WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says U.S. commanders at the Kabul airport are coordinating with the Taliban while accelerating the evacuation of Americans and at-risk Afghan allies. Spokesman John Kirby says there have been no hostile actions by the Taliban, and that several hundred members of the now-defeated Afghan army are at the airport assisting…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he stands “squarely behind” his decision for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan.. Speaking about the chaotic situation in Afghanistan, Biden says he faced a choice between following an agreement to withdraw or sending thousands more U.S. troops for a “third decade” of war. Biden spoke Monday after the…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — One of the Catholic church’s top officials and fiercest critics of Pope Francis has COVID-19 and is breathing through a ventilator. Cardinal Raymond Burke tweeted on Aug. 10 that he had caught the virus, was resting comfortably and was receiving excellent medical care. His staff tweeted Saturday that he has been…
A young Afghan woman stands between two worlds at Kabul’s airport, engulfed in panic as thousands of Afghans scramble desperate to get out following the Taliban takeover of the country. In one world, Massouma Tajik would board a flight to a country she does not know, destined to become a refugee. In another, she would…
ARNOLD, Mo. (AP) — With the start of the new school year fast approaching, some parents in two suburban St. Louis districts are questioning why most students will not be required to wear face coverings, decisions that conflict with federal and local health guidelines. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that some parents in St. Charles…
Missouri hospitals are filling to the brim with COVID-19 patients, and so are their intensive care units, which are treating a record number of patients. Information posted Friday on the state health department’s coronavirus dashboard shows 2,318 people hospitalized with the virus, 50 more than a day earlier and the highest number in seven months.…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is refusing landlords’ request to put the Biden administration’s new eviction moratorium on hold, though she made clear she thinks it’s illegal. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich on Friday said her “hands are tied” by an appellate ruling the last time courts considered the evictions moratorium in the spring.…
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom…
Missouri’s death toll from the delta variant of COVID-19 is rising, especially in the hard-hit southwestern corner of the state. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department announced Wednesday that 82 people have died from COVID-19 since July 1. The health department cited 67 deaths in July and 15 in the first nine days of August. The…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. The CDC recommendation echoes recent guidance from top obstetrician groups. The agency had previously encouraged pregnant…