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.'"

The Commentariat -- August 28, 2021

~~~ As Ken W. announced at the end of yesterday's Comments, you no longer need to jump through hoops to post a comment on Reality Chex. So comment as usual. No need to sign in. I learned yesterday that all Squarespace customers who use the version of Squarespace that I do were afflicted with the same problem -- for ten days. Maybe it helped that I accused them of elder abuse & asked if any of their mothers had taught them better. Thank you for your patience. You all were way nicer about it than I was.

P.S. If you live on or near the Gulf Coast, please follow advisories on Hurricane Ida. It's predicted to land as a Cat 4 about where Katrina hit 16 years ago Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of developments in Afghanistan Saturday are here. The Guardian's live Afghanistan updates for Saturday are here: British "Civilian evacuations from Afghanistan will finish today, the head of the UK armed forces, Gen Sir Nick Carter, has said. With very few civilian flights remaining, Carter said it was heartbreaking that the evacuation had failed to get everybody out." ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live Afghanistan updates for Saturday are here: "... the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans of ongoing security threats at the capital's airport and urged them to 'leave immediately.'"

Robert Burns & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The United States military struck back at the Islamic State on Saturday, bombing an IS member in Afghanistan less than 48 hours after a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport. U.S. Central Command said the U.S. conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State member in Nangahar believed to be involved in planning attacks against the U.S. in Kabul. The strike killed one individual, and spokesman Navy Capt. William Urban said they knew of no civilian casualties. It wasn't clear if that individual was involved specifically in the Thursday suicide blast outside the gates of the Kabul airport...."

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." (Also linked yesterday.)

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.... The U.S. said 13 troops were killed in the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011." (Also linked yesterday.)

Loveday Morris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Thousands of Afghans who put their lives at risk to work with the United States' NATO allies have been left behind as the military evacuations wrap up, and they hunker down in fear over Taliban reprisals. Britain became the latest nation to announce an end to its airlifts on Friday, as British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told LBC radio that evacuations would end in hours. The British military has airlifted nearly 14,000 people out over the past two weeks, but 'the sad fact is that not every single one will get out,' he said, with up to 1,100 eligible Afghans who 'didn't make it.' Other countries fell further short of their targets. Germany, whose last soldiers flew out of Afghanistan on Thursday evening, said it had rescued around 4,000 Afghans -- far shy of the 10,000 people it had identified as at risk.... From Berlin to Ottawa, questions have been raised as to why more was not done to save those who were vulnerable sooner.... While the United States is continuing airlifts, it is focusing on its own Afghan partners and stranded citizens."

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...." (Also linked yesterday.)

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 whether unaccounted-for Afghans they were helping had been killed." (Also linked yesterday.)

Karoun Demirjian & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The U.S. military is destroying equipment at the Kabul airport and more than doubling its temporary housing capacity on bases in the United States to extract as many people from Afghanistan as possible before Tuesday's withdrawal deadline. The military will be able to accommodate up to 50,000 Afghans at seven bases and facilities in the United States, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who announced that Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, and Fort Pickett and Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia had been added to the four installations already part of the operation. The airlift, which as of Friday morning had carried upwards of 110,000 people out of Kabul, is entering its last four days amid intense urgency.... At least 25 countries have signed on to temporarily host or serve as way stations for the tens of thousands of other Afghans who have departed Kabul."

