KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Potential Islamic State threats against Americans in Afghanistan are forcing the U.S. military to develop new ways to get evacuees to the airport in Kabul, a senior U.S. official said Saturday, adding a new complication to the already chaotic efforts to get people out of the country after its swift fall to the Taliban.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514201-1/president-biden-updates-nation-afghanistan-hurricane-henri&amp;live">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the President's comments

The official said that small groups of Americans and possibly other civilians will be given specific instructions on what to do, including movement to transit points where they can be gathered up by the military. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

The changes come as the U.S. Embassy issued a new security warning Saturday telling citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without individual instruction from a U.S. government representative. Officials declined to provide more specifics about the IS threat but described it as significant. They said there have beenno confirmed attacks as yet

Time is running out ahead of President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw most remaining U.S. troops. In his remarks on the situation Friday, he did not commit to extending it, though he did issue a new pledge to evacuate not only all Americans in Afghanistan, but also the tens of thousands of Afghans who have aided the war effort since Sept. 11, 2001. That promise would dramatically expand the number of people the U.S. evacuates.

Biden faces growing criticism as videos depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport, and as vulnerable Afghans who fear the Taliban’s retaliation send desperate pleas not to be left behind.

The Islamic State group — which has long declared a desire to attack America and U.S. interests abroad — has been active in Afghanistan for a number of years, carrying out waves of horrific attacks, mostly on the Shiite minority. The group has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. airstrikes in recent years, as well as Taliban attacks. But officials say fragments of the group are still active in Afghanistan, and the U.S. is concerned about it reconstituting in a larger way as the country comes under divisive Taliban rule.

Despite the U.S. Embassy warning, crowds remain outside the Kabul airport’s concrete barriers, clutching documents and sometimes stunned-looking children, blocked from flight by coils of razor wire.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s top political leader arrived in Kabul for talks on forming a new government. The presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who returned to Kandahar earlier this week from Qatar, was confirmed by a Taliban official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the news media. Baradar negotiated the religious movement’s 2020 peace deal with the U.S., and he is now expected to play a key role in negotiations between the Taliban and officials from the Afghan government that the militant group deposed.

Afghan officials familiar with talks held in the capital say the Taliban have said they will not make announcements on their government until the Aug. 31 deadline for the troop withdrawal passes.

Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official in the ousted government, tweeted that he and ex-President Hamid Karzai met Saturday with Taliban’s acting governor for Kabul, who “assured us that he would do everything possible for the security of the people” of the city.

Evacuations continued, though some outgoing flights were far from full because of the airport chaos. The German military said in a tweet that one plane left Kabul on Saturday with 205 evacuees, while a second aircraft carried only 20. The Italian Defense Ministry announced the evacuation Saturday of 211 Afghans, which it said brought to 2,100 the number of Afghan workers at Italian missions and their families who have been safely evacuated.

On Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said around 1,000 people a day were being evacuated amid a “stabilization” at the airport. But on Saturday, a former Royal Marine-turned charity director in Afghanistan said the situation was getting worse, not better.

“We can’t leave the country because we can’t get into the airport without putting our lives at risk,” Paul Farthing told BBC radio.

Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, told Pentagon reporters Saturday that the U.S. has evacuated 17,000 people through the Kabul airport since Aug. 15. About 2,500 have been Americans, he said. U.S. officials have estimated there are as many as 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan, but acknowledge they don’t have solid numbers. In the past day, about 3,800 civilians were evacuated from Afghanistan through a combination of U.S. military and charter flights, Taylor said. Three flights of Afghan evacuees have arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.

The evacuations have been hampered by screening and logistical strains at way stations such as al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. U.S. officials said they have limited numbers of screeners, and they are struggling to work through glitches in the vetting systems.

Taylor said that the Kabul airport remains open, and that Americans continue to be processed if they get to the gates, but he and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the threat picture changes by the hour.

“We know that we’re fighting against both time and space,” Kirby said. “That’s the race we’re in right now.”

The Biden administration was considering calling on U.S. commercial airlines to provide planes and crews to assist in transporting Afghan refugees once they were evacuated from their country by military aircraft. Under the voluntary Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, civilian airlines add to military aircraft capability during a crisis related to national defense.

The U.S. Transportation Command said Saturday it had issued a warning order to U.S. carriers Friday night on the possible activation of the program. If called upon, commercial airlines would transport evacuees from way stations outside Afghanistan to another country or from Virginia’s Dulles International Airport to U.S. military bases.

So far, 13 countries have agreed to host at-risk Afghans at least temporarily, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Another 12 have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

“We are tired. We are happy. We are now in a safe country,” one Afghan man said upon arrival in Italy with 79 fellow citizens, speaking in a video distributed by that country’s defense ministry.

But the growing question for many other Afghans is, where will they finally call home? Already, European leaders who fear a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-business-migration-taliban-6415008d9a07b57400691cc88a59a1fe">are signaling</a>&nbsp;that fleeing Afghans who didn’t help Western forces during the war should stay in neighboring countries instead.

Remaining in Afghanistan means adapting to life under the Taliban, who say they seek an “inclusive, Islamic” government, will offer full amnesty to those who worked for the U.S. and the Western-backed government and have become more moderate since they last held power from 1996 to 2001. They also have said — without elaborating — that they will honor women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law.

But many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban’s harsh rule in the late 1990s, when the group barred women from attending school or working outside the home, banned television and music, chopped off the hands of suspected thieves and held public executions.

“Today, some of my friends went to work at the court and the Taliban didn’t let them into their offices. They showed their guns and said, ‘You’re not eligible to work in this government if you worked in the past one,’” one women’s activist in Kabul told The Associated Press on Saturday. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

With a Turkish visa but no way to safely reach the airport, the activist described the gap between the Taliban’s words and actions “very alarming.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is raising concerns that the Islamic State poses a threat as American troops seek to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan.

Biden in remarks at the White House on Sunday noted that the terror group is a “sworn enemy of the Taliban” and said that the longer U.S. troops are on the ground increases the chance that the group will attempt to strike innocent civilians and American personnel near the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has been warning Americans to avoid traveling to the airport in part because of concerns about Islamic State fighters.

The extremist group has long declared a desire to attack America and U.S. interests abroad and it has been active in Afghanistan for a number of years, carrying out waves of horrific attacks, mostly on the Shiite minority.

The group has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. airstrikes in recent years, and faced Taliban attacks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others from the Kabul airport has picked up speed this weekend. 

Speaking at the White House on Sunday, Biden said 11,000 evacuees had been airlifted out of the Afghan capital in a 36-hour period. 

Tens of thousands of people remain to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles. The Pentagon has ordered six U.S. commercial airlines to help move evacuees from temporary sites outside of Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to provide a public update on Afghanistan Sunday afternoon.

 Earlier, the President met with his national security team. And Afghanistan will be the chief topic of discussion when Biden and leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations meet virtually on Tuesday. 

