Good morning. It's Wednesday, Aug. 25, and we're covering a clandestine meeting in Kabul, the death of a pioneering percussionist, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Secret Meetings in Kabul

CIA Director William Burns met secretly with Taliban political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul Monday, according to reports. It marks the highest-level meeting with the group since it seized control of the country roughly 10 days ago. It symbolizes a pivot for the agency, which targeted Taliban militants for the past 20 years in paramilitary operations. Details of the conversation were not revealed. 

The sit-down comes as the White House is under pressure to extend its Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline in order to ensure evacuation of remaining Americans, a target President Joe Biden said yesterday he would stick with. NATO allies have expressed worry they will need more time to evacuate personnel. 

US officials have reportedly struggled to identify (paywall, WSJ) the precise number of Americans remaining in the country; between 10,000 and 15,000 were believed to be present before the Taliban took control.

Roughly 21,600 people in total—including eligible Afghan residents—were evacuated in a 24-hour period Monday. A Taliban representative said yesterday militants would continue to allow foreign nationals to depart, but would block Afghans from reaching the airport. The Biden administration is facing bipartisan calls to forcibly assist those trying to reach the runway. 

Separately, United Nations officials said reprisals by the Taliban against Afghans who aided the Western effort have begun.  

Charlie Watts Dies

Charlie Watts, the longtime drummer of the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones, passed away yesterday at the age of 80. Considered one of rock's greatest drummers, Watts toured with the group from shortly after its inception in 1962 until their final pre-pandemic performance in 2019. The cause of death was not revealed, though he previously pulled out of the band's upcoming "No Filter" tour for medical reasons.  

Despite being a core member of one of the most successful and popular rock bands of the era, Watts was known for shunning the trappings of celebrity life. He famously recounted, to pass the time while touring, that he had sketched every hotel bed he slept in since 1968. As part of the Stones, Watts won four Grammys and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. See reactions from around the music world here.

Listen to five of Watts' best drum tracks here.

Budget Standoff Ends

The House approved a $3.5T budget blueprint yesterday, paving the way for many of the Biden administration's social spending priorities. Its passage came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D, CA-12) struck a deal with House moderates, who pushed for consideration of a separate bipartisan $1.2T infrastructure package first. The framework allows the various committees to begin drafting spending bills to meet the funding targets. See a top-level view of what's in the resolution here.

The resolution passed in a party-line vote, 220-212, with Republicans having criticized both the cost and the objectives of the plan. The measure included a promise to vote on the physical infrastructure deal by Sept. 27 at the latest.

The next significant fiscal legislative battle is expected to be around the debt limit, where "extraordinary" measures by the US Treasury are projected to run out in October. 

Editor's note: Yesterday, we said the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have emergency use authorization for ages 12 and up. In fact, those vaccines have an EUA only for ages 18 and up. Pfizer has full approval for ages 16 and up, and an EUA for ages 12-15.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Kanye West files petition to legally change his name to just "Ye," with no middle or last name (More) | Hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse announces farewell tour due to member Violent J's heart condition (More)

> Jerry Harkness, color barrier-breaking basketball player and civil rights activist, dies at 81 (More)

> US Justice Department awards soccer governing body FIFA and its affiliates $200M in corruption probe (More) | Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC announce alliance in an effort to counterbalance SEC influence (More)

Science & Technology

> Study reveals Tyrannosaurus rex had a complex nerve network in the tip of its jaws, likely allowing it to distinguish between the types of body parts and prey being eaten (More)

> Engineers demonstrate robots capable of working independently but cooperatively to move everyday unwieldy objects like couches (More)

> Snow on Mars has a dusty composition, may be capable of melting under certain conditions on the planet's surface (More)

Business & Markets

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> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq +0.5%); S&P 500 and Nasdaq close at fresh record highs (More) | Chinese tech stocks soar as China’s cyberspace regulator details requirements for companies seeking to IPO (More)

> Airbnb to offer free temporary housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees (More) | Eyewear giant Warby Parker to go public via direct listing, reported $394M revenues and a $56M loss last year (More)

> Goldman Sachs will require all employees and clients entering offices to be vaccinated starting in September (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Herschel Walker (R) enters GOP Senate primary in bid to ultimately take on incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) in Georgia (More) | National Rifle Association cancels annual meeting, scheduled to be held in Houston, due to COVID-19 (More) | See US COVID-19 stats here (More)

> Supreme Court declines Biden administration request to block "remain in Mexico" policy reinstatement; policy requires those seeking asylum to stay out of the country while the request is processed (More)

> Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad from 1982 to 1990, dies while serving a life sentence in Senegal for war crimes (More) | Egypt closes border with the Gaza Strip amid rising tensions between Hamas militants and Israel (More)

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ETCETERA

America's most beautiful towns.

Exploring evergreen architecture. 

Al Capone's belongings to be auctioned off.

Visit Joshua Tree's invisible house.

How farmers create lush gardens in the Sahara Desert.

America's tallest person passes away.

British McDonald's has run out of milkshakes.

The latest viral way to injure yourself.

Clickbait: Eating a hot dog takes 35 minutes off your life.

Historybook: Matthew Webb becomes first person to swim across English Channel (1875); Singer Aaliyah dies in plane crash (2001); Voyager 1 becomes first human-made object to enter interstellar space (2012); RIP astronaut Neil Armstrong (2012); RIP Sen. John McCain (2018).

"In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test."

- John McCain

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