ian pannell with late reporting from qatar. and martha raddatz live from washington. >>> back here at home, that major hurricane threat, hurricane ida set to hit the u.s., traveling over the very warm waters of the gulf. nothing to knock it down. authorities now say possibly growing into a category 4 storm before slamming into louisiana. potentially new orleans. winds up to 140 miles per hour. tonight hospitals unable to move their covid patients, ordered to shelter in place. how will this work during what could be a cat-4 hurricane? rob marciano standing by with the latest track. >>> the coronavirus here in the u.s. -- more than 1,200 deaths in just the last 24 hours. the worst in six months. tonight, all 50 states now reporting high community transmission. hospitalizations in kentucky breaking records. in orlando, florida, tonight, 14 portable morgues now being brought in. and a judge in that state now saying schools can mandate masks in florida. and the other major headline tonight -- what the u.s. intelligence community rev

ian pannell live from kabul tonight. and martha raddatz live in shington witthh e headli ne brkieang at th hisour that.s u. diplomats at the embassy in kabul d hareported wlyarnethd e secretary softateha tt the afghan goverennmt waats risk of coapllse as thtae liban was sweeping acrs osthe couny.tr >>me> anwhile,ac bk here ahot me nitoght, andhe t bomb sce ar foinrcg evacuaontis near t he s.u. capitol. a vefi-hour stdoanff. e man sangyi he had an exosplive devi icen his piupck uctrk. tonight,id veo of hiths reats. capil toand d.c.ol pice, thebi f and atalf l on thece sne. erre thos mawith late repoinrtg tonight. >>> news on the pandemic tonight. the nestw udy and atwh it owshs en it cos meto bakrethrough inctfeions amo tnghe vaccinated. thauorits iesay thiss imore proothf at t bheooster, e th thirshd ot, willel hp fit ghthe lta variant tinhis country. what t shetudypp aears to owsh. >>> tonit,gh theor ntheast n ow acing fotrr opical storm henri, nowxp eected toro gw into a hurrice anas it mos vecloser to theas et coast.

ian pannell on the ground, george stephanopoulos at the white house. >>> and back here at home tonight, the major news in the fight against the coronavirus. tonight, the biden administration now says there will be a third shot, a booster shot available to everyone 18 and older beginning september 20th. tonight, the cdc pointing to three new studies. what they saw that most concerned them. dr. besser is here to guide us through it. >>> we are also tracking severe storms as we come on the air tonight. a tornado watch for washington, d.c., baltimore, into pennsylvania. flash flood watches from pennsylvania up through new york and new england. singer see standing by to time this out. >>> the wildfires exploding in california. thousands evacuating the call door fire, nearly tripling in size in 24 hours. and tonight, the power shut off to nearly 50,000 customers to prevent wires from sparking more fires. >>> plus, the news from garth brooks tonight. >>> and a big day for a former first lady. >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. and we didn't tonight

>> ian pannell leading us off again tonight. ian, thanks to you and your team and we will honor the fallen later right here tonight. >>> and we have been reporting here on the u.s. military veterans back here in the u.s. who have een working around the clock doing everything they can from here to help get the afghans who helped them during the war out of that country. tonight here, the heartbreaking story of one former marine who was helping to guide his former interpreter and that interpreter's wife and young family to the airport. they arrived at the airport and then the blast. the father and mother were killed, and here's martha raddatz again tonight. >> reporter: it was a desperate attempt to escape. among the thousands thronging towards abbey gate on thursday, an afghan interpreter, obaid and his young family texting with a former marine now in florida, helping to guide the family to safety. >> i was just very direct with him and explained to him that i didn't know if we would have another window to get him out, so he contin

