She Could Handle Death Threats. Leaving Her Country Was Harder.

As the Taliban reclaimed power in Afghanistan in August 2021, Zarifa Ghafari watched footage of a plane taking off from the Kabul airport, unable to look away as civilians trying to hold onto the machinery dropped to the tarmac. The scene that came to symbolize the United States’ rushed evacuation underscored a deep desperation. For many residents of the capital, plummeting from the undercarriage of a plane was preferable to living under a conservative and vengeful insurgency. For Ghafari, Afghanistan’s youngest-ever female mayor and a public critic of the Taliban, their return threatened particularly dire consequences.

It’s Friday! Let’s start with something good: President Biden has pardoned all federal offenses of simple marijuana possession. Is this the end of the GIF as we know it? See which New York City restaurants kept, earned, and lost Michelin Stars this year. Microplastics have been found in breast milk for the first time. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past. Even Meta employees aren’t using the metaverse app. Dolly Parton, we adore you. Pennsylvania voters have a long list of reasons not to send Dr. Oz to the Senate. The latest addition: killing puppies. But let’s end with something good: Stacey Abrams has out-fundraised Brian Kemp by $8 million. Have a nice weekend!

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