Biden administration officials say the U.S. military is considering “creative ways” to get Americans and others into the Kabul airport for evacuation from Afghanistan amid “acute” security threats. The Pentagon has ordered six U.S. commercial airlines to help move evacuees from temporary sites outside of Afghanistan.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629663997116.png" alt="On Sunday, the President said, "We have a long way to go (in Afghanistan) and a lot could still go wrong." Photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>On Sunday, the President said, "We have a long way to go (in Afghanistan) and a lot could still go wrong." Photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Potential Islamic State threats against Americans in Afghanistan are forcing the U.S. military to develop new ways to get evacuees to the airport in Kabul, a senior U.S. official said Saturday, adding a new complication to the already chaotic efforts to get people out of the country after its swift fall to the Taliban.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514201-1/president-biden-updates-nation-afghanistan-hurricane-henri&amp;live">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the President's commentsThe official said that small groups of Americans and possibly other civilians will be given specific instructions on what to do, including movement to transit points where they can be gathered up by the military. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.The changes come as the U.S. Embassy issued a new security warning Saturday telling citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without individual instruction from a U.S. government representative. Officials declined to provide more specifics about the IS threat but described it as significant. They said there have beenno confirmed attacks as yetTime is running out ahead of President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw most remaining U.S. troops. In his remarks on the situation Friday, he did not commit to extending it, though he did issue a new pledge to evacuate not only all Americans in Afghanistan, but also the tens of thousands of Afghans who have aided the war effort since Sept. 11, 2001. That promise would dramatically expand the number of people the U.S. evacuates.Biden faces growing criticism as videos depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport, and as vulnerable Afghans who fear the Taliban’s retaliation send desperate pleas not to be left behind.The Islamic State group — which has long declared a desire to attack America and U.S. interests abroad — has been active in Afghanistan for a number of years, carrying out waves of horrific attacks, mostly on the Shiite minority. The group has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. airstrikes in recent years, as well as Taliban attacks. But officials say fragments of the group are still active in Afghanistan, and the U.S. is concerned about it reconstituting in a larger way as the country comes under divisive Taliban rule.Despite the U.S. Embassy warning, crowds remain outside the Kabul airport’s concrete barriers, clutching documents and sometimes stunned-looking children, blocked from flight by coils of razor wire.Meanwhile, the Taliban’s top political leader arrived in Kabul for talks on forming a new government. The presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who returned to Kandahar earlier this week from Qatar, was confirmed by a Taliban official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the news media. Baradar negotiated the religious movement’s 2020 peace deal with the U.S., and he is now expected to play a key role in negotiations between the Taliban and officials from the Afghan government that the militant group deposed.Afghan officials familiar with talks held in the capital say the Taliban have said they will not make announcements on their government until the Aug. 31 deadline for the troop withdrawal passes.Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official in the ousted government, tweeted that he and ex-President Hamid Karzai met Saturday with Taliban’s acting governor for Kabul, who “assured us that he would do everything possible for the security of the people” of the city.Evacuations continued, though some outgoing flights were far from full because of the airport chaos. The German military said in a tweet that one plane left Kabul on Saturday with 205 evacuees, while a second aircraft carried only 20. The Italian Defense Ministry announced the evacuation Saturday of 211 Afghans, which it said brought to 2,100 the number of Afghan workers at Italian missions and their families who have been safely evacuated.On Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said around 1,000 people a day were being evacuated amid a “stabilization” at the airport. But on Saturday, a former Royal Marine-turned charity director in Afghanistan said the situation was getting worse, not better.“We can’t leave the country because we can’t get into the airport without putting our lives at risk,” Paul Farthing told BBC radio.Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, told Pentagon reporters Saturday that the U.S. has evacuated 17,000 people through the Kabul airport since Aug. 15. About 2,500 have been Americans, he said. U.S. officials have estimated there are as many as 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan, but acknowledge they don’t have solid numbers. In the past day, about 3,800 civilians were evacuated from Afghanistan through a combination of U.S. military and charter flights, Taylor said. Three flights of Afghan evacuees have arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.The evacuations have been hampered by screening and logistical strains at way stations such as al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. U.S. officials said they have limited numbers of screeners, and they are struggling to work through glitches in the vetting systems.Taylor said that the Kabul airport remains open, and that Americans continue to be processed if they get to the gates, but he and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the threat picture changes by the hour.“We know that we’re fighting against both time and space,” Kirby said. “That’s the race we’re in right now.”The Biden administration was considering calling on U.S. commercial airlines to provide planes and crews to assist in transporting Afghan refugees once they were evacuated from their country by military aircraft. Under the voluntary Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, civilian airlines add to military aircraft capability during a crisis related to national defense.The U.S. Transportation Command said Saturday it had issued a warning order to U.S. carriers Friday night on the possible activation of the program. If called upon, commercial airlines would transport evacuees from way stations outside Afghanistan to another country or from Virginia’s Dulles International Airport to U.S. military bases.So far, 13 countries have agreed to host at-risk Afghans at least temporarily, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Another 12 have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.“We are tired. We are happy. We are now in a safe country,” one Afghan man said upon arrival in Italy with 79 fellow citizens, speaking in a video distributed by that country’s defense ministry.But the growing question for many other Afghans is, where will they finally call home? Already, European leaders who fear a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-business-migration-taliban-6415008d9a07b57400691cc88a59a1fe">are signaling</a>&nbsp;that fleeing Afghans who didn’t help Western forces during the war should stay in neighboring countries instead.Remaining in Afghanistan means adapting to life under the Taliban, who say they seek an “inclusive, Islamic” government, will offer full amnesty to those who worked for the U.S. and the Western-backed government and have become more moderate since they last held power from 1996 to 2001. They also have said — without elaborating — that they will honor women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law.But many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban’s harsh rule in the late 1990s, when the group barred women from attending school or working outside the home, banned television and music, chopped off the hands of suspected thieves and held public executions.“Today, some of my friends went to work at the court and the Taliban didn’t let them into their offices. They showed their guns and said, ‘You’re not eligible to work in this government if you worked in the past one,’” one women’s activist in Kabul told The Associated Press on Saturday. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.With a Turkish visa but no way to safely reach the airport, the activist described the gap between the Taliban’s words and actions “very alarming.----------WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is raising concerns that the Islamic State poses a threat as American troops seek to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514201-1/president-biden-updates-nation-afghanistan-hurricane-henri&amp;live">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the President's commentsBiden in remarks at the White House on Sunday noted that the terror group is a “sworn enemy of the Taliban” and said that the longer U.S. troops are on the ground increases the chance that the group will attempt to strike innocent civilians and American personnel near the Hamid Karzai International Airport.The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has been warning Americans to avoid traveling to the airport in part because of concerns about Islamic State fighters.The extremist group has long declared a desire to attack America and U.S. interests abroad and it has been active in Afghanistan for a number of years, carrying out waves of horrific attacks, mostly on the Shiite minority.The group has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. airstrikes in recent years, and faced Taliban attacks.___WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others from the Kabul airport has picked up speed this weekend. <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514201-1/president-biden-updates-nation-afghanistan-hurricane-henri&amp;live">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the President's commentsSpeaking at the White House on Sunday, Biden said 11,000 evacuees had been airlifted out of the Afghan capital in a 36-hour period. Tens of thousands of people remain to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles. The Pentagon has ordered six U.S. commercial airlines to help move evacuees from temporary sites outside of Afghanistan.---------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629660414944.png" alt="&nbsp;The President met with his national security team to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan, counterterrorism operations, evacuation efforts, and intensive diplomatic efforts to finalize agreements with additional third-party country transit hubs-photo courtesy White House " />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The President met with his national security team to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan, counterterrorism operations, evacuation efforts, and intensive diplomatic efforts to finalize agreements with additional third-party country transit hubs-photo courtesy White House </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to provide a public update on Afghanistan Sunday afternoon. Earlier, the President met with his national security team. And Afghanistan will be the chief topic of discussion when Biden and leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations meet virtually on Tuesday. Biden administration officials say the U.S. military is considering “creative ways” to get Americans and others into the Kabul airport for evacuation from Afghanistan amid “acute” security threats. The Pentagon has ordered six U.S. commercial airlines to help move evacuees from temporary sites outside of Afghanistan.

🎥  Pres. Biden: ISIS threat forces US changes to evacuations at Kabul airport

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has pleaded no contest to reduced charges in a shooting that killed a 69-year-old woman as she rode on a Lincoln city bus. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 28-year-old Joel Jones Jr. pleaded no contest to manslaughter, an unintentional killing during the commission of a crime, and use of a firearm by a prohibited person as part of a plea agreement Friday. 

Jones initially pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and four felony weapons counts in the July 2020 shooting that killed Sharon Johnson. 

Johnson was shot in the head and pronounced dead at a hospital.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has pleaded no contest to reduced charges in a shooting that killed a 69-year-old woman as she rode on a Lincoln city bus. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 28-year-old Joel Jones Jr. pleaded no contest to manslaughter, an unintentional killing during the commission of a crime, and use of a firearm by a prohibited person as part of a plea agreement Friday. Jones initially pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and four felony weapons counts in the July 2020 shooting that killed Sharon Johnson. Johnson was shot in the head and pronounced dead at a hospital.

Lincoln man charged in fatal bus shooting pleads no contest

AUBURN, Neb. (AP) — An outbreak of COVID-19 cases has shut down a southeastern Nebraska elementary school only days after it opened for the new school year with no requirement for face masks. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that officials shut down Calvert Elementary School in Auburn on Thursday after "a pretty high number” of cases were confirmed among students and staff. 

School and health officials declined to say how many cases were confirmed, citing privacy concerns. 

There are 466 students enrolled at the school. 

The school is set to reopen Monday following a deep cleaning. 

And when it does, Auburn Public Schools Superintendent David Patton said, masks will be required.

AUBURN, Neb. (AP) — An outbreak of COVID-19 cases has shut down a southeastern Nebraska elementary school only days after it opened for the new school year with no requirement for face masks. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that officials shut down Calvert Elementary School in Auburn on Thursday after "a pretty high number” of cases were confirmed among students and staff. School and health officials declined to say how many cases were confirmed, citing privacy concerns. There are 466 students enrolled at the school. The school is set to reopen Monday following a deep cleaning. And when it does, Auburn Public Schools Superintendent David Patton said, masks will be required.