>> ian pannell leading us off again here tonight. ian, our thanks, as always. >>> and tonight here, the scope of the american loss. we learned just as we came on the air tonight that another service member has died, as i said off the top, 13 u.s. service members killed in this attack. and we took note today, what the general said, how he described what these service members were tasked with doing right at the airport gate. in this dangerous mission, their bravery, their risk and now their families back home forever changed. here's our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz. >> reporter: it is the deadliest attack on u.s. forces in afghanistan in a decade, and now the families of american service members will get that knock on the door. an officer there to deliver the worst possible news. the marines and the navy medic killed today were guarding the airport in kabul, screening each and every person who went in. more than 104,000 men, women and children checked for weapons. >> this is closeup work. the breath of the person yo

ian pannell live from kabul tonight. and martha raddatz live in washington with the headline breaking at this hour that u.s. diplomats at the embassy in kabul had reportedly warned the secretary of state that the afghan government was at risk of collapse as the taliban was sweeping across the country. >>> meanwhile, back here at home tonight, and the bomb scare forcing evacuations near the u.s. capitol. a five-hour standoff. the man saying he had an explosive device in his pickup truck. tonight, video of his threats. capitol and d.c. police, the fbi and atf all on the scene. pierre thomas with late reporting tonight. >>> news on the pandemic tonight. the new study and what it shows when it comes to breakthrough infections among the vaccinated. authorities say this is more proof that the booster, the third shot, will help fight the delta variant in this country. what the study appears to show. >>> tonight, the northeast now bracing for tropical storm henri, now expected to grow into a hurricane as it moves closer to the e

>> ian pannell reporting from the kabul airport. ian, thank you. >>> and president biden indicating he will try to meet that august 31st deadline. as you heard ian report, to get u.s. troops out, evacuations will have to end even sooner to give time to get the u.s. military out. the state department tonight saying they did make that contact with every american who checked with the u.s. embassy, but that does leave open the question, what about getting out all of the afghans who helped the u.s.? let's bring in our chief foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz tonight. martha, i was struck by what the taliban told the afghan people at this news conference today, they said, afghan nationals should head back to their homes, their jobs, their normal lives, there is no danger to them. they said, women should stay home for now for their own safety, they will not be prevented from working, the taliban claiming. and they called on afghans to, quote, let's live together, the war has finished. but this is a real leap of faith and these con

>> ian pannell, our thanks to you. you've been with us for weeks now on this story and we appreciate it. and of course, america will reflect on this war and will certainly honor the bravery of all of our servicemen and women over these 20 years. i want to bring in our chief global affairs anchor martha raddatz, who has been to aghanistan so many times. martha, we've talked about trips to afghanistan here and what the leaders on the ground told us in recent years leading up to this moment. many of them predicting some of what we've seen transpire and we heard general mckenzie describe the equipment left behind in afghanistan today. 27 humvees, he said, 73 aircraft, the general saying they have been demilitarized, that they'll never be driven again, will never be flown again. but he also noted something else that i know our viewers, the american people will be concerned about. one of the main missions here was to make sure afghanistan was never a safe haven for terrorists again and martha, you and i took note of the gene

ian pannell with us live from doha, qatar, tonight. and ian, the general mentioned the number of americans left behind is now in the low hundreds. he said there will be efforts to get americans out. he also said the efforts to get out afghan allies will continue, but of course, we know the taliban is back in control. how is this going to work in the weeks, the months and perhaps the years to come? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. the taliban is in control of the country. but from the presence of isis-k, we've seen them from the airport, they've issued a statement saying, the americans have left, afghanistan is independent. the sound of gunfire in the air. the u.n. calling for safe passage for americans and afghans but few on the ground believe they'll honor that. david? >> ian pannell, our thanks to you. you've been with us for weeks now on this story and we appreciate it. and of course, america will reflect on this war and will certainly honor the bravery of all of our servicemen and women over these 20 years. i want to bring in our ch

our ian pannell was there on the scene reporting. you can see just outside the airport wall, the kinds of crowds that were gathering. the president saying for those who carried out this attack, "we will not forgive you, we will not forget. we will hunt you down and make you pain." h's asked his commanders to develop plans to strike icy-k assets and leadership. at the airport, hours after the deadly attack, flights were scene taking off and the president made it very clear tonight that these evacuations will continue until this august 31st deadline. so, what will this look like with this continuing threat of terror? and tonight, the u.s. service members lost -- what did they fashion right outside that airport? how the general today described their mission. our senior foreign correspondent ian pannell leading us off tonight from qatar. >> reporter: tonight, america and afghanistan united in grief once more.se and at least 60 afghans kied. distressing images showing the aftermath of a suicide isis bombers detonating his explosive vest j

