Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, and there’s troubling news coming out of Afghanistan, where dozens of people were wounded or killed in two explosions. Meanwhile, vaccination mandates appear to be picking up speed in Illinois. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Several U.S. Marines killed in attacks on Kabul airport

Two explosions struck crowds gathered at Kabul’s international airport today, leaving dozens of people injured or killed, including several U.S. Marines. The breaking news is still unfolding and the exact death toll remains unclear.

The Associated Press reports the explosions were a result of two suicide bombers, and a U.S. official told the news organization that attacks are believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State, which is more radicalized than the Taliban.

At least 11 U.S. Marines and a Navy medic were killed in the attack, according to two U.S. officials, marking the first American casualties since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. [AP]

NPR is reporting that at least 60 people were wounded and at least six dead, according to a trauma center in Kabul. [NPR]

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that President Joe Biden has been meeting with his national security team, which is receiving updates about the explosions and what the chaotic situation means for evacuations of Americans and allies out of Afghanistan. [NYT]

2. Illinois revives mask mandate and requires vaccines for teachers, healthcare workers and college students

Gov. JB Pritzker today announced a statewide mask mandate for all indoor public spaces, a move that comes as COVID-19 hot spots emerge in Illinois, mostly in southern parts of the state where hospitals could soon become overwhelmed.

The mask mandate applies to everyone 2 years old and over, regardless of their vaccination status.

The governor also issued a vaccine requirement for all public and private school employees, from kindergarten through college, as well as higher education students and healthcare workers. Employees and students who are unvaccinated must undergo COVID-19 testing at least once a week, officials said, adding that the pace of testing could increase.

Vaccination requirements have become increasingly more common in the U.S., particularly in schools beginning the new academic year, after the Food and Drug Administration recently gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

While Illinois and Chicago officials have rolled out vaccine mandates in recent days, they have stopped short of issuing requirements for businesses, like ones in New York City and San Francisco, where people must show proof of vaccination to enter bars, restaurants and other indoor spaces. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the U.S. could see 100,000 more deaths from COVID-19 between now and December unless nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces, health experts say. [AP]

3. Chicago Park District fires investigator who led probe into lifeguard abuse allegations

The deputy inspector general for the Chicago Park District was fired after he accused top officials of trying to “impede and obstruct” a high-profile and long-running investigation into widespread complaints of sexual violence against lifeguards at the city’s public beaches and pools, reports WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos.

The investigator, Nathan Kipp, said in a statement today that he was fired on Aug. 19, the same day he announced he had been suspended without an explanation. Kipp’s termination letter also did not give a reason for his firing.

Kipp said the disciplinary actions against him “reflect a concerted effort by the Park District to prevent me from continuing to investigate the criminal activity and other employee misconduct that seemingly pervades the Beaches & Pools Unit, including officials’ apparent efforts to cover up or minimize the hostile workplace culture.”

Park district officials and aides to Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not immediately return messages this morning about Kipp’s firing. [WBEZ]

4. Lightfoot, Jewish groups blast FOP president for comparing vaccine mandate to the Holocaust

Mayor Lightfoot today condemned an “unfortunate and frankly offensive outburst” from the head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, who compared the city’s recently announced vaccine mandate for all city employees to the Holocaust.

“We’re in America, goddamn it. We don’t want to be forced to do anything. Period. This ain’t Nazi f***ing Germany, [where they say], ‘Step into the f***ing showers. The pills won’t hurt you.’ What the f***?” FOP President John Catanzara told the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday.

In an interview on MSNBC, Lightfoot called Catanzara “a horrible guy” and “a goof.”

The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League also condemned Catanzara’s comments and are demanding an apology.

“What he said is factually incorrect and deeply offensive to the millions of people and their families of people who were killed at the hands of the Nazis. Not only that, but it’s the latest in the FOP president’s incendiary, offensive, disgusting, racist, xenophobic comments that he’s made,” David Goldenberg, regional director of ADL’s Midwest office, told the Sun-Times. [ST]

5. Capitol Police officers sue Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection

Seven Capitol Police officers today filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, accusing him and members of far-right extremist groups of plotting to stop Congress from confirming President Joe Biden’s election victory.

The lawsuit alleges Trump incited a mob with false claims of voting fraud, and it implicates members of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and associates like Roger Stone. The lawsuit claims the defendants are responsible for officers being “violently assaulted, spat on, tear-gassed, bear-sprayed, subjected to racial slurs and epithets, and put in fear for their lives.”

As Axios reports, today’s lawsuit is the “largest civil effort to hold Trump and his associates accountable for the riot.” [Axios]

Here’s what else is happening

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned mandates for vaccinations as the state reports the most COVID-19 patients in its hospitals since the pandemic began. [AP]
• California lawmakers want to pay people struggling with addiction to stay sober, which is similar to a federal program for military veterans. [AP]
• The Sturgis motorcycle rally is once again linked to a large COVID-19 outbreak. [Washington Post]
• The Oddities & Curiosities Expo is this weekend at Chicago’s McCormick Place. [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

It’s National Dog Day!

And to mark the occasion, the crew over at NPR’s Morning Edition shared pictures of their four-legged friends, and they are all so cute that I want to get another dog. [NPR]

Meanwhile, here’s a pic of my dog, Princess Leia, acting like a baller underneath an old-timey painting of a dog that looks like her.

Tell me something good …

Since it’s my nephew’s birthday this week, I’d like to know: What was one of the best gifts you ever received?

Sarah writes:

“My husband told me this story and I think it is THE BEST: When he was a kid, he would get in trouble for throwing the ‘decorative rocks’ into the nearby stream. So for his birthday his parents got him a bucket of ‘appropriate’ rocks to toss in. Adorable.”

And Ray writes:

“My best, and most memorable, birthday gift was at age 5. My father wanted to buy me a train set, but I insisted on a tea set. My father, against his own personal wishes, bought me the tea set. Little did I know that my 5th birthday was my official ‘coming out’ as a gay boy.”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

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