Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post: “Refusing to remain in Afghanistan for a 21st or 22nd year does not throw doubt on our commitment to, for example, defend Europe from Russia or to counter Chinese aggression against our allies in Asia. Our return to the world stage depends on our willingness to deploy the full array of soft and hard power, including by reengaging international institutions. It is worth noting that 14 years after the fall of Saigon, it was the West – not communism – that was triumphant in Europe. In sum, Biden gave the best speech under the circumstances. He was not defensive. He literally said that the ‘buck stops with me.'”

“The public will reward him if the withdrawal does not lead to a repeat of 9/11. And they will forgive him the chaos if he gets thousands of innocents out of the Taliban hellhole. The urge to wrap up 20 years of ill-conceived war in a thread of recriminations and to project certainty decades into the future is misguided, especially coming from those who got so little right for so long. Is a little humility and patience too much to ask? Perhaps it is, which might explain why our politics falls so tragically short of what the times demand.”

There has never been a better time to decertify AZ and get the ball rolling…

Americans deserve better in the WH.

— Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) August 17, 2021

NBC News: “With Covid-19 surging across the state, Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government in anticipation of an influx of dead bodies, state officials told NBC News. The mortuary trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be stationed in San Antonio and sent around the state at the request of local officials. Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday said the trailers were requested Aug. 4 after officials reviewed data about increasing deaths as a third wave of the coronavirus struck the state. ‘We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as Covid cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,’ Loveday said.”

“What would the motive be? I do not want to hear from conservative pundits that this was incompetence, this was weakness. It’s much more sinister than that. All roads lead to political transformation. Remember this, the most important thing for the Democrats is having permanent political control. Now, you might be saying, alright Charlie. What does the fall of Kabul have to do with Democrats taking over political control? I saw it this morning and our prediction came true. President Joe Biden’s Department of Defense will accept 30,000 Afghan refugees into military installations following the collapse of Kabul. Boom. Political transformation.”

“Let the country crumble – do you know there’s five million displaced people in Afghanistan now? This was all intentional. Joe Biden let it all fall apart to say oh, I’m so sorry… Do you see what’s going on here? What’s going on here is Joe Biden wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omars to come into America to change the body politic permanently. We’re playing checkers and they’re playing chess” – Charlie Kirk on Monday via Media Matters.

https://twitter.com/BriscoeCain/status/1427107050736267269
Long story short, it wasn’t hydrogen sulfide, but methanethiol, a harmless organic compound and the stuff that energy utilities add to natural gas to alert humans to gas leaks (as natural gas on its own doesn’t have an odor), that leaked from a rail car, per NBC Houston. Either way, it’s clear only soy-boy libtards mask up and stay home when they smell it. America First patriots take the danger head on, because Jesus, Smith, and Wesson are the only protection they need.

“A court in Moscow on Monday sentenced another ally of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 1½ years of parole-like restrictions in a controversial case targeting opposition supporters in the wake of mass protests earlier this year. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman and close associate, was found guilty of inciting people to violate coronavirus restrictions. She was barred from attending mass events, traveling outside of Moscow and the outlying region or moving without informing law enforcement. Yarmysh will also have to check in with police once a month.”

“Yarmysh’s lawyer, Veronika Polyakova, told the Interfax news agency the defense would appeal the verdict. It came less then two weeks after another top ally of Navalny, Lyubov Sobol, was convicted on the same charges and sentenced to 18 months of similar restrictions. Ten days ago Navalny’s brother Oleg was also found guilty in the case and handed a one-year suspended sentence. The case against several allies of Navalny was launched shortly after nationwide protests over his arrest and jailing rocked Russia all across its 11 time zones on Jan. 23” – ABC News.

Minnesota Reformer: “Embattled Minnesota Republican Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan on Saturday resigned from the board of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities organization, a spokeswoman said. ‘Jennifer Carnahan reached out to us and resigned from the Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities board of directors on Saturday amidst the recent media attention. Her resignation is effective immediately,’ the spokeswoman said. Carnahan is facing calls for her resignation from the state party from a growing number of Minnesota Republican officials, candidates and affiliated groups for her close ties to Anton Lazzaro, a political operative and major donor who has been indicted on several counts of sex trafficking. Lazzaro led a lavish lifestyle and was the largest individual donor to U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, Carnahan’s husband. Carnahan is refusing to resign her position as MNGOP chair, saying activists and others are attempting a ‘coup,’ according to a Facebook post she wrote Sunday ahead of a MNGOP executive committee meeting. “

The Taliban are the only people building back better.

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 16, 2021

“Following the latest science and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Park Service (NPS) is immediately requiring visitors, employees and contractors to wear a mask inside all NPS buildings and in crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status or community transmission levels. ‘Visitors to national parks are coming from locations across the country, if not across the world. Because of this, and recognizing that the majority of the United States is currently in substantial or high transmission categories, we are implementing a service-wide mask requirement to ensure our staff and visitors’ safety,’ said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge. This requirement will be in effect until further notice and applies to all NPS buildings and public transportation systems. It also applies to outdoors spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as narrow or busy trails and overlooks” – NPS press release.

CNN: “First it was ‘Fear,’ then it was ‘Rage,’ now it is ‘Peril.’ That is the title of the highly-anticipated third book about President Trump from legendary journalist Bob Woodward, this time written with co-author Robert Costa, a Washington Post national political reporter. ‘Peril’ is scheduled for release on September 21, and will closely examine the tumultuous time spanning the November 2020 election, the January 6 insurrection, and President Biden’s inauguration. According to details exclusively obtained by CNN, the book reveals how the transition was ‘far more than just a domestic political crisis’ and ‘one of the most dangerous periods in American history.'”

“‘Peril’ also goes behind the scenes during the earliest days of the Biden administration, just weeks after the attack at the Capitol and as the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage throughout the country. The book’s title comes from a line in Biden’s inaugural address, according to sources familiar with the book. ‘Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go. We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility,’ Biden said on the Capitol steps on January 20.”

Dr Michelle Fiscus, the Tennessee state health official fired in a fight with state Republicans over promoting Coronavirus vaccinations to teenagers and claimed to have been mailed a dog muzzle in as a veiled warning that she was being silenced, actually bought the muzzle herself, Axios reported Monday, citing the results of a state department of homeland security investigation.

Investigators found that Fiscus had the item had been purchased from Amazon with an American Express card in her name. Why a physician who had a pretty good reason to be pissed over being fired from a public health position would do something this fucking stupid is unclear.

FITSnews.com: “Eleven days ago my news outlet reported on the plight of Pressley Stutts – leader of the Greenville Tea Party and a recently elected South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) executive committeeman. Stutts was hospitalized late last month with Covid-19 and attendant illnesses and has been battling them ever since. Stutts has taken a turn for the worse over the last few days – news which took many of his supporters by surprise after he posted a photograph to his Facebook page on Monday touting his progress and noting that he was ‘cautiously optimistic.'”

“Neither Stutts nor his wife – who also contracted Covid-19 but has since been released from the hospital – have been vaccinated against the virus. ‘I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery,’ Stutts noted in a recent Facebook post, quoting Thomas Jefferson. One of the most capable and prominent organizers of the right wing of the SCGOP, Stutts was a key supporter of famed First Amendment attorney (turned conspiracy theorist) Lin Wood – who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent SCGOP chairman Drew McKissick for his leadership post back in May.”

After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment? https://t.co/l1bFrUdZH9

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) August 16, 2021

Daily Beast: “American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who staunch conservatives in the Catholic Church view as something of an anti-Pope Francis, is fighting for his life on a ventilator in a Wisconsin hospital after contracting what he often referred to as the ‘Wuhan Virus.’ The prelate was on a vacation from Rome, where he lives. The 73-year-old cardinal has shown himself to be a COVID-19 denier, publicly scoffing at Italy’s strict lockdown measures during the height of the pandemic and was even seen strolling around Rome mask-free when face coverings were mandated outside.”

“He was the subject of a brief Italian news report that showcased Americans defying Italy’s anti-COVID measures, telling the newspaper that closing Catholic churches and social outdistancing was ‘un-Godly.’ Burke has been one of Pope Francis’ harshest critics, teaming up with Stever Bannon and conservative Italian politician Matteo Salvini to condemn Francis on issues such as immigration and homosexuality. He was also tapped to be the spiritual director of a failed venture by Bannon to develop an alt-right academy in an ancient monastery in the foothills of Rome, which has been curtailed by the Italian government. Pope Benedict XVI, himself a conservative, tapped Burke to be a cardinal in 2010, but Francis almost immediately demoted him from his high-ranking Vatican position as head of the justice department in 2014. He has since rallied conservatives to question the legitimacy of Francis’ papacy through the publication of dubia, or doubts, about what the pope has preached.”

“Police are searching for an MTA motorman who allegedly let a friend operate a D train in Brooklyn on Friday, according to a New York Post report. Cops are also looking to question the woman who was seen on social media operating the train, 28-year-old Dominique Belgrave. According to the report, the motorman – identified as Terrell Harris – allowed Belgrave to drive the D train through the 50th Street, 55th Street and 62nd Street stations in Brooklyn. ‘This is me operating the train right now,’ Belgrave allegedly said in one of multiple videos that were posted to her Instagram account – which she later made private. The report notes that the woman was seen on footage at the controls of the train alone and posing for a selfie with Harris in the cab” 1010 WINS reports.

So a man is wanted by police for letting an unlicensed, unqualified person operate a 417 ton, 670 foot long underground public transport train carrying anywhere from a few dozen to nearly 1,000 passengers for several miles, and while the exact statute violation is unspecified, we can imagine that Harris should probably lawyer up. Meanwhile, the MTA’s president told the New York Post Harris will be “disciplined for the incident” and “I want to assure customers that the operator involved has been removed from service and will no longer be allowed to control a train.” The word “fired” does not appear anywhere in the 1010 WINS article.

Former Rep. Paul Mitchell (I-MI), died of renal cancer on Sunday at age 64, the Detroit News reports. Mitchell had quit the Republican Party on December 14th, 2020 – in the lame duck period following the 2020 election – over his disgust with Trump’s flailing attempts to overturn his loss. The move had effectively no practical implications on the House’s partisan makeup as Mitchell had already declined to run for re-election in his district and left Congress less than 3 weeks later.

At least seven people have been killed at the Kabul airport as desperate Afghans attempt to flee the country with the takeover by Taliban forces, Politico reports.  Hundreds of people chase US military planes on the tarmac attempting to force their way onto an outbound flight.  As the video above shows, a person who was apparently clinging to a wheel fell from an ascending transport plane.

The Stanford University Internet observatory published a pretty in-depth report about former Trump spokesman and deadbeat dad Jason Miller-helmed GETTR. Here are the lowlights:

Controlled Narratives:

Northwest Florida – protect your teenage girls and bring them inside too.

— ButtersUnityLarue (@Buttersunity) August 16, 2021