>> ian pannell leading us off tonight. ian, as i mentioned off the top, president biden moved based on what's been seen in the last 24 hours on the ground in afghanistan, and we learned of that meeting at the white house today. so, let's get right to abc's rachel scott, she's live at the white house tonight. rachel, what have you learned? >> reporter: david, we know the administration has been watching this closely. i'm told president biden huddled with key officials at the white house last night. they came back today and he signed off on this order to send additional troops temporarily back into afghanistan to help evacuate the u.s. embassy. we're told that it was the worsening conditions over the last 24 hours, watching the taliban gain more control, that played a significant factor in his decision. one republican congressman tonight warning that the worst is yet to come, calling this president biden's saigon moment. david? >> rachel scott with us on this tonight, as well. rachel, thank you. >>> and as you know, we are al

>> ian pannell leading us off here again tonight. ian, thank you. >>> now, of course, to the political fallout mounting. the white house was pressed today about reports that u.s. intelligence saying that this was a real possibility, asking, was it ignored? stephanie ramos now from the white house. >> reporter: 24 hours after saying the buck stops with him, president biden is at camp david, leaving his advisers to defend his handling of the unfolding crisis in afghanistan. >> what is he taking ownership of? not just the decision to leave afghanistan, but is he taking responsibility for the chaos that happened during the evacuation? and for any bloodshed that may be happening right now? is he taking responsibility for that? >> he's taking responsibility for every decision the united states government took with respect to afghanistan because, as he said, the buck stops with him. i am also taking responsibility, and so are my colleagues. at the same time, that doesn't change the fact that there are other parties here responsible as well.

leave, trapped in terrifying limbo with no immediate way to get out. >> let's get right back to ian pannell again tonight. ian, we know flights have resumed. the pentagon saying they would go into kabul if necessary. we heard the president today call this a dangerous mission while you and i were on the air together here. and tonight there's more evidence that time is running short here. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. deeply worrying evidence about a premeditated attempt by some elements within the taliban to deliberately target those who have worked with the afghan intelligence and military services but also those who have worked with the americans and british, going door to door, issues letters in some allegations they've targeted and killed people. david? >> ian, thank you. the president was asked today about the afghan interpreters who helped the u.s. and about one in particular named abdul. that interpreter still in afghan tell thing our team the taliban showed up at his front door because he helped the u.s. he is now in hiding with his young family from the taliban. martha raddatz me

ian pannell standing by. >>> here at home tonight, the two high school basketball coaches now charged with murder after a 16-year-old athlete collapses and later dies while practicing in the extreme heat. >>> and who are the new hosts of "jeopardy!"? right here tonight. >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. and we begin tonight with that breaking headline. abc news confirming that the fda is now expected to authorize a booster shot, a third shot for immu immunocompromised people in this country, within 48 hours. the cdc will meet on this. then the cdc director expected to u.s. the u.s. is now averaging more than 110,000 new covid cases a day. the most since february. of course, fueled by this delta variant. hospitals across the south tonight reporting they're at a breaking point. more than 75,000 covid patients hospitalized nationwide, roughly 9,300 new hospitalizations a day. tonight, a major hospital in houston putting up these outdoor tents to treat an overflow of patients. dozens of hospitals in the state reporting few if any icu beds remai

