Welcome to Your Week. All eyes are on Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has fallen. And Americans are asking: What about the last 20 years?
Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Sunday and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government. Today, the chaos continues, and Paste BN journalists are working hard to bring you the news as it happens, with coverage spanning from jarring reports of fleeing civilians to the views of war veterans.
Can't-miss coverage exclusive to Paste BN subscribers:
- Exclusive analysis from Paste BN's Susan Page: This is President Biden's biggest defeat, fair or not.
- They led the war in Afghanistan. Now, defense secretaries say the U.S. 'invented reasons' to stay in Afghanistan.
- Is Kabul 'Biden's Saigon'? The haunting images of a chaotic exit out of Afghanistan are evoking comparisons to the retreat from Vietnam.
- Former President Donald Trump blamed Biden, even before the Taliban marched into Kabul on Sunday. Would the withdrawal have been 'much more successful' under Trump?
I'm Alex, an audience editor at Paste BN, and this is Your Week.
If you're new here: Hello! Let me tell you a bit about this newsletter. Every Monday, I round up the best of Paste BN's premium content in this exclusive newsletter for subscribers like you. Today that includes Afghanistan, hemlock, Matt Gaetz and cryptocurrency.
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The best stories from last week
- Refuse to get a vaccine? You might be hit with expensive medical bills and employer mandates.
- In Opinion: Our California ranch was idyllic. But Earth will never be that green again.
- Summer films were 'absolutely necessary.' Here's what to know about moviegoing heading into an unstable fall.
- A visual guide to identifying the invasive, and deadly, hemlock plant.
- Where's Matt Gaetz? Not in his Florida Panhandle district, rather 'everywhere but here.'
- Not OK, boomers: Why your future Social Security benefits may be much less than promised.
Are you considering crypto?
The fear of missing out on record-high stock prices has pushed more young Americans to try day trading for the first time. But for people who kept their jobs during last year’s COVID-19 recession and are flush with stimulus money and savings, there’s an anxiety to cash in big on everything from GameStop to cryptocurrencies.
It’s easy to see why.
The stock market has surged nearly 100% since March 2020. AMC, a struggling cinema chain, has managed to soar more than 1,490%. Robinhood, the online trading platform that catapulted AMC to new heights, also has been a market darling, shooting up more than 60% since it went public on July 29.
The ability to become rich quickly seems close at hand, especially for young people. But the drive to get in on the action comes with big risks. Read the full story here.
- More: Black, Latino, LGBTQ investors see crypto investments like bitcoin as "a new path" to wealth and equity.
Stories we can't get enough of
Mother doesn't always know best | Is your mother-in-law selfish? Controlling? Needy? Psychologists say there's a painful truth behind toxic mother-in-laws. Paste BN's Alia E. Dastagir reports they are women typically living with mental illness, many afflicted with one or more personality disorders that make it difficult for them to empathize with others or ever clearly see themselves.
Where's the aid? | Federal moratoriums on evictions have protected renters from losing their homes. But millions of Americans have yet to receive emergency rental assistance. The numbers: About $25 billion in federal money poured into states and cities in February to help renters unable to make payments amid the pandemic, followed by the March approval of another $21.55 billion. Yet only $3 billion – or $6.5% – had been distributed to landlords and their tenants as of the end of June.
'I am not the enemy' | Threats, shouts and cursing peppered Williamson County health care workers, who for the past 18 months have been on the front lines of the pandemic in Tennessee. The vitriol hurled against them came from a mob of hundreds of anti-mask parents who were enraged that doctors and nurses asked the school board to pass a mask requirement for students in the district just south of Nashville. The Tennessean's Brinley Hineman reported on the aftermath of that viral meeting.
Finally, more news we're watching today
- 'Losses will be high': How Haiti's earthquake compares with its 2010 quake in size, devastation.
- Tropical Storm Fred, Tropical Depression Grace among 3 storms raging in Atlantic Basin.
- Mapping CDC's new guidelines: High transmission areas where you need to wear a mask indoors.
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Thanks for reading, and for subscribing. As always, look for Your Week in your inbox next Monday. Want to chat about the news? Feel free to respond to this email.
Alex