James Clark of Task & Purpose: "On Thursday, a Marine infantry officer and battalion commander took to social media to air his frustrations with senior military leadership over their handling of the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan and what he says is a lack of accountability for mistakes made by those charged with managing the final stages of America's longest war.... The Marine Corps announced that [Lt. Col. Stuart] Scheller was relieved 'due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command,' according to Maj. Jim Stenger, a spokesman for Headquarters Marine Corps.... While some comments on social media criticized the officer for calling out his senior leaders while in uniform, many others praised Scheller for putting his career on the line to do so."

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... parts of the American right ... [have expressed] open admiration for the Taliban.... The influential young white supremacist Nick Fuentes -- an ally of the Arizona Republican congressman Paul Gosar and the anti-immigrant pundit Michelle Malkin -- wrote on the encrypted app Telegram: 'The Taliban is a conservative, religious force, the U.S. is godless and liberal. The defeat of the U.S. government in Afghanistan is unequivocally a positive development.' An account linked to the Proud Boys expressed respect for the way the Taliban 'took back their national religion as law, and executed dissenters.'... Fox's Tucker Carlson, the most important nationalist voice in America, seemed to sympathize with the gender politics of Taliban-supporting Afghans.... On Twitter earlier this month, [Rep. Matt] Gaetz [R-Fla.] described the Taliban, like Trump, as 'more legitimate than the last government in Afghanistan or the current government here.'... If there's one lesson of recent American history, it's that there's no such thing as something too ridiculous to be dangerous." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While Gaetz is of course wrong about the U.S. government's legitimacy, he does sort of have a point when he compares the Taliban to the newly-fallen Afghan government the West had propped up for years. However, it's hard to say whether that government or the Taliban would win a popularity contest in Afghanistan, and I doubt Gaetz knows. As usual, he should STFU when he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday used his first meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel to underscore that working closely with a longstanding ally in the Middle East was still a focus of his administration, even as the crisis in Afghanistan has opened him up to criticism that he is ceding ground in the wider region to extremists.... 'I look forward to us establishing a strong personal relationship,' Mr. Biden said, sitting in the Oval Office next to Mr. Bennett. He said the focus of the meeting was to demonstrate 'an unshakable partnership between our two nations.' Both men wore masks. The two leaders have significant policy differences. In an interview with The New York Times several days before Friday's meeting, Mr. Bennett said he would oppose American-led attempts to reinstate a lapsed nuclear agreement with Iran and would expand West Bank settlements that Mr. Biden opposes."

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. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lois Beckett of the Guardian: "When David Dempsey was arrested in California on Thursday and charged with attacking police officers defending the US Capitol on 6 January, local activists in Los Angeles were not surprised. Federal prosecutors have accused 34-year-old Dempsey of striking police at the Capitol with improvised weapons, including a crutch and a pole, and spraying them with a chemical agent, according to the criminal complaint against him. Five months earlier, two Los Angeles men said, Dempsey had used the exact same tactics to assault them during tense summer political demonstrations in the Tujunga neighborhood and in Beverly Hills. One of these alleged assaults had happened directly in front of police officers in Beverly Hills, and the other was reported in detail to the Los Angeles police department, according to the two men. Both said that local police failed to follow up or to arrest Dempsey, even though he had previously been charged with using bear mace on anti-Trump protesters in Santa Monica, California, in 2019."