>> all right, ian pannell leading us off from kabul. thank you. and late today, president biden, as you saw, before the american people, saying the utz spent more than a trillion dollars in afghanistan, trained hundreds of thousands of aftghan forces. but what about that point ian made about the afghans desperate to get out, hiding from the taliban? and major questions tonight from capitol hill, from democrats and republicans. stephanie ramos at the white house. >> reporter: tonight, with the world stunned by the images in kabul, and how swiftly afghanistan has fallen to the taliban, president biden pointing fingers at his predecessor, former president trump, who had already negotiated a deal with the taliban, reducing the number of american troops from 15,000 to 2,500 by may 1st. >> it was only a cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and oo back into combat in afghanistan. lurching into the third decade of conflict. >> reporter: biden said he was unwilling to do that. >> how ma

>> ian pannell reporting for us again tonight. our thanks to ian and the team. meantime, at the white house today, our stephanie ramos asking about that august 31st deadline to get the u.s. troops out and of course americans and afghan interpreters before that. stephanie asking if the president plans to extend that deadline. >> reporter: what if the u.s. can't get americans and afghan allies out of the country by august 31st? what happens then if the taliban says, they are not willing to extend, is the u.s. going abide by their red lines? >> so, i'm not going to take this on as a hypothetical question. we're in touch with the taliban daily. we're in touch with our allies and partners, we're reviewing our progress in this particular operation, which we feel has been substantial over the past few days. and the president will make his own determination. >> that was the answer at the white house today on this deadline. august 31st is a week from tomorrow. i want to bring in abc's chief gobal affairs correspondent martha raddatz with us. you pressed the secretary of

ian pannell with us from doha again tonight. ian, thank you. our coverage of afghanistan for tonight. >>> but in the meantime, we do turn now to the other major news this evening, her can ida and now the storms moving up the east coast, right into the northeast next. tonight, the deadly highway collapse from these new storms after already wrecking havoc along the gulf coast. more than 1 million customers without power in this stifling heat and with homes destroyed. or team flying over grand isle, louisiana, with the coast guard. communities still under water and cut off. destruction everywhere, twisted debris, semi-trucks overturned. homes and buildings damaged or destroyed. and with these new storms, i mentioned, that collapse, two people were killed when that mississippi highway came down, undermined by flood waters. ginger zee with the track of these dangerous new storms in a moment, but first, our chief national correspondent matt gutman flying with the coast guard and what he saw. >> reporter: tonight, those hardest hit communities from th

abc's ian pannell was there on the perimeter wall, guarded by marines. >> abbey gate!> reporter: those in the guard tower keeping watch on the crowds below, including one man waving his blue u.s. passport. >> i can help you get in, you'll have to wait over there! >> these are devastating, heartbreaking scenes here. these people down here have stood in sewage water up to this knees, and this is what i've been saying, this is the difference potentially between the life-saving work that's been carried out by the military here and potentially death by the taliban. less than five yards. >> reporter: the taliban today condemning the attack. tonight with as many as 1,000 americans still in afghanistan, it's a race against time as the august 31st deadline for american forces to withdraw just days away. >> i think you'll see jihadists through afghanistan right now who want to be there for the 20th anniversary of the attack, september 11th. it is not you could say, obviously, in the united states' interests in the region and overall pattern of terrorist efforts. >> reporter: des

abc's ian pannell has the latest. >> reporter: the race to evacuate kabul growing more urgent by the day. roughly 7,800 people flown out in the last 24 hours, the highest number so far. the president's national security adviser warning that the threat from isis at the kabul airport is real, acute and persistent. >> we have a long way to go and a lot could still go wrong. >> president biden addressing the challenges at hand. >> we know that terrorists may seek to exploit the situation and target innocent afghans or american troops. they are maintaining constant vigilance to monitor and disrupt threats from any source. >> reporter: and under mounting pressure to extend the august 31st deadline. >> our hope is we will not have to extend. but there will be discussions of i suspect how far along we are in the process. >> reporter: the united states now activating the civil reserve air fleet. the third time in history. six commercial airlines will provide 18 aircraft to help move passengers arriving at bases outside of afghanistan. >> anyone arriving in the united states will have undergon

