I'm Brian Lerer. This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios. It's Monday, August 16th.

It's been only a day since the Taliban overtook the city of Kabul, prompting the Afghan president, Ashrafgani, to flee.

And this morning, videos and reports from on the ground are emerging, showing thousands of Afghans

rushing to the tarmac of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

In one video, Afghans are clinging to the U.S. military aircraft as it takes off.

In another even more harrowing video, a presumed person is shown falling off an aircraft already in

flight. The AP reports that the chaos at the airport has killed at least seven people, according to U.S.

officials. And the deteriorating security people, according to U.S. officials.

And the deteriorating security conditions had prompted the U.S. forces to initially suspend air

operations, but CNN reported about an hour ago that they've been resumed, though officials expect

sporadic suspensions, they say, and they report that Taliban forces are trying to

control crowds. But the thousands rushing to the airport might not get the permission to leave,

at least not to the United States. The Pentagon's press secretary, John Kirby, says the Department

of Defense will evacuate up to 30,000 Afghan special immigrant visa

applicants into the U.S. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield,

added this morning amid calls to help the Afghan people that, quote, the United States promises

to be generous in resettling Afghans in our home

country. Joining me now to discuss the latest on the situation in Afghanistan are Kristen Rouse,

president and founder of the New York City Veterans Alliance and board member of Iraq and Afghanistan

Veterans of America.

And Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including his latest

The Bomb, President's Generals and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

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