Monday News: “The Tragedy of Afghanistan”; “Chaos at Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee Taliban”; “US could see 200,000 Covid cases a day again: ‘Unvaccinated are sitting ducks’”; “It Was a Terrifying Census for White Nationalists”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, August 16.

• The Clean Hydrogen Ladder – v4.0
• The Repercussions of a Changing Climate, in 5 Devastating Charts
• Study finds blue hydrogen worse for climate than burning coal or gas
• Afghan president flees country as U.S. rushes to exit with Taliban on brink of power (“U.S. forces evacuated all staff from the U.S. Embassy via Kabul’s airport after Biden authorized deploying 6,000 troops to the country.”)
• The Year We Lost Our Way in Afghanistan (“Had Osama bin Laden been killed or captured in December 2001, justice would have been served in the way Americans like: fast, hard, and cheap.”)
• How America Failed in Afghanistan
• Low morale, no support and bad politics: why the Afghan army folded
• Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era?
• Chaotic Afghanistan Pullout Caps Two Decades of Missteps
• Afghanistan’s military collapse: Illicit deals and mass desertions
• The Tragedy of Afghanistan
• Taliban’s Abdul Ghani Baradar is undisputed victor of a 20-year war (“Return to power of movement’s co-founder embodies Afghanistan’s inability to escape history of conflict — Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader freed from a Pakistani jail on the request of the US less than three years ago”)
• Afghanistan’s collapse: Did US intelligence get it wrong?
• Afghans working for U.S. government broadcasters fear Taliban backlash.
• China, Russia embassies stay put in Afghanistan as US and allies flee Taliban
• For Biden, Images of Defeat He Wanted to Avoid
• America Has a Moral Obligation to Get Our Translators Out of Afghanistan
• “Game over:” Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans
• Concerns over US terror threats rising as Taliban hold grows
• From Saigon to Kabul: Biden’s response to Vietnam echoes in his views of Afghanistan withdrawal
• Chaos at Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee Taliban
• Chaotic Scenes Grip Kabul’s Airport, With Reports of Deaths
• Turmoil in Afghanistan Adds to Geopolitical Risks Facing Markets
• For China, the return of the Taliban poses more risk than it does opportunity
• Kabul fell far faster than many had imagined it would, leaving most Afghans with no way out.
• The Withdrawal From Afghanistan Was Destined for Disaster
• Biden’s Choices In Afghanistan Were Complicated. So Is The Fallout He Faces (“The simple question of whether the U.S. should stay or go was not simple at all. Now, Biden’s determination to leave Afghanistan has resulted in a bigger mess than he bargained for.”)
• Scenes from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of Kabul
• Defiant and defensive, Biden takes a cold-eyed approach (“For a president better known for his empathy, his remarks offered a harsh and bracing assessment.”)
• The Taliban have retaken control. Here’s what that looked like the first time. (“The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they led a profoundly violent, repressive and unstable nation that welcomed transnational terrorists and became a global pariah.”)
• Trudeau calls for snap election in hopes of winning back voters (“Polling suggests Canadian PM’s Liberals are in the position to capture close to the 170 seats needed for majority government”)
• Toll from Haiti earthquake jumps to almost 1,300 dead, 5,700 injured
• Haiti hospitals overwhelmed by quake victims as death toll hits 1,297
• THE MESSIEST PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC YET (“Coronavirus data have always been incomplete—but the situation in America is particularly murky now.”)
• US could see 200,000 Covid cases a day again: ‘Unvaccinated are sitting ducks’ (“Director of National Institutes of Health pleads with Americans to get their shots as Delta variant ravages the country”)
• Delta is coming for the children, too. Masks and vaccines can combat it.
• What’s Behind Biden’s Declining Approval Rating (“…if Biden’s approval decline is mainly tied to reactions to the delta variant surge, which could abate before too long, that could point to a possible silver lining for Biden.”)
• Democrats’ Debt Dare Risks Shutdown Fight With No Easy Way Out
• Fed Weighs Ending Asset Purchases by Middle of 2022
• It Was a Terrifying Census for White Nationalists
• Democrats look to state courts as redistricting battle heats up
• Juan Williams: Trump’s coup attempt should bar him from 2024 race (And put him behind bars!)
• GOP Senate candidates backed Trump in trashing bipartisan infrastructure deal
• Defeating Environmental Racism, One Pipeline at a Time
• Texas Supreme Court blocks lower-court rulings that allowed mask mandates
• Congresswomen Spanberger and Luria comment on the situation in Afghanistan
• Chaz Nuttycombe’s First Cut at 2020 Census “Fair Maps”: 60 Northam-40 Gillespie for the House of Delegates; 24 Northam-16 Gillespie for the State Senate (Currently, it’s 55D-45R in the House of Delegates, 21D-19R in the State Senate…)
• National Republican group launches TV ad campaign aimed at flipping Virginia House seats
• How Virginia plans to spend $700 million on broadband expansion (“A tremendous jump start”)
• Amid surge, a dire forecast for Virginia and Southside
• Strike Back Against the (Republican) Machine…By Supporting Del. Rodney Willett (D-HD73)’s Reelection Campaign!
• Flash flooding in Alexandria and the region overnight damages homes, roadways
• D.C.-area forecast: A humid week with daily downpours possible