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Senators from both parties called on President Biden to speed up the timetable for the evacuation of Afghan allies as the Taliban cracks down. |
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Senators call on Biden to expedite Afghan evacuation plan Bipartisanship is rare on Capitol Hill these days, but the tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan has brought 55 US senators together from both sides of the aisle to call on President Joe Biden to expedite the evacuation of thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban forces. The United Nations is reporting incidents of Afghans with the proper paperwork being denied access to the airport, and in some cases beaten or detained. The Taliban also appears to be rounding up those on a black list of people who worked for US-led forces. Only 7,000 have been airlifted since the Taliban took over Saturday. WILL US FORCES STAY PAST THE AUG. 31 DEADLINE?
Unemployment drops to lowest level since pre-pandemic The persistent pandemic is far from over in the US, but the latest numbers on unemployment reveal that Americans are starting to return to work like it is. New data shows applications for jobless benefits fell for the fourth consecutive week, reaching the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March of 2020. Americans filed 348,000 new unemployment claims, seasonally adjusted, in the week that ended Aug. 14. That’s nearly 30,000 lower than the previous week and far fewer than analysts had projected. However, it's still too early to call it a full recovery as long as the US continues to struggle with the rapidly spreading Delta variant. SEE WHICH STATES HAD THE BEST AND WORST NUMBERS
Amazon expanding its brick-and-mortar store operations First, Amazon decimated the brick-and-mortar retail industry by offering online shopping at lower prices with direct delivery. Now, the virtual shopping empire looks to beat those stores at their own game. Amazon plans to open a series of retail stores offering a wide variety of the goods it sells online. Taking a page from its Whole Foods playbook, when Amazon bought the health-food chain to increase its online grocery presence, the tech giant plans to make similar moves to expand its brand to the masses through national chains of stores. SEE WHEN AND WHERE AMAZON’S FIRST STORES WILL OPEN
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Markets
| DJIA | 34,894.12 | -0.19% |
| S&P 500 | 4,405.80 | 0.13% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 14,541.79 | 0.11% |
| Japan: Nikkei 225 | 27,197.69 | -0.31% |
| UK: FTSE 100 | 7,058.86 | -1.54% |
| Crude Oil Futures | 64.04 | 0.55% |
| Gold Futures | 1,781.80 | -0.07% |
| Yen | 109.87 | 0.10% |
| Euro | 1.17 | 0.03% | | * As of market close |
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Capitol Hill bomb threat a Jan. 6 flashback
The District of Columbia experienced its scariest day since the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill on Thursday as a right-wing extremist broadcast his intentions to blow up several federal buildings on Facebook Live. The ensuing standoff ended without incident as the device turned out not to be a bomb but it served as a reminder of the dangers of domestic terrorism. The man, identified as Floyd Ray Roseberry of North Carolina, videoed himself inside his van and demanded to speak with President Joe Biden by phone. He claimed to have planted explosive devices at the Supreme Court and Library of Congress, which were evacuated. After a four-hour standoff with police, Roseberry surrendered and DC residents sighed. CHECK OUT THE CHILLING SIMILARITIES TO THE CAPITOL RIOT
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Toys 'R' Us making a comeback with Macy's
"I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid ..." If you're old enough to remember that song, you were probably young enough to remember your childhood days spent playing in the store. And those happy days are here again as the bankrupt national toy chain is about to be back in business. Macy's announced a partnership with Toys 'R' Us to bring Geoffrey the Giraffe and all his fun and games back to the retail market. More than 400 Macy's department stores will feature a Toys 'R' Us shop starting in 2022. A lot has changed since the toy store's heyday but all ages love to play. FIND OUT HOW MACY'S PLANS TO USE THE TOY 'R' US BRAND
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Afghanistan faces social media (Tali)ban
War-hardened Taliban fighters aren’t normally ones you would associate with posting selfies on Facebook or making policy proclamations on Twitter. Yet in the wake of this week’s surprising takeover of Kabul, the insurgents are turning to social media to get their messages across. The decision to allow the Taliban to post propaganda for the outside world to see has drawn harsh criticism from leaders around the globe. That includes the US, where former president Donald Trump is still banned from social media while the Taliban remains active. Of course, the Taliban troops were more effective at storming their capital than Trump's troops. SEE WHY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS MAY BAN THE TALIBAN
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Twitter topper
The top 10 most-followed Twitter accounts are athletes or entertainers -- except for No. 1. Who has the most Twitter followers and how many? Thursday’s answer: Garth Brooks has sold over 148 million albums, more than any other solo act and second only to The Beatles' 177 million. Of course, that's the Fab Four against one, but he has friends in low places. SEND YOUR ANSWER HERE TO SHOW OFF YOUR KNOWLEDGE
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Fast Start for friends
There's no better way to start your day than by waking up with Fast Start, except perhaps sharing it with friends. Spread the word by forwarding today's copy to your crew and tell them to let us know you sent them. HERE'S THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOUR FRIENDS WILL NEED
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