Tuesday morning news - August 24, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

U.S. troops surge evacuations out of Kabul but threats persist » The U.S. military reported its biggest day of evacuation flights out of Afghanistan on Monday. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House…

SULLIVAN: In the last 24 hours alone, 28 U.S. military flights have evacuated approximately 10,400 people from Kabul.

Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, said the faster pace of evacuation was due in part to coordination with Taliban commanders on getting evacuees into the airport.

But deadly violence continues to block many desperate evacuees. Seven people died in a stampede of people trying to get into the airport earlier this week.

And Kirby on Monday confirmed limited helicopter rescue missions in Kabul. He said American troops are leaving the airport “on occasion” to carry out rescue missions, delivering civilians to the airport.

He also said the White House has not ruled out extending the evacuation mission beyond the August 31st deadline.

KIRBY: If there needs to be a discussion about extending that timeline, then we absolutely will have that discussion at the appropriate time with the commander in chief.

But the Taliban are warning of a response if  U.S. forces extend their stay in Kabul.

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine wins full U.S. approval » The FDA has granted its full approval to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said to make vaccines available soon, government officials cut red tape, but they did not cut corners.

WOODCOCK: The public can be confident that this vaccine meets the FDA’s gold standard for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality that we require for an approved product.

Healthcare workers have administered more than 200 million doses of the Pfizer shots under an emergency use authorization. But the vaccine now has the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s strongest endorsement.

That makes the United States the first country to give it full approval. The authorization covers the two-dose regimen for people age 16 or older.

It comes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge, and hospitalizations increase, mostly among the unvaccinated.

Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said he’s hopeful that the FDA’s announcement will give some unvaccinated Americans more confidence in the shots.

BOURLA: I think that is why this is an important milestone that I think will unlock some of the more skeptical minds to do the vaccine.

After the number of people getting shots hit a low in July, the vaccination rate is rising again. More than half of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, as well as more than 60 percent of those older than 18.

Officials continue search for the missing after Tennessee flood » Search crews in Tennessee are still digging through shattered homes and tangled debris, looking for about a dozen people still missing in a flood-ravaged part of the state.

Record-breaking rain over the weekend sent floodwaters gushing through rural Tennessee, killing at least 22 people.

Grant Gillespie is the police and fire chief of Waverly, Tennessee.

GILLESPIE: Our search efforts are still underway. We have crews the last couple of days that have been working along the banks and in the neighborhoods looking for victims.

Rainfall more than tripled forecasts and shattered the state record for one-day rainfall, triggering flash floods on Saturday.

The Humphreys County Sheriff Office Facebook page filled with people looking for missing friends and family. GoFundMe pages asked for help for funeral expenses for the dead, including 7-month-old twins swept from their father’s arms as they tried to escape.

Death toll rises; relief crawls forward in Haiti » The death toll in Haiti continues to rise as relief crawls forward. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency has upped the death toll from a powerful earthquake to more than 2,200. And nearly 350 people remain missing.

Relief supplies are still taking a very long time to reach those in need. Part of the problem: Gang roadblocks and vehicle hijacking have forced aid groups to deliver supplies by helicopter.

This week, Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier made a Facebook video offering a truce and aid to the parts of the country hardest hit by the 7.2 magnitude quake.

Cherizier said in the video—quoting here—“The G9 Revolutionary Forces and allies ... will participate in the relief by bringing them help. We invite all compatriots to show solidarity with the victims by trying to share what little there is with them.”

But his is only one of many Haitian gangs, and a previously reported gang truce produced little impact.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Cuomo officially resigns, Hochul steps in as NY gov. » New York now has a new governor. Andrew Cuomo officially resigned his office just before midnight last night.

Cuomo’s Democratic Lt. Governor, Kathy Hochul, is now the Governor of New York.

On the way out the door, Cuomo took one last swipe at the state investigation that led to his ouster.

CUOMO: When government politicizes allegations and the headlines condemn without facts, you undermine the justice system. And that doesn’t serve women, and it doesn’t serve men or society.

Eleven women accused him of sexual harassment and the state probe found those complaints to be well founded. Cuomo continues to refute the findings of the investigation.

He announced his resignation earlier this month after state lawmakers made clear that they would impeach him unless he stepped down.

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

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