Trump has signaled at different times throughout his term that he wants to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, which has resulted in some troop reductions… [he] should finally and completely ignore the countless Washington foreign-policy “experts” who have been consistently wrong on Afghanistan. He should trust his instincts.

…let us not pretend that Trump is in any way a serious critic of American empire. In this as in many areas, he occasionally talks a big heterodox game while being ultimately a bog-standard Republican.

Much to the dismay of his detractors, Trump’s efforts toward peace have proven to be remarkably successful… This year, the Trump administration has seen tremendous success in peacemaking in the region with the historic peace between the UAE and Israel – an unprecedented victory for all parties involved.

US President Donald Trump knew Covid-19 was deadlier than the flu before it hit the country but wanted to play down the crisis, according to [Woodward.]

[.]  days after the White House declared the pandemic a national emergency, the president told Woodward: “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”

[There’s been] criticism that Woodward sits on material that’s in the public interest to goose his book sales. “Bob Woodward reporting this in March would not have changed the course of history… I agree that it’s a bad norm, that reporters do this I just don’t think [Woodward] has 180,000 deaths on his hands.”

Every president who has cooperated with Woodward to some extent or another has been driven by the appeal of dealing with someone with the sort of influence they believe can shape how they are not just perceived in the moment but remembered. The appeal of telling the “real” story to a journalist of Woodward’s stature, bringing him in behind the curtain, is irresistible.

Democrats present themselves with tiresome repetitiveness as the party of science. It’s a false claim. And vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris seems determined to prove it by veering into anti-vaccine conspiracy theory territory and raising questions about the safety of any coronavirus vaccine approved while President Trump is in office.

…so she did not disparage the vaccine. She disparaged Trump, who has proved his dishonesty, if not self-delusion, time and time again.

Are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris trying to prolong the pandemic? [.] The anti-Trump media, too, are playing this game: “Scientists Worry About Political Influence Over Coronavirus Vaccine Project,” The New York Times blared.

It’s time we stop apologizing for Zionism and make it the new frontier of Israel activism. Activist groups would be wise to rally around this message: Discrimination against Zionist students is unacceptable, with or without anti-Semitism, and saying “I am a Zionist” is as legitimate and worthy of respect as saying “I am a Jew.”

“Identity Zionism” is the belief that Israel and Jewish peoplehood are platforms for finding meaning, for learning, for grassroots community building. It’s the belief that Zionism is not just a political movement but one that strengthens and enriches Jewish identity, peoplehood, community, and life wherever Jews live.

For Berman, Jews must take part in the BLM movement because it is greater than the sum of the uglier sentiments held by some of its participants… The key, she asserted, is to engage in the causes of others without giving up our own. “We show up with our full authentic selves, we push back on the antisemitism, and we do the justice work that is a part of who we are — just as Zionism is a part of my identity as a Jew, so is my commitment to the advancement of social justice,” she said.

…millions of people don’t align with the party their race and ethnicity or education would predict. Case in point: In 2016, more than a third of President Trump’s support nationally came from non-Hispanic white Americans with college degrees (26 percent) and Asian, Black and Hispanic voters (12 percent)…

If the US had the same death rate as Canada, nearly 109,000 Americans wouldn’t have died from Covid-19. If the US had the same death rate as Germany, more than 152,000 Americans wouldn’t have died from Covid-19. If the US had the same death rate as Australia, more than 179,000 Americans wouldn’t have died from Covid-19.

In California, fires have now charred some 2.5 million acres — a modern record and nearly 20 times what had burned at this time last year. In Washington, a wildfire pushed into suburban communities near Tacoma. And in Oregon, officials said hundreds and perhaps more than a thousand homes had already been destroyed.

It’s more likely the Kardashians are simply retooling for a move to a more online place, whether that be streaming on Netflix, TikTok or the next big internet craze no one has heard about yet. Once upon a time, the Kardashians needed a cable TV series. But not anymore. And in the process, these reality television stars created an ecosystem that no longer needs television.

The family have also been hit by personal struggles as Kim’s husband Kanye West, 43, suffered a very public breakdown and Kim reportedly refused to reference Kanye’s episode on the show. Kim’s concern for her family life may well be behind the decision to call it quits on the show, as the majority of scenes are now based around Kim and her sister Khloe.

E!’s parent company, NBCUniversal, has been hard hit financially by COVID, and E! just lost its other flagship show “E! News” in the economic fallout… Sources said that when the Kardashians had floated their exit in the past, E! was able to dangle ever-larger checks to bring them back — but this time, the pockets aren’t so deep.