Know Thine Enemy:President Trump cancelled what had been a secretly planned peace conference with Taliban leaders at Camp David because of an attack last week that killed an American soldier.

  Trump both revealed the meeting and its cancellation in a weekend tweet that said, “Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people.” He asked, “What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?”

  The meeting … with Taliban leaders in America … was to have taken place just days before Sept. 11^th, a choice made by the President.

  Trump had evidently discounted the kind of people he was dealing with in order to perform what he hoped would be a masterful stroke of diplomacy. He had campaigned on ending America’s endless wars, in particular, the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

  In nine rounds of negotiations, the US had secured a deal in which the Taliban would promise not to repeat something like the 9/11 terrorist attacks in exchange for the withdrawal of 14,000 American troops over 16 months. The deal did not include the Afghan government.

  The NY Timesreports that Trump wanted to bring Taliban and Afghan leaders together at Camp David to reach the final agreement, making him look like a great dealmaker. It all fell apart when a Taliban car bomb killed an American soldier and 11 others. The Taliban said Trump’s decision will hurt only the United States. 

 Afghan national elections are set for this month and the Taliban are threatening to escalate the violence.

The News Roundup:Four crew members are missing after a 656—foot vehicle-carrying ship rolled onto its side in St. Simons Sound off the coast of Brunswick, Georgia. The ship burned for a while after it turned over. It had 24 people on board, including 23 crew members and one pilot. — A group of people planning to get married in the State of Virginia has sued the state, claiming that they should not have to record their ethnicity on the application for a marriage license. The 200 racial categories on the application include Quadroon, Moor, Aryan, Mulatto, and Nubian. Virginia is the state where a law against inter racial marriage was struck down by the Supreme Court. — Most Americans support tighter background checks for gun buyers, according to a Washington Post-ABC NewsPoll. The paper says more Americans say they trust congressional Democrats over President Trump to handle the nation’s gun laws, 51 percent to 36 percent, with independents siding with Democrats by 17-points. 

Center Court:In a grueling match that went nearly five hours yesterday, Rafael Nadal outlasted Daniil Medvedev in five sets to win the US Open 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.   Medvedev had Nadal on the ropes in the third and fourth sets, but he pulled it out. It’s Nadal’s 19th major singles title and his fourth US Open. 

  It wasn’t so good for Serena Williams on Saturday. Gunning for her 24^thGrand Slam title, Williams lost to Bianca Andreescu, 6-3, 7-5. Williams later said, “I think this is the worst match I’ve played all tournament. And it’s hard to know that you could do better.” She told reporters, “It’s inexcusable for me to play at that level.”

Lost in Space: India over the weekend was on the brink of becoming the fourth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon, but moments before touchdown …. nothing. The lander, which carried a six-wheeled rover, went silent.

  The mission had been a cause for national celebration in India. People were glued to their televisions.

  The lander had about 15 minutes to slow from 2,000 miles per hour to an acceptable speed for setting down. It lost communication about 1.3 miles from the surface.

  India’s space command has since located the lander on the moon’s surface, but they don’t know what condition it’s in.

 India’s prime MinisterNarendra Modisaid, “As important as the final result is the journey and the effort. I can proudly say that the effort was worth it, and so was the journey.”

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