Hello from the Heartland. My name is Jenna, and this is Smarter News, news when it matters and why it

matters. Our Smarter series features unique people who help us think and live smarter.

Writer and journalist Holly McKay arrived in Afghanistan in early August, ready to do what she has done many, many times in the past,

highlight the stories of those living in a conflict zone. We had the pleasure of speaking with her as she reported from a northern city there called Mazar Sharif, about an eight-hour drive from

Kabul, but many people fly back and forth. And while some high-profile cities had fallen to the

Taliban in the previous days, Holly described a lively urban environment where many people mostly

went about their own lives, stark contrast to some of the headlines from other parts of the country.

But in only a few hours, everything changed.

And Holly found herself in a city taken over by the Taliban.

We had stayed in touch since our first conversation and saw an opening for an update.

So we quickly jumped on an

Instagram live, but I wanted to make sure those of you who prefer podcasts had the opportunity

to hear it as well. So here's our conversation with Holly. From inside, a city fall into the

Taliban. I start with the most obvious question. What's happened in the last 48 hours?

Honestly, Jenna, I can't wrap my head around this.

I am just baffled.

I don't.

I just, I'm baffled.

That's all I have to say.

So, you know, literally with Mazar as an example, when we first got in, my photographer

Jake and I, it was very early Thursday morning and it was a normal city.

It was full of life.

...