ALF

With more than 100,000 people in the hospital with Covid-19 in the US, this August is worse than last, expert says There were 100,317 people hospitalized with the virus Wednesday -- more than double the 48,851 in the hospital on the same day last year. Florida has been hit particularly hard with the worst per capita rate in the country -- about 80 hospitalizations per 100,000 people -- followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana, each with more than 55 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, according to HHS data. "I had to turn away a cancer patient that needed an emergency treatment," Florida oncologist Dr. Nitesh Paryani told CNN. "For the first time in sixty years of my family's history of treating cancer, we had to turn someone away ... We just didn't have a bed. There was simply no room in the hospital to treat the patient." https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/26/health/us-coronavirus-thursday/index.html 'I think we already broke:' Mississippi's nurses are resigning to protect themselves from Covid-19 burnout Mississippi now has at least 2,000 fewer nurses than it did at the beginning of the year, according to the Mississippi Hospital Association's Center for Quality & Workforce. The staff shortages add to the growing strain on the state's hospital system -- both due, in large part, to the Covid-19 pandemic. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/25/us/mississippi-covid-nurse-strain/index.html#:~:text=(CNN) Earlier this month%2C,Ocean Springs Hospital%2C told CNN.

Nigel Farage: 'No way' British parliament would vote for military cooperation with America under Biden admin Farage warns international terror threat increasing after Afghanistan pullout https://www.foxnews.com/media/nigel-farage-british-parliament-military-cooperation-biden-afghanistan

"The average hospital stay for Covid-19 has cost Delta $40,000 per person," said the airline. "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company." "This is not just costing lives, this is costing us financial resources as well," Bastain said on CNN Wednesday. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/25/business/delta-unvaccinated-insurance-cost-increase/index.html

BERGEN: Did the Afghan army fight? PETRAEUS: Yes, at the outset; however, once it was clear to commanders on the ground that the Afghan Air Force could no longer respond to simultaneous attacks all around the vast country and provide reinforcements, resupply, air medevac, and close air support, local military and political leaders decided it was best to cut a deal rather than fight to the finish. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/24/opinions/general-david-petraeus-peter-bergen-interview/index.html

Time for insurance companies to require unvaccinated who get covid and end up in the hospital to pay up to half the bill. This would not apply to children , immune compromised or if medical condition prevents vaccine. Would enforce on a case by case basis. They are stressing medical workers beyond their limits when it could be prevented.

FCC proposes $5M fine for election robocalls from conservative activists Conservative activists facing felony charges in Michigan for alleged robocalls discouraging mail-in voting last year now face a more than $5 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission related to the calls. The $5,134,500 proposed fine against John Burkman, Jacob Wohl and J.M. Burkman and Associates, LLC constitutes the largest robocall fine ever proposed under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, according to a statement from the FCC. The FCC fine is related to 1,141 unlawful robocalls to wireless phones between Aug. 26 and Sept. 14, according to the agency. The messages told people that voting by absentee ballot would ensure "personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts." Nessel’s office said at the time that authorities in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois reported similar robocalls being made to residents in their states who live in urban areas with significant minority populations. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/24/fcc-proposes-5-m-fine-election-robocalls-conservative-activists/5578421001/

Taliban say they won't allow Afghans to leave country, reject evacuation extension The Taliban said Tuesday that they were "not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore" and warned that the US must stick to next week's deadline to pull out, as a frantic Western evacuation operation at Kabul airport picked up pace. "The road, which goes to the airport, is blocked. Afghans cannot take that road to go to the airport, but foreign nationals are allowed to take that road to the airport," Mujahid said. "We are not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore and we are not happy with it either," he added. The doctors and academics of Afghanistan "should not leave this country, they should work in their own specialist areas," Mujahid added. "They should not go to other countries, to those Western countries." Many of those fleeing the country since the Taliban took over have been educated people, especially women https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/24/asia/kabul-airport-afghanistan-intl-hnk/index.html

Relax they have been paying back their student loans.

