Evening Briefing: The war in Afghanistan is now over

August 31, 2021

By Will Dudding

Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday.

President Biden delivering remarks at the White House.Doug Mills/The New York Times

1. President Biden vehemently defended the decision to end the war in Afghanistan.

Speaking from the White House a day after the final transport plane carrying U.S. troops left Kabul, Biden called the operation to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies an "extraordinary success" and declared the end of an era in which the U.S. uses military power "to remake other countries."

Biden blamed former President Donald Trump for negotiating a bad withdrawal deal with the Taliban. "That was the choice, the real choice between leaving or escalating," he said. "I was not going to extend this forever war."

Hours earlier, the Taliban's spokesman declared victory in their two-decade fight against U.S. occupation as he toured the Kabul airport, where thousands had sought to flee. Afghans roaming the streets of Kabul began to assess what life would be like under Taliban rule.

With the exit from Afghanistan, the U.S. faces a new dilemma: how to deal with the new Taliban government. Some of the issues include how deeply to cooperate against a mutual enemy, ISIS-K, and whether to release $9.4 billion in Afghan government currency reserves that are frozen in the U.S.

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Dade Phelan, the Republican speaker of the Texas House, gaveling in the votes in Austin.Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman, via Associated Press

2. The Texas Legislature passed a bill that will tighten what were already some of the nation's strictest voting rules.

The new voting restrictions are a victory in Republicans' national push to change voting rules and alter the administration of elections in the wake of false claims about the 2020 presidential election. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill.

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The legislation forbids balloting methods introduced last year to make voting easier during the pandemic, including drive-through polling places and 24-hour voting, as well as temporary voting locations. It also bars election officials from promoting the use of vote by mail and greatly empowers partisan poll watchers.

Downed lines in Houma, in southeast Louisiana, on Monday. Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times

3. Officials in Louisiana warned that recovery from Hurricane Ida could take days or even weeks.

Search-and-rescue efforts continued for those still stranded, and more than one million homes and businesses remained without power on the Gulf Coast. At least five deaths have been attributed to the storm, officials said. Here are some ways to help.

Ida, now a tropical depression, produced strong rains across Tennessee as it moved northeast. The storm and its threat of flooding were expected to reach the Mid-Atlantic States tomorrow.

A firefighter working to save a home in Meyers, Calif., on Tuesday.Max Whittaker for The New York Times

4. After bursting across a ridge, the Caldor fire threatens tens of thousands of homes and hotels that ring Lake Tahoe.

Thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated from South Lake Tahoe, the most populous city on the lake. The fire has advanced despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters, backed by 25 helicopters, more than 400 fire engines and 70 water trucks.

The Caldor fire has been humbling and harrowing for California firefighters. Experts say it lays bare a certain futility in trying to fully control the most aggressive wildfires.

Use our tracker to follow the fires in the West.

Anti-mask protesters shouting during a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Aug. 24. Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, via Associated Press

5. Many Republican governors are doubling down on resisting vaccine and mask requirements.

The actions that several governors have taken against coronavirus restrictions reveal how the politics of the Republican Party's base have hardened when it comes to curbing Covid. As some Republican-led states, including Florida, confront their most serious outbreaks yet, even rising death totals are being treated as less politically damaging than imposing coronavirus mandates.

In the European Union, 70 percent of adults are now fully vaccinated, which puts the bloc among the world's leaders. This compares with 63 percent of adults in the U.S.

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Mike Richards, whose tenure as the executive producer of "Jeopardy!" has come to an end.Carol Kaelson, via Reuters

6. Mike Richards, the executive producer of "Jeopardy!", will leave the program entirely.

It has been a stunning downfall for a game-show impresario who just three weeks ago had secured one of the most coveted jobs in television as the replacement for Alex Trebek.

Richards quit as "Jeopardy!" host on Aug. 20 after a report revealed offensive and sexist comments he made on a podcast several years ago. After signaling support for Richards to stay on as executive producer, Sony cited ongoing "disruption and internal difficulties" and announced that he would immediately exit.

Separately, nine days into R. Kelly's trial, five accusers have testified that the singer had sexual contact with them when they were underage.

Ashleigh Barty won Wimbledon in July.Pool photo by Peter Nicholls

7. Ashleigh Barty, the top-ranked women's singles player, won her first U.S. Open match.

Barty, who has never reached the quarterfinals in her five U.S. Open appearances, defeated Vera Zvonareva to advance to the second round. Barty has won 12 straight matches, including her second major title at Wimbledon.

At 7 p.m., Novak Djokovic will enter the Open looking to win a record-setting 21st career Grand Slam title. Djokovic will face Holger Rune, an 18-year-old from Denmark. Follow our live coverage.

Last night, Naomi Osaka won her first-round match. If there's one thing about Osaka, our sports reporter writes, it's that nothing with her is routine.

From left, four performers about to hit Broadway: Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Yael "YaYa" Reich, Tomás Matos and Atticus Ware.Erik Tanner for The New York Times

8. After over a year of waiting, Broadway's young dancers finally get to show their stuff.

Atticus Ware, 13, has done a lot of worrying that he might physically outgrow his role in the new musical "Flying Over Sunset," which was hours from its first preview when the pandemic hit and the industry froze. Now he's relieved, since he's almost certain — but not quite — to debut a role he was meant to play at 11.

"Because, I mean, you never know," he said. "I could hit a giant growth spurt in the next few months, or my voice could drop."

As summer turns into fall, opportunities to catch classical music options in New York are increasing. The deluge of performances is just beginning.

Kanye West recreated his childhood home for a stadium event in Chicago ahead of his album release.Joshua Mellin

9. Kanye West's "Donda" is expected to have one of the biggest opening weeks of the year.

Our pop music critic calls the rollout for West's 10th album "a multimedia soap opera." The music itself has been in flux — different versions of "Donda" have been played at separate listening events — and West's refining of it can be seen as his true artistic project.

"Instead of focusing on "Donda" as an album, or a playlist version of an album, it's helpful to think of it more like theater," writes Jon Caramanica. "It has gone from regional company to Off Broadway to the Great White Way — each stop on that journey matters."

And if you have five minutes, The Times's staff and musicians have compiled a short list of pieces to make you fall in love with the trumpet.

Jessica Paquette visits Brickbat, left, and My Teddy Bear in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.Cindy Schultz for The New York Times

10. And finally, no thoroughbred left behind.

Jessica Paquette, a self-described "weird horse girl," learned about pedigree and pace after school, from old-timers at a racetrack. Now, more than three decades later, she keeps a busy schedule as a handicapper, an analyst, an equestrian and a communications director at a foundation that works to protect retired horses. She even boards a few at a farm.

Those connections to the horse world have paid off. This month, she picked the horse that won the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational, which rewarded $2 bettors with a $44.20 payoff.

But that's not the only way horses have enriched her life. "Everything I have is because of horses," she said.

Have a fulfilling evening.

Bryan Denton and Marcus Payadue compiled photos for this briefing.

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