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 | | | 'Leave immediately' | | Americans at Kabul airport gates have received a warning, Biden meets with the new Israeli prime minister and more news to start your Thursday. | | |
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| As the United States' deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan looms, the State Department has advised Americans at the Kabul airport gates to leave the area as soon as possible due to security threats. |
| Back in Washington, President Joe Biden will have an "introductory" meeting with Israel's new prime minister, Naftali Bennett. |
| It's Julius here, with Thursday's news. |
| 💉 Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are reporting enhanced disease-fighting response from booster shots. |
| 🔵 In a changed Kabul, beatings and fear rise, as women's rights activists try to escape the Taliban. |
| 🔵 Adult film star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on more than 30 charges, including rape and sexual battery. |
| 🔵 'It's like the floodgates broke open': Florida's summer COVID-19 wave has left Jacksonville gasping. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear about a possible terror threat at Kabul's airport as foreign countries wrap up their military presence in Afghanistan. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts , Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
State Department to Americans at Kabul airport gates: 'Leave immediately' |
| The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs tweeted out a warning last night for U.S. citizens at Kabul airport gates, advising people to "leave immediately" due to unspecified security threats. The warning came the same day that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as many as 1,500 Americans may still be in Afghanistan. To meet its Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, U.S. military forces will need to stop evacuating people out of the airport days before their final troop withdrawal, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. That means the window for evacuating refugees and others is even closer than the official end of American presence on the ground. |
 | | Secretary of State Antony Blinken provided an update on American evacuation efforts in Afghanistan Wednesday. | | USA TODAY graphic | |
Biden to meet with Israel's new prime minister |
| Israel's new prime minister heads to the White House on Thursday for an introductory meeting with President Joe Biden and the promise of a "new era of cooperation" in U.S.-Israeli relations. The face-to-face meeting between Biden and Naftali Bennett will be their first since Bennett became prime minister in June. In an interview with the New York Times, Bennett said he would stress that he intends to proceed with efforts to expand West Bank settlements that Biden opposes. Bennett also ruled out the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians on his watch and declined to support Biden's plans to reopen a consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 Former President Donald Trump was booed at a rally for endorsing vaccination against COVID-19. Here's what the reception can teach us about this moment. |
| 📺 ESPN reportedly removes Rachel Nichols from all its NBA programming, and the show she had been hosting will be canceled. |
| 💿 The Man who appeared on Nirvana's 'Nevermind' album as a baby is suing the band for child pornography. |
| 🗳️ An Arizona judge has ordered Cyber Ninjas to preserve all of its records from the audit of the 2020 Maricopa County election so they can be released to the public. |
| ❤️ A skeleton couple from 1,500 years ago was discovered in an 'eternal love' embrace together. |
What to expect from the final US days in Afghanistan |
| In six days or less, the last American service member who boards the last flight out will mark an end to the costly 20-year U.S. presence in Afghanistan . Under an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, the retreat of U.S. forces is entering its final, dangerous phase. Afghans who aided the American war effort will engage in a life-or-death struggle as they and their families try to secure seats on one of the last flights out. The American withdrawal is likely to conclude with U.S. warplanes blowing up weaponry used to safeguard the evacuation, U.S. officials told USA TODAY. Though thousands of Afghans have left, many will not make it out because there won't be enough time or space on planes, they said. |
Vice President Harris to hold news conference as she heads back to US |
| Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at a news conference Thursday , as part of the final leg of her trip to Southeast Asia. Over the course of this week, Harris has made stops in Singapore and Vietnam in an effort to bolster the relationships between the two nations and the United States — with emphases on the economy and defense. The vice president has also revealed agreements with Singapore to combat cyberthreats and tackle climate change, and to do the same for Vietnam in regards to COVID-19. Although Harris has maintained focus on her meetings with officials and Biden administration talking points on China this week, she will likely face questions on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during her Thursday news conference. |
Twitter Spaces: A conversation with Black doctors, medical experts |
| The Black community has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but many remain reluctant to be vaccinated. Why? And what can be done? For answers to these and other questions, ojoin us on Twitter Spaces at 7 p.m. ET Thursday, Aug. 26, as we talk with Black doctors and medical experts about what they're seeing on the frontlines, vaccine hesitancy, COVID-19 myths and more. |
 | | USA TODAY will host a conversation with Black doctors and health experts Thursday evening on Twitter spaces. | | USA TODAY graphic | |
Kanye West to hold listening event in his hometown |
| Rapper Kanye West will hold a third listening event Thursday for his next album, "Donda." Unlike the previous listening events for the album, Thursday's will not take place in Atlanta, but instead in West's hometown of Chicago. West's latest appearance also comes as he works to change his legal name to Ye , with no middle name or last name. The artist formally filed a petition for the name change earlier this week, according to Los Angeles Superior Court documents obtained by The Associated Press. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Wednesday |
| ✈️ 'He is restrained now': Chilling airplane audio is serving as an FAA warning about unruly passengers. |
| 🔵 TV star dies: Michael Nader, known for his roles on 'Dynasty' and on 'All My Children' died Monday following a battle with cancer. |
| 👶 Born on evacuation flight: An Afghan baby girl born on a military aircraft was named by her parents after the plane's call sign — Reach. |
📸 Photo of the day: South Dakota celebrates after no-hitter 📸 |
 | | Aug. 25: South Dakota pitcher Gavin Weir has water dumped on him by teammates after throwing a no-hitter against California. | | Evan Habeeb, USA TODAY Sports | |
| South Dakota celebrated Wednesday, swarming Gavin Weir after he threw his second no-hitter of the Little League World Series — this time against California. |
| For more highlights from this year's Little League World Series, see this gallery. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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