Good morning.
The last evacuation flight flew out of Kabul airport just before midnight local time in Afghanistan, marking the end of the US’s nearly 20-year occupation of the country.
In total, 2,461 American service members and civilians were killed and more than 20,000 were injured in the country’s longest war, along with nearly 50,000 Afghan civilians and 70,000 Afghan soldiers and police who are estimated to have died in the violence since 2001. This number includes the 13 American service members and 70 Afghans killed after an airport attack by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
In the last 24 hours, about 1,000 Afghans were evacuated who had worked for or with the US. The total civilian evacuation carried out this month was 123,000 – 79,000 of which were flown out by the US military, including 6,000 US nationals.
More than 100 Americans remain in Afghanistan who wanted to leave but were unable to get out. The Taliban has pledged to allow anyone with valid documents to leave after the 31 August deadline.
The last two Americans to step off the tarmac in Kabul were the acting US ambassador, Ross Wilson, and Maj Gen Christopher Donahue of the 82nd Airborne Division, the US commander who oversaw the evacuation operation.
As the last US military transport aircraft lifted off from Kabul airport, Taliban fighters fired celebratory gunfire through the air and moved quickly to seize the airport. Taliban fighters wearing US army uniforms entered a former US military hangar and inspected US military helicopters, making an inventory of equipment left behind, video shot by a reporter for the LA Times showed.
For many American veterans who fought in Afghanistan, there are feelings of loss, devastation and anger watching the country fall again to Taliban rule – but not surprise.
Western powers have been forced to accept the reality of the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan in standing behind a watered-down UN resolution that fails to spell out any consequences for the Taliban. The resolution says it “expects” the Taliban to honor a commitment to allow Afghans to leave the country and “requests” that Kabul airport be securely reopened,
What’s next? The ISKP may now work to split the Taliban into rival factions, hoping that one of these factions will then ally with them.
For more Afghanistan news, follow the liveblog here.
At least two killed and more than 1m without power after Hurricane Ida
At least two people were killed in the chaos of Hurricane Ida, a 150mph monster storm that was the most powerful ever to hit Louisiana.
The state’s governor, John Bel Edwards, and Joe Biden said they expected the death toll to rise, with scores of coastal Louisiana residents trapped by flood waters and pleading to be rescued.
Ida knocked out power for the entire city of New Orleans after a crucial transponder was toppled into the Mississippi River. Authorities estimate that more than a million homes and businesses across Louisiana are without power, and that it could be weeks before the power grid is repaired.
Without power, some are now left without food or water for several days and are left waiting and hoping for the best as rescuers survey the damages.
Oregon counties request refrigerated trucks for bodies as Covid overwhelms morgues
Two Oregon counties are running out of space to hold bodies amid a surge in Covid-19 cases that is overwhelming the state’s healthcare system. Local hospitals, funeral homes and crematoriums are either “at the edge of crisis capacity daily” or “consistently at or exceeding their capacity” for body storage.
“In the past two weeks, we have had more new positive cases than the first 10 months of the pandemic,” the Tillamook county board of commissioners said.
California wildfire forces unprecedented evacuation of Tahoe tourist town
Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate the popular tourist town of South Lake Tahoe as the Caldor fire draws closer. Ash rained down as the long lines of cars trying to evacuate gridlocked the roads and brought traffic to a standstill.
The Caldor fire, which broke out on 14 August, has so far burned 277 sq miles and more than 650 structures have been destroyed. At least 20,000 more structures are under threat. Three first responders have been injured in the blaze, along with two civilians.
Texas abortion providers ask supreme court to halt unprecedented abortion law
In a last-ditch effort to stop a near-total abortion ban that allows any individual the right to sue an abortion provider who violates the extreme law, Texas abortion providers are asking the US supreme court to block the unprecedented measure that goes into effect tomorrow.
Signed into law by the Republican governor, Greg Abbott, in May, the law bans abortion once embryonic cardiac activity is detected – typically about six weeks – and offers no exceptions for rape or incest.
In other news…
Democrats are pushing what may be their last chance to hold off voter suppression efforts by Republicans, with Democratic party members saying their control of both the House and Senate is at stake if they do not pass new legislation to protect elections.
Jury selection begins today in the trial of the Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes, who is is charged with six counts of fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Native American tribes will continue to enforce mask mandates in states with bans on school mask mandates, asserting their powers as sovereign nations to defy the orders.
Stat of the day: Opponents of California’s recall of Gavin Newsom have raised $62.2m to keep him in office
Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, is facing a recall election in a few weeks. Those in favor of the recall, however, have only raised $8m, while he has raised nearly eight times that. Newsom’s huge fundraising advantage guarantees absolutely nothing, however, as recalls do not allow the incumbent to face off directly with his opponents.
Don’t miss this: how the US created a world of endless war
The new kind of US war is not defined by death, but by control by domination and surveillance. While it centers itself on a near complete immunity from harm for the American side and unprecedented care when it comes to killing people on the other, with fewer captives mistreated and fewer civilians dead than in the past, the US’s military operations have become more expansive in scope and perpetual in time.
Climate Check: selfie stations in national parks
US national parks were overrun with visitors this summer, with many forced to close their gates with parking filled up. With these visitors came graffiti, trash and reckless behavior. Park officials are brainstorming ways to manage the crowds and preserve these public lands. One tactic: selfie stations to encourage people to take photos in one place instead of another.
Last Thing: a sea shanty
One of the few things that Covid-19 did not shut down in Ireland over the past year and a half was appreciation of the sea. “There’s been a huge explosion in open-water swimming,” says Elaine Mullan, of Waterford Sports Partnership.
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