5 things you need to know this weekend
Ida now a hurricane, New Orleans in its sights
Ida strengthened into a hurricane Friday afternoon as Louisiana prepared for a direct hit Sunday afternoon or evening from the storm, which the National Hurricane Center said could reach Category 4 strength with winds estimated at 140 mph. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Friday evening that the storm has developed so rapidly that the city "cannot issue a mandatory evacuation because we don't have the time." The city is under a hurricane warning after the Hurricane Center on Friday afternoon issued hurricane and storm surge warnings for portions of the Gulf Coast.
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Afghanistan evacuations take on added urgency after bombing, drone strike
As evacuations of Americans leaving Afghanistan continue in Kabul this weekend, the operations around the capital's airport take on added urgency in the wake of Thursday's bombing at an entry point that killed 13 U.S. troops, a subsequent U.S. drone strike and President Biden's fast-approaching Tuesday deadline for withdrawing troops from the country. The drone strike hit an ISIS-K target in retaliation for the deadly bombing at the Kabul airport, the Pentagon said Friday. Earlier the Pentagon warned of specific, credible terrorist threats from ISIS-K to U.S. troops and civilians fleeing Afghanistan after Thursday's devastating Kabul airport attack, which also killed at least 169 Afghan civilians.
Protesters to mark anniversary of March on Washington with nationwide marches for voting rights
Fifty-eight years after Martin Luther King Jr. led 250,000 people in the historic March on Washington, protesters will gather again Saturday in cities nationwide to demand the protection of voting rights. As part of March On for Voting Rights, civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King and the Rev. Al Sharpton, will lead marches in Washington, Houston, Miami, Phoenix and more than 40 other cities. The demonstrations this year will call on Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act is meant to restore parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that Supreme Court decisions have struck down. The legislation passed the House on Wednesday and is expected to face significant opposition in the Senate.
- NAACP: Voting rights are not a partisan issue. So why is Congress blocking progress?
- John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act: House Democrats approve voting-rights bill named after John Lewis
College football season kicks off
The 2021 college football season, which kicks off Saturday, promises to be a return to normalcy for a sport that saw schedules wildly impacted and entire conferences play games without any fans in attendance last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Week 0” action gets going with a national TV Big Ten battle between Nebraska and Illinois at 1:20 p.m. ET (Fox). The other Power Five team in action in the five-game slate is UCLA, which hosts Hawaii in the Rose Bowl starting at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Week 1 gets going in earnest Thursday, and unlike last year, every conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision will be in action from the jump.
Philly Naked Bike Ride has one requirement: masks
After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down last year's event, the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride is back Saturday with only one dress code requirement: You must wear a mask. The event aims to promote positive body images and love for cycling, an environmentally friendly mode of transportation no matter what you're wearing (or not). The ride, which takes two to three hours to complete, is part of a larger organization, called World Naked Bike Ride. People have biked naked in New Zealand, Argentina, Japan, Canada and more than a dozen other countries. During the Philly Naked Bike Ride, participants sport unique hats, glasses and outfits. A body paint area is provided where participants can draw items, pictures or share a message.
