“President Biden to adhere to self-imposed August 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan” the Associated Press reports.

New York Times: “Facing a surge of Covid-19 cases that is straining hospitals, Gov. David Ige of Hawaii asked tourists to stay away. ‘It’s not a good time to travel to the islands,” he said. “The visitors who choose to come to the island will not have the typical kind of holiday that they expect to get when they visit Hawaii.’ The governor’s remarks came at a news conference on Monday after the island of Oahu said it was imposing tighter restrictions on gatherings. Starting Aug. 25, indoor gatherings of more than 10 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 25 will be prohibited in Oahu, Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. The new rule will apply for at least 28 days and will affect all events, including those that are professionally organized, a change from previous restrictions.”

“Today, The Arizona Senate received a portion of the Arizona audit draft report. It lives, it lives. So what you’re saying is, the FULL UNREDACTED report, should be released by 2030. Nice to know you’re making huge progress.”

– The current top comment on the Gateway Pundit article “BREAKING: Portion of Draft Audit Report Delivered To Senate Today – Review Begins Wednesday“, posted late Monday.

“Federal prosecutors are investigating Barry Bennett, a Republican lobbyist and one-time unpaid campaign adviser to former President Donald Trump, over allegations that he secretly set up and funded a U.S.-based advocacy group without disclosing its ties to the government of Qatar, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Bennett founded his lobbying firm, Avenue Strategies, soon after Mr. Trump’s election and signed on to represent Qatar a few months later, according to the firm’s federal lobbying disclosure records. The tiny Gulf nation, which hosts a large U.S. Air Force base, was at the time embroiled in a diplomatic and political conflict with its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The Embassy of Qatar paid Mr. Bennett’s firm about $3 million total between July 2017 and July 2018 for work that included developing ‘a long-term plan to create closer ties between the United States and the State of Qatar,’ according to the records. Prosecutors have presented evidence to a grand jury alleging that Mr. Bennett set up and funded a political group called Yemen Crisis Watch, according to the people familiar with the matter, as a way to embarrass Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., which at the time were enmeshed in a military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. That war has since left thousands dead and fueled what the United Nations described in 2019 as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Yemen Crisis Watch never registered with the U.S. government, as it would have been obligated to do under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if representing foreign interests. Mr. Bennett didn’t report that he set up and funded the organization, a review of FARA filings shows.”

“Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked a Florida judge to issue a preliminary injunction in his case against YouTube that would compel the company to reinstate his access to the platform. Trump’s lawyers said they plan to make similar requests in his suits against Facebook and Twitter in the coming weeks. The request for a preliminary injunction against YouTube argues that a failure to issue one would result in irreparable harm to both Trump as a potential political candidate in the future and the Republican Party as a whole, court documents dated Monday show.”

“Notably, the injunction would allow Trump to continue selling merchandise on YouTube, potentially critical to political fundraising efforts. Trump brought class-action lawsuits against the three Big Tech titans last month, seeking unspecified damages for alleged First Amendment violations that Trump said could total ‘trillions’ of dollars” – New York Post.

CNN: “McDonald’s has been forced to stop selling milkshakes and bottled drinks at nearly 1,300 restaurants in the United Kingdom as Brexit-related staff shortages and supply chain delays caused by the pandemic continue to slam companies. ‘Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products. Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales,’ a spokesperson for the fast food giant said in a statement on Tuesday, confirming news first reported by the Independent. ‘We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank our customers for their continued patience. We are working hard to return these items to the menu as soon as possible,’ the spokesperson added.”

“The director of the CIA met with the Taliban’s top political leader in Kabul amid the ongoing effort to evacuate people fleeing their takeover of Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Tuesday. William Burns’ visit Monday came ahead of a planned meeting among leaders from the Group of Seven nations about the crisis in Afghanistan and a warning from U.N. human rights chief of credible reports of ‘summary executions’ and restrictions on women in areas under Taliban control. That’s fueling fears of what their rule might hold a week before U.S. forces are set to withdraw.”

“Michelle Bachelet urged the Human Rights Council to take ‘bold and vigorous action’ to monitor the rights situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s stunning takeover, as she sought to ensure that international attention on the country doesn’t wane. Taliban leaders have promised to restore security and tried to project an image of moderation, but many Afghans are skeptical and are racing to the leave the country, leading to chaos at Kabul’s international airport. Amid scattered reports, it has been difficult to determine how widespread abuses might be and whether they reflect that Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters on the ground are taking matters into their own hands. Burns traveled to Kabul on Monday to meet Abdul Ghani Baradar. The details of their discussions weren’t immediately known” – AP.

Daily Beast: “Former Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt recounted the ‘terrible feeling of humiliation’ over getting fired by the network after he defended the Fox News decision desk’s early but accurate election night call for President Joe Biden to win Arizona, adding that it was ‘very challenging’ to tell his kids he was suddenly kicked to the curb. Stirewalt was among several former Fox News employees to speak with Australia’s ABC TV for a multi-episode documentary about Fox’s evolution into a propaganda outlet for former President Donald Trump.”

“Discussing his fateful election night coverage, Stirewalt noted that Fox had gone into the evening hyping up its decision desk as ‘best-in-class,’ and how it made it ‘doubly important’ that they were clear and transparent about their voter projections. Specifically, as Stirewalt pointed out, Trump had explicitly laid ‘down a predicate’ to steal the election if it didn’t turn out his way. The early Arizona call, naturally, tossed a wrench in Team Trump’s attempt to declare victory that evening. It also led to confusion on-air for Fox News and extreme anger from the Trump camp that night, who reportedly tried to get the network to reverse the call. At the same time, Stirewalt took to the air to defend the decision desk’s correct projection, prompting backlash from MAGA viewers and Trump himself who directly blamed Fox News for the election loss.”

“With Trump immediately kicking off his ‘Big Lie’ that the election was ‘stolen’ from him after Election Night, Stirewalt said that Trump claiming the election was fraudulent was the ‘worst thing that a president has done in my lifetime’ and that he was personally the target of online abuse and a ‘river of hate’ over the Arizona call. Following the election, Fox News briefly went through a massive ratings slump, seemingly due to enraged Trump supporters abandoning the network in favor of far-right alternatives willing to push Trump’s election lies. Eventually, with the Murdochs in need of scapegoats, Stirewalt was among those ‘purged’ by the network.”

“NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to end his decade as New York’s governor today at 11:59 pm. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will take over as Governor, a transition that breaks another glass ceiling for women in state politics. Hochul will become New York’s first female governor when she takes her oath in private moments after midnight” – 77WABC.

“The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Florida woman accused of throwing a cat locked in a crate into a river. Christa Anne Thistle, 53, has been charged with animal cruelty and simple assault. Deputies were called to the Riverwood Park Campground in Oak Hill shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday. Investigators learned that Thistle and her boyfriend recently broke up and they got into a fight over him not leaving fast enough. That’s when, deputies said, Thistle picked up the ex-boyfriend’s cat, Stanley, who was inside of his crate, and threw him into the river.”

“Thistle’s ex-boyfriend jumped into the water to rescue the cat, deputies said, but the animal was still submerged for 20 seconds. Deputies said Thistle demanded to be taken to jail so she could ‘make a phone call, bond out and kill her ex-boyfriend.’ She was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail where she remained in custody Friday morning” – CBS Miami.

President Joe Biden is expected to decide by Tuesday if the United States should postpone the end-of-month deadline to evacuate Americans and friendly Afghans out of Afghanistan because of the massive logistics required, Reuters reports.

Thousands of Afghans are huddled along the perimeter of the airport in Kabul as they try to get passage aboard of flight out of the country.  Thousands of Americans are also trying to get the Kabul to board flights.  The US State Department have said embassy staff are in communication–through phone, text or email–with Americans to verify their status.

In the last ten days, US military have evacuated 30,000 from Afghanistan.  Since Sunday morning, 16,000 people have left the country, including 11,000 via US military flights.  Biden has ordered 6,000 military personnel to the country to assist with flights and evacuations.  The Biden administration has also engaged private airlines who will be used to fly people out of Afghanistan.

Pushing back against claims of political targeting from Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West, the Dallas Police Department has release the video of the traffic stop that lead to officers arresting his wife, Angela, for driving while intoxicated.  The early part of the video shows the SUV driven by Angela West driving erratically, swerving onto the shoulder multiple times, as well as performing brake taps though there are no vehicles in front of her.  At another point, West appears to stop her vehicle in the middle lane of traffic.

During the traffic stop, West appears to perform the straight line walk adequately, but she has trouble understanding and following the officer’s directions.  When the officers attempt to give her a breathalyzer test, West cannot adequately blow into the tube, and she was subsequently arrested.

It’s come to this:  Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs has released a statement telling the residents of his state to stop taking livestock medications to stop the spread or severity of the coronavirus, stressing that they’re not only dangerous, but they are ineffective against COVID-19, the Associated Press reports.

Conservative politicians and pundits, including Fox News host Laura Ingraham, have promoted the horse deworming medicine ivermectin.  This has led to a shocking increase in calls to poison control centers after people have purchased the drug at farm supply stores.  Mississippi estimates that 70% of calls to poison control stem from people taking drugs meant for animals.

“Patients should be advised to not take any medications intended to treat animals and should be instructed to only take ivermectin as prescribed by their physician,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers wrote in a memo Friday. “Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans.”

“The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot is poised to send notices to various telecommunications companies requesting that they preserve the phone records of several people, including members of Congress,” reports CNN. “The notices are set to go out as soon as this week and provide the first window into the kinds of information the committee plans to pursue.”

“A former associate of Rudy Giuliani is expected to plead guilty to federal campaign finance charges, court documents show. Igor Fruman, a Ukrainian-born businessman, had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges brought by New York federal prosecutors in October 2019. But the case’s court docket says a ‘change of plea’ hearing for Fruman was scheduled for Wednesday. An attorney for Fruman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment” – NBC News.

If this is the new standard — that failure to take measures to alleviate your own health problems are punishable by doctors refusing treatment — the extension of this logic to obesity will certainly be something https://t.co/QBzLZyrOan

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 23, 2021

Two state courts in Virginia handed Republican California Congressman Devin Nunes two losses in his quest to bring SLAP lawsuits against anyone on Twitter who offends or mocks him, the Fresno Bee reports.

Virginia Circuit Court Judge John Marshall dismissed a $250 million complaint Nunes filed against former Republican strategist Liz Mair in which Nunes claimed Mair defamed him and was part of a conspiracy to undermine him.  Marshall ruled that Nunes did not establish that Mair defamed him, saying that Nunes had failed to provide the court with a specific, defamatory statement from Mair.  Nunes also sued Twitter and two anonymous Twitter accounts–known as “Devin Nunes’ cow,” @DevinCow, and “Devin Nunes’ Alt-Mom,” @NunesAlt–in that lawsuit.

Earlier, Judge Claude V. Worrell Jr. of Albemarle County in Virginia shot down another $150 million lawsuit Nunes filed against Mair; in that one, he also sued McClatchy News.  Nunes dropped McClatchy from the suit after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020.  Nunes sued over a published report about a lawsuit an employee filed against Alpha Omega Winery, a California vintner in which Nunes is a limited partner.

Texas Rep Gina Hinojosa: “Last Thursday, Texas voters witnessed a gleeful GOP celebrate and misrepresent the existence of a constitutional quorum on the House Floor. This staged quorum production was not only premeditated, but also premature. We remind our colleagues that there is no such thing as a ‘perpetual quorum.’ Specifically, there must always be a minimum of 100 Members present on the House Floor to establish the quorum necessary to vote on every single piece of legislation. There is no indication or commitment from any Texas House Democrat that this will occur. We have not seen the final versions of any of the divisive bills on the special session call and Republican leadership has not expressed any willingness to negotiate with House Democrats.”

“Some of our Democratic colleagues may be returning to the House floor intermittently to object and preserve a record on the voter intimidation and suppression bill, as well as other pieces of legislation which are harmful to vulnerable Texas families. However, we and our allies and advocates recognize that any Member, at any time, has the right to break quorum should they deem it necessary. Our Congressional leaders have requested that Texas House Democrats present in Washington, D.C. this week for the passage of the historic John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (H.R. 4). We appreciate and accept this invitation as we continue our fight against extreme legislation seeking to restrict, disenfranchise, and criminalize millions of voters in our Black, Brown, disabled and elderly communities. The GOP is attempting to force this voter suppression bill through the Texas Legislature in furtherance of Governor Abbott’s hyper-partisan political agenda. Texas House Democrats remain steadfast and confident in our principled battle to protect equal and fair access to the ballot box for all Texans.”

“Today we are receiving a portion of the draft report from the election audit analysis team. The team expected to have the full draft ready for the Senate today, but unfortunately Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan and two other members of the five-person audit team have tested positive for COVID-19 and are quite sick. In addition to the illnesses, it wasn’t until Thursday that the Senate received the images of the ballot envelopes from Maricopa County and are hoping to have those analyzed as soon as possible to incorporate those results into the final report.”

“The Senate legal team will meet Wednesday to start reviewing the draft report, and when the remainder of the draft is submitted, the Senate team will hold another meeting to continue checking for accuracy, clarity, and proof of documentation of findings. Once that is complete, the final report will be presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee and findings released to the public” says Arizona State Senate President Karen Fann in a press statement.