Chaos in Kabul as Taliban take control and Afghans and Western officials scramble to flee

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     After 20 years, thousands of lives lost and billions of U.S. tax dollars spent, the Taliban are back in control of Afghanistan.   As fear and uncertainty grips the country, there was chaos at Kabul's international airport amid a scramble to flee from both Afghans and Western officials.    Here's what we know so far this Monday morning.      Afghans scale walls, rush tarmac in frenzy to flee as Kabul wakes to Taliban takeover The day after the Taliban swept back into power and installed themselves in the presidential palace in Kabul, fears intensified in Afghanistan of a return to their brutal and austere rule.    Thousands swarmed Kabul's international airport in a desperate attempt to flee the country after President Ashraf Ghani abandoned his post and the U.S. evacuated all personnel from the American embassy.    "It feels like the end of all my hopes, dreams and ambitions," Diyana, a Kabul resident who did not want her full name used for fear of retribution from the Taliban, said Sunday. "I cried so much today."   Here's the latest:  U.S. to send 1,000 more troops to Kabul in scramble to evacuate Video: Panicked crowds descend on Kabul airport after Taliban take city Afghan women fear 'dark' future, loss of rights as Taliban take over 'Blood on his hands': Republicans criticize Biden  Analysis: Afghans were promised the U.S. would not abandon them. Now they have.  Monday's Top Stories More than 1,200 dead in earthquake as Haiti braces for tropical storm The 7.2-magnitude quake injured hundreds more and flattened churches, homes and government buildings.  READ MORE Early indicators suggest Democrats' House majority is in jeopardy Barack Obama and Donald Trump got "shellacked" in their first midterms. Early signs indicate Joe Biden might face a similar fate in 2022. READ MORE It's been a brutally hot summer. Experts say this is just a glimpse of the future. Extreme weather and oppressive heat have hit from the Pacific Northