The end …
The U.S. is officially out of Afghanistan—in the AP’s words, “closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit.”
■ The Taliban have declared, “Everything is peaceful. Everything is safe” …
■ … and say they want “a good and diplomatic relationship with the Americans.”
■ Tribune columnist Rex Huppke: “Something truly remarkable has happened.”
■ Politico: August has been President Biden’s month from hell.
… but not the end.
An Afghanistan veteran writes for The Daily Beast: “Our big lies” about the war live on.
■ Journalists and activists tell CNN which angles of the story need to be covered now.
Desked. A Chicago cop caught on video grabbing a Black woman who was walking her dog in Lincoln Park has been put on administrative leave.
■ Mayor Lightfoot says she wants the investigation given top priority.
■ Block Club Chicago: A new state report shows Chicago police pull over Black drivers seven times more often than white drivers.
■ Within an hour last night, two rideshare drivers were separately tased and carjacked.
Unvaxxed mom’s break. A Cook County judge who ordered a mother not to see her 11-year-old son until she’d been inoculated against COVID-19 has reversed that decision.
■ Add the union representing Chicago firefighters and paramedics to the roster of those opposing Lightfoot’s vaccine mandate. (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
Bus drivers wanted. At least 90 of the Chicago Public Schools’ drivers have quit—many apparently to avoid having to be vaccinated against COVID-19 …
■ … so the school system is offering $1,000 to begin and $500/month after that as reimbursement for families without transport.
■ Dr. Anthony Fauci’s down with requiring vaccination for eligible kids, but Lightfoot says not so fast.
■ A CEO pleads with the mayor to impose a vaccine mandate for Chicago’s business conventions.
Docs’ docs doxxed. The DuPage Medical Group says a July cyberattack exposed as many as 600,000 patients’ personal files—including names, addresses, dates of birth, codes for diagnoses and procedures, treatment dates and Social Security numbers …
■ … so it’s offering free credit monitoring and ID theft protection.
Hurricane’s pain. Ida has left much of Louisiana without electricity in the thick of late-summer heat …
■ … maybe for weeks.
iPhone flaws. If you have an iPhone 12 that goes mute when making or receiving calls, Apple’s offering a free fix.
■ As 10-digit dialing becomes standard nationwide, you’ll want to update the seven-digit numbers in your phone’s address book.
‘You should absolutely watch.’ Critic Aaron Barnhart recommends Hulu’s new series, Only Murders in the Building—premiering today with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
■ Daily Show anchor emeritus Jon Stewart is coming back to (Apple) TV Sept. 30.
No toast, toilet paper, water guns, rice, balloons, confetti, hot dogs or prunes. Anticipating its screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Millennium Park next month, the Chicago Park District is laying down some rules.
■ But some props are OK.
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■ You know, these things don’t write themselves.