More chaos at Kabul airport, hurricane Henri approaches hit New England: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of 5 Things: There's more uncertainty at Kabul's airport as Afghans, Americans try to leave Afghanistan. President Joe Biden is vowing to bring home all Americans and Afghans who helped the U.S. during the war there. Plus, a hurricane may hit New England for the first time in generations, toxic algae might be to blame in a California family's death, Broadway returns and a 'Sturgeon' moon lights up the sky.
Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson. And this is five things you need to know Saturday, the 21st of August 2021. Today, more chaos at the Kabul Airport, plus a possible hurricane in New England, and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines laws.
- The Supreme Court put a temporary stop to a judge's order that would have forced the government to reinstate a policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the US. President Joe Biden had suspended the Trump administration program.
- The CDC is recommending that travelers who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness avoid cruise ships. That's regardless of vaccination policy.
- And Ella Bruning has made history. She's the only girl at this year's Little League World Series and just the 20th girl ever to play in the youth baseball competition. She said she dropped softball for the summer to focus on helping her Abilene, Texas team.
Taylor Wilson:
There's more chaos at Kabul's airport. Thousands of people are again gathering outside Hamid Karzai International, as they try to flee Taliban rule. Scenes there are not quite as gnarly as earlier this week when thousands rushed onto the tarmac, even as planes were landing and taking off. And several died, who clung to the outside of a US military plane while it departed. But there are now again, massive gatherings outside the airports walls, Afghan soldiers fired shots to try and control the crowd on Friday. The US military along with other operations are camped out inside the airport, directing evacuations out of the country. Many more people can't even reach the airport with strict Taliban checkpoints around the city and major traffic delays. One person who worked alongside the United States for years said that the large crowds make it almost impossible to get through.
Speaker 2:
We've been in contact with [inaudible 00:02:16]. It is crazy. No one is helping. And I don't know if this keeps going, no one would get help. We are requesting the government to fix this.
Speaker 3:
Are you going to America or to-
Speaker 2:
America. I've been working with them for five years.
Taylor Wilson:
For Afghans who made it to the US, there are paralyzing fears about what will happen to their family back home. Particularly, if they've previously worked with the United States. The Taliban have pledged not to attack people or their families who have worked with Western nations during the war. But for a man who told the AP, he wants to be identified as just [inaudible 00:02:49] fears are real. He worked as a translator for the United States and Afghanistan, but now lives in Wisconsin.
Speaker 4:
We very worried about them. So I was trying to pull them out of Afghanistan because those people have they know like they serve the military. So they go after them. So their life's in danger right now, especially for the family. Like they don't have like head of family, like brother, husband, or father, is very difficult. It's very hard for them to go outside work and feed their family. One of my youngest sister, she was nurse. She was working for the hospital. Yeah. And she's scared also. She's very nervous. She's always thinking when I call her. She's crying, like, "Please do something for us." My mom asking too, like, "Please, did you talk with someone? You do anything for us?"
Taylor Wilson:
The US faced issues on Friday as its facilities at an air base in Qatar rapidly filled up. That backlog forced flights from Kabul's airport to stop for several hours. But they have since resumed. The State Department said Friday that it set up a specific task force to identify any US citizens left in the country who need assistance, along with other Afghan collaborators. President Joe Biden continues to promise the US will bring Americans in the country home. And the same for Afghans who help the US in the war and their families.
President Biden:
This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history. And the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America. But let me be clear. Any American wants to come home, we will get you home, but make no mistake. This evacuation mission is dangerous and involves risks to armed forces. And it's being conducted under difficult circumstances. I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or what it will be, that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander and chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary. And as an American, I offer my gratitude to the brave men and women of the US armed forces who are carrying out this mission. They're incredible.
Taylor Wilson:
But time is quickly running out on the August 31st deadline Biden set to withdraw most remaining US troops. About 5,700 people were flown out of Kabul on Friday, according to a defense official. About 2,000 people were air lifted the previous two days. The US military also flew helicopters beyond the Kabul Airport to pick up 169 Americans. It's not clear if the military will continue to make similar rescue missions.
