That is hardly the impression one gets in Afghanistan, where the American pullout has provided a new momentum to the Taliban’s insurgency, punctured only with occasional, half-hearted U.S. airstrikes. If the Taliban’s ascent to power is indeed just a matter of time, Biden’s presidency thus risks overseeing the most dramatic rollback of women’s rights in the world in a generation as well as the re-emergence of Afghanistan as a safe haven for terrorist groups and as a place for regional power competition....

Although all these schools have demonstrated continuing excellence, various qualities made many of them stand out in 2004. The Iraq war, as well as its aftermath, highlighted the importance of well-educated military leadership and made some students think of applying to Annapolis or West Point. The debate over Early Decision (ED) admissions policies prompted a number of applicants to try schools like Yale or Stanford that have led the effort to reduce ED stress on students....

During a virtual press conference Monday, nurses from some of the country’s most hard-hit areas—Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Florida—shared harrowing stories about the emotional and physical strain that the pandemic is putting on hospital systems. “We are tired, mentally, physically, and emotionally, but we do get energized when we fight back and speak up. The infections keep going up, and it feels like there’s no end in sight,” said Juan Anchondo, a nurse in El Paso, Texas....

When final numbers were compiled from the 2020 U.S. Census, statistics showed all of the nation’s population growth over the last decade came from people of color, as population counts from the nation’s white majority saw a near double-digit decline. The nation’s politics have become more diverse too, with today’s 117th U.S. Congress considered the most racially and ethnically diverse in history—just as the five previous Congresses were. Despite all of this, some experts say both Republicans and Democrats are ignoring people of color....

Kenin overcame a deficit in both sets to upset the Open’s top seed, and the home country’s favorite, to win it 7-6, 7-5, in the women’s semifinal. Kenin, 21, advances to face the winner of Thursday’s other semifinal between No. 4-seeded Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza. The journey to the Australian Open wasn’t an easy path for Kenin, and not just who she faced along the way. Her parents moved to New York City in 1987 to flee the Soviet Union, but returned to Moscow in 1998 for the birth of Sofia so she could be raised with the help of other family members....

One unnamed passenger told WBZ-TV: “I kept smelling a funny smell, and I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I thought someone had an upset stomach, so I ignored it.” Another passenger said: “It smelled kind of more like a sort of burning smell I would have thought. But more like a strange burning smell.” Boston Emergency Medical Services said that they took 10 crew members to hospitals for evaluation, according to CBS Local....

And then I opened up the paper and saw that the negotiations for a peaceful resolution were taking place in Haikou, the capital of the Hainan Island, where the Navy spy plane made its emergency landing. Suddenly, it all made sense: Perhaps the negotiations were not merely taking place in Haikou, but were actually being conducted in haiku, a popular form of Japanese minimalist poetry. If so, our negotiators, unable to communicate in this ancient language of diplomacy, are clearly hamstrung....

I’m talking about Quorn, a new meat substitute from England that recently began showing up in American grocery stores–and later in the headlines. “Sounds Like Corn, Tastes Like Chicken,” said the Washington Post. “But It’s Made From… Are Sure You Want to Know?” “What’s in Those Nuggets?” the New York Times asked two months later. “Meat Substitute Stirs Debate.” Here’s the “debate” in a nutshell (or, in this case, under a thick, garlicky breading): Quorn Foods claims that the main ingredient in its frozen Quorn nuggets, Quorn tenders, Quorn cutlets and even Quorn lasagna–a fungus known as Fusarium venenatum–is “mushroom in origin....

In 2022, there will be plenty of stars in the fold. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Aaron Rodgers are all returning for a reMatch, along with newly-minted NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry, his brother Seth and his father Dell. Outside of athletes, the likes of Anthony Anderson and Colin Jost will play. Here’s a look at everyone who will be in the American Century Championship. MORE: McDowell says decision to join LIV was about money...

The life cycle of political phenomena often mirrors this catastrophic astronomical event. And the dramatic ascendancy and complete takeover of the GOP by Donald Trump signals that American conservatism has gone supernova, which invariably means that the conservative movement is in its final death throes. It is not surprising that American conservatism is dying, if brilliantly so, as it lacks the fuel—ideas and values—needed to sustain it. The movement, after all, has been intellectually and morally bankrupt for some time....