COVID-19 cases shut down southeastern Nebraska school

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Dr. Danny Avula, the head of Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination effort, suspected he might have a problem getting pastors to publicly advocate for the shots when some members of his own church referred to them as “the mark of the beast,” a biblical reference to allegiance to the devil, and the minister wasn't sure how to respond.

“A lot of pastors, based on where their congregations are at, are pretty hesitant to do so because this is so charged, and it immediately invites criticism and furor by the segment of your community that’s not on board with that," Avula said.

Across the nation's deeply religious Bible Belt, a region beset by soaring infection rates from the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus, churches and pastors are both helping and hurting in the campaign to get people vaccinated against COVID-19.

Some are hosting vaccination clinics and praying for more inoculations, while others are issuing fiery anti-vaccine sermons from their pulpits. Most are staying mum on the issue, something experts see as a missed opportunity in a swath of the country where church is the biggest spiritual and social influence for many communities.

That was on display recently in metro Birmingham, where First Baptist Church of Trussville had an outbreak following a 200th anniversary celebration that included a video greeting by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. The pastor promised more cleaning and face mask availability without uttering two words that health officials say could make a difference among people long on religion but short on faith in government: Get vaccinated.

A few outspoken religious leaders have garnered crowds or media attention for their opposition to the vaccines, such as Tony Spell, who repeatedly defied COVID-19 restrictions to hold in-person services at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, church where he is pastor. He has preached that vaccinations are “demonic” and vowed that the government will not “force us to comply with your evil orders."

But they appear to be outliers, according to theologian Curtis Chang, with the majority of ministers avoiding the vaccine issue so as not to inflame tensions in congregations already struggling with the pandemic and political division.

"I would say that the vast majority are paralyzed or silent because of how polarized it has been,” said Chang, who has pastored churches and is on the faculty at Duke Divinity School.

A survey by the National Association of Evangelicals found that 95% of evangelical leaders planned to get inoculated, but that number hasn't translated into widespread advocacy from the pulpit, he said.

The disparity matters because vaccination rates are generally low across the Bible Belt, where Southern and Midwestern churchgoers are a formidable bloc that has proven resistant to vaccination appeals from government leaders and health officials. While many Black and Latino people haven't been vaccinated, the large number of white evangelical resisters is particularly troubling for health officials.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-skepticism-white-evangelicals-us-32898166bbb673ad87842af24c8daefb">poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in March showed that 40% of white evangelical Protestants said they likely would not get vaccinated, compared with 25% of all Americans, 28% of white mainline Protestants and 27% of nonwhite Protestants.

Some national voices including Black megachurch minister T.D. Jakes, evangelist Franklin Graham and former Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear have taken public stances in favor of vaccinations. But there hasn't been a sustained, unified push that could give local pastors “cover” to speak out themselves, Chang said.

First Baptist Trussville has taken multiple steps to guard against spreading the virus, including following public health guidelines and limiting in-person events, according to spokesman and business manager Alan Taylor. Yet when it comes to the vaccines, church leaders consider them “a personal choice,” he said.

“When I am asked personally, I say it was the right choice for me and my wife,” said Taylor, who contracted a relatively rare breakthrough case of COVID-19 despite having been vaccinated. “I firmly believe it helped when I became infected.”

The story is much the same in Mississippi and Georgia, where some churches are returning to online services and some pastors are quietly talking about the need for vaccination.

More than 200 pastors, priests and other church leaders from Missouri went further as cases exploded last month, signing a statement urging Christians to get vaccinated because of the biblical commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Springfield Mayor Ken McClure said the region saw a big jump in vaccinations after the pastor of a large church used his sermon to tell parishioners it was the right thing to do.

Dr. Ellen Eaton, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said churches could be effective at promoting vaccination as a way “to love your neighbors during this pandemic.”

“Many Southerners are very close to their pastors and church communities. Next to their personal physician, many here in Alabama routinely turn to their church leaders with health issues,” she said.

One pastor at a liberal United Methodist church in Birmingham issued a plea on social media for members to get vaccinated, while the minister at a moderate Baptist church nearby prayed during worship for divine intervention for more vaccinations.

"We pray, Lord, that there will be good judgment used and that people would see the need for the vaccine and that it would be available not only here in our own country but around the world and that that might stem the tide of this terrible, terrible virus,” said the Rev. Timothy L. Kelley of Southside Baptist Church.

Evangelical pastor Keven Blankenship was among those trying to walk that tightrope after COVID-19 invaded his independent church in suburban Birmingham, sickening three of his family members, among others. Initially he didn't preach about the vaccines, considering it a personal choice.

But on a recent Sunday, during the first in-person services in a month, Blankenship revealed he had gotten his first shot and was due for a second.

“If you feel comfortable receiving it, I want you to receive it. If you don't feel comfortable, I want you to talk to your doctor and you get your doctor's guidance," he told worshipers. “But I want you to do what you feel is the best thing for you and your family, and don't be bullied into anything.”

Blankenship ended with an “Amen,” said almost as if a question. He was met by silence.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Dr. Danny Avula, the head of Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination effort, suspected he might have a problem getting pastors to publicly advocate for the shots when some members of his own church referred to them as “the mark of the beast,” a biblical reference to allegiance to the devil, and the minister wasn't sure how to respond.“A lot of pastors, based on where their congregations are at, are pretty hesitant to do so because this is so charged, and it immediately invites criticism and furor by the segment of your community that’s not on board with that," Avula said.Across the nation's deeply religious Bible Belt, a region beset by soaring infection rates from the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus, churches and pastors are both helping and hurting in the campaign to get people vaccinated against COVID-19.Some are hosting vaccination clinics and praying for more inoculations, while others are issuing fiery anti-vaccine sermons from their pulpits. Most are staying mum on the issue, something experts see as a missed opportunity in a swath of the country where church is the biggest spiritual and social influence for many communities.That was on display recently in metro Birmingham, where First Baptist Church of Trussville had an outbreak following a 200th anniversary celebration that included a video greeting by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. The pastor promised more cleaning and face mask availability without uttering two words that health officials say could make a difference among people long on religion but short on faith in government: Get vaccinated.A few outspoken religious leaders have garnered crowds or media attention for their opposition to the vaccines, such as Tony Spell, who repeatedly defied COVID-19 restrictions to hold in-person services at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, church where he is pastor. He has preached that vaccinations are “demonic” and vowed that the government will not “force us to comply with your evil orders."But they appear to be outliers, according to theologian Curtis Chang, with the majority of ministers avoiding the vaccine issue so as not to inflame tensions in congregations already struggling with the pandemic and political division."I would say that the vast majority are paralyzed or silent because of how polarized it has been,” said Chang, who has pastored churches and is on the faculty at Duke Divinity School.A survey by the National Association of Evangelicals found that 95% of evangelical leaders planned to get inoculated, but that number hasn't translated into widespread advocacy from the pulpit, he said.The disparity matters because vaccination rates are generally low across the Bible Belt, where Southern and Midwestern churchgoers are a formidable bloc that has proven resistant to vaccination appeals from government leaders and health officials. While many Black and Latino people haven't been vaccinated, the large number of white evangelical resisters is particularly troubling for health officials.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-skepticism-white-evangelicals-us-32898166bbb673ad87842af24c8daefb">poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in March showed that 40% of white evangelical Protestants said they likely would not get vaccinated, compared with 25% of all Americans, 28% of white mainline Protestants and 27% of nonwhite Protestants.Some national voices including Black megachurch minister T.D. Jakes, evangelist Franklin Graham and former Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear have taken public stances in favor of vaccinations. But there hasn't been a sustained, unified push that could give local pastors “cover” to speak out themselves, Chang said.First Baptist Trussville has taken multiple steps to guard against spreading the virus, including following public health guidelines and limiting in-person events, according to spokesman and business manager Alan Taylor. Yet when it comes to the vaccines, church leaders consider them “a personal choice,” he said.“When I am asked personally, I say it was the right choice for me and my wife,” said Taylor, who contracted a relatively rare breakthrough case of COVID-19 despite having been vaccinated. “I firmly believe it helped when I became infected.”The story is much the same in Mississippi and Georgia, where some churches are returning to online services and some pastors are quietly talking about the need for vaccination.More than 200 pastors, priests and other church leaders from Missouri went further as cases exploded last month, signing a statement urging Christians to get vaccinated because of the biblical commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Springfield Mayor Ken McClure said the region saw a big jump in vaccinations after the pastor of a large church used his sermon to tell parishioners it was the right thing to do.Dr. Ellen Eaton, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said churches could be effective at promoting vaccination as a way “to love your neighbors during this pandemic.”“Many Southerners are very close to their pastors and church communities. Next to their personal physician, many here in Alabama routinely turn to their church leaders with health issues,” she said.One pastor at a liberal United Methodist church in Birmingham issued a plea on social media for members to get vaccinated, while the minister at a moderate Baptist church nearby prayed during worship for divine intervention for more vaccinations."We pray, Lord, that there will be good judgment used and that people would see the need for the vaccine and that it would be available not only here in our own country but around the world and that that might stem the tide of this terrible, terrible virus,” said the Rev. Timothy L. Kelley of Southside Baptist Church.Evangelical pastor Keven Blankenship was among those trying to walk that tightrope after COVID-19 invaded his independent church in suburban Birmingham, sickening three of his family members, among others. Initially he didn't preach about the vaccines, considering it a personal choice.But on a recent Sunday, during the first in-person services in a month, Blankenship revealed he had gotten his first shot and was due for a second.“If you feel comfortable receiving it, I want you to receive it. If you don't feel comfortable, I want you to talk to your doctor and you get your doctor's guidance," he told worshipers. “But I want you to do what you feel is the best thing for you and your family, and don't be bullied into anything.”Blankenship ended with an “Amen,” said almost as if a question. He was met by silence.