Taylor Wilson:
Estimates have ranged as high as 15,000 US citizens left in Afghanistan. Taliban leaders continue to make sporadic public comments, but they're not expected to make many announcements on their new government until that August 31st deadline passes. Taliban leader, Moolah Abdul-Ghani Badar is in Kabul for meetings with the group's leadership. He negotiated their 2020 peace deal with the Trump administration.
Taylor Wilson:
It's been more than a generation since New England has had a hurricane, but that could change on Sunday. The last hurricane to make landfall in the region was Hurricane Bob in 1991. This time it could be Onri, a powerful storm swirling in the Atlantic with 70 mile an hour winds, and it could slam New England on Sunday. Accu Weather's Bernie Reno has the latest.
Bernie Reno:
Well, Onri is going to be impacting New England Sunday and the Monday. In fact, Eastern New England and Southeastern new England, you have to be prepared for hurricane as we head toward the weekend. We're also worried that Onri could slow down a little bit. There's going to be at least the possibility of a significant storm surge and flooding, power outages. The last hurricane, by the way, to make landfall in Southeastern New England was Bob back on August 19th, of 1991.
Bernie Reno:
As it start approaches Southeast New England, by Sunday, you start getting into some cooler water. That's when it's going to be weakening. But until that point, it's got plenty of warm water to work with, and really what may also happen is that Onri may slow as we get into Saturday, in the Sunday and Monday. And it could be a lot closer to the main coast. So all across Eastern New England and Southeastern New England, you need to be prepared for a land falling hurricane at some point late Sunday or Sunday night.
Taylor Wilson:
Onri follows other storms, Fred and Grace earlier this week. We've now entered what's considered the peak of Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through October.
Taylor Wilson:
A Northern California family reported missing earlier this week turned up dead in the Sierra National Forest. They are John Garrish, Ellen Shung, and their one-year-old daughter Moogy. Their dog was also found dead. Investigations are ongoing into what happened, but Marie Posa County told the associated press that the deaths would be treated as a hazmat situation. The reason, the area where the family was found may have toxic algae and carbon monoxide. There were no signs of trauma, gunshot wounds, or a suicide note in the area. Toxic algae blooms significantly lower oxygen levels in water, killing organisms in it.
Taylor Wilson:
Broadway is back. Broadway shows returned to New York City on Sunday for the first time since shutting down on March 12th, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Passover, a modern telling of waiting for Godot will be the first show to reopen featuring two black friends in search of a better life, but not everything is opening this week. In fact, most shows won't return until later this fall or winter. Ralph [inaudible 00:08:53] from Entertain This breaks it all down.
Ralph:
To Kill A Mockingbird's Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan Bolger returned to the show as Broadway prepares to reopen. 2021 isn't just for film adaptations of Broadway hits, the year's also marking the reopening of New York's theater district. And the latest news, to Kill a Mockingbird will return with its original stars. Jeff Daniels reprises his role as Atticus Finch and Celia Keenan Bolger plays his daughter Scout, which she won a Tony for. It opens October 6th and tickets are on sale now, and they might not be the last high profile stars to return. Last summer, Lin Manuel Miranda told us about a potential Alexander Hamilton comeback.
Lin Manuel Miranda:
I haven't cut my hair and I think it's because I miss it. I'm growing the hair. It's just a matter of when we're back.
Ralph:
Okay. As you probably saw recently on the Tonight Show, the hair's short again, but they have wigs for that. And he's still in mid season performance form.
Ralph:
(Singing).
Lin Manuel Miranda:
Hamilton, Chicago, Wicked, and the Lion King returns September 14th. Other shows like Dear Evan Hansen won't be back until December.
Taylor Wilson:
Not everything will be the same as before. Performers will all be vaccinated except for a handful of exceptions. And like most indoor events in New York City, you'll need to be vaccinated to attend a show. Head to the entertainment section on USAtoday.com for all the latest.
Taylor Wilson:
There's a sturgeon moon in the night sky this weekend. The moon officially becomes full at 8:02 AM Eastern time Saturday. According to the old Farmer's Almanac, the August full moon gets its name from the giant sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain that were mostly caught during this part of the summer. This weekend's moon is also a blue moon. That name is given to the third full moon of the season when there are four.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for listening to Five Things. You can find us wherever you get your audio, including on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thanks to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. And Claire's back with the Sunday edition right here on this feed. Five things is part of the USA Today Network.