In fact, he’s doubly excited. This is the second communication he’s gotten from Mullah Omar this year—after not one word since the U.S.-led 2001 invasion. (Although not all the information in this report can be independently verified, it came from sources who have proved reliable in the past, and the details are consistent with the established facts.) This January, Ghul Agha received an audiocassette of Mullah Omar praising the virtue of self-sacrifice....

The Taliban have seized at least 10 provincial capitals in the past week, accelerating a nationwide offensive that began soon after President Joe Biden set August 31 as the deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the country. The militant group—undefeated through a 20-year insurgency against American, NATO and government forces—appears poised to seize control of the country for the first time since 2001. Videos show Taliban forces entering the major cities of Herat in the west, Kandahar in the south and Ghazni in the southeast....

The increased spotlight on the VP pick comes as Americans and the black community have reeled from the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and George Floyd in Minnesota. Arbery was shot and killed in February after being chased by two white men, with arrests being made only when footage was released months later, and Floyd died Monday after a police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes....

Ateba, a Cameroonian journalist who runs the online news outlet Today News Africa, has repeatedly clashed with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Jean-Pierre in the past two years, accusing them of ignoring reporters in the back of the briefing room. While journalists from major news outlets sit in the front of the room, those from less well-known and smaller organizations are usually seated in the aisle or the back of the room, as arranged by the White House Correspondents’ Association’s board....

Unionization across many industries has increased dramatically since 2020. However, doing so in the publishing industry is seen as a rarity. According to AP, bookselling is often synonymous with liberal politics and valuing knowledge over money. In fact, the first union contract for the bookstore industry is set for the anti-war establishment Moe’s Books in Berkeley, California. “After lots of ups and downs, and major disagreements, the parties have come together,” Moe’s Books buyer Owen Hill told AP....

“Ummm. This is @geoff_yang and I am NOT running for President,” Yang tweeted after the image aired as part of the network’s Squawk Box program on Monday. Andrew Yang thanked Geoff Yang for clearing up the misunderstanding via his own Twitter. “Thanks Geoff,” tweeted Andrew Yang, who added a smiley face and thumbs-up emoji. Andrew Yang is currently in Iowa, campaigning there a month before the Democratic caucus is scheduled to take place in the state....

New Orleans is firing Dell Demps, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The last straw for ownership was seeing Davis leave the Smoothie King Center on Thursday night after suffering a shoulder injury in the second quarter against the Thunder. (Yep, he walked right out the door.) MORE: Charles Barkley offers Anthony Davis advice Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said it best after New Orleans defeated Oklahoma City: “To tell you the truth, this whole thing has been a dumpster fire....

Gonzalez re-establishes foothold with the USA For the first time in nearly a year Hamid is back with the U.S. national team, but the landscape has shifted considerably since his most recent time with the squad in November 2015. Back then, the D.C. United goalkeeper was called in for the USA’s World Cup qualifiers alongside Tim Howard and Brad Guzan — demonstrating he was right in the mix as the heir apparent behind the veteran duo....

“Last year was frustrating,” Harden told reporters. “Numbers, individually, were pretty solid. But just the love and excitement wasn’t there. So I had to look in the mirror this summer and realize that I’ve gotta change, I have got to get back to how I was. My focus level, the things I can control, I have to be a lot better at. Once I get myself figured out, I can help others....

Mueller on Wednesday testified for roughly six hours before the House Judicial and Intelligence committees about his two-year-long investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the 448-page report, released in April, detailing the key findings of the probe. It was the first time he answered questions from lawmakers regarding the investigation. Despite the president’s claims of innocence, Mueller repeated that his report did not exonerate Trump of wrongdoing during his remarks....

The coach was downtown at the Clippers' team offices Friday, meeting with an angry roomful of ticket-sellers and marketers still outraged by owner Donald Sterling's racist comments. MORE: Hawks at Pacers, 5:30 ET | Grizzlies at Thunder, 8 ET | Randolph suspended "I'll say this much: Our players thought about not working. So did our employees, and they still felt that way," Rivers said. "They needed somebody to ask them to continue to work and support us....

Thursday wasn’t much easier. On the way to Georgetown University, Clinton worried about the speech he was about to give. Should he use that joke about the COP? (“Term limits [are] looking better to me each day.”) Or would it offend the new Republican powers? Wearily, he decided to chance it. An unfamiliar sense of hesitation and anxiety pervades a White House that until now was filled with confidence, if not overconfidence....

Coutinho: Liverpool in a race with Man City Aguero has been in fine form as of late, and has found the back of the net in all four of his Premier League games against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. However, Klavan - who in combination with Dejan Lovren kept Aguero at bay in the reverse fixture at Anfield in December - is looking forward to going head-to-head with the former Atletico Madrid forward once more....

The information came in a declaration filed this week in response to a lawsuit from two prisoners housed at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Although neither are on death row, they are suing Attorney General Bill Barr in a bid to halt the five federal executions scheduled to take place before President Donald Trump leaves office in January, arguing they risk becoming coronavirus “super-spreader” events. In a filing at the weekend, the Justice Department’s attorney admitted in a footnote that “some” members of the execution team that put Orlando Hall to death on November 19 had since tested positive for COVID-19....

Friday’s first deal saw goalie Robin Lehner and forward David Legwand sent to the Buffalo Sabres for the 21st overall pick. MORE: All-time No. 1 picks | Updated draft selection order | How to watch NHL Draft Here’s a look at rumors as they arrive. HOT PROSPECTS: Connor McDavid | Jack Eichel | Noah Hanifin | North Americans | Europeans

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said that 40 new felony charges have been filed against Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, including the attempted murder charges. A motive has yet to be determined and Dougherty said there was no indication that Alissa had ever visited the King Soopers before. Alissa, 22, allegedly possessed 10 high-capacity magazines during the attack. Investigators believe the magazines were purchased legally, although magazines that hold more than 15 rounds are illegal to possess in the state of Colorado....

While delivering a victim statement during the sentencing hearing on Friday, Cooper-Jones said that her son “sometimes refused to wear socks.” “I wish he would have cut and cleaned his toenails before he went out for a jog that day,” she said. “I guess he would have if he knew he would be murdered.” The comments by Cooper-Jones came in response to remarks made by attorney Laura Hogue, who previously represented Greg McMichael in the case of Arbery’s death....

“He had told friends that he was going to kill someone and that it was imminent— within the next 30 days or within the month,” Larizza said during a Thursday press conference. “And he talked about that to some of his friends several times.” “He indicated to witnesses that he was going to kill someone by taking them in the woods and stabbing them, which are certainly the facts of this case,” the state attorney added....

Marcus Anthony Eriz, 25, now faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in state prison, if convicted. He has so far been charged with one felony count of murder, one felony county of shooting into an occupied vehicle, and one felony enhancements of the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death, according to the Orange County District Attorney press release. Wynne Lee, 23, has also been charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact and one misdemeanor count of having a concealed firearm in a vehicle....