00:00A killer earthquake in Afghanistan. This morning, hundreds are dead and a desperate search for survivors is underway.
00:07Plus, deportation flights to Guatemala stopped. The last minute court order involving lots of children.
00:14And Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping partake in what they're calling a security summit in China.
00:20What the Chinese leader said in a message seemingly directed at the Trump administration.
00:25The stories that matter, clear and credible from across the country to around the world.
00:32These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, the search for survivors is on in Afghanistan after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the far eastern part of the country overnight.
00:47At least 600 people are confirmed dead and more than 1300 injured, according to a spokesman for the Taliban government.
00:54The earthquake obliterated villages throughout the area, reducing them to rubble.
00:59The quake hit a series of towns in the Kunar province, not far from the city of Jalalabad and near the border with Pakistan.
01:06The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was just five miles deep.
01:11Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
01:14It was also followed by several aftershocks, ranging from 4.5 magnitude to 5.2.
01:20Rescue operations are underway, with medical teams from Kunar and Kabul helping.
01:25That's according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
01:29As hundreds of Guatemalan children waited on planes in Texas to be deported to their home country,
01:35a federal judge issued an emergency order preventing them from taking off on Sunday.
01:39Lawyers for 10 of the nearly 700 unaccompanied minors say the kids were woken up in the middle of the night
01:46and loaded onto planes for repatriation to Guatemala.
01:50Federal Judge Sparker Suknanen, a Biden appointee, said in her order Sunday that the children could not be deported
01:57for at least 14 days and were to be returned to the Office of Refugee Resettlement Facilities
02:02while the legal process plays out.
02:04Lawyers for the Trump administration argued that children were not being deported,
02:09but rather reunited at the request of their parents or guardians.
02:12The judge asked the Department of Justice to provide evidence supporting its claim,
02:17giving the government until Friday to file a formal response.
02:20The chairman of the House Oversight Committee has scheduled a bipartisan meeting for tomorrow
02:25with the victims of convicted sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Jelaine Maxwell.
02:30Chairman James Comer announced the meeting Sunday.
02:33According to ABC News, he also sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Besson
02:37seeking relevant suspicious activity reports in connection with the Epstein investigation.
02:43He's demanding the information be turned over by September 15th.
02:47Meanwhile, other lawmakers, led by Congressman Ro Khanna and Thomas Massey,
02:52are pushing what is called a discharge petition that would force Attorney General Pam Bondi
02:57to release Justice Department files on Epstein.
02:59Khan has said on Meet the Press on Sunday he believes he has the votes to pass it.
03:04A flotilla-carrying activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and humanitarian aid,
03:12is on its way to Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea
03:18as the enclave faces famine.
03:20The global Samud flotilla carrying food, water, and medical supplies left Barcelona, Spain on Sunday.
03:28In a statement, activists said they're demanding safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid
03:33and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor.
03:36The convoy of about 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries
03:41is said to be the largest attempt yet to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea.
03:47Organizers say they will be joined by more ships from the ports of Italy and Tunisia in the coming days
03:53as they make their way from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip.
03:58They're expected to arrive mid-month.
04:01Meanwhile, Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City,
04:05limiting the deliveries of food and supplies there
04:07and declaring it a combat zone after the recovery of the remains of two hostages on Friday.
04:13Explosions and gunfire took place overnight.
04:16As Israel insists, Gaza City is a base for Hamas.
04:19Now we're learning more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed
04:23since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October of 2023, according to the health ministry.
04:29Just a few weeks after meeting with President Trump in Alaska,
04:32Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China with one of his key allies, Xi Jinping.
04:39The two communist leaders stood side by side as part of a two-day summit
04:43meant to show China as a global leader and to play up the alliance between China and Russia.
04:49In an address to attendees, the Chinese leader decried today's Cold War mentality and bullying practices.
04:56He did not mention the United States by name,
04:58but analysts believe it's a clear message aimed at the West.
05:01A military parade is set for Wednesday in Beijing.
05:05Putin, as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, are expected to be in attendance.
05:09Finally this morning, whether you are working on this Labor Day
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05:49Want more on biased updates?
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05:58Those are your unbiased updates for this Labor Day Monday.
06:01We'll see you back here tomorrow.
06:02For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
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