ian pannell, abc news, doha, qatar. >> ian, thank you. >>> new evacuation orders are in place near lake tahoe because of a raging wildfire. the so-called caldor fire has scorched nearly 170,000 acres. crews actually lost some containment because of the fire on sunday. because of high winds. officials say over 21,000 structures are threatened. >>> and coming up, the bombshell revelation just ahead of the elizabeth holmes trial. >>> and later, as new orleans faces down another hurricane, why so much of the city remains unchanged 16 years after katrina. you're watching "world news now." when a truck hit my car, the insurance company wasn't fair. i didn't know what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. i was hit by a car and needed help. i called the barnes firm, that was the best call i could've made. i'm rich barnes. it's hard for people to know how much their accident case is worth. let our injury attorneys help you get the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm injury attorneys ♪ ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ heighlanci trial of the founder of a medical device com

ian pannell reporting from qatar tonight. >>> while back here at home this evening, the solemn honors for the fallen. the flag-draped remains of those 13 service members arriving at dover air force base in delaware. president biden and the first lady witnessing the dignified transfer, meeting with the families before the sacred military ritual. tonight, we honor them. their stories. their young lives cut short. many of them, the children of 9/11. now lost in a war that began 20 years ago. martha raddatz with late reporting. a special edition of "world news tonight" begins now. >>> good evening. it's great to have you with us on a sunday night. and we are in on a sunday evening because of these two pm. the u.s. strike in afghanistan, and the solemn scene here at home. the dignified transfer. the 13 fallen servicemen and women returning from afghanistan. but we begin with the category 4 hurricane slamming into the u.s., making landfall just before 1:00 p.m. eastern this afternoon. as an extremely dangerous cat 4 storm, winds reaching 150 miles an hour. unleashing damaging winds, torrent

our ian pannell on the ground in kabul. >> the children are scared to death. it was extremely difficult to get through the gates for them, and then to be separated from their families, and not know the language, and not know where they're going, it's extremely difficult. >> reporter: evacuees being airlifted around the world to ease the bottleneck of refugees at the u.s. base in doha. thousands packed inside in conditions that are only growing more dire. and we are now seeing the massive arsenal left behind by the u.s. for the afghan forces that could fall into taliban hands. including up to 980,000 infantry weapons, 22,000 humvees and about 150 aircraft. the majority of those helicopters and planes still remain in the country. >> and martha raddatz with us tonight. we know ian is in transit tonight, having traveled out of kabul after several days on the ground there reporting for us. you were in afghanistan several weeks back yourself and we heard what secretary blinken said today, that after the august 31st deadline, that the effort will continue every day.

ian pannell tracking late developments. and then stephanie ramos on the meeting with the president. >>> back here at home tonight, the deadly school shooting on just the third day of school. the horrific images coming in now from a middle school in albuquerque and what authorities have just revealed. >>> tonight, the track has now shifted. the tropical storm warnings up at this hour. where this system will hit the u.s. and when. and in the east at this hour, the severe storms from virginia, washington, d.c., up through new york. rob marciano timing it all out. >>> the major headline involving new york governor andrew cuomo. >>> the building collpase at a supermarket. reports of people injured. >>> and the news on the legendary singer tony bennett. at the age of 95 what his family has revealed. >>> good evening. it's great to have you with us here as we near the end of another week together. we have several developing stories. u.s. troops arriving in kabul. and the deadly school shooting here at home that authorities have ju

