dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this email newsletter with its newly revamped website and expanded blog called hottakes. sorry guys, it’s summer and love is in the air. for real though, our new weekly deep dive into topics of import is going strong, and we’re continuing to look into the origins of the arab-israeli conflict. this week - how the british made conflicting promises to the arabs, zionists, and french after WWI. we’d say that’s surprising, but the english are pretty dumb.

big idea: afghanistan is falling to the taliban

1. the taliban has taken control of the majority of afghanistan, winning a stunning series of battles over this past week, just three weeks after the US military withdrew from the country. taliban forces took over the second and third largest afghan cities, most international border crossings, and are just seven miles south of kabul. american intelligence agencies predict they could militarily take control of the capital within a month.
2. Joe is scrambling - no one expected afghanistan to fall so quickly. the US embassy is being evacuated, with sensitive documents being destroyed. the US is trying to convince the taliban to spare our embassy when their inevitable attack on kabul begins. the afghan government is reportedly trying to reach a last-ditch power sharing agreement. so far, there is no indication that Joe will backtrack and send american troops back in.
3. the taliban has a clear military strategy. they’re funneling refugees into kabul to overwhelm the government, and are systematically surrounding the city to increase pressure. the government...doesn’t really know what they’re doing, despite $88 billion spent on training them over the past 20 years. reports indicate villages have surrendered to the taliban when as few as 10 militants show up.
4. there’s no sugar coating this - afghanistan will fall to taliban rule as inevitably as Mitch McConnell is slowly turning into a turtle. the taliban’s end game is unclear though - do they intend to take kabul by force, or are they betting they can force the government into surrender?

story to watch: the SEC’s flexing

1. earlier this month, the SEC approved a NASDAQ proposal on corporate board diversity, and last week, the SEC chair said the commission is working on disclosure rules for carbon emissions. along with reports that the SEC will start monitoring private equity more closely, it’s clear that the investment regulation commission is stepping up.
2. the diversity proposal will require all companies which want to sell stocks on the NASDAQ to report the diversity of their corporate boards, and explain themselves if they don’t have any women or minorities in these...