Many Bible Belt preachers silent on shots as COVID-19 surges

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Don Everly, one-half of the pioneering Everly Brothers whose harmonizing country rock hits impacted a generation of rock ‘n’ roll music, has died. He was 84.

Everly died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, according to his attorney and family spokesperson Linda Edell Howard. His brother, Phil Everly, died in January 2014 at age 74.

“Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a statement from the family said. “Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams ... living in love with his soul mate and wife Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother. Don always expressed how grateful he was for his fans.”

In the late 1950s and 1960s, the duo of Don and Phil drew upon their rural roots with their strummed guitars and high, yearning harmonies, while their poignant songs — many by the team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — embodied teenage restlessness and energy. Their 19 top 40 hits included “Bye Bye Love,” “Let It Be Me,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “Wake Up Little Susie,” and performers from the Beatles to Simon &amp; Garfunkel cited them as key influences.

“The Everly Brothers are integral to the fabric of American music,” said Jerry Lee Lewis in a statement. “With my friend Don’s passing, I am reflective … reflective on a life full of wonderful friends, spectacular music and fond memories. There’s a lot I can say about Don, what he and Phil meant to me both as people and as musicians, but I am going to reflect today.”

Songs like “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie” appealed to the postwar generation of baby boomers, and their deceptively simple harmonies hid greater meaning among the lighter pop fare of the era.

The two broke up amid quarreling in 1973 after 16 years of hits, then reunited in 1983, “sealing it with a hug,” Phil Everly said.

Although their number of hit records declined in the late 1980s, they had successful concert tours in the U.S. and Europe.

They were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the same year they had a hit pop-country record, “Born Yesterday.” Two years earlier, they had success with the up-tempo ballad “On the Wings of a Nightingale,” written by Paul McCartney.

“As a singer, a songwriter and a guitar innovator, Don Everly was one of the most talented and impactful artists in popular music history,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement. The brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Don Everly was born in Brownie, Kentucky, to Ike and Margaret Everly, who were folk and country music singers. Phil Everly was born to the couple in Chicago, where the Everlys moved from Brownie when Ike grew tired of working in the coal mines.

The brothers began singing country music in 1945 on their family’s radio show in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Their career breakthrough came when they moved to Nashville in the mid-1950s and signed a recording contract with New York-based Cadence Records.

Their breakup came dramatically during a concert at Knott’s Berry Farm in California. Phil Everly threw his guitar down and walked off, prompting Don Everly to tell the crowd, “The Everly Brothers died 10 years ago.”

The disputes between the brothers even went to court, when Don Everly sued the heirs of Phil Everly in 2017 over the copyright to three of their songs, including “Cathy’s Clown.” The case went all the way to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

But after Phil’s death in 2014, Don said that he felt a spiritual message from his brother before he died.

“Our love was and will always be deeper than any earthly differences we might have had,” Don Everly said in a statement in 2014.

While apart, they pursued solo singing careers with little success. Phil also appeared in the 1978 Clint Eastwood movie “Every Which Way but Loose.” Don made a couple of records with friends in Nashville, performed in local nightclubs and played guitar and sang background vocals on recording sessions.

Don Everly said in a 1986 Associated Press interview that he and his brother were successful because “we never followed trends. We did what we liked and followed our instincts. Rock ‘n’ roll did survive, and we were right about that. Country did survive, and we were right about that. You can mix the two, but people said we couldn’t.”

Decades later, their impact on popular music is still evident. In 2013, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones released a loving tribute to the Everlys on their collaborative album “Foreverly.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Don Everly, one-half of the pioneering Everly Brothers whose harmonizing country rock hits impacted a generation of rock ‘n’ roll music, has died. He was 84.Everly died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, according to his attorney and family spokesperson Linda Edell Howard. His brother, Phil Everly, died in January 2014 at age 74.“Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a statement from the family said. “Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams ... living in love with his soul mate and wife Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother. Don always expressed how grateful he was for his fans.”In the late 1950s and 1960s, the duo of Don and Phil drew upon their rural roots with their strummed guitars and high, yearning harmonies, while their poignant songs — many by the team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — embodied teenage restlessness and energy. Their 19 top 40 hits included “Bye Bye Love,” “Let It Be Me,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “Wake Up Little Susie,” and performers from the Beatles to Simon &amp; Garfunkel cited them as key influences.“The Everly Brothers are integral to the fabric of American music,” said Jerry Lee Lewis in a statement. “With my friend Don’s passing, I am reflective … reflective on a life full of wonderful friends, spectacular music and fond memories. There’s a lot I can say about Don, what he and Phil meant to me both as people and as musicians, but I am going to reflect today.”Songs like “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie” appealed to the postwar generation of baby boomers, and their deceptively simple harmonies hid greater meaning among the lighter pop fare of the era.The two broke up amid quarreling in 1973 after 16 years of hits, then reunited in 1983, “sealing it with a hug,” Phil Everly said.Although their number of hit records declined in the late 1980s, they had successful concert tours in the U.S. and Europe.They were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the same year they had a hit pop-country record, “Born Yesterday.” Two years earlier, they had success with the up-tempo ballad “On the Wings of a Nightingale,” written by Paul McCartney.“As a singer, a songwriter and a guitar innovator, Don Everly was one of the most talented and impactful artists in popular music history,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement. The brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.Don Everly was born in Brownie, Kentucky, to Ike and Margaret Everly, who were folk and country music singers. Phil Everly was born to the couple in Chicago, where the Everlys moved from Brownie when Ike grew tired of working in the coal mines.The brothers began singing country music in 1945 on their family’s radio show in Shenandoah, Iowa.Their career breakthrough came when they moved to Nashville in the mid-1950s and signed a recording contract with New York-based Cadence Records.Their breakup came dramatically during a concert at Knott’s Berry Farm in California. Phil Everly threw his guitar down and walked off, prompting Don Everly to tell the crowd, “The Everly Brothers died 10 years ago.”The disputes between the brothers even went to court, when Don Everly sued the heirs of Phil Everly in 2017 over the copyright to three of their songs, including “Cathy’s Clown.” The case went all the way to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.But after Phil’s death in 2014, Don said that he felt a spiritual message from his brother before he died.“Our love was and will always be deeper than any earthly differences we might have had,” Don Everly said in a statement in 2014.While apart, they pursued solo singing careers with little success. Phil also appeared in the 1978 Clint Eastwood movie “Every Which Way but Loose.” Don made a couple of records with friends in Nashville, performed in local nightclubs and played guitar and sang background vocals on recording sessions.Don Everly said in a 1986 Associated Press interview that he and his brother were successful because “we never followed trends. We did what we liked and followed our instincts. Rock ‘n’ roll did survive, and we were right about that. Country did survive, and we were right about that. You can mix the two, but people said we couldn’t.”Decades later, their impact on popular music is still evident. In 2013, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones released a loving tribute to the Everlys on their collaborative album “Foreverly.”

Don Everly of early rock ‘n’ roll Everly Brothers dies at 84

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A shortage of bus drivers is complicating the start of a new school year already facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and conflicts over whether masks should be required in school buildings. 

School districts are offering hiring bonuses, training to get commercial driver's licenses and pay increases in an effort to attract more drivers. 

First Student contracts with school districts across the country to provide bus service, and held test driving events this summer. 

