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Today's edition of quick hits:
* The latest from Afghanistan: "Crowds returned to Kabul's airport Friday in an increasingly desperate attempt to escape the country a day after a terrorist attack killed more than 100 civilians and 13 U.S. service members. Evacuation flights resumed with fresh urgency as U.S. forces braced for more attacks ahead of President Joe Biden's deadline Tuesday to withdraw from the country."
* In related news: "President Joe Biden was warned Friday that another terror attack in Kabul is 'likely,' one day after a suicide bomber outside the city's airport killed at least 113 people, including 13 U.S. service members."
* An increasingly dangerous storm: "Ida, which is expected to reach Louisiana on Sunday evening and poses a significant threat to New Orleans, strengthened to a hurricane on Friday shortly before making landfall on the Isle of Youth in Cuba."
* I never expected anti-worming medication for livestock to become such a big deal: "Much as the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine became an unproven remedy for Covid deniers, ivermectin has emerged in recent weeks as a new false cure."
* The right call: "A federal judge in El Paso on Thursday issued an injunction blocking Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order restricting the transportation of migrants in the state. The Department of Justice asked for a restraining order to keep Abbott from using state troopers to stop vehicles suspected of transporting migrants."
* The officer who shot Ashli Babbitt and saved countless lives comes forward: "In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Lt. Michael Byrd said he opened fire only as a 'last resort' after the rioters failed to comply with his commands."
* It's difficult to understand why those representing police officers would oppose efforts to protect police officers: "The battle brewing in Chicago is playing out in cities and towns across the country. Police unions in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Seattle; and Syracuse, New York, have pushed back against vaccination requirements, as has the union representing state police in Massachusetts."
* Worth watching: "With Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lacking any viable path to confirmation, gun violence survivors and activists are pushing the president to create a White House office of gun violence headed by a Cabinet-level aide."
* On a related note: "For the first time in decades, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- the nation's top public health agency -- is speaking out forcefully about gun violence in America, calling it a 'serious public health threat.'"
Have a safe weekend.