ian pannell, abc news, kabul. >> thanks to our ian pannell for that important reporting right there on ground in afghanistan. >>> coming up here, harry and meghan ready to start their next chapter. new insight into what the duke and duchess have learned since stepping away from royal duties. >>> we're thinking outside the inbox. how a world without email could reduce work burnout. >>> plus, what had the internet jumping jumping? is there a destiny's child reunion? the details in "pop news" when we're right back. >> janai is giggling. ♪ i'm a survivor ♪ (host) you want healthy ingredients. your cat is all about the the flavor. tastefuls has it all. (molly) i really want him to eat well but he's just really picky. okay, he seems interested. i think he likes it. i have a new cat food...blue tastefuls. one taste is all it takes. ♪ can i get ten large fries please? i'm gonna need like ten egg mcmuffin sandwich things? night, or the next morning, you've been loyal. mymcdonald's rewards is for you. now, every order earns points redeemable for free mcdonald's. discover card i just got my cashb

ian pannell is in afghanistan. rachel scott and martha raddatz standing by. >>> also breaking tonight, the death toll rising from the catastrophic earthquake in haiti. hundreds more dead. thousands of others injured and many still missing at this hour. the powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake stronger than the quake that devastated the country back in 2010. the acting prime minister declaring a state of emergency. homes and buildings reduced to rubble. some residents staying in makeshift shelters. the u.s. joining the recovery effort. matt gutman is in haiti tonight. >>> we're also tracking grace. rapidly approaching haiti threatening to bring flooding rains and triggering dangerous landslides. the storm is part of the twin tropical threats now facing the u.s. tropical storm warnings posted in florida at this hour. rob marciano timing it all out. >>> and the deadly summer covid surge pushing hospitals to the brink. the u.s. recording more than 140,000 new cases for two days in a row now. hospitals under siege from the

we want to get back to ian pannell. od morning, george, that's right. afghans woke up to a new country a very different kind of country this morning. out on the streets it's relatively quiet, but heavily armed taliban fighters are in charge, manning the checkpoints. but the scene at the airport is very different. desperate scenes as thousands of people try to get out in fear for their lives. this morning, mayhem in kabul. this crowd rushing to the airport. behind them the sound of gunfire. the airport now overrun. desperate chaotic scenes as massive crowds surge onto the tarmac, desperate to get out of the country. the u.s. desperately trying to evacuate thousands of americans living in afghanistan and afghans who supported the u.s. mission. the afghan president among those fleeing as the militants moved in, saying he wanted to save kabul from bloodshed. this footage from al jazeera allegedly showing taliban fighters inside the presidential palace. walking the hallways, declaring the restoration of the islamic emirate of

>> ian pannell, thanks very much. >>> let's bring in our martha raddatz. we just heard ian say he doesn't think everyone will get out by august 31st but the president seems to be sticking to that deadline. >> reporter: he sure does, george, and he has gotten a lot of pushback on this. i think there is a very tiny, tiny chance that they could extend the deadline, but right now, they're very solid about that deadline and they talk about contingency plans. the president said we're going to look at contingency plans. i think the contingency plans are, if there is something extraordinary that happens, the military could possibly adjust to that and get more people out but i think at this point the plan is to go ahead and try to get out as many as they have. they have actually done a phenomenal job getting as many out as they can in these last days, these last desperate days but there are so many trying to get out. our afghan allies, we have these informal teams of veterans who i am in touch with, trying to get people out outside of the government, and that has wo

for the very latest on the fall of the city we go to abc's ian pannell reporting from the capital. n? >> reporter: juju, this is really a tale of two cities. here in the main part of the city things are fairly calm. the taliban has taken up position on various checkpoints. we see heavily armed fighters driving around the city in pickup trucks and humvees. they are maintaining law and order. they've even taken over security here in the hotel, telling the guards to go away. out on the streets i didn't see any women at all. they are voting with their feet, staying behind closed doors. the other city is the chaos, the desperation at the airport. we're now hearing that the airport has reopened. there's going to be a real test for the americans whether they can keep it open and running, keep the crowds back. but overall, can they get those afghans who fear for their lives, who fought alongside us, get them to the airport and get them out to safety? we're going to find out in the next 24 hours. juju? >> thanks, ian. >>> and now to the race against time to relocate our afghan allies left be

