21 america slinks outta afghanistan, huge Facebook win

our intrepid, impossibly consistent, and annoyingly OCD editor is partying it up in dubai this weekend, so don’t be surprised by any spelling or grammar mistakes this week. if you’re bored this independence day, feel free to email us a complaint anyways.

big idea: america gives up on afghanistan

1. as we discussed in issue 10, Joe is desperately trying to untangle the US from the war in afghanistan, and that took a huge step forward this week. the last remaining american and coalition forces unceremoniously, and (literally) under the cover of dark left the country.
2. apart from about a thousand american and turkish troops left to guard the american embassy and international airport in kabul, this is the first time in nearly two decades afghanistan is without western troops. this is despite the taliban controlling nearly 20% of the country’s military districts, including border crossings in the north, and little progress on a peace deal after years of negotiations. experts put the chances of the afghan government remaining in control of kabul at just 50% over the next few months.
3. it’s clear Joe and his team planned all this out to be as low key as possible. the troops completed their withdrawal just before a holiday weekend in the states when nobody would be paying attention, and the administration has released few other details on their future policy for the region. Joe knows there are no good options for anyone involved, and is coldly calculating that most americans won’t care if afghanistan devolves into a civil war.

story to watch: Facebook wins big in court

1. Facebook notched a huge win in court this week, with a federal judge throwing out landmark cases against it. the cases, which argued Facebook was a monopoly and should be split up, were filed last year by 46 states and the FTC. the judge has given the FTC some time to refile with new evidence, but the states’ case was dismissed entirely for waiting too long after Facebook bought WhatsApp and Instagram.
2. while we have no doubt that the FTC, under new aggressive leadership, will try their darndest to take Facebook down, it’s unclear that the courts will agree with the popular sentiment that these big tech companies are monopolies.
3. the cleaner and faster way to rein in big tech is for congress to act, not for the court system. current antitrust laws date back nearly a century, when the monopolies we were worried about traded oil and ran railroads. the internet age has made those laws obsolete, and the only way to update them is through legislation.
4. various House committees approved a number of bills last week to curb big tech’s power, but it’ll take time and political capital for them to become law. many of the bills have bipartisan support in the House, but the Senate will be the real challenge to watch

this week’s image: mud fight!

• (The Atlantic) farmers near kathmandu celebrate the beginning of the farming season with a huge mud fight

this week’s number: wages rise 3.6%

1. the june jobs report was released friday, showing not only did wages rise by 3.6% year-over-year, but also that 850k people went back to work. we’ve finally reached the point in the economic recovery where businesses are willing to pay higher wages in order to entice people out of their homes and into workplaces.
2. blue-collar companies are using hiring incentives traditionally reserved for white-collar workers, like signing bonuses, retention bonuses, and even gift cards just for showing up to interviews. who knew McDonald’s could be so thirsty?

what we’re making: chocolate coconut caramel cookie cake

1. a cookie cake inspired by our nation’s founding (jk, everyone knows july fourth isn’t the real independence day, right?) this hedonistic indulgence does fit in well with the weekend’s celebrations. it’s a giant brown sugar cookie slathered in melted milk chocolate, layered with toasted coconut flakes, and finished with homemade cajeta caramel. 
2. we’d offer to share some, but...it somehow disappeared just after this picture was taken

and, in case you missed it:

• the supreme court continued its hard right turn by overturning the voting rights act, limiting union organization efforts, and encouraging the flow of secret money into politics
• state prosecutors in New York indicted the Trump Organization and its CFO, arguing they illegally avoided taxes for years
• Joe has clinched a deal with over 100 countries on a global minimum corporate tax rate, a development we discussed in issue 9
• the airline industry is back baby, with United making its largest-ever airplane purchase, and American, Delta, and United desperately hiring anyone with a pulse and willing to get their feet run over by oversized carry-on luggage

the weekly rundown is produced by Yunus, Faisal (@faisalc93), and Ahmed (@ahmedhcheema). learn more about us and email us your comments and feedback!