Biden decides to keep August 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan as evacuations accelerate https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/24/politics/joe-biden-g7-afghanistan/index.html

I did there are no charges or convictions except in your mind

I would never defend anyone convicted or what Weaver was trying to do. Give a link to charges and convictions

Give us the list of the Lincoln Project charged and convicted of molesting kids.

My sons would be real happy with 0% interest

Portland police hands-off strategy during violent political clashes criticized by some, praised by mayor Police had directed officers to observe the fights from a distance, a report said The far-right and far-left groups squared off with paintball guns, bats, and chemical spray as they clashed in Northeast Portland -- despite calls by officials and police to remain peaceful. https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-police-hands-off-strategy-violent-political-clashes-criticized-praised-mayor Good let the extremists beat the hell out of each other.

If Biden set the Aug 31 deadline he boxed himself into a corner. He should have said until every American and Afghan allies are safely evacuated. The Taliban would likely not impede their departure.

If a vaccine can keep me out of the hospital and cemetery hit me again (I'm high risk)

Afghanistan among others will give the House and Senate to the Republicans on a silver platter in 2022. Imagine if they made Trump Speaker of the House. I have to agree with Irv , what a mess. As the Constitution does not explicitly state that the speaker must be an incumbent member of the House, it is permissible for representatives to vote for someone who is not a member of the House at the time, and non-members have received a few votes in various speaker elections over the past several years.

Sinema dashes House Dems' hopes for $3.5T infrastructure bill https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/sinema-dashes-house-dems-hopes-for-3-5-t-infrastructure-bill Good , get inflation and the squad under control first.

It depends if the breakthrough people who died had other fatal factors beside covid.

US military gives Biden a deadline to decide on extending Afghanistan evacuations The US military is advising President Joe Biden that he must decide by Tuesday whether to extend the evacuation in Afghanistan beyond August 31, according to a defense official directly familiar with the discussions, though Biden has yet to make a decision. Military advisers have told the White House that the decision must be made by Tuesday in order to have enough time to withdraw the 5,800 troops currently on the ground, as well as their equipment and weapons. If the President agrees, the military anticipates "a few more days" of trying to evacuate as many people as possible before the drawdown of US forces begins, possibly at the end of this week. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/23/politics/afghanistan-kabul-airport-military-deadline/index.html

Marcellus Wiley: Lamar Jackson deserves more money than Josh Allen Former Buffalo Bills defender turned analyst, Marcellus Wiley, sure did fire off a hot take after Josh Allen signed his extension. Still waiting for a long-term extension is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. When it comes time will tell, but Wiley thinks Jackson deserves a bigger pay day. https://billswire.usatoday.com/2021/08/20/marcellus-wiley-lamer-jackson-josh-allen-extension/amp/

The shipping crisis is getting worse. Here's what that means for holiday shopping The vast network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world is badly tangled, and the cost of shipping is skyrocketing. That's troubling news for retailers and holiday shoppers. More than 18 months into the pandemic, the disruption to global supply chains is getting worse, spurring shortages of consumer products and making it more expensive for companies to ship goods where they're needed. "The pressures on global supply chains have not eased, and we do not expect them to any time soon," said Bob Biesterfeld, the CEO of C.H. Robinson, one of the world's largest logistics firms. The latest obstacle is in China, where a terminal at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port south of Shanghai has been shut since August 11 after a dock worker tested positive for Covid-19. Major international shipping lines, including Maersk (AMKBY), Hapag-Lloyd (HPGLY) and CMA CGM have adjusted schedules to avoid the port and are warning customers of delays. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/23/business/global-supply-chains-christmas-shipping/index.html

Taliban: No extension to foreign troop deadline for evacuations The armed group warns of ‘consequences’ if the foreign troops delay their withdrawal over the ongoing evacuation of citizens and vulnerable Afghans . The Taliban will not agree to an extension of the evacuation mission from Afghanistan, a spokesman for the group told British news channel Sky News. The move would mean “extending occupation” and that is “a red line”, Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban delegation in Doha, the capital of Qatar, said on Monday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/afghan-guard-killed-in-armed-clash-at-kabul-airport-live-news

Hope he can stay here long term, Frank Reich II

Put all the tall players in the middle to block a FG