After sending social media into a frenzy when she went platinum blonde, Billie Eilish has changed her hair yet again.
The singer unveiled a brand new chop Monday on her Instagram Story. She’s now rocking a shaggy blonde bob.
Billie posted some old photos of her mom sporting a similar hairstyle, captioning one of the pics, “Like my mama.” She also posted a short video clip of her tousling the new ‘do, writing, “I love it.”
Of course, fans were instantly obsessed.
“Billie Eilish cut off her hair like she cut off her exes,” one fan tweeted. Another wrote, “BILLIE EILISH WITH THIS MARILYN MONROE STYLE HAIR FOR THE MET GALA????????????? GOODBYE.”
Yet another added, “that one women who breaks the internet just by cutting her hair: BILLIE EILISH.”
This week, Billie’s album Happier than Ever topped the Billboard 200 chart for the third week. She leads an all-female top three on the chart, along with Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo, marking the first time that’s happened in over 10 years.
(ALBANY, N.Y.) — Former Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York’s first female governor at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
“Honored to be officially sworn in as New York’s 57th Governor,” Hochul tweeted from her new official governor account. The website for the governor of New York was also updated shortly after midnight.
Hochul was sworn in by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore, in a private ceremony at the state capitol in Albany. A public swearing-in ceremony will be held for Hochul at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Red Room of the state capitol building, though she wasted no time in announcing the first two appointments of her administration, picking Karen Persichilli Keogh, a former senior aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton, as secretary to the governor and Elizabeth Fine, executive vice president and general counsel of Empire State Development (New York’s economic development agency), as counsel to the governor.
“I’m excited about this,” Hochul said last week during a visit to New York City’s Queens borough. “I’m excited about this opportunity. I’m very prepared for this.”
In a blistering farewell address to constituents on Monday, now former Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted the state attorney general’s five-month investigation that found he sexually harassed multiple women, calling it a “political firecracker” that triggered an “unfair and unjust” rush to judgment against him.
The 63-year-old Cuomo later submitted his resignation in a letter Monday to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie, effective at 12 a.m., Aug. 24. “I hereby tender my resignation for the office of Governor of the State of New York,” Cuomo wrote. “It has been my pleasure to serve with you both.”
But in an address, Cuomo used the opportunity to slam the allegations against him and tout his accomplishments as governor.
“Let me say now that 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,” Cuomo said. “I understand that there are moments of intense political pressure and media frenzy that cause a rush to judgment, but that is not right. It’s not fair or sustainable. Facts still matter.”
Cuomo, who has insisted he did not touch anyone inappropriately, announced his resignation on Aug. 13, ten days after State Attorney General Letitia James made public the results of an investigation she alleged found the governor sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former state employees, and had retaliated against one of his accusers.
“A firecracker can start a stampede, but at one point everyone looks around and says, ‘Why are we running?'” The truth is ultimately always revealed,” Cuomo said. “The attorney general’s report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic and it worked. There was a political and media stampede but the truth will (come) out in time. Of that I am confident.”
Cuomo also sought to establish a legacy beyond the allegations that drove him from office, saying, “No governor in the nation has passed more progressive measures than I have.” He listed his accomplishments, including a refurbished LaGuardia Airport, a new Penn Station transportation terminal in New York City and marriage equality as cornerstones to what he called a “new paradigm of government that actually works.”
He offered advice for the pandemic that made him a national figure for the empathy and seriousness he showed during his daily press briefings on the crisis. And he reminded listeners that under his leadership, “We faced up to the facts and we made the tough but necessary decisions.”
Cuomo acknowledged that Hochul would become governor and said, “I believe she will step up to the challenge.”
But he returned to the scandal that has led to his dramatic downfall.
“Now there are moments in life that test our character, that asks us are we the person we believe we are or are we the person we try to be at our best. You know me, I am a fighter and my instinct is to fight this because it is unfair and unjust in my mind,” Cuomo said.
“But you also know that I love New York and I serve you,” he said. “That is the oath that I took. And in this moment, I believe the right thing is that my service comes first. Prolonging this situation could only cause governmental paralysis and that is just not an option for you and not an option for the state, especially now.”
He began his last day on the job Monday with his top aid releasing a statement on his behalf, saying Cuomo “has no interest in running for office again.”
Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, issued a statement on Cuomo’s immediate plans when he leaves the job he claimed a decade ago, one once held by his late father, Mario Cuomo.