Its “Big Bus, No Big Deal” events were an effort to show people that driving a bus is not as difficult as people might think.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629647552655.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A shortage of bus drivers is complicating the start of a new school year already facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and conflicts over whether masks should be required in school buildings. School districts are offering hiring bonuses, training to get commercial driver's licenses and pay increases in an effort to attract more drivers. First Student contracts with school districts across the country to provide bus service, and held test driving events this summer. Its “Big Bus, No Big Deal” events were an effort to show people that driving a bus is not as difficult as people might think.

Bus driver shortages are latest challenge hitting US schools

In an escalating battle with Republican governors, President Joe Biden&nbsp; ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against states that have blocked school mask mandates and other public health measures meant to protect students against COVID-19.

In response, the Education Department raised the possibility of using its civil rights arm to fight policies in Florida, Texas, Iowa and other Republican-led states that have barred public schools from requiring masks in the classroom.

Biden directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to “assess all available tools” that can be used against states that fail to protect students amid surging coronavirus cases.

“Some state governments have adopted policies and laws that interfere with the ability of schools and districts to keep our children safe during in-person learning,” Biden said in an executive order, adding that some states “have gone so far as to try to block school officials” from adopting safety measures.

It amounts to the sharpest threat yet against states that so far have ignored admonishments from the White House during the surging pandemic. The move also injects the federal government into mounting culture wars that have turned schools into battlegrounds in a debate over masks.

In an announcement on its website, the Education Department said policies that ban mask mandates could amount to discrimination if they lead to unsafe conditions that prevent students from attending school. The agency can launch its own investigations into potential violations, and it also responds to civil rights complaints from parents and the public.

“The department has the authority to investigate any state educational agency whose policies or actions may infringe on the rights of every student to access public education equally,” Cardona said in a statement. He added that states banning mask mandates are “needlessly placing students, families and educators at risk.”

The agency’s Office for Civil Rights can issue a range of sanctions up to a total loss of federal education funding in cases of civil rights violations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pressed ahead with a ban on school mask requirements, and the state’s education officials are now weighing whether to withhold salaries of some superintendents that have defied the order. Texas and at least six other states have instituted similar prohibitions.

The state policies run counter to guidance from the from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends universal mask wearing for students and teachers in the classroom. In its guidance, the CDC cited the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

Biden indicated last week that he believes he does not personally have the authority to overturn the policies, but he pleaded with Republican governors to reconsider their prohibitions. If they won’t help, he urged them to “at least get out of the way.”

While most states allow school districts to determine their own mask policies, some have fallen on either side of the debate. Some including California, Louisiana and Virginia have moved to require masks in schools for most students this fall. In other states that have barred mandates, leaders say it should be up to families to decide.

Protesters who oppose mask mandates have taken to state and local school board meetings in recent weeks, in some cases derailing the meetings.

In letters to Florida and Texas last week, Cardona said their prohibitions may violate the American Rescue Plan, which provided $123 billion to the nation’s schools to help them return to the classroom. The policies prevent schools from developing safe reopening plans, a requirement of the legislation, he said.

Similar letters are also being sent to Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, Cardona said on Wednesday.

“Let me be clear,” he wrote, “this department will continue to use every tool in our toolbox to protect the health and safety of students and educators and to maximize in-person learning as the new school year begin.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629319932734.png" alt="President Biden directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to “assess all available tools” that can be used against states that fail to protect students amid surging coronavirus cases.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Biden directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to “assess all available tools” that can be used against states that fail to protect students amid surging coronavirus cases.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated PressIn an escalating battle with Republican governors, President Joe Biden&nbsp; ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against states that have blocked school mask mandates and other public health measures meant to protect students against COVID-19.In response, the Education Department raised the possibility of using its civil rights arm to fight policies in Florida, Texas, Iowa and other Republican-led states that have barred public schools from requiring masks in the classroom.Biden directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to “assess all available tools” that can be used against states that fail to protect students amid surging coronavirus cases.“Some state governments have adopted policies and laws that interfere with the ability of schools and districts to keep our children safe during in-person learning,” Biden said in an executive order, adding that some states “have gone so far as to try to block school officials” from adopting safety measures.It amounts to the sharpest threat yet against states that so far have ignored admonishments from the White House during the surging pandemic. The move also injects the federal government into mounting culture wars that have turned schools into battlegrounds in a debate over masks.In an announcement on its website, the Education Department said policies that ban mask mandates could amount to discrimination if they lead to unsafe conditions that prevent students from attending school. The agency can launch its own investigations into potential violations, and it also responds to civil rights complaints from parents and the public.“The department has the authority to investigate any state educational agency whose policies or actions may infringe on the rights of every student to access public education equally,” Cardona said in a statement. He added that states banning mask mandates are “needlessly placing students, families and educators at risk.”The agency’s Office for Civil Rights can issue a range of sanctions up to a total loss of federal education funding in cases of civil rights violations.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pressed ahead with a ban on school mask requirements, and the state’s education officials are now weighing whether to withhold salaries of some superintendents that have defied the order. Texas and at least six other states have instituted similar prohibitions.The state policies run counter to guidance from the from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends universal mask wearing for students and teachers in the classroom. In its guidance, the CDC cited the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.Biden indicated last week that he believes he does not personally have the authority to overturn the policies, but he pleaded with Republican governors to reconsider their prohibitions. If they won’t help, he urged them to “at least get out of the way.”While most states allow school districts to determine their own mask policies, some have fallen on either side of the debate. Some including California, Louisiana and Virginia have moved to require masks in schools for most students this fall. In other states that have barred mandates, leaders say it should be up to families to decide.Protesters who oppose mask mandates have taken to state and local school board meetings in recent weeks, in some cases derailing the meetings.In letters to Florida and Texas last week, Cardona said their prohibitions may violate the American Rescue Plan, which provided $123 billion to the nation’s schools to help them return to the classroom. The policies prevent schools from developing safe reopening plans, a requirement of the legislation, he said.Similar letters are also being sent to Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, Cardona said on Wednesday.“Let me be clear,” he wrote, “this department will continue to use every tool in our toolbox to protect the health and safety of students and educators and to maximize in-person learning as the new school year begin.”

States banning mask mandates could face civil rights probes

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today the opening
 of the application period for the 2022 Compliance Assurance Process 
(CAP) program. The application period runs September 1 to November 1, 
2021. The IRS will inform applicants if they're accepted into the 
program in February 2022.

Launched in 2005, CAP employs real-time issue resolution, through 
transparent and cooperative interaction between taxpayers and the IRS, 
to improve federal tax compliance by resolving issues prior to the 
filing of a tax return.

To be eligible to apply for CAP, new applicants must:

To be eligible to participate in CAP, taxpayers must adhere to 
CAP program limits on the number of open years. For 2022, the IRS is 
continuing the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/highlights-and-updates-for-the-cap-2022-application-period">modification</a> of the open-year criteria to allow- "two filed" open returns.

General program information and the 2022 application details are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/compliance-assurance-process">CAP webpage</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today the opening
 of the application period for the 2022 Compliance Assurance Process 
(CAP) program. The application period runs September 1 to November 1, 
2021. The IRS will inform applicants if they're accepted into the 
program in February 2022.Launched in 2005, CAP employs real-time issue resolution, through 
transparent and cooperative interaction between taxpayers and the IRS, 
to improve federal tax compliance by resolving issues prior to the 
filing of a tax return.To be eligible to apply for CAP, new applicants must:<ul>
 <li>Have assets of $10 million or more,</li><li>Be a U.S. publicly traded corporation with a legal requirement to prepare and submit SEC Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K, and</li><li>Not be under investigation by, or in litigation with, any 
government agency that would limit the IRS's access to current tax 
records.</li>
 </ul>To be eligible to participate in CAP, taxpayers must adhere to 
CAP program limits on the number of open years. For 2022, the IRS is 
continuing the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/highlights-and-updates-for-the-cap-2022-application-period">modification</a> of the open-year criteria to allow- "two filed" open returns.General program information and the 2022 application details are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/compliance-assurance-process">CAP webpage</a>.

IRS accepting applicants for the Compliance Assurance Process for 2022

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tom T. Hall, the singer-songwriter who composed “Harper Valley P.T.A.” and sang about life’s simple joys as country music’s consummate blue collar bard, has died. He was 85.

His son, Dean Hall, confirmed the musician's death on Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. Known as “The Storyteller” for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics, Hall composed hundreds of songs.