ian pannell in kabul. chaos at the airport is only adding to the pressure on president biden whose promise to have the u.s. withdrawal done by the end of the month. let's get the latest from the white house and abc's maryalice parks. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eva. over the last few days president biden talked to seven heads of state as the white house and u.s. allies try to manage these evacuation efforts. the president finally did cancel plans to go home yesterday, not surprising given the severity of the situation on the ground right now. he was briefed by his top military and national security advisers. the white house released a photo you see there saying the discussions focused on security operations, counterterrorism and secur securing additional locations around the world with our allies for those evacuation planes to land. you get the sense in washington that this is an absolute scramble. members of congress and advocacy groups are increasingly upset, demanding answers, working to tr

we begin with abc's ian pannell, the only remaining network correspondent on the ground in kabul who has been reporting there for weeks. good morning, ian. >> reporter: good morning. still chaotic, desperate scenes. seven days since the taliban took control of kabul, much faster than anyone expected. most of the cities relatively calm. some people are locked inside their houses in fear, especially women and girls. we've seen people having to cover themselves. the real crisis point is at the airport where we're seeing desperate scenes. tens of thousands of people desperate to get out of the control. many of them american citizens. many of them afghan sivs. they have the right paperwork. they have the permission. some have been told to go to the airport. the difficulty is getting through the taliban check points. the taliban have been responding with brute force against the crowds. we've seen ugly scenes of men, women and children bloodibloodi. the taliban hasn't formed a government yet. there isn't command and control on the ground. that's why we're seeing chaotic scenes. we've been sp

my colleague, ian pannell, is in kabul this morning. this is his latest report. >> reporter: this morning pandemonium outside kabul airport as terrified afghan families and americans attempt to leave the country. president biden vowing that all americans will be evacuated from afghanistan. >> let me be clear, any american who wants to come home, we will get you home. >> reporter: this interpreter for the u.s. was visiting his mom in afghanistan when kabul fell. he was able to make it to the airport, but is now stuck outside on the tarmac with roughly 500 people. >> i'm happy that i'm safe, that is for sure, but here i didn't know that i would see all these problems. i don't know what is going to happen next. i hope they don't take us back to kabul. >> reporter: but many americans still not able to make it to the airport. on thursday, three chinook helicopters picking up 169 americans at a hotel just 200 yards from the airport after a large crowd prevented them from walking there. u.s. citizen david fox is stuck in kabul with his wife an

we begin this morning live in kabul with abc's ian pannell. ian, what's the latest? >> reporter: yeah, jon, good morning. i have to say i've been coverin fled. then it was a mood of celebration, of liberation. women throwing off their burkas, men, cutting off their beards. there was a sense of hope and optimism about the future. now the streets are dead. we hear the sound of helicopters overhead, but otherwise there's fear and dread about what the future holds. fear and desperation in afghanistan as the taliban almost completes its advance, taking over more than two thirds of the country. jalalabad among the latest to fall. video released by the taliban appears to show their troops being welcomed by the crowds. the militants' rapid advance cutting off the capital to the east. >> we are certainly concerned by the speed with which the taliban has been moving. >> reporter: it's kabul where u.s. troops have begun arriving for an emergency evacuation of most u.s. embassy staff and some afghans who worked for the u.s. >> this is not abandonment. this is not an evacuation.

here's abc's senior foreign correspondent ian pannell. >> reporter: it should have been the happiesthow it would end. [ explosion ] >> reporter: the ground erupted. the skies split apart. an explosion of unimaginable force. >> oh my god! >> reporter: more than 2,500 tons of ammonium nitrate had been left to rot in beirut's port. when it detonated, it took just seconds to lay waste to much of this vibrant, ancient city. it was one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in history. the blast killing more than 200, injuring thousands, leaving nearly 300,000 beirutis homeless. and many in shock. one year on, dr. d, ahmed, have returned to the same spot. >> yes had ourselves there. >> reporter: their anniversary remembered by most for the wrong reasons. >> i don't remember anything of that night. other than death. i remember death. our life was about to end. instead of starting a new life. >> reporter: although still under investigation, a recent report by human rights watch concluded some officials were warned at least two weeks prior to the blast that chemicals were being stored unsafely

martha raddatz with late reporting tonight and ian pannell's interview on this emergency effort in

