Leads:
- The death toll from yesterday's suicide attacks in Kabul is now over 100. The Pentagon says 13 U.S. service members are among the dead, including ten Marines, two soldiers and one sailor. They were the first U.S. soldiers to die in the conflict since February of 2020, and it was the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since 2011. It happened as two bombs went off outside the Kabul airport, where crowds have been gathering as the U.S. evacuation deadline approaches. The Pentagon says another 18 U.S. service members were injured in the attacks, which were carried out by the ISIS-K terrorist group.
- Evacuations have been expanded in El Dorado County as the Caldor Fire grows closer to the Lake Tahoe Basin. Thursday night, El Dorado County sheriff’s officials issued new mandatory evacuation orders from Twin Bridges through Echo Summit, extending north of Highway 50 to Flagpole Peak and south of the highway to the Amador-Alpine county line. The nearly 50-mile Highway 50 closure, which begins at Sly Park Road in Pollock Pines on the west end, has also been extended on the east end.
- Vice President Harris is cancelling a campaign stop in support of California Governor Gavin Newsom after the ISIS-K attack in Afghanistan. Harris is returning to the U.S. from a swing through Southeast Asia and had planned a stop in the Bay Area today for the Democratic governor, facing an upcoming recall election. That's where she started her political career as a prosecutor. Harris is instead returning to Washington D.C.
- Air quality levels in the Sacramento region are expected to worsen this weekend as the forecast shows shifting winds will push smoke from wildfires into the valley. The National Weather Service is warning this weekend have unhealthy breathing conditions which will continue into early next week. To avoid the smoke, run your A-C, limit your outdoor activities or better yet, stay indoors.
Extra Links:
- With the Taliban growing more violent and adding checkpoints near Kabul's airport, an all-volunteer group of American veterans of the Afghan war launched a final daring mission on Wednesday night dubbed the "Pineapple Express" to shepherd hundreds of at-risk Afghan elite forces and their families to safety.