Along with such contemporaries as Kris Kristofferson, John Hartford and Mickey Newbury, Hall helped usher in a literary era of country music in the early ’70s, with songs that were political, like “Watergate Blues” and “The Monkey That Became President,” deeply personal like “The Year Clayton Delaney Died,” and philosophical like “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine.”

“In all my writing, I’ve never made judgments,” he said in 1986. “I think that’s my secret. I’m a witness. I just watch everything and don’t decide if it’s good or bad.”

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell performed Hall's song “Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken)" when Hall was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.

“The simplest words that told the most complicated stories. Felt like Tom T. just caught the songs as they floated by, but I know he carved them out of rock,” Isbell&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JasonIsbell/status/1428879509844025348">tweeted</a>&nbsp;on Friday.

Hall, the fourth son of an ordained minister, was born near Olive Hill, Kentucky, in a log cabin built by his grandfather. He started playing guitar at age 4 and wrote his first song by the time he was 9.

Hall began playing in a bluegrass band, but when that didn’t work out he started working as a disc jockey in Morehead, Kentucky. He joined the U.S. Army in 1957 for four years including an assignment in Germany. He turned to writing when he got back stateside and was discovered by Nashville publisher Jimmy Key.

Hall settled in Nashville in 1964 and first established himself as a songwriter making $50 a week. He wrote songs for Jimmy C. Newman, Dave Dudley and Johnny Wright, but he had so many songs that he began recording them himself. The middle initial “T” was added when he got his recording contract to make the name catchier.

His breakthrough was writing “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” a 1968 international hit about small-town hypocrisy recorded by Jeannie C. Riley. The song about a mother telling a group of busybodies to mind their own business was witty and feisty and became a No. 1 country and pop hit. It sold millions of copies and Riley won a Grammy for best female country vocal performance and an award for single of the year from the Country Music Association. The story was so popular it even spawned a movie of the same name and a television series.

“Suddenly, it was the talk of the country,” Hall told The Associated Press in 1986. “It became a catch phrase. You’d flip the radio dial and hear it four or five times in 10 minutes. It was the most awesome time of my life; I caused all this stir.”

His own career took off after that song and he had a string of hits with “Ballad of Forty Dollars” (which also was recorded by Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings); his first career No. 1 hit “A Week in a Country Jail,” and “Homecoming,” in the late 1960s.

Throughout the ’70s, Hall became one of Nashville’s biggest singer-songwriters, with multiple hit songs including, “I Love,” “Country Is,” “I Care,” “I Like Beer,” and “Faster Horses (The Cowboy and The Poet.)” He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978.

“Tom T. Hall’s masterworks vary in plot, tone and tempo, but they are bound by his ceaseless and unyielding empathy for the triumphs and losses of others,” said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement. “He wrote without judgment or anger, offering a rhyming journalism of the heart that sets his compositions apart from any other writer.

He also penned songs for children on his records “Songs of Fox Hollow (for Children of All Ages)” in 1974 and “Country Songs for Kids,” in 1988. He also became an author, writing a book about songwriting, “The Songwriter’s Handbook,” and an autobiography, “The Storyteller’s Nashville,” as well as fiction novels.

He was host of the syndicated TV show “Pop Goes the Country” from 1980 to 1983 and even dabbled in politics. Hall was close to former President Jimmy Carter and Carter’s brother, Billy, when Carter was in the White House. Tennessee Democrats urged Hall to run for governor in 1982, but he declined.

For his 1985 album “Songs in a Seashell,” he spent six months walking up and down Southern beaches to get inspiration for the summer mood of the LP.

He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and in 2012, he was honored as the BMI Icon of the year, with artists such as the Avett Brothers, bluegrass stars Daily &amp; Vincent, Toby Keith and Justin Townes Earle paying tribute to the songwriting legend.

“I think a song is just a song,” Hall said at the ceremony in 2012. “They can do it with all kinds of different bands. It’s just a lyric and a melody. I was talking to Kris Kristofferson one time. They asked him what was country, and he said, ‘If it sounds country, it’s country.’ So that’s my philosophy.”

He married English-born songwriter Dixie Deen in 1968, and the two would go on to write hundreds of bluegrass songs after Hall retired from performing in the 1990s, including “All That’s Left” which Miranda Lambert covered on her 2014 album, “Platinum.” Dixie Hall died in 2015.

In 2015, music legend Bob Dylan singled out Hall for some harsh criticism in a rambling speech at a MusiCares event. He called Hall’s song, “I Love,” “a little overcooked,” and said that the arrival of Kristofferson in Nashville “blew ol’ Tom T. Hall’s world apart.”

The criticism apparently confused Hall, as he considered Kristofferson a friend and a peer, and when asked about Dylan’s comments in an 2016 article for “American Songwriter” magazine, he responded, “What the hell was all that about?”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tom T. Hall, the singer-songwriter who composed “Harper Valley P.T.A.” and sang about life’s simple joys as country music’s consummate blue collar bard, has died. He was 85.His son, Dean Hall, confirmed the musician's death on Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. Known as “The Storyteller” for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics, Hall composed hundreds of songs.Along with such contemporaries as Kris Kristofferson, John Hartford and Mickey Newbury, Hall helped usher in a literary era of country music in the early ’70s, with songs that were political, like “Watergate Blues” and “The Monkey That Became President,” deeply personal like “The Year Clayton Delaney Died,” and philosophical like “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine.”“In all my writing, I’ve never made judgments,” he said in 1986. “I think that’s my secret. I’m a witness. I just watch everything and don’t decide if it’s good or bad.”Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell performed Hall's song “Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken)" when Hall was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.“The simplest words that told the most complicated stories. Felt like Tom T. just caught the songs as they floated by, but I know he carved them out of rock,” Isbell&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JasonIsbell/status/1428879509844025348">tweeted</a>&nbsp;on Friday.Hall, the fourth son of an ordained minister, was born near Olive Hill, Kentucky, in a log cabin built by his grandfather. He started playing guitar at age 4 and wrote his first song by the time he was 9.Hall began playing in a bluegrass band, but when that didn’t work out he started working as a disc jockey in Morehead, Kentucky. He joined the U.S. Army in 1957 for four years including an assignment in Germany. He turned to writing when he got back stateside and was discovered by Nashville publisher Jimmy Key.Hall settled in Nashville in 1964 and first established himself as a songwriter making $50 a week. He wrote songs for Jimmy C. Newman, Dave Dudley and Johnny Wright, but he had so many songs that he began recording them himself. The middle initial “T” was added when he got his recording contract to make the name catchier.His breakthrough was writing “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” a 1968 international hit about small-town hypocrisy recorded by Jeannie C. Riley. The song about a mother telling a group of busybodies to mind their own business was witty and feisty and became a No. 1 country and pop hit. It sold millions of copies and Riley won a Grammy for best female country vocal performance and an award for single of the year from the Country Music Association. The story was so popular it even spawned a movie of the same name and a television series.“Suddenly, it was the talk of the country,” Hall told The Associated Press in 1986. “It became a catch phrase. You’d flip the radio dial and hear it four or five times in 10 minutes. It was the most awesome time of my life; I caused all this stir.”His own career took off after that song and he had a string of hits with “Ballad of Forty Dollars” (which also was recorded by Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings); his first career No. 1 hit “A Week in a Country Jail,” and “Homecoming,” in the late 1960s.Throughout the ’70s, Hall became one of Nashville’s biggest singer-songwriters, with multiple hit songs including, “I Love,” “Country Is,” “I Care,” “I Like Beer,” and “Faster Horses (The Cowboy and The Poet.)” He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978.“Tom T. Hall’s masterworks vary in plot, tone and tempo, but they are bound by his ceaseless and unyielding empathy for the triumphs and losses of others,” said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement. “He wrote without judgment or anger, offering a rhyming journalism of the heart that sets his compositions apart from any other writer.He also penned songs for children on his records “Songs of Fox Hollow (for Children of All Ages)” in 1974 and “Country Songs for Kids,” in 1988. He also became an author, writing a book about songwriting, “The Songwriter’s Handbook,” and an autobiography, “The Storyteller’s Nashville,” as well as fiction novels.He was host of the syndicated TV show “Pop Goes the Country” from 1980 to 1983 and even dabbled in politics. Hall was close to former President Jimmy Carter and Carter’s brother, Billy, when Carter was in the White House. Tennessee Democrats urged Hall to run for governor in 1982, but he declined.For his 1985 album “Songs in a Seashell,” he spent six months walking up and down Southern beaches to get inspiration for the summer mood of the LP.He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and in 2012, he was honored as the BMI Icon of the year, with artists such as the Avett Brothers, bluegrass stars Daily &amp; Vincent, Toby Keith and Justin Townes Earle paying tribute to the songwriting legend.“I think a song is just a song,” Hall said at the ceremony in 2012. “They can do it with all kinds of different bands. It’s just a lyric and a melody. I was talking to Kris Kristofferson one time. They asked him what was country, and he said, ‘If it sounds country, it’s country.’ So that’s my philosophy.”He married English-born songwriter Dixie Deen in 1968, and the two would go on to write hundreds of bluegrass songs after Hall retired from performing in the 1990s, including “All That’s Left” which Miranda Lambert covered on her 2014 album, “Platinum.” Dixie Hall died in 2015.In 2015, music legend Bob Dylan singled out Hall for some harsh criticism in a rambling speech at a MusiCares event. He called Hall’s song, “I Love,” “a little overcooked,” and said that the arrival of Kristofferson in Nashville “blew ol’ Tom T. Hall’s world apart.”The criticism apparently confused Hall, as he considered Kristofferson a friend and a peer, and when asked about Dylan’s comments in an 2016 article for “American Songwriter” magazine, he responded, “What the hell was all that about?”