>> ian pannell, thanks. let's talk about this now with ryan crocker who served as u.s.sador to afghanistan and skran janis shinwari, former afghan interpreter for the u.s. and co-founder of no one left behind. ambassador, we've seen the taliban taking control of two more key cities. is the taliban takeover now inevitable? >> a prolonged civil war is a more likely outcome than a swift taliban takeover of the entire country. they're being very smart about this. they're not launching major strikes into kabul. they're doing what they're doing in part to create a climate of fear and panic. they are succeeding wonderfully. >> creating a climate of fear and panic. janis shinwari, what does that mean for those left behind, particularly those interpreters, translators, others who helped america during this war? >> as we said, it's too late if we don't evacuate all the interpreters who were left behind. the taliban will kill everybody. they're torture them in front of their family and kill them. i just heard news that the taliban were going and knocking door by door and asking fo

ian pannell reporting from

abc's senior foreign correspondent ian pannell, who's covered the war since the beginning, is in doha at 3:29 eastern time, which was 11:59 p.m. on the 30th of august, the last american troops, the last american planes left hamid karzai international airport and america's longest war came to an end. almost 20 years since it began on october the 7th, 2001. general mckenzie, general frank mckenzie spoke from the heart about how difficult this has been for him, the loss of life of 13 american servicemen and women and also of course a much greater loss of life for our afghan allies, many of the people who were gathered outside the gates. the taliban taking over the airport. the sound of gunfire echoing around the city as they celebrated, saying afghanistan now has its independence. but that's not how many afghans will feel tonight. they will feel abandoned, alone, and afraid. >> our thanks to ian. >>> tonight, most of southeastern louisiana is in the dark. and entire neighborhoods remain submerged. hurricane ida was one of the most powerful storms ever to come ashore, packing winds of 150

ian pannell, abc 7 news. >> members of the afghan community are leading a relief effort. donations and supplies are being received, clicking toys, food for refugees who may be arriving with nothing. abc 7 news spoke to some families. >> we want to make sure they are comfortable, we want them to fill at home. we do not want them to feel like our parents felt. when they came here, they had nothing. >> we will continue donations to the we can. there are a lot of ways you can help, go to the website. you will find resources, especially for veterans. >> it is just mother nature. >> new evacuation warnings tonight is the raging caldor fire continues its march to the tahoe basin. >> the flames jumped both sides of highway 50. >> the wildfire, sending massive amounts of smoke -- across northern california, and now the bay area. >> it will be bad. >> we have team coverage on the wildfires and all that smoke tonight. >> let's get to our meteorologist. >> that smoke is getting to me. i want to show you the air quality index. livermore is still unhealthy. more in san jose, but we are

back to ian pannell in doha, qatar, with the latest. lock starts to tick down these attacks underline that and also the enduring threat of terrorism inside the country and for americans and afghans stuck outside the base, they know that time is almost out. overnight as many as five rockets fired toward u.s. troops at kabul airport, the u.s. military launching an anti-projectile defense system. but officials saying it's unclear if any of the rockets were intercepted. there are no reports of casualties in the airport remaining operational. the urgency to evacuate greater than ever. only 50 american citizens able to get out in a 24-hour period over the weekend, 250 who say they want to leave still remain. >> this is the most dangerous time in an already extraordinarily dangerous mission, these last couple of days and so we will do everything possible to keep peafe but the risk is very high. >> reporter: despite warnings and other terrorist attacks could be imminent hundreds of afghans still crowding the gates to the airport. earlier sunday