Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, August 18, 2021:
TALIBAN TAKEOVER
The Taliban is moving quickly to consolidate power in Afghanistan, holding news conferences and conducting media interviews meant to assure Afghans that the militant group will not retaliate against those who worked with U.S. forces over the last two decades. The group is also calling for Afghan women to join the new government, despite its history of oppression and violence. The Taliban’s longtime spokesman made his first-ever public appearance to say the country will not be used as a safe haven for terrorists as it was pre-9/11. Meanwhile, more U.S. troops have landed in Kabul to secure the airport and speed up the pace of air evacuations. AP
AFGHAN REFUGEES
The EU is preparing for an influx of Afghan migrants that could rival the 2015 refugee crisis in Syria. The geopolitical conditions have changed since then, and countries like Germany that opened their doors to those migrants are signaling that they will be less hospitable this time around. As for the U.S., former President Bush is urging the Biden administration to “cut the red tape” and expedite the resettlement of Afghans trying to flee Taliban rule. DALLAS MORNING NEWS
TX GOV HAS COVID
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID and is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, despite being fully vaccinated. Abbott is at least the 11th governor to test positive since the pandemic started. He is also one of the few governors to ban mask mandates anywhere in the state, leading to one Texas school district making masks part of its dress code to get around Abbott’s executive order. NBC NEWS
DESPAIR IN HAITI
The death toll from last weekend’s earthquake in Haiti is approaching 2,000, with nearly 10,000 injured. Survivors have been using makeshift shelters to keep safe as the area near the epicenter of the quake was hit with flooding and mudslides from Tropical Storm Grace. The recovery effort is slow going, in part because the only road linking the southern part of the country to the capital has come under fire from armed gangs. If you’re looking for ways to help, here’s a list of vetted organizations working in Haiti: SEE IT
RETAIL SALES
The impact of the pandemic’s summer resurgence is starting to manifest in the economic data. Retail sales dropped 1.1% in July, more than the expected 0.3% decline as Americans started to pump the brakes on spending in stores, restaurants and online (car sales actually fared the worst, due to the ongoing chip shortage). The retail sales data is important because 70% of the U.S. economy is made up by consumer spending, but it also doesn’t include spending on many “services” like airline tickets. Credit card data shows those transactions are also down. CNN
TALI-BANNED
The last time the Taliban was in control of Afghanistan, social media did not exist. This time, the militant group is hoping to make use of it -- and that’s creating a new problem for platforms like Twitter and Facebook, especially given that the former U.S. president remains banned on both. Several Taliban spokesmen are using Twitter to communicate directly with the public, with the company appearing to allow Taliban accounts to stay up so long as they don’t break its rules on promoting violence. Facebook and TikTok have both taken a harder line, banning accounts that promote content related to the Taliban. CNET
OSAKA MEETS THE PRESS
Naomi Osaka returned to face questions from the media for the first time since she pulled out of the French Open in May after refusing to speak to reporters. Back in front of the press ahead of a tournament in Ohio, Osaka took three questions before a columnist from the Cincinnati Enquirer asked the tennis star how she balanced her aversion to the media with “a lot of outside interests that are served by having a media platform.” That question caused Osaka to tear up before leaving the podium to compose herself, while her agent called the reporter a “bully” whose “sole purpose was to intimidate”: WATCH
BABY MAKES THREE
Pete and Chasten Buttigieg are new daddies. The transportation secretary and his husband have announced that they are welcoming their first child, noting that “the process isn’t done yet” but that they’re “overjoyed” at becoming parents. The happy news is a marker of visibility for same-sex couples striving to become parents. PEOPLE
SPOTTED...
...Alex Rodriguez, opening up in his first interview since splitting with J. Lo: WATCH
...the first look at the upcoming season five of The Crown, featuring Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Di: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: NFL HOLD-INS
Something new has been happening across NFL training camps this preseason. A clause in the latest collective-bargaining agreement fines players in the process of renewing their contracts $50,000 a day if they don’t show up to camp while those negotiations play out. The change was meant to fix the problem of big-name players refusing to show up to practice until their new contracts are signed, sealed and delivered. But the savviest stars have found a workaround: they show up, but don’t actually do anything. In Pittsburgh, T.J. Watt has been running laps around the practice field. In Seattle, Duane Brown and Jamal Adams have both been reporting for camp and doing everything but touching a football (although it looks like that's about to change for Adams.). And in Miami, Xavien Howard had been sitting on the sidelines with an ankle injury that miraculously disappeared as soon as his new deal was signed. WSJ
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