Country legend Tom T. Hall dies; wrote ‘Harper Valley PTA’

WASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new feature allowing any 
family receiving monthly Child Tax Credit payments to quickly and easily
 update their mailing address using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal">Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>,
 found exclusively on IRS.gov. This feature will help any family that 
chooses to receive their payment by paper check avoid mailing delays or 
even having a check returned as undeliverable.

Any family can easily have their September check and all future 
checks sent to their new address by using the portal to make an address 
change request. To have the change take effect in September, people need
 to complete the request before midnight Eastern Time on Monday, August 
30. Families can still make changes after that date, but their request 
will not be effective until the next scheduled monthly payment.

If you change your mailing address using the Child Tax Credit Update 
Portal, the IRS will use this updated address for all future IRS 
correspondence so the address change feature can also be helpful to 
taxpayers that are receiving payments by direct deposit. For example, 
the IRS will mail a year-end summary statement (Letter 6419) to all 
taxpayers who have received advance Child Tax Credit payments during 
2021 and having a current address on file with the IRS will ensure 
prompt delivery of this statement.

Families will need Letter 6419 to quickly and accurately fill out 
their 2021 federal income tax return next year. This is important 
because, for most families, the advance payments they are receiving 
during 2021 cover only half of the total credit. They will claim the 
remaining portion on their 2021 tax return.

The address change feature joins a growing set of services available 
through the Child Tax Credit Update Portal. Available only on IRS.gov, 
the portal already allows families to verify their eligibility for the 
payments and then, if they choose to:

Any of these changes made before midnight ET on August 30, will 
apply to the September 15 payment and all subsequent monthly payments, 
scheduled for October 15, November 15, and December 15.

Future enhancements are planned for the Child Tax Credit Portal

Later this year, families will also be able to use the Update Portal tool to:

Latest information for the Child Tax Credit payments on IRS.gov

The IRS has created a special Advance Child Tax Credit 2021 page 
designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the credit and
 the advance payments. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>.

The web page now features an updated set of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-frequently-asked-questions">frequently asked questions</a> and the new <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5549.pdf">Publication 5549, IRS User Guide: Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>.
 It also provides direct links to the portal, as well as two other 
online tools — the Non-Filer Sign Up Tool and the Child Tax Credit 
Eligibility Assistant — and other useful resources.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new feature allowing any 
family receiving monthly Child Tax Credit payments to quickly and easily
 update their mailing address using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal">Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>,
 found exclusively on IRS.gov. This feature will help any family that 
chooses to receive their payment by paper check avoid mailing delays or 
even having a check returned as undeliverable.Any family can easily have their September check and all future 
checks sent to their new address by using the portal to make an address 
change request. To have the change take effect in September, people need
 to complete the request before midnight Eastern Time on Monday, August 
30. Families can still make changes after that date, but their request 
will not be effective until the next scheduled monthly payment.If you change your mailing address using the Child Tax Credit Update 
Portal, the IRS will use this updated address for all future IRS 
correspondence so the address change feature can also be helpful to 
taxpayers that are receiving payments by direct deposit. For example, 
the IRS will mail a year-end summary statement (Letter 6419) to all 
taxpayers who have received advance Child Tax Credit payments during 
2021 and having a current address on file with the IRS will ensure 
prompt delivery of this statement.Families will need Letter 6419 to quickly and accurately fill out 
their 2021 federal income tax return next year. This is important 
because, for most families, the advance payments they are receiving 
during 2021 cover only half of the total credit. They will claim the 
remaining portion on their 2021 tax return.The address change feature joins a growing set of services available 
through the Child Tax Credit Update Portal. Available only on IRS.gov, 
the portal already allows families to verify their eligibility for the 
payments and then, if they choose to:<ul>
 <li>Switch from receiving a paper check to direct deposit;</li><li>Change the account where their payment is direct deposited; or</li><li>Stop monthly payments for the rest of 2021.</li>
 </ul>Any of these changes made before midnight ET on August 30, will 
apply to the September 15 payment and all subsequent monthly payments, 
scheduled for October 15, November 15, and December 15.<h2>Future enhancements are planned for the Child Tax Credit Portal</h2>Later this year, families will also be able to use the Update Portal tool to:<ul>
 <li>Add or remove children in most situations;</li><li>Report a change in marital status; or</li><li>Report a significant change in income.</li>
 </ul><h2>Latest information for the Child Tax Credit payments on IRS.gov</h2>The IRS has created a special Advance Child Tax Credit 2021 page 
designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the credit and
 the advance payments. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>.The web page now features an updated set of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-frequently-asked-questions">frequently asked questions</a> and the new <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5549.pdf">Publication 5549, IRS User Guide: Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>.
 It also provides direct links to the portal, as well as two other 
online tools — the Non-Filer Sign Up Tool and the Child Tax Credit 
Eligibility Assistant — and other useful resources.

Updates for Child Tax Credit payment must be completed by Aug. 30

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday allowed the pause on evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remain in place, setting up a likely battle before the nation’s highest court.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a bid by Alabama and Georgia realtors to block the eviction moratorium reinstated earlier this month.

The realtors are likely to appeal to the Supreme Court, which voted 5-4 in June to allow the moratorium to continue through the end of July. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh — who joined the majority — warned the administration not to act further without explicit congressional approval.

The Biden administration allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse on July 31, saying it had no legal authority to allow it to continue. But the CDC issued a new moratorium days later amid mounting pressure from lawmakers and others to help vulnerable renters stay in their homes amid the surge of the coronavirus’ delta variant.

As of Aug. 2, roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday allowed the pause on evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remain in place, setting up a likely battle before the nation’s highest court.A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a bid by Alabama and Georgia realtors to block the eviction moratorium reinstated earlier this month.The realtors are likely to appeal to the Supreme Court, which voted 5-4 in June to allow the moratorium to continue through the end of July. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh — who joined the majority — warned the administration not to act further without explicit congressional approval.The Biden administration allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse on July 31, saying it had no legal authority to allow it to continue. But the CDC issued a new moratorium days later amid mounting pressure from lawmakers and others to help vulnerable renters stay in their homes amid the surge of the coronavirus’ delta variant.As of Aug. 2, roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

Federal appeals court upholds CDC's eviction moratorium

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa man has sued an eastern Nebraska county, its sheriff and several deputies, saying their lack of training led one of the deputies to shoot him in the eye with a pepper ball during a protest last year. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that 24-year-old Adam Keup, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, filed the federal lawsuit last week against Sarpy County, Sheriff Jeff Davis and four deputies, alleging Davis handed out the pepper balls to his deputies before the protest without providing any training on how to use them. 

Keup says he was just watching the protest and standing on a sidewalk about 100 feet from protesters and law enforcement when a deputy shot him in the eye with a pepper ball, leaving him blinded in that eye.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa man has sued an eastern Nebraska county, its sheriff and several deputies, saying their lack of training led one of the deputies to shoot him in the eye with a pepper ball during a protest last year. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 24-year-old Adam Keup, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, filed the federal lawsuit last week against Sarpy County, Sheriff Jeff Davis and four deputies, alleging Davis handed out the pepper balls to his deputies before the protest without providing any training on how to use them. Keup says he was just watching the protest and standing on a sidewalk about 100 feet from protesters and law enforcement when a deputy shot him in the eye with a pepper ball, leaving him blinded in that eye.

Iowa man sues Nebraska sheriff after pepper ball blinded him

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pledging to Americans still trapped in Afghanistan: “We will get you home.” 

