Friday morning news - August 27, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kristen Flavin. 

Twelve service members die in attack Kabul airport » Twelve U.S. service members died and 15 others suffered injuries Thursday in a twin attack on the Kabul airport. At least 60 Afghan civilians also died and more than 140 others were wounded.

Two suicide bombers detonated their devices in rapid succession. One outside an airport gate where people had lined up, trying to get in. The other attacker blew up near the Baron Hotel, a staging ground for Afghans and Westerners leaving the country.

General Kenneth McKenzie Jr. is head of U.S. Central Command.

MCKENZIE: While we’re saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we’re continuing to execute the mission. Our mission is to evacuate U.S. citizens, third country nationals, special immigrant visa holders, U.S. Embassy staff, and Afghans at risk.

The Afghan offshoot of the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. Western officials had warned of a major attack just hours before the bombing.

And McKenzie says he expects more to come.

MCKENZIE: And we’re doing everything we can to prepare for those attacks. That includes reaching out to the Taliban who are providing the security for the outer cordon around the airfield, to make sure they know what we expect them to do to protect us. And we will continue to coordinate with them as they go forward.

But as word of a possible attack spread late Wednesday, a Taliban spokesman denied claims of imminent danger.

In an address to the nation Thursday afternoon, President Biden vowed to continue the mission. And he vowed to find those responsible for killing U.S. service members.

BIDEN: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

The U.S. State Department estimates about 1,000 Americans are still waiting to leave Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghans are also still trying to flee the country.

Earlier this week, Taliban officials said they would not accept any extensions to the Aug. 31st deadline for a full U.S. troop withdrawal.

Lawsuit against Trump over Jan. 6 Capitol riot » A group of U.S. Capitol Police officers filed suit against former President Donald Trump on Thursday. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has that story.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: The seven officers accuse the former president of intentionally sending a violent mob to the Capitol on January 6th to disrupt the congressional vote certifying Joe Biden’s election.

The suit also names Trump ally Roger Stone, the Trump campaign, and members of two far-right groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

It alleges the former president violated the Ku Klux Klan Act and committed acts of domestic terrorism in an attempt to stay in power. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the suit in federal court in Washington.

Democratic lawmakers have filed two other similar cases in recent months.

The former president has not yet responded to Thursday’s lawsuit.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

Storm headed for the gulf coast » Forecasters are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Ida. It formed Thursday in the Caribbean and could become a major hurricane before hitting the northern U.S. Gulf Coast late Sunday or early Monday.

Dennis Feltgen is with the National Hurricane Center.

FELTGEN: Once it gets into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, the combination of very low vertical wind shear and a very moist environment is going to allow for some good strengthening.

Forecasters predict the storm will make landfall somewhere in Louisiana. It passed over the Cayman Islands last night and is expected to roll over western Cuba today.

And in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Nora could bring heavy wind and rain to western Mexico over the weekend. The storm will skirt the coast before making landfall on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula early next week.

California fires grow and spread » AUDIO: [Fires crackling, wind blowing]

Meanwhile, in California, wildfires continue to threaten communities on both ends of the state.

In Northern California, the Caldor Fire is getting dangerously close to Lake Tahoe. A sickly yellow haze blanketed the popular vacation spot on Thursday.

The Caldor Fire has consumed 500 homes since it started on August 14th. But the Dixie Fire remains the state’s largest. It has burned more than 1,100 square miles and 1,300 buildings. Seven hundred of those are homes. And in the southern Sierra Nevadas, 10 communities near Lake Isabella are under evacuation orders as the French Fire grows.

In Southern California, a new fire erupted earlier this week in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles. Fire crews quickly subdued it. But officials warn hotter weather over the weekend will once again boost the risk of new blazes.

Supreme Court ends eviction moratorium » The Supreme Court has thrown out the Biden administration’s eviction moratorium.

In an unsigned opinion issued late Thursday, a majority of the justices ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not have the authority to enact the ban. The opinion said such a move required explicit congressional authorization.

The court’s three liberal justices dissented.

The Trump administration issued the first eviction moratorium in the early months of the pandemic. Landlords say it lasted longer than was necessary, especially as the economy began to recover. But as many as three and a half million people recently told the Census Bureau they face eviction within the next two months.

I’m Kristen Flavin. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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