*** REGIONAL NEWS FROM THE WEEKEND ***

+ The Olympian: St. Peter Hospital staffers describe life in the overflowing ER as COVID cases surge

+ KING-5 TV: Masks required for all Washington residents in indoor public settings beginning today

+ The Seattle Times: Inslee’s vaccine mandate draws fire from union and questions about unemployment benefits

+ The Points Guy: US National Park Service is celebrating its birthday on Aug. 25 with free admission to all 423 sites

+ KING-5 TV: ‘I feel guilty for putting her there’: Lacey woman demands answers after her mother dies from COVID-19 in nursing home

+ Gate Checked: Canada Will Soon Require All Air Travelers To Be Fully Vaccinated

*** AFGHAN NEWS FROM THE WEEKEND ***

Mediaite: ‘Why Do You Continue to Trust the Taliban, Mr. President?’ Biden Leaves Presser to Chorus of Shouted Questions

The Drive: 800 People Evacuated From Kabul Aboard A Single C-17 Cargo Jet

CNBC: Pentagon orders U.S. airlines to help fly Afghanistan evacuees [Ed. note: Seattle’s largest international carrier included, Delta]

CNBC: President Biden’s job approval ratings drop as Covid cases rise and crisis in Afghanistan mounts

Politico: ‘The Temperature in Saigon Is 105 and Rising’ – What I learned about American power watching the U.S. leave Vietnam — and then Afghanistan decades later.

The New York Times via The Times of India: Afghanistan faces economic shock as sanctions replace aid

Center for Responsive Politics: Defense Contractors Spent Big in Afghanistan Before the Taliban Took Control

The Washington Post: Afghan refugee goes into labor on U.S. evacuation flight, gives birth on landing

*** VIRUS NEWS FROM THE WEEKEND ***

The Washington Post via Stars and Stripes: Vaccine resistance in the military remains strong, a dilemma for Pentagon as mandate looms

The Hill: Fully vaccinated man dies of COVID-19, daughter says he was cautious

KRON-4 TV (San Francisco): Friend Remembers Vaccinated Woman Who Died From COVID-19 in Marin County

ProPublica: As Cases Surge, CDC Only Tracking a Fraction of Breakthrough COVID-19 Infections

The New York Times via Yahoo!: ‘Nursing Is in Crisis’: Staff Shortages Put Patients at Risk

*** TRUMP NEWS FROM THE WEEKEND ***

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow: Trump admin deliberately sabotaged refugee process, stranding war allies: former insiders

Daily Kos: Ex-Pence aide blows whistle on Trump administration’s campaign to keep Afghan allies out of U.S.

CNBC: U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks reinstatement of Trump-era immigration policy

Mediaite: Senior Trump Officials Rip Former Boss for Afghanistan Pact: ‘The Taliban Didn’t Defeat Us. We Defeated Ourselves.’

MSNBC’s Ali Velshi: Trump admin sabotaged visa process for Afghans. Stephen Miller was the tip of the spear.

Business Insider: Donald Trump booed at Alabama rally after encouraging his supporters to get vaccinated against COVID-19, video shows

MSNBC: Alabama city hosting Trump rally declares Covid emergency before event