Judy Woodruff:
The city of Denver also ordered vaccinations today for city employees and private sector workers in high-risk settings.
And seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area reimposed indoor mask-wearing. So did the state of Louisiana.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has come down with COVID, despite being vaccinated. He says he began feeling ill on Saturday night, but that he thinks the vaccine has kept his symptoms mild. Graham now plans to quarantine for 10 days.
Firefighters in Oregon finally have the upper hand against the giant Bootleg Fire. They made major progress over the weekend, and more than 80 percent of the fire contained. And, in Northern California, evacuation orders have been lifted for several areas around the Dixie Fire. It is 33 percent contained.
A heat wave across Southeastern Europe is also fueling wildfires. The worst fires are in Turkey, including one that burned through the resort town of Marmaris. The fires have sent locals and tourists fleeing, and killed eight people.
And, in Greece, hot weather is the story. Temperatures hit 113 today.
In Central China, the official death toll in last month’s catastrophic flooding has tripled to 302, with 50 people still missing. Extreme rain around Zhengzhou triggered mudslides, collapsed homes and destroyed crops. At one point, the city got eight inches of rain in a single hour.
The president of Afghanistan today blamed the U.S. for rapid gains for the Taliban. The group’s fighters closed in on the capitals of Kandahar, Helmand and Herat provinces over the weekend. In Kabul today, Ashraf Ghani told Parliament that President Biden’s decision to pull U.S. troops triggered the onslaught.
Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan (through translator): The situation we are facing is due to the sudden withdrawal. I told the American president that I respect your decision, because it was his decision, but I knew that this decision will have some consequences and the crisis management will be put on Afghans.
