foundational principles of court decisions involving foreign policy is that judges should be extraordinarily reluctant to mess around with foreign affairs. The decision in Texas defies this principle, fundamentally reshaping the balance of power between judges and elected officials in the process.... Technically, this case is still on appeal. The Biden administration requested a stay of [Trump-appointed Judge Matthew] Kacsmaryk's order while its appeal is pending. But the administration is now under an immediate obligation to comply with that order.... Kacsmaryk's opinion, it should be noted, was dead wrong. It effectively claimed that a 1996 law required the federal government to implement the Remain in Mexico policy permanently. That policy didn't even exist until 2019, so the upshot of Kacsmaryk's opinion is that the government violated the law for nearly a quarter-century and no one noticed.... The Supreme Court does not even offer a hint as to why it deemed the Biden administration's original explanation insufficient." Moreover, it doesn't make clear what the Biden administration is supposed to do.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Tuesday received a classified report from the intelligence community that was inconclusive about the origins of the novel coronavirus, including whether the pathogen jumped from an animal to a human as part of a natural process, or escaped from a lab in central China, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The intelligence community will seek within days to declassify elements of the report for potential public release, officials said. The assessment is the result of a 90-day sprint after Biden tasked his intelligence agencies in May to produce a report 'that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion' on the origins of [the] virus.... But despite analyzing a raft of existing intelligence and searching for new clues, intelligence officials fell short of a consensus, said the officials...." CNN's story is here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Florida. Quinnipiac University: "As Florida deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases and a battle intensifies over an executive order issued by Governor Ron DeSantis to ban mask mandates in schools, a majority of people in Florida say 60 - 36 percent that they support requiring students, teachers, and staff to wear masks in schools, according to a Quinnipiac ... University poll of Florida adults released today. There are sharp political divides on this question as Democrats support school mask requirements 98 - 1 percent, independents support them 63 - 32 percent, and Republicans oppose them 72 - 24 percent. Schools should be able to require masks for all students, say 54 percent of Floridians in a separate question, while 44 percent say that parents should decide whether or not their own student will be wearing a mask. On Gov. DeSantis' threat to withhold school leaders' salaries if they require masks for students, 69 percent say it's a bad idea, while 25 percent say it's a good idea. There is agreement across partisan lines, as Democrats say 91 - 8 percent, independents say 70 - 26 percent, and Republicans say 52 - 38 percent that it's a bad idea."

Ohio, etc. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Ohio State University announced on Tuesday that all students, faculty and staff would be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 during the fall semester, becoming one of the first large state universities to issue a vaccine mandate that extends beyond students.... WBNS 10 reported that hundreds of people went to the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday to voice support for a Republican-backed bill that would prohibit employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated. Louisiana State University said on Tuesday that all its students would have to either submit proof of vaccination or 'be tested for Covid on a regular basis.' The University of Minnesota also issued a mandate for students to be vaccinated following the F.D.A.'s approval. And in New York, all in-person students in the state and city university systems are required to be vaccinated."

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia Senate Race. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "Former football running back Herschel Walker has filed paperwork to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, challenging freshman Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D) with the backing of ... Donald Trump. While a formal announcement is still expected to come, filings with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday confirm rumblings that Walker, a football hero at the University of Georgia before his National Football League career bookended with stints with the Dallas Cowboys, plans to run after changing his voter registration from Texas to Georgia last week." A Politico story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ MB: Let me once again remind reporters everywhere that there's pretty much no such thing as a "football hero," and there is especially nothing heroic about playing any professional sport. The only sort of "football hero" I can think of is someone like Colin Kaepernick, who used his status as a player to advance the cause of justice; his heroism was only tangentially related to the game.

New York. Cuomo Commutes Sentences of Five Murderers. Michael Wilson & Jesus Jiménez of the New York Times: "In the waning hours of his final day in office, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo commuted the prison sentence of one of the members of the gang behind the infamous robbery of a Brink's armored car in 1981 that left two police officers and a guard dead, a politically motivated ambush that continues to reverberate 40 years later. David Gilbert is serving a 75-years-to-life sentence for his role in the crime as a member of the Weather Underground, which stole $1.6 million in cash from the armored car outside the Nanuet Mall near Nyack, N.Y. The decision does not mean he will automatically be released from prison. Mr. Gilbert will be granted a parole hearing in the weeks to come, according to Monday's announcement." Cuomo also commuted the sentences of four others who had been convicted for murder. (Also linked yesterday.)

Pennsylvania. Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania plan to formally launch hearings as part of an investigation into the 2020 vote in the state, the latest GOP-backed effort to revisit an election that ... Donald Trump has falsely claimed was fraudulent.... The Pennsylvania investigation is the latest sign of how Republican leaders in key battleground states are bowing to ongoing pressure from Trump and his base to investigate baseless allegations that voting irregularities tainted the November election.... Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania have sought an investigation of the 2020 election since late last year, capitulating to demands from Trump and his supporters to scrutinize President Biden's 80,555-vote win in the state -- despite a lack of evidence of voter fraud."

Texas. Taxpayer-funded Report by State AG Ken Paxton Finds AG Paxton Totally Innocent! James Barragan of the Texas Tribune: "Nearly 11 months after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's former top aides accused him of accepting bribes, Paxton's office on Tuesday published a 374-page internal report that concludes he's innocent of the allegations. Last October, seven former employees told authorities that they believed Paxton was using his power as attorney general to aid Nate Paul, a campaign donor and Austin real estate developer, who whistleblowers have said helped Paxton remodel his home and gave a job to a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair. All of those employees were either fired or left the office under pressure after their complaint. Four of the employees filed a whistleblower lawsuit saying Paxton used his position to help Paul's business interests, investigate his foes and help settle a lawsuit. But in Tuesday's report, Paxton's office said there was no basis for a criminal complaint against their boss, a second-term Republican..... The FBI is reportedly investigating the claims by Paxton's former employees." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. Do see his commentary below, the tone of which seems, like, almost sarcastic.

News Lede

New York Times: "Charlie Watts, whose strong but unflashy drumming powered the Rolling Stones for over 50 years, died on Tuesday in London. He was 80."