DeRosa said that Cuomo has spent nearly 25 years in public service, from being secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton administration in the 1990s to getting elected state attorney general in 2006 and serving as governor since 2010.
“And the way he does it, it’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said DeRosa, whose resignation on Aug. 8 as the most powerful unelected bureaucrat in state government will also take effect Monday night. “He looks forward to spending time with his family and has a lot of fishing to catch up on. He is exploring a number of options, but has no interest in running for office again.”
Over the weekend, Cuomo sought to show he was in control until the end as he presided over briefings on Tropical Storm Henri. He requested his emergency management team remain in place and said Hochul had been briefed despite her absence from the news conferences.
Attempting to keep reporters “on topic,” Cuomo asked that questions be limited to the storm.
“We’re dealing with an emergency, and New Yorkers want to hear about an emergency,” Cuomo said.
The first question he took was whether he still planned to resign on Monday.
“And, yes, my final day is [Monday],” Cuomo said.
Unlike Cuomo, who honed his political instincts at the hip of his father, Hochul’s political career began on a town council in Western New York. She briefly served in Congress and has been lieutenant governor for seven years.
Among Hochul’s first tasks will be appointing a new lieutenant governor, and she has said it would be someone from a New York City borough. She has signaled there would be “turnover” from the Cuomo administration, particularly among those in the Executive Chamber that were named in the state attorney general’s report as enabling Cuomo’s alleged harassment.
“I’m looking forward at the right time to introducing the members of my administration,” Hochul said.
Another priority is the pandemic and repopulating the depleted ranks of the state’s health department.
Hochul said the state has the authority to mandate masks in schools statewide and has said she believes “we will need mask mandates for children to go back to school … and that will have to be universal, it will be statewide.”
Here’s a simple strategy for having a happier marriage: Say “thank you” more often… and whenever your partner does something nice for you, tell them you noticed and appreciate it.
In other words: Raise your game when it comes to expressing GRATITUDE. Because according to a study in the journal Personal Relationships, the more you show gratitude in your marriage, the happier and more valued your partner will feel. And even if you and your partner argue regularly, your gratitude may be the one factor that SAVES your relationship!
I know it sounds simplistic… but the psychologists who led the study say it makes a lot of sense. Because one of the top reasons couples break up is they get into what’s called a “negative conflict pattern” – where one partner makes a demand, and the other gets defensive or withdraws in some way… say, by silently holding on to resentment.
But researchers say, when partners feel valued by each other, they’re significantly more likely to stay committed to the relationship, even if they argue regularly. Because gratitude counteracts the effects of negative communication.
And the study found that feeling appreciated directly influences how you feel about your marriage, how committed you are to it, and your belief that it will last.
Studies show that a clean home equals a clear mind…
Because clutter stresses us out. But there are certain types of cleaning that work better depending which headspace you’re in.
For example: If you’re feeling annoyed, do a deep clean. Like scour your tub or power-wash your patio. According to Melissa Maker who wrote “Clean My Space,” intensely cleaning something – then seeing the dramatic result – can bring you back to a neutral mindset. It releases endorphins, putting you on a more even keel.
Next, if you’re feeling anxious: Organize. Maker says, messiness over-stimulates the brain. And when you’re anxious, your brain is already over-stimulated. So organizing not only puts your stuff in order – it can put your thoughts in order, too. And to make sure organizing doesn’t overwhelm you, know that it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
The final way to clean to change your mindset: If you’re feeling lost and without direction or purpose: Purge. Happiness researcher Gretchen Rubin says creating physical space is transformative. You can’t move forward if there’s nowhere to go, right? So clearing things out and purging creates open space. That lightens your mental load and allows you to start fresh.
The last time you struggled to fall asleep, or stay asleep, what was the reason?
That’s what a new OnePoll survey of 2,000 adults wanted to know. And I don’t think it will surprise anyone to hear that ANXIETY was far and away the most common factor ruining most people’s sleep this past year! But the type of anxiety we’re experiencing is somewhat new:
Researchers say that for the first time, so-called “next day anxiety” is the top reason people can’t fall asleep these days. That refers to being uncertain about what tomorrow may bring. According to this survey, nearly half of us experience “next day anxiety” intensely enough to trigger regular insomnia.
That’s why it’s so important to relax your body and mind before trying to sleep. And it’s more than just keeping the bedroom a dark, quiet and cool.