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514188-1/president-biden-remarks-afghanistan-evacuations">Click here to </a>watch the President's comments

Biden’s comments at a White House news conference Friday come as the U.S. government struggles to ramp up a massive airlift clearing Americans and other foreigners and vulnerable Afghans, rescuing them from a Taliban takeover of the country. Biden is facing criticism from some at home for the chaotic and often violent scene outside the airport as crowds struggle to reach safety. 

The pace of evacuations picked up some overnight, but flights from the Kabul airport had stopped for several hours as of Friday afternoon before resuming.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a firestorm of criticism, President Joe Biden addressed the nation Friday afternoon about the chaotic evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan as the U.S. struggles with obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to airport pandemonium and cumbersome red tape.

While Biden has previously blamed Afghans for the U.S. failure to get out more allies ahead of this month’s sudden Taliban takeover, U.S. officials told The Associated Press that American diplomats had formally urged weeks ago that the Biden administration ramp up evacuation efforts.

Tens of thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of the United States’ Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw its troops from the country, although the pace picked up overnight. A defense official said about 5,700 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul aboard 16 C-17 transport planes. On each of the previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.

With desperate crowds thronging Kabul’s airport, and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. government is renewing its advisory to Americans and others that it cannot guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside.

The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside: “We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open.”

Biden is set to meet with his national security team about the evacuations, and to speak from the White House Friday afternoon. In addition to criticism from some lawmakers who say the U.S. failed to adequately plan for the Taliban’s swift takeover, U.S. diplomats have voiced dissent.

In July, more than 20 diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul registered their concerns that the evacuation of Afghans who had worked for America was not proceeding quickly enough.

In a cable sent through the State Department’s dissent channel, a time-honored method for foreign service officers to register opposition to administration policies, the diplomats said the situation on the ground was dire, that the Taliban would likely seize control of the capital within months of the Aug. 31 pullout, and urged the Biden administration to immediately begin a concerted evacuation effort. That’s according to officials familiar with the document who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal debate.

Biden has said that the chaos that unfolded as part of the withdrawal was inevitable as the nearly 20-year war came to an end. He said he was following the advice of Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed president, Ashraf Ghani, in not earlier expanding U.S. efforts to fly out translators and other Afghans in danger for the past work with Americans. Ghani fled the country last weekend as the Taliban seized the capital.

Biden also said that many at-risk Afghan allies had not wanted to leave the country. But refugee groups point to yearslong backlogs of applications from thousands of those Afghans for visas that would let them take refuge in the United States.

The administration has also portrayed its contingency planning as successful after the Afghan government fell much faster than publicly anticipated by administration officials. Yet the White House received clear warnings that the situation was deteriorating rapidly before the current evacuation push.

The Kabul airport has been the focus of intense international efforts to get out foreigners, Afghan allies and other Afghans most at risk of reprisal from the Taliban insurgents.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that U.S. citizens are able to reach the airport, but face an obstacle in the large crowds at the airport gates.

On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airport’s blast walls. Men, women and children fled. U.S. Navy fighter jets flew overhead, a standard military precaution but also a reminder to the Taliban that the U.S. has firepower to respond to a combat crisis.

Sullivan acknowledged that there is the possibility of a hostage situation or terrorist attack, and said the government is working for safe passage for U.S. citizens. The administration has committed to ensuring that all Americans can leave, even if that means staying past the August deadline.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629481981854.png" alt="President Joe Biden speaks about the evacuation of American citizens and vulnerable Afghans in the East Room of the White House, Friday.&nbsp; Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin and Sec. of State Antony Blinken joined the President-photo courtesy White House&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden speaks about the evacuation of American citizens and vulnerable Afghans in the East Room of the White House, Friday.&nbsp; Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin and Sec. of State Antony Blinken joined the President-photo courtesy White House&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pledging to Americans still trapped in Afghanistan: “We will get you home.” <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514188-1/president-biden-remarks-afghanistan-evacuations">Click here to </a>watch the President's commentsBiden’s comments at a White House news conference Friday come as the U.S. government struggles to ramp up a massive airlift clearing Americans and other foreigners and vulnerable Afghans, rescuing them from a Taliban takeover of the country. Biden is facing criticism from some at home for the chaotic and often violent scene outside the airport as crowds struggle to reach safety. The pace of evacuations picked up some overnight, but flights from the Kabul airport had stopped for several hours as of Friday afternoon before resuming.-------WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a firestorm of criticism, President Joe Biden addressed the nation Friday afternoon about the chaotic evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan as the U.S. struggles with obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to airport pandemonium and cumbersome red tape.While Biden has previously blamed Afghans for the U.S. failure to get out more allies ahead of this month’s sudden Taliban takeover, U.S. officials told The Associated Press that American diplomats had formally urged weeks ago that the Biden administration ramp up evacuation efforts.Tens of thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of the United States’ Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw its troops from the country, although the pace picked up overnight. A defense official said about 5,700 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul aboard 16 C-17 transport planes. On each of the previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.With desperate crowds thronging Kabul’s airport, and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. government is renewing its advisory to Americans and others that it cannot guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside.The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside: “We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open.”Biden is set to meet with his national security team about the evacuations, and to speak from the White House Friday afternoon. In addition to criticism from some lawmakers who say the U.S. failed to adequately plan for the Taliban’s swift takeover, U.S. diplomats have voiced dissent.In July, more than 20 diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul registered their concerns that the evacuation of Afghans who had worked for America was not proceeding quickly enough.In a cable sent through the State Department’s dissent channel, a time-honored method for foreign service officers to register opposition to administration policies, the diplomats said the situation on the ground was dire, that the Taliban would likely seize control of the capital within months of the Aug. 31 pullout, and urged the Biden administration to immediately begin a concerted evacuation effort. That’s according to officials familiar with the document who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal debate.Biden has said that the chaos that unfolded as part of the withdrawal was inevitable as the nearly 20-year war came to an end. He said he was following the advice of Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed president, Ashraf Ghani, in not earlier expanding U.S. efforts to fly out translators and other Afghans in danger for the past work with Americans. Ghani fled the country last weekend as the Taliban seized the capital.Biden also said that many at-risk Afghan allies had not wanted to leave the country. But refugee groups point to yearslong backlogs of applications from thousands of those Afghans for visas that would let them take refuge in the United States.The administration has also portrayed its contingency planning as successful after the Afghan government fell much faster than publicly anticipated by administration officials. Yet the White House received clear warnings that the situation was deteriorating rapidly before the current evacuation push.The Kabul airport has been the focus of intense international efforts to get out foreigners, Afghan allies and other Afghans most at risk of reprisal from the Taliban insurgents.White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that U.S. citizens are able to reach the airport, but face an obstacle in the large crowds at the airport gates.On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airport’s blast walls. Men, women and children fled. U.S. Navy fighter jets flew overhead, a standard military precaution but also a reminder to the Taliban that the U.S. has firepower to respond to a combat crisis.Sullivan acknowledged that there is the possibility of a hostage situation or terrorist attack, and said the government is working for safe passage for U.S. citizens. The administration has committed to ensuring that all Americans can leave, even if that means staying past the August deadline.“This is a risky operation,” Sullivan told NBC News Thursday. “We can’t count on anything.”There is no firm figure of the number of people — Americans, Afghans or others — who are in need of evacuation as the process is almost entirely self-selecting.The State Department says that when it ordered its nonessential embassy staff to leave Kabul in April after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan-september-11-d2c7426736f9f530e0e62f2295a44d28">Biden’s withdrawal announcement</a>, fewer than 4,000 Americans had registered for security updates. The actual number, including dual U.S.-Afghan citizens along with family members, is likely much higher, with estimates ranging from 11,000 to 15,000. Refugee advocates estimate about 100,000 Afghan allies and family members also are appealing for seats on the U.S. airlift.Compounding the uncertainty, the U.S. government has no way to track how many registered Americans may have left Afghanistan already. Some may have returned to the United States but others may have gone to third countries.Although Afghanistan had been a hotspot for the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said Thursday that evacuees are not required to get negative COVID-19 results.However, Afghans and the Americans trying to help them escape say the Biden administration has clung to visa requirements for would-be evacuees that involve more than a dozen steps, and can take years to complete. That often included requirements that the Taliban sweep made impossible or dangerous — like requiring Afghans to go to a third-country to apply for a U.S. visa, and produce paperwork showing their work with Americans.Additional American troops continued to arrive at the airport to safeguard and run the U.S. part of the evacuation. As of Thursday there were about 5,200, including Marines who specialize in evacuation coordination and an Air Force unit that specializes in emergency airport operations. Biden has authorized a total deployment of about 6,000.