* Olympia hospitals have limited beds, ventilators available, * Survey: WA. nurses are stressed, some seek jobs elsewhere,* WA. has a long history of welcoming refugees. Afghanistan should be no different!

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-1120w,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2021_33/3499621/210817-kabul-flight-mc-804.jpeg — **Afghans packed onto U.S. cargo plane highlights rush to leave Kabul**
Credit: *Defense One via NBC News*

*** REGIONAL NEWS FROM TUESDAY ***

+ The Olympian: Olympia hospitals have limited beds, ventilators available, health officials sa y – Thurston County hospitals are treating 64 COVID-19 patients, the most they ever have at one time

+ The Spokesman-Review (Spokane): Survey finds Washington’s nurses are stressed, and some are seeking jobs elsewhere in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

+ The News Tribune (Tacoma): Washington has a long history of welcoming refugees. Afghanistan should be no different

+ McClatchy News: Visiting a national park? COVID surge means you’ll need to wear a mask again

+ The AP via The Olympian: Inslee commutes more drug possession convictions

+ USA Today via MSN: Human remains found in wheel well of [JBLM based] C-17 swarmed at Kabul airport

+ The Independent Voice (Yelm area): Our Moral Imperative

*** NATIONAL NEWS FROM TUESDAY ***

CNBC: Biden administration set to extend mask mandate for travel through mid-January

The Washington Post via The Seattle Times: First-ever water shortage declared on the Colorado River, triggering water cuts for some states in the West [Ed. note: Arizona, Nevada, Colorado have water cuts. Next year even more severe if the drought is not alleviated.]

CNBC: Retail sales drop 1.1% in July as rising Covid fears hit consumers

CNBC: Homebuilder sentiment falls to lowest level in a year as buyers face sticker shock – Lumber is down 72.48% from its intraday peak … on May 10.

*** POLITICAL NEWS FROM TUESDAY ***

The Washington Post: Biden keeps many Trump tariffs in place, confounding businesses hoping for reprieve – End of waivers irks business groups that want action on China trade

Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times via The Star Tribune (Minneapolis): Biden could still be proved right in Afghanistan – Everything really important happens the morning after the morning after.

USA Today: Biden administration expected to recommend COVID-19 booster shots for Pfizer, Moderna vaccines

MSNBC: Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider: ‘The vaccine has given us a false sense of security’

Reuters via US News: ‘We Could Have Done More’ – Frustration Grows in Washington Over Biden’s Kabul Evacuation

Politico: Election officials call for audit guidelines after Trump-fueled surge

The Hill: OAN loses appeal in defamation lawsuit against Rachel Maddow – OAN Must Cover Rachel Maddow’s $250,000 Legal Bill