A man stands outside his vehicle on Highway 50 as evacuee traffic is at a standstill in South Lake Tahoe, California, on Monday. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP
A man stands outside his vehicle on Highway 50 as evacuee traffic is at a standstill in South Lake Tahoe, California, on Monday. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP
The 6 January committeeintends to make a third round of requests for records as it investigates the deadly assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the election result, according to CNN and Reuters.
The US education department has opened civil rights investigations into five states for banning mask mandates to stop the spread of Covid-19 in public schools.
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the US attorney general was asking judges and lawyers to prevent evictionsafter the supreme court ruled last week to end an eviction ban instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Psaki also confirmed the US was investigating reports of civilian casualties from a drone strike on Sunday in Kabul, but said she could not “speak to or confirm” the number of lives lost. Accounts from the scene say that nine people from one family were killed, including seven children.
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Ida to a tropical depression this evening. The storm’s peak winds have now declined to 35mph. But the storm is expected to bring lots more rain, even as residents begin to survey its wreckage.
Officials ordered more evacuations as the Caldor fire threatened mountain towns surrounding Lake Tahoe, California.
Oregon counties request trucks for bodies as Covid overwhelms morgues
Dani Anguiano
Two Oregon counties hit hard by Covid-19 are running out of space to hold bodies amid an intense surge in cases that is overwhelming the state’s healthcare system, forcing authorities to request refrigerated trucks to help handle the overflow.
In Josephine county, located in the state’s south-west, the local hospital is exceeding its body storage capacity and the area’s five funeral homes and three crematoriums are “at the edge of crisis capacity daily”, the county emergency manager told the state last week. Meanwhile, Tillamook county, on Oregon’s north-west coast,reported that its sole funeral home “is now consistently at or exceeding their capacity” of nine bodies.
Rising cases, mostly among the unvaccinated, have overwhelmed hospitals across the state. In south-west Oregon, cases are increasing faster than anywhere else in the country. Oregon has more people hospitalized than at any other point in the pandemic. Officials attribute the current surge to the hyper-contagious Delta variant and low vaccination rates in some regions, such as Josephine county, where just 40% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. In Tillamook county, 54% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
“In the past two weeks, we have had more new positive cases than the first 10 months of the pandemic,” the Tillamook county board of commissioners said in a public statement. “The spread of Covid in Tillamook county has reached a critical phase.” The area, which has a population of 26,000, saw six deaths in six days.
Hurricane Ida’s rampage through Louisiana – in pictures
Up to 2 million people in and around New Orleans were without power after Hurricane Ida, a 150mph monster storm that was the most powerful ever to hit Louisiana. At least one person was killed, by a falling tree, but the governor, John Bel Edwards, warned that the death toll will probably rise
Vehicles pass through a flooded street after Hurricane Ida moved through in LaPlace, Louisiana, on Monday. Photograph: Steve Helber/AP
Rapid advance of Caldor fire forces more evacuations near Lake Tahoe
Dani Anguiano
Officials ordered more evacuations around the Tahoe Basin as the raging Caldor fire threatened mountain towns surrounding Lake Tahoe.
The new orders urged people to evacuate a long section of the Lake Tahoe shoreline, including part of the tourist city of South Lake Tahoe and about 15 miles (24 km) up the western shore of the lake.
The fresh orders came a day after communities several miles south of the lake had abruptly been ordered to leave their homes. The fire destroyed multiple homes Sunday along Highway 50, one of the main routes to the south end of the lake. The fire also roared through the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort, destroying some buildings but leaving the main buildings at the base intact.
“Today’s been a rough day and there’s no bones about it,” Jeff Marsoleis, forest supervisor for El Dorado national forest, said on Sunday evening.
A few days ago, he said, he thought crews could halt the Caldor fire’s eastern progress, but “today it let loose”.
Crews are preparing for challenging days ahead, with gusty winds and critical fire weather conditions in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday.
More than 15,000 firefighters are battling 15 large fires across California. Flames have destroyed about 2,000 structures, burned 1.7m acres and forced thousands to evacuate while blanketing large swaths of the west in unhealthy smoke.
The California fires are among nearly 90 large blazes in the US, primarily in the west, and are burning trees and brush desiccated by drought. The climate crisis has made the region warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists.
The 6 January committee intends to make a third round of requests for records as it investigates the deadly assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the election result, according to CNN and Reuters.
The US education department has opened civil rights investigations into five states for banning mask mandates to stop the spread of Covid-19 in public schools.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US attorney general is asking judges and lawyers to prevent evictions after the Supreme Court ruled last week to end an eviction ban instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Psaki also confirmed the US is investigating reports of civilian casualties from a drone strike on Sunday in Kabul, but said she could not “speak to or confirm” the number of lives lost. Accounts from the scene say that nine people from one family were killed, including seven children.
Tonight’s withdrawal signifies both the end of the military component of the evacuation, but also the end of the nearly 20 year mission that began in Afghanistan shortly after September 11 2001. It is a mission that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice along with many of his al Qaeda co-conspirators. The cost was 2,461 US service members and civilians killed and more than 20,000 who were injured. Sadly, that includes 13 US service members who were killed last week by an ISIS case suicide bomber.”
We honor their sacrifice today. As we remember their heroic accomplishments.
Marine Corps general Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, just announced that the US has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of war. The last C-17 left the Kabul airport at 3:29 pm ET, McKenzie said.
