Actually, my understanding is behind the scenes the whole world, including the US, has been planning on the Taliban eventually taking back control of Afghanistan for awhile now. And the current Taliban incursions, and any possible US retaliation, is part of both sides attempting to increase their leverage in current and future negotiations.
And what the media is doing in its "reporting" is basically just part of the magic show, which is par for the course.
Also, for good or bad, the US just leaving and the Afghan govt just handing over power without a fight will probably save more lives in the short term than most alternatives. Although in the medium to long term we can see how this could not be great for the Afghan people.