Wednesday, August 26, 2021
BY SARAH LAZARUS & CROOKED MEDIA

 -Ron DeSantis, that guy

Islamic State terrorists carried out a deadly attack in Kabul in the final days before the U.S.'s scheduled completion of its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, to the horror of millions around the world, and to the barely concealed glee of Republicans hoping to wield it as a political cudgel against Joe Biden.
 

  • Two suicide bombers struck amid dense crowds outside the airport in Kabul on Thursday, killing 13 U.S. servicemembers and wounding 18 more. Dozens of Afghan civilians trying to flee the country were killed, including children, and more than 100 were wounded. The first explosion took place outside Abbey Gate, one of the airport’s main entrances, and the second at the nearby Baron Hotel. ISIS-K, the Islamic State’s Aghan affiliate, has claimed responsibility for the attack, which marked the first U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan since February 2020, when the ceasefire the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban took effect.
     
  • The explosions came after repeated warnings from the Biden administration and other western governments that ISIS could pose a serious threat to the evacuation process. Late on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Kabul warned Americans to avoid traveling to the airport and to leave the perimeter immediately, citing security threats. The U.S. Marines at Abbey Gate had been briefed on the possibility of a suicide bomber, but continued to process people for evacuation. “Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Thursday.
     
  • Austin also indicated that the military would continue its evacuation efforts: “We will not be dissuaded from the task at hand.” President Biden echoed that sentiment in an address on Thursday evening, and pledged to retaliate against those responsible for the bombings: “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.” Biden reiterated that he stands by his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, and took a moment to give Fox News’s Peter Doocy a well-deserved wedgie: “I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late. But here's the deal: You know, I wish you'd one day say these things, you know as well as I do, that the former president made a deal with the Taliban.”

To nobody’s surprise, conservatives have wasted no time in dishonestly painting a foreseen terror attack on foreign soil as an egregious Biden administration goof-up.
 

  • As the scope of the tragedy was still becoming clear, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX)—who tried to overturn the 2020 election—piped up to claim that “Biden has blood on his hands,” and House Republicans dutifully retweeted him on their conference's official account. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have called for Biden’s resignation, based on the very simple premise that Biden has proven himself unfit by withdrawing U.S. troops from a war zone and also by allowing U.S. troops to get hurt in a war zone. Anyway, here’s Hawley back in April revealing August Hawley to be full of shit: “President Biden should withdraw troops in Afghanistan by May 1, as the Trump administration planned, but better late than never.”
     
  • The “late” August 31 deadline is fast-approaching, with more attacks still potentially ahead. Several U.S. allies announced over the last day that they were halting evacuation efforts from the Kabul airport, some even before the explosions took place. The State Department said on Thursday that it was in contact with the roughly 1,000 U.S. citizens believed to still be in Afghanistan, and that roughly two-thirds said they were taking steps to leave. (Some could be sticking around by choice.) Another 500 Americans were evacuated in the last 24 hours. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the U.S. Central Command, warned that the danger isn’t over: “We have other active threats against the airfield.”
 

Thursday’s attack was a heartbreaking preview of the threats and instability that lie ahead for Afghans who aren’t able to leave, but disregard those who frame it as an indictment of the Biden administration’s withdrawal strategy: Biden has repeatedly cited the high risk of terror attacks as a reason to stick to the August deadline, under enormous pressure from the GOP and the press to extend it. The situation could deteriorate further in the next few days, but there are still ways to help Afghan refugees and those still in the country—if you’re able, here’s where you can donate

Typical children’s vitamins have too much sugar and not enough actual vitamins. But Hiya vitamins, designed for kids of all ages, are made with zero sugar, and they’re non-GMO, vegan, and dairy-free. Hiya is made from a blend of 12 farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, supercharged with 15 essential vitamins and minerals. And the best part is you can get them sent straight to your door. Order now and get 50% off your first purchase.

Texas and Kentucky have become the latest states to break their pandemic-era hospitalization records, as GOP governors help the Delta variant overcome widely available vaccines to reach its full nightmarish potential. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) has asked 2,500 more health-care workers from across the country to help ease the strain on Texas’s overwhelmed hospital system, two weeks after deploying his first wave of more than 2,500 out-of-state personnel. Just to make sure those nurses have something to do, presumably, Abbott has also announced a new ban on government-issued coronavirus-vaccine mandates in Texas, regardless of whether those vaccines have been fully approved by the FDA (thus filling a Pfizer-shaped loophole in his previous vaccine mandate ban). Private businesses in the state are still banned from requiring proof of vaccination from customers under a new law. 

The dark-money group No Labels reportedly offered to raise $200,000 for two of the nine moderate Democrats threatening to tank President Biden’s agenda if they would cancel an appearance at a fundraiser hosted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week. Two congressional sources told The Intercept that the group dangled the money in front of Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), both of whom were scheduled to appear at the event, which would have complicated the group’s effort to present a united front against Democrats’ reconciliation bill. (And specifically, the tax increases for obscenely wealthy individuals therein.) Bourdeaux attended the fundraiser, while Gonzalez canceled his appearance; both his advisor and the executive director of No Labels denied that they made any agreement. But back in June, the group’s co-founder was pretty explicit about her plan to shower reward money on lawmakers who voted the way No Labels wanted. 

In 2021 mental health is finally a thing, especially as people are not feeling like their normal selves. Let’s support one another and talk openly. Whether or not therapy is your thing, knowing it’s available and affordable is important, for you or perhaps a loved one.  

Millions of people are trying and loving online therapy. It doesn’t have to be sitting around just talking about your feelings.

So, what is therapy, exactly? It’s whatever you want it to be.

You can privately talk to someone if your stress is too much to manage, you’re battling a temper, having relationship issues, anxiety, depression, etc… Whatever you need, there’s no more shame in these normal human struggles. We take care of our bodies, why not our minds, too? Without a healthy mind, being truly happy and at peace is HARD.

BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours.

It’s always a good time to invest in yourself, because you are your greatest asset. See if online therapy is for you by heading to BetterHelp.com/crooked for 10% off your first month.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) has issued a vaccine mandate for health-care workers and teachers, and reinstated a state-wide indoor mask mandate. 

A federal judge has rejected a GOP effort to snatch up control of the redistricting process in Illinois.

Virginia polling shows Democrats in the lead for all statewide offices. Help keep it that way: votesaveamerica.com/nooffyears


A federal court has blocked Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) order barring the transportation of certain migrants, in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU.

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