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "California parole commissioners recommended on Friday that Sirhan B. Sirhan should be freed on parole after spending more than 50 years in prison for assassinating Robert F. Kennedy during his campaign for president. The recommendation from the two commissioners does not necessarily mean Mr. Sirhan, 77, will walk free, but it most likely puts his fate in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat facing a recall election that will determine his political future. A spokeswoman for Mr. Newsom declined to say whether he would approve the recommendation, only tha he would consider the case after it is reviewed by the parole board's lawyers." MB: I think Sirhan -- and every assassin -- should die in jail.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "American intelligence agencies have not been able to determine if the coronavirus pandemic was the result of an accidental leak from a lab or if it emerged more naturally, according to declassified portions of a report to the White House that were released on Friday. The nation's spy agencies, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said, are unlikely to reach a conclusion without more cooperation from China or new sources of information." CNN'sreport is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The DNI's unclassified report is here.

Victoria Guida of Politico: "Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday signaled that the central bank may start pulling back some of its historic support for the economy later this year, striking an upbeat tone even as the resurgent coronavirus and labor market troubles loom. The speech at the annual Jackson Hole conference in Wyoming could be Powell's last big test before President Joe Biden decides whether to reappoint him to the government's most powerful economic post. His main task was not to rattle investors -- and rankle the White House -- with any suggestion that the Fed would abruptly exit from a policy that has bolstered the economy throughout the pandemic. He succeeded: Stocks jumped as Powell said the Fed would move deliberately." A transcript of Powell's speech, titled "Monetary Policy in the Time of COVID" & provided by the Fed, is here.

A One-Two Punch to the Pocketbook. Tony Romm & Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "The clock is now ticking for millions of Americans who are set to face a series of stinging financial hardships in a matter of days, with the loss of federal protections against eviction and looming cuts to their weekly unemployment checks.... The first blow arrived Friday, as landlords now can more easily begin removing tenants who have fallen behind on their monthly payments. The potential wave of evictions comes after the Supreme Court found the Biden administration's recent eviction moratorium to be unconstitutional.... Ten days later, some of those same families could face additional financial peril as enhanced unemployment insurance benefits are set to lapse. Congress repeatedly has extended these weekly checks, but President Biden and some of his congressional allies have not sought to renew them ahead of their planned expiration Sept. 6."

God Is Agnostic on Vaccinations. Bob Smietana of Religion News Service: "The spokesman for a major evangelical nonprofit was fired for promoting vaccines on the MSNBC 'Morning Joe' cable news show.... Daniel Darling, senior vice president of communications for the National Religious Broadcasters, was fired Friday (Aug. 27) after refusing to back down from his pro-vaccine statements, according to a source authorized to speak for Darling.... During a broadcast on Aug. 2, Darling, an evangelical pastor and author, told host Joe Scarborough about how his faith motivated him to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Darling described the vaccines as an amazing feat of discovery by scientists, some of whom share his Christian faith. Darling said he was proud to be vaccinated.... Earlier this week, leaders at NRB, an international association of Christian communicators with 1,100 member organizations, told Darling his statements violated the organization's policy of remaining neutral about COVID-19 vaccines. According to the source, Darling was given two options -- sign a statement admitting he had been insubordinate or be fired. When he refused to sign a statement, Darling was fired and given no severance, the source told RNS."

Florida. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "A Florida judge ruled Friday that Gov. Ron DeSantis's administration overstepped its authority in restricting school districts from enacting mask mandates after parents sued officials amid a surge in coronavirus infections. Judge John C. Cooper of Florida's 2nd Circuit sided with parents from six Florida counties who challenged DeSantis (R) and state education officials in court this week, arguing that the governor's order infringes on classroom safety guaranteed by the state's constitution. In a milestone decision in the heated debate about mask mandates in Florida, Cooper declared that the state cannot require districts to offer voluntary mandates over 'the preservation of general welfare.'... The injunction is expected to go into effect as early as next week and will bar the Education Department from punishing school districts for not complying with a Health Department rule requiring those with mask mandates to offer an opt-out option." ~~~

~~~ Texas. KVUE (Austin): "A Travis County [Austin] judge has issued a temporary injunction order against Gov. Greg Abbott and his ban on mask mandates, according to court documents.... The Austin American-Statesman reported that lawyers say Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already appealed Judge Catherine Mauzy's ruling. Mauzy's order says that the challengers made a sufficient showing' that Abbott is not authorized to declare by executive fiat that school districts are prohibited from requiring masks to be worn. According to the judge, Abbott's ban was unlawful and exceeded his authority of the Texas Constitution."

Georgia. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "A captain at the Wayne County Sheriff's Office who promoted anti-vaccination propaganda on his Facebook page has died from COVID-19. Local news station WSAV reports that Capt. Joe Manning died this week at the age of 57 after what Sheriff Chuck Moseley described as a brief battle with COVID-19.... On August 14th, for instance, Manning posted a meme that stated, 'If we lose on vaccines we will completely lose our right to sovereignty over our own bodies.' That very same day, Manning informed his friends that 'Wayne Feed and Seed has some liquid and past Ivermectin get it while supplies last.'"

Texas. "Freedom Fighter" Now Fighting for His Life. Josephine Harvey of Yahoo! News: "A Texas man who helped organize protests against pandemic restrictions is fighting for his life after being hospitalized for nearly a month with COVID-19, the San Angelo Standard-Times reported.... Caleb Wallace, a 30-year-old father of three, has been unconscious, ventilated and heavily sedated in the ICU at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo since Aug. 8, the Standard-Times reported.... In July 2020, Caleb Wallace reportedly helped organize a 'freedom rally' that billed itself as a protest against the 'government being in control of our lives.' He also founded the San Angelo Freedom Defenders, which hosted a separate rally last year to 'end COVID tyranny.'... When he first felt symptoms on July 26, his wife told the Standard-Times, he refused to get tested or seek medical care. He instead began treating himself with a cocktail of Vitamin C, zinc, aspirin and ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that has been falsely promoted as an effective treatment for COVID-19 by conservative media. He was taken to the hospital on July 30."

Wisconsin. Maria Paul of the Washington Post: "... the Waukesha School District board decided to opt out of a federally funded program that would give free meals to all students regardless of family income. The board voted June 9 to return to the pre-pandemic National School Lunch Program, which offers free and reduced-price lunches to students who apply and receive federal money for them. Waukesha is the only eligible school district in the state to eschew the funding.... Since June, the Alliance for Education in Waukesha, about 900 parents and teachers who connected over social media, has pressed the district to switch back to the 'universal' or free-for-everyone meals after board members decried the program's potential to produce an 'addiction' to the service -- a stigma that some experts have disproved.... Karin Rajnicek, a school board member, said the free program made it easy for families to 'become spoiled.'" MB: Yes, because there's nothing like a full stomach to spoil a child.

Beyond the Beltway

Texas. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "A police officer in Austin, Texas, who was charged with murdering a man in April 2020 has been charged with murdering another man about nine months earlier, prosecutors said on Friday. The latest indictments charge the officer, Christopher Taylor, 29, and another officer, Karl Krycia, 28, with murder and deadly conduct in the fatal shooting of Mauris DeSilva, 46, who had been holding a knife in the hallway of his condominium complex on July 31, 2019. The charges came five months after Officer Taylor had been charged with fatally shooting Michael Ramos, 42, outside an Austin apartment complex on April 24, 2020. The killing of Mr. Ramos, who was Black and Hispanic, set off protests against police violence in Austin about a month before the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis catalyzed global demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism. Mr. DeSilva had severe mental illness and had been holding a knife to his neck when people in the building called 911, according to a lawsuit filed by his father that accuses Officers Taylor and Krycia of knowing that Mr. DeSilva was experiencing a mental health crisis and yet still responding 'as if this were the scene of a violent crime.'"

News Ledes

Weather Channel: "Hurricane Ida is forecast to rapidly intensify into 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. Ida is currently centered 510 miles southeast of New Orleans and is tracking northwest at just over 15 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 80 mph, making Ida a Category 1 hurricane. Interests along the northern Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama should monitor Ida's progress closely and finish hurricane preparations on Saturday." MB: Sunday is the 16th anniversary of the day Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times is live-updating Hurricane Ida developments Saturday: "Hurricane Ida, the rapidly intensifying storm barreling toward Louisiana, could be one of the most powerful to hit the state in more than a century, meteorologists and state officials warned on Saturday. 'We can sum it up by saying this will be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit anywhere in Louisiana since at least the 1850s,' said Gov. John Bel Edwards at a news conference, warning residents that their window to evacuate the area was closing." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of Ida on Saturday are here.

Guardian: "A stubborn wildfire continued its slow march toward the Lake Tahoe resort region, as crews worked in rugged terrain to hold the lines of the blaze. Gusty winds complicated the battle against the Caldor fire on Friday, while dry conditions made vegetation ready to burn. The fire has already consumed more than 143,900 acres and destroyed 469 homes and is just 12% contained. The fire has been the nation's top firefighting priority because of its proximity to Lake Tahoe. Home to thousands, the alpine lake on the California-Nevada border is a prime tourist destination that has been particularly popular during the pandemic. Flames churned through mountains just south-west of the Tahoe Basin on Friday, blanketing the area in smoke at a time when summer vacations should be in full swing."