#IStandWithBiden — the Big Guy is going to brazen it out

This will work well enough with political partisans but the hard rivals of America will see it for an exercise in trying to cast incompetence as resoluteness. They will note: He didn’t anticipate the outcome of his own orders; He spent a long time sequestered writing a speech; His ultimate reaction was to deny the …

The finger pointing begins

American intelligence sources say they correctly predicted the fall of Kabul. … “This is a crisis of untold proportions,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) told NBC News Sunday as Taliban militants swept into Kabul. “This is an intelligence failure. We underestimated the Taliban and overestimated the resolve of the Afghan Army.” But numerous U.S. officials tell …

China harvests DNA data

As part of surveillance efforts in Xinjiang, authorities have collected biometric data, including facial scans and fingerprints—used to verify identities at the region’s ubiquitous checkpoints—and DNA data. Moreau says DNA profiling does not directly enable mass internments or forced labor. Rather the impact is psychological, reinforcing citizens’ feelings of constant surveillance. Byler adds that DNA …