Follow our global Afghanistan live blog for more updates:
Senator Angus King, an Independent from Maine, credited the Covid-19 vaccine for keeping him out of the hospital after contracting Covid-19 this month. King tested positive for Covid-19 on 19 August though he had been vaccinated.
“I’m convinced the vaccine saved my life,” King told the Associated Press.
He said the breakthrough infection was double the worst head cold he had ever experienced, with a cough that hurt his ribs, extreme sinus congestion and difficulty sleeping.
The 77-year-old said he understood why his infection might cause people to question the value of the vaccine, but noted that nearly everyone hospitalized with Covid-19 is unvaccinated.
“I really urge people to get vaccinated. The science is there. About a billion people have taken it at this point. There’s little doubt I would’ve been in the hospital in serious condition if I hadn’t ben vaccinated,” he said.
Joe Biden’s approval ratings dipped to a record low of 48% in a Morning Consult poll published Monday.
In a survey of 15,623 registered voters between 27 and 29 August, 49% of people said they did not approve of Biden’s job performance.
In a similar survey conducted two weeks earlier - from 12 to 14 August, the number of Democrats who “strongly” approve of his performance dropped seven points to 47%.
The number of Republicans who “strongly disapprove” of Biden’s job performance is 76%.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the EU removing the US from its list of countries people could travel from without Covid-19 restrictions such as required quarantine. The reporter noted that the US still blocked European travelers from entering the US.
“I think it’s first important to note that today’s announcement by the EU impacts people who are unvaccinated and not those who are vaccinated,” Psaki said.
The EU guidance is a recommendation and not binding. It also says that fully vaccinated people should still be granted entry for non-essential travel.
Psaki confirmed the US is investigating reports of civilian casualties from a drone strike on Sunday in Kabul, but said she could not “speak to or confirm” the number of lives lost. Accounts from the scene say that nine people from one family were killed, including seven children.
The Guardian’s world affairs editor Julian Borger has more on those accounts, here:
White House press secretary Jen Psaki is responding to questions about Afghanistan at the daily press briefing. She said the president would likely address the public in the coming days in response to the withdrawal of troops ending tomorrow.
“The president stands by his decision to bring our men and women home from Afghanistan,” Psaki said. “We would have sent thousands of troops in harm’s way to fight a war that Afghans weren’t willing to fight in to preserve their government.”
Psaki said the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, would be meeting with other allies to discuss plans to help people who want to leave Afghanistan after troops are withdrawn on 31 August. “There is also of course a discussion about what our diplomatic presence might look like going forward,” Psaki said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said US attorney general is asking judges and lawyers to prevent evictions after the Supreme Court ruled last week to end an eviction ban instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Decisions on whether or not to evict someone ultimately fall on local judges who review the cases.
The CDC had the eviction moratorium in place to stop the spread of Covid-19 as cases rise to their highest levels since the winter surge. Hundreds of local agencies are also working to distribute almost $47bn in federal rental assistance to renters and landlords. So far, only 11% of that money has been distributed.
“Today attorney general Merrick Garland is calling on the entire legal community to prevent unnecessary evictions during this public health emergency,” Psaki said.
Joe Biden is in a briefing about Hurricane Ida with senior advisor, Cedric Richmond, at his side, and regional leaders on video conference.
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards said he believes closer to 2 million people could be affected by power outages from the hurricane. Power is out across the entire city of New Orleans.
President of Jefferson parish in Louisiana, Cynthia Lee Sheng, described limited communications with first responders who went out to help in the state’s coastal areas.
Biden said cell phone coverage has been expanded so people in the affected areas can use the network of any provider to make calls, no matter which company they pay for cell phone service.
Texas could become the first state in decades to ban most abortions, if a federal court allows a law called SB8 to take effect on 1 September.
A hearing was originally scheduled on Monday on whether the court should block the law. But the fifth circuit court of appeals cancelled the hearing late on Friday and denied reproductive rights group an emergency motion on Sunday.
“If this law is not blocked by 1 September, abortion access in Texas will come to an abrupt stop,” said Marc Hearron, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights in a statement.
SB8 effectively puts a $10,000 “bounty” on the head of abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion past roughly six weeks’ gestation, by allowing private citizens to sue those who “aid and abet” women in exercising this constitutional right.
Opponents have warned the law could also provide a back door to attack other controversial civil rights, such as gun rights or free speech.
The US education department has opened civil rights investigations into five states for banning mask mandates, meant to stop the spread of Covid-19, in public schools.
The Washington Post said the move “ups the Biden administration’s battle with Republican governors over pandemic policies for schools”.
The states under investigation are Iowa, South Carolina, Utah, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Regarding other high-profile battles over mask mandates and attempts to ban them, the department said it had “not opened investigations in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, or Arizona because those states’ bans on universal indoor masking are not currently being enforced as a result of court orders or other state actions.
“Due to these rulings and actions, districts should be able to implement universal indoor masking in schools to protect the health and safety of their students and staff.
“However, the department will continue to closely monitor those states and is prepared to take action if state leaders prevent local schools or districts from implementing universal indoor masking or if the current court decisions were to be reversed.
Miguel Cardona, the education secretary, said: “It’s simply unacceptable that state leaders are putting politics over the health and education of the students they took an oath to serve.
“The department will fight to protect every student’s right to access in-person learning safely and the rights of local educators to put in place policies that allow all students to return to the classroom full-time in-person safely this fall.”