For example, to reduce anxiety before bed, try deep breathing or meditation – which reduces your heart rate.
Also, smell lavender. It’s active ingredient calms the nervous system when inhaled.
And make a to-do list for the next day. That will help offload your worries onto a piece of paper so your mind can switch off.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 628,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 60.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:
Aug 23, 4:40 pm
Honolulu suspending large gatherings due to dramatic uptick in cases
All large gatherings in Honolulu will be suspended due to a dramatic uptick in cases, Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced Monday.
Health care workers are “pushed beyond their limits,” the mayor said.
The ban begins Aug. 25 and will last for four weeks.
Aug 23, 3:39 pm
5 Southern states have ICUs over 90% full
Five states have intensive care units over 90% full: Alabama (100%), Florida (92.82%), Georgia (92.95%), Mississippi (93.81%) and Texas (91.27%), according to federal data.
The South also leads the country with the highest case rates. Louisiana and Mississippi have the highest case rates, followed by Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and South Carolina, according to federal data.
More than 95.6% of counties are either reporting high (89.32%) or substantial (6.24%) community transmission, federal data shows. Just 4.41% of counties are reporting moderate or low transmission.
Aug 23, 2:10 pm
FDA grants full approval for Pfizer vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, becoming the first COVID-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval.
The full approval indicates that Pfizer has shown enough effectiveness and safety data to meet the stringent Biologics License Application requirements, which includes at least six months of safety data from a majority of the volunteers in a large, final stage clinical trial.
Pfizer’s full approval will pave the way for further vaccine mandates in both the public and private sector. Some businesses and state leaders have held off thus far, signaling they’d wait for full approval before imposing tighter requirements.
Federal, state and local health officials have also expressed optimism that full approval will help dissolve some of the lingering hesitancy around taking a shot that until now has been only authorized for emergency use.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock called Monday’s announcement a “pivotal moment” made possible by a “rigorous and thorough review” done in record time.
“Working around the clock, FDA staff were able to complete the evaluation of this biologics license application in just over three months,” she said. “This is an unprecedented timeline given the volume of review and the meticulous manner in which it was done, but we want to underscore that our efforts to move as quickly as possible have in no way sacrifice scientific standards for the integrity of our process.”
President Joe Biden said Monday, “If you’re one of the millions of Americans who’ve said that they will not get the shot until it has full and final approval of the FDA — it has now happened.
Aug 23, 2:07 pm
More than 180,000 new cases reported among kids last week
More than 180,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported among kids last week, reaching levels of the previous winter surge of 2020-2021, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
More than 4.59 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Last week, children represented 22.4% of all reported cases.
Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. In nearly two dozen states, 0.2%-1.9% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in hospitalization.
AAP and CHA, however, warned that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”
Aug 23, 11:12 am
Pentagon preparing to make Pfizer vaccine mandatory
The Pentagon will move forward with making the Pfizer vaccine mandatory now that it has been fully approved by the FDA, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Aug. 9 that he would seek authorization to mandate the vaccine for the military unless the FDA approved it before Sept. 15.
“Now that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved, the department is prepared to issue updated guidance, requiring all service members to be vaccinated,” Kirby said at a briefing. “A timeline for vaccination completion will be provided in the coming days.”
Aug 23, 10:50 am
NYC school staff must get vaccine
All of New York City’s nearly 150,000 public school employees must receive at least one vaccine dose by Sept. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce Monday. The new vaccination policy will not allow weekly testing as an option.
At least 63% of New York City’s Department of Education employees are already vaccinated, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter said.
The previous requirement allowed for weekly testing of the unvaccinated, with unpaid suspensions for workers who didn’t comply.
New York City’s school year starts on Sept. 13.
Aug 23, 9:46 am
FDA grants full approval for Pfizer vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, becoming the first COVID-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval.
The full approval indicates that Pfizer has shown enough effectiveness and safety data to meet the stringent Biologics License Application requirements, which includes at least six months of safety data from a majority of the volunteers in a large, final stage clinical trial.
Pfizer’s full approval will pave the way for further vaccine mandates in both the public and private sector. Some businesses and state leaders have held off thus far, signaling they’d wait for full approval before imposing tighter requirements.
Federal, state and local health officials have also expressed optimism that full approval will help dissolve some of the lingering hesitancy around taking a shot that until now has been only authorized for emergency use.
Aug 23, 7:48 am
Rev. Jesse Jackson ‘responding’ to COVID treatment
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is in the hospital with COVID-19, is responding positively to treatment, his son told ABC Chicago station WLS.
The 79-year-old, who has Parkinson’s disease, was vaccinated for COVID-19 in January, WLS reported.
His wife, Jacqueline, 77, is also in the hospital with COVID-19 and is resting comfortably, their son, Jonathan Jackson, said.
“She is having some oxygen but is able to function and breathe on her own without a respirator,” he told WLS.
Aug 23, 4:43 am
Over 880,000 Moderna vaccine doses donated by US arrive in Kenya
More than 880,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States arrived in Kenya on Monday morning.
The 880,460 doses were given to the East African nation by the U.S. government via the global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX, according to a press release from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which is leading vaccine procurement and delivery efforts on behalf of COVAX. It is the first of two shipments, totaling 1.76 million donate doses.
The donation marks the first time that Kenya has received the Moderna vaccine, widening the portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines available for the country’s ongoing rollout of its national immunization campaign. All Kenyans over the age of 18 are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Kenya aims to vaccinate 10 million of its 53 million people by the end of the year.
So far, Kenya has reported more than 229,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including at least 4,497 deaths, according to the latest data from the Kenyan Ministry of Health.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE
Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Alice Cooper and Dave Matthews are among artists hosting new episodes of Audible’s ongoing Words + Music series, an audio program described as a combination of music and storytelling.
Vedder’s installment, titled I Am Mine, is set to premiere October 21, and will find the grunge rocker “reflecting on a life at the intersection of art, sensitivity, masculinity, and ascendant pop/rock-super stardom that defined an age.”
Cooper will be giving a rare inside look at the real person behind his iconic shock rock persona in Who I Really Am: The Diary of a Hollywood Vampire, debuting October 7. Meanwhile, Matthews’ currently untitled episode, which has a to-be-announced release date, will find him on an “expedition filled with moments of personal insight, and global impact, scored by new renditions of the music that made him a defining voice in global, popular music.”
Other artists taking part in Words + Music include Against Me!‘s Laura Jane Grace, Elvis Costello and Sharon Van Etten. Previous episodes have been hosted by Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, St. Vincent, Tom Morello and Patti Smith.
In February, Paul McCartney announced plans to release a book this fall called The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, which offers a self-portrait while also profiling 154 songs he’s written throughout his long career.
Now, the former Beatles legend has unveiled the full list of songs that will be featured in the book, spanning alphabetically from “All My Loving” though “Your Mother Should Know.”
The Lyrics, which is available for pre-order now, will be published on November 2. McCartney reveals that the two-volume work will include lyrics to an unrecorded Beatles song titled “Tell Me Who He Is.”
As Sir Paul was writing of the book, the handwritten lyrics to the tune were discovered in one of his notebooks that’s believed to be from the early 1960s.
The Lyrics also will feature other handwritten lyric sheets, as well as rare personal photos, drawings and rough drafts of songs. McCartney has penned commentary about each tune to give fans a look inside his creative process.
As previously reported, the commentary was based on conversations McCartney had over the course of five years with Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet and Princeton University professor Paul Muldoon.
Following the book’s November 2 publication, the British Library in London will host a free companion display dubbed “Paul McCartney: The Lyrics” that will be open from November 5 of this year to March 3, 2022. The exhibit will feature handwritten lyrics and photographs spanning Sir Paul’s entire career.
Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
SZA surprised her fans Sunday with three new songs, which she described on Twitter as “Dumping random thoughts.”
The Oscar and Grammy nominee shared the new tracks on an anonymous Soundcloud account, and tweeted that her astrologer reader, known on Twitter on Messiah of Astrology, “made me do it.”
On the first song, “Nightbird,” SZA begs her lover to “please spend the night. I only have you for a short time,” followed by the midtempo “I Hate You” about a relationship filled joy and pain. The trio of tunes ends with “Joni,” a tender acoustic guitar ballad.
Two months ago, 30-year-old SZA collaborated with SAINt JHN on the love song “Just for Me,” from the Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack, and prior to that, in April, she teamed up with Doja Cat for “Kiss Me More.”
SZA’s last solo single, “Good Days,” was released on Christmas 2020. Its been four years since she dropped her double platinum debut album, 2017’s Ctrl.
Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
The U.S. has evacuated approximately 17,000 people since Aug. 14, White House officials said late Saturday morning. Pentagon officials have said their focus remains on maintaining the airport perimeter and increasing the number of evacuees out of Kabul.
President Joe Biden returned to Washington from Camp David on Wednesday and sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden addressed the nation again on evacuation efforts on Sunday.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 23, 4:35 pm
Afghan refugees speak after arriving in US
More Afghan refugees have arrived in the U.S. with the first on U.S. commercial carriers coming into Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Monday morning.
“We are really happy to come here,” one refugee traveling with his wife and son told ABC News’ Sam Sweeney. He said that he waited two days at the Kabul airport before getting in.
“The situation in Afghanistan is not good,” he added.
Pentagon officials said at a briefing on Monday that five flights have brought about 1,300 people to Dulles in the last 24 hours.
Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said some 1,200 Afghans are now distributed between four U.S. military bases: Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Bliss in Texas and Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey.
The military is still working to build out the capacity to host approximately 22,000 Afghans at the installations following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Aug 23, 3:49 pm
Pentagon ‘pushing the limits’ to meet Aug. 31 deadline
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby and Gen. Steve Lyons, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, at an afternoon press briefing, said the military continues to operate under the Aug. 31 deadline President Biden set despite his suggesting the U.S. could stay beyond the end of the month.
“Every day, we take as the day comes,” Lyons said. “We know and are linked very closely with Central Command, potential operations to close out the mission by the 31st — that was the mission given by the president, and we’re committed to do that.”
“We are pushing the limits to do everything we can to get every single evacuee out of Kabul,” he added. “We’re not going to let up.”
Asked about a U.S. medical team helping an Afghan woman deliver a baby on a U.S. Air Force plane just after landing in Germany, Lyons said that the U.S. military does “not have medics on every flight” and suggested that three babies have been born since evacuations started.
“My last data point was three. I don’t have a formal tracker, those are the — you know, we’ll keep you posted,” Lyons said, before the briefing ended.
Aug 23, 2:59 pm
US has ‘method’ for getting Americans to airport: White House
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a White House briefing on Monday that the U.S. is transferring groups of American citizens to the airport in Kabul but declined to go into detail, citing security concerns.
“We have developed a method to safely and efficiently transfer groups of American citizens onto the airfield. For operational reasons I’m not going to go into further detail on this,” he said.
Despite Biden suggesting the U.S. could stay in Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 as evacuations continue, Sullivan, as Pentagon officials had before him, maintained focus on the deadline at the end of the month.
“In the days remaining, we believe we have the wherewithal to get out the American citizens who want to leave Kabul,” he said.
“This operation is complex, it is dangerous, it is fraught with challenges: operational, logistical, human. And it’s produced searing images of pain and desperation. But, no
operation like this, no evacuation from the capital that has fallen in a civil war, could unfold without those images,” he added.
Aug 23, 1:28 pm
Pentagon officials say military going into Kabul ‘as needed’
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at a briefing on Monday was pressed about reports of British and other coalition forces pushing into Kabul to bring people to the airport and said the U.S. is also running those missions on a “case-by-case basis.”
On occasion, as needed, our commanders have the authority that they need to use their assets and their forces to help assist Americans who need to get to the airport — get to the airport on a case-by-case basis,” he said. Later on, he added, “I don’t want to leave you with the idea that we’re patrolling the streets of Kabul.”
Kirby confirmed there was a second helicopter mission to airlift Americans into the airport, in addition to a helicopter recovery of 169 people outside the airport perimeter last week, but would not give details.
“There has been at least one additional instance where rotary airlift was used to help Americans get from outside the airport into the airport, and I think I’m just going to leave it at that today,” he said.
He said that other extraction methods are being used as well.
“There’s a variety of methods that can be affected and, without going into detail, we’re using the variety of methods at our disposal,” Kirby added.
Aug 23, 12:59 pm
State Department denies only Americans getting into airport
Despite several reports that only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are getting into the airport in Kabul, not Afghans, a senior State Department official told reporters on Monday it’s not the case.
“It is not accurate that only Americans get through. That is not an accurate report,” the official said during a briefing.
The official said the operation is currently prioritizing Americans, touting the “unbelievable effort” to create a task force of consular officers around the world who get in touch with every American who registers with the embassy and provides instructions for them to get inside the airport.
“You can tell by the data,” the official said, “that we are being very successful with this model in getting people amassed and onto airplanes and to the transit hubs, which are represented by countries all over the world.”
Eight of those transit hubs are now open in six countries, according to the State Department, hosting more than 17,000 evacuees who have been flown from Kabul and to these hubs. In the next 24 hours, officials expect 8,000 more beds to be available as capacity continues to ramp up.
The official repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether the U.S. will stick to its Aug. 31 deadline, which Biden has seemed open to extending, but which the Taliban warned against earlier on Monday.
Aug 23, 12:16 pm
Pentagon officials address humanitarian crisis unfolding at airport
ABC News’ Luis Martinez asked Pentagon officials how they can prevent a humanitarian crisis from developing inside the airport as thousands of people who have travelled for miles gather for evacuations in the blistering heat and amid a global pandemic.
Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said that as military flights arrive into Kabul to take out evacuees, they’re bringing in supplies including food and water for those preparing for evacuation flights.
“The last 48 hours, we had a lot of folks there which is a good thing,” Taylor said. “That means we have gotten people through the gate, we process them, it means we have people safe, then we can fly out,” adding the commanders on the ground are there to help ensure a safe and humanitarian environment.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby added that they’re “very aware” of reports of sanitation and sustainment issues.
“It’s not lost on us,” Kirby said. “There’s a lot of people, and they are desperate. And we are trying to do the best we can to get them out of harm’s way as fast as possible. And when you have a throughput problem, it means that some people are going to be stuck in a given location.”
“We’re doing the best we can, under extraordinary circumstances and believe me, the pain and the suffering, the fear, the anxiety, all of that none of it is lost on U.S. troops,” he said.
Aug 23, 12:04 pm
Pentagon officials decline to give details on extending Kabul airport perimeter
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at a briefing on Monday said the U.S. military presence in Kabul remains focused on the airport following President Biden saying on Sunday that the U.S could possibly extend the perimeter there.
Sources familiar with the situation clarified to ABC News following Biden’s remarks that it did not mean U.S. troops would be moving outside of the airport.
“We continue to look at security on the airport itself, as well as the immediate environments of the airport because in those immediate environments outside the airport, that’s where you have Taliban checkpoints, where you have crowds assembling,” Kirby said. “That’s where access to the gates is critical, in the space just outside the airport where we don’t have a military presence of a sustained nature, and what we’re doing is that we are in constant communication with the Taliban about that space.”
Pressed for more information, Kirby said he didn’t want to release tactical details but said the U.S “not out there, side by side” with the Taliban.
“I think, for very good reasons of operational security, we’re just not going to detail everything we’re doing, and every opportunity we’re taking advantage of,” he said.
Aug 23, 11:31 am
Pentagon: No plans to reopen Bagram Airfield, send more troops to Kabul
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at a Pentagon briefing on Monday said the Defense Department does not have plans to reopen Bagram Airfield as it continues to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghan allies out of Kabul.
He said reopening Bagram, which the U.S. vacated in July, “would be an expenditure of resources and personnel, as well as an increase, most likely to the threat that they’re under.”
“And I understand a lot of people have views and opinions about this. It was closed down as part of the retrograde; it was always supposed to be closed down as part of the retrograde. It was the last base to be turned over to the Afghans,” he said.
Kirby, instead, said the military maintains its focus on evacuating people from Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“There are no plans at this time to request or to authorize additional U.S. forces to this mission,” Kirby added later of the ongoing evacuation mission. He said the Pentagon is still “trying” to meet the Aug. 31 deadline for a full military withdrawal.
Aug 23, 11:27 am
Pentagon: 16K evacuated in 24 hours
In a Pentagon briefing Monday, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, deputy director of Joint Staff regional operations, said that 16,000 evacuees have been flown out of Kabul since Sunday.
“Within the last 24 hours, 25 U.S. military C-17, three U.S. military C-130s and then a combination of 61 charter commercial and other military flights departed Kabul,” Taylor said, reminding that six commercial airlines have joined the Defense Department’s evacuation mission.
Of the 16,000 evacuees, Taylor said the military transported just under 11,000. He said the use of temporary safe haven locations across Europe and the Middle East to house Afghans, from Qatar to Spain, is a “testament to the importance of our alliances and our partnerships.”
NEW: In last 24 hours, dozens of flights departed Kabul, Afghanistan, carrying 16,000 passengers, Pentagon spokesperson says; U.S. military transported just under 11,000.
In the U.S., he said four military installations, as well as Dulles International Airport, are now receiving Afghans as they come into the country. The installations include Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Lee in Virginia, Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey and Fort Bliss in Texas.
While Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. has evacuated “several thousand” Americans, he declined to give a more accurate approximation when pressed, saying the number is “very fluid” and “literally changes nearly by the hour.”
Aug 23, 10:37 am US confirms member of Afghan forces killed
United States Central Command has confirmed one member of the Afghan security forces was killed overnight in a firefight.
“No U.S. or coalition forces were hurt during a brief exchange of gunfire last night outside the north gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The incident appeared to begin when an unknown hostile actor fired upon Afghan security forces involved in monitoring access to the gate. The Afghans returned fire, and in keeping with their right of self-defense, so too did U.S. and coalition troops,” said Navy Capt. William Urban, U.S. CENTCOM spokesperson, in a statement.
“One member of the Afghan forces was killed by the hostile actor; several Afghans were wounded during the exchange. The wounded are being treated at an airfield hospital and are reported to be in stable condition,” he said. “Our condolences go out to the teammates and loved ones of the fallen Afghan soldier.”
The German military announced earlier on Twitter that one Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded at the airport in Kabul.
Aug 23, 9:58 am Taliban holds 1st loya jirga since returning to power
The Taliban is holding its first-ever loya jirga, or “grand council” in Pashto, since taking back control of Afghanistan, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told ABC News.
The event is taking place at the Kabul Polytechnic University in Afghanistan’s capital on Monday.
The purpose of the loya jirga is to hold consultations with religious scholars, and the source said three issues are under consideration: the teaching style in Afghan schools; whether help from the Taliban’s ulema, a body of Muslim scholars, is needed to avoid a mass exodus of Afghans; and how to encourage the country’s younger generation to work, including women.
Aug 23, 7:44 am
Some 16,300 people evacuated from Kabul in past 24 hours
The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 37,000 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.
In a 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday, 28 U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 10,400 people from Kabul. Another 5,900 people were evacuated via 61 coalition aircraft.
Since the end of July, the U.S. has relocated approximately 42,000 people from Kabul, the White House official said.
Aug 23, 5:28 am
Taliban warns of ‘consequences’ if Biden extends withdrawal deadline: ‘It’s a red line’
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News that Aug. 31, the date Biden has set for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, is a “red line” and extending it would “provoke a reaction.”
The U.S. president said Sunday he would not rule out extending the withdrawal deadline beyond Aug. 31, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly expected to urge Biden for an extension. But the Taliban spokesman warned “there would be consequences.”
“President Biden announced that on the 31st of August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Shaheen said in a recent interview with Sky News. “I think it will deteriorate the relation that will create mistrust between us.”
Aug 23, 5:05 am
At least 1 killed, 3 wounded in gunfight at Kabul airport
One Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a shootout with unidentified attackers at the international airport in Kabul on Monday morning, the German military announced via Twitter.
Both German and American forces returned fire when the shooting erupted at the north gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. No German soldiers were hurt in the exchange, according to the German military.
The U.S. military is aware of an incident at one of the gates, a defense official told ABC News.
The deadly gun battle occurred as the United States and other Western nations oversaw the evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners desperate to flee the Taliban-controlled country.
Aug 22, 10:48 pm
Southwest to begin domestic refugee flights
Joining other international airlines like United, Delta and American, Southwest Airlines announced Sunday that it will work with the Department of Defense to help transport domestic refugees from Afghanistan.
“We are proud to support our military’s critical humanitarian airlift mission, and we are grateful to our Employees for demonstrating an eagerness to support these military efforts, once again displaying their true Southwest Heart,” the company said in a statement Sunday.
Southwest said it plans to operate four of these types of flights on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
“Of course, the Southwest Team stands ready to provide additional support to the Department of Defense, if needed,” the company said.
Aug 22, 5:34 pm
Biden again defends decision to withdraw
The president pushed back against critics who questioned his timing about pulling American forces from Afghanistan.
Biden reiterated that the 20-year war has already left 2,448 Americans dead and 20,722 wounded and cost $300 million a day.
“Either increase the number of forces we keep there and keep that going, or I end the war. I decided to end the war,” he said.
The president stressed that America will remain vigilant against overseas terrorists.
“So the question is, when is the right time to leave? Where are our national interests? Where do they lie?” Biden asked.