For those not acutely tuned into TikTok drama, Claudia Conway is the 16-year-old daughter of Kellyanne Conway, a former-Trump Senior Advisor, and George Conway, a founding member of the currently imploding conservative anti-Trump super PAC The Lincoln Project. Claudia’s parents are known for being a 21st century Mary Matalin and James Carville, with less bipartisan shenanigans and more Twitter fighting. And their daughter has been involved, too: Claudia gained notoriety in 2020 for speaking out against Donald Trump on social media, despite her mother’s role in his administration....

Bournemouth are apparently the latest English club to be linked with a U.S.-led takeover, with reports suggesting that businessman Bill Foley is leading a bid to buy out the Cherries. Foley, who is the majority owner of the NHL team Vegas Golden Knights, is in exclusive talks to buy the south-coast club, according to The Athletic. More: Meet Joshua Cohen, the American keeper competing in the UEFA Champions League...

The body was identified as 24-year-old tourist Tariq Quadir Loat, a resident of Wilmington, on Tuesday, multiple news outlets have reported. Loat had gone missing three days earlier when he and a friend, James Jackson, were attacked after buying drugs in the shantytown of La Perla, according to news agency AP. Police Commissioner Antonio Lopez Figueroa reportedly said that the pair had purchased unspecified drugs on Saturday. They were then trying to take photographs on an area in La Perla after people told them not to and a dispute broke out....

The 18-year-old winger bagged his first Champions League goal for Borussia Dortmund, adding an assist in the same match, and saw his club move into the quarterfinals of Europe’s top competition. MLS Podcast: Week 2 It was a monumental moment for the youngster, but he and his teammates will have to get focused again quickly. Saturday sees BVB on the road against Hertha BSC and John Brooks, with the Berliners trailing Dortmund by just six points and two places in the table....

Instead fans were treated to an incredible clash, but one that featured the two teenagers suffering through quite a bit of disappointment on the day. Pulisic returned to the Dortmund lineup, making a bit of history in the process as the youngest non-German to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances, hoping to provide a spark after missing the last two contests with injury. He did that early on as a key part of the build-up to Dortmund’s opener....

On November 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its vaccine guidance to recommend that those aged 18 or older in the country should get a booster shot once six months had passed from the date of their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two months from their initial J&J shot. Booster shots have become particularly significant recently due to the recent emergence of the Omicron COVID variant, which the CDC said “further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts....

Global food stability is already a problem, and it may only get worse. Projections show the world’s total human population is set to reach 8 billion by November this year and around 9.7 billion by 2050, according to United Nations projections. Already, about 870 million people around the world do not have access to enough safe and nutritious food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it is estimated that food demand could increase by up to 100 percent by 2050....

A Morning Consult poll found that 59 percent of Americans lacked confidence in the ability of Congress to contain a coronavirus outbreak. Just 23 percent had confidence in Congress. There is also widespread worry about the novel coronavirus, with 74 percent of Americans either very or somewhat concerned about the situation. The poll of a national sample of 2,200 adults was conducted online between January 24 and January 26, with the results published on Monday evening....

The reasons are both practical and political. For one, the United States may already have all the troops it needs. Out of 2 million active-duty soldiers and 1.6 million reservists and National Guardsmen, there are now about 500,000 troops in the gulf “We have a long way to go before we’ll need more forces,” says Pentagon spokesman William Caldwell. Politically, conscription is about as popular as Saddam Hussein at a Fourth of July party - a point that seems not to have escaped George Bush....

Rep. Bill Sanderson, from Kenton, Tennessee, cited the health of his son-in-law, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, and his business as his reasons for stepping down. Sanderson’s voting record identifies him as a hard-line Republican who voted staunchly against LGBTQ interests. He has voted against bills that would have given access to bathrooms to trans students, strongly opposed the Supreme Court marriage ruling, supported two separate bills that allowed therapists and adoption agencies to discriminate against gay people, and voted against allowing municipalities in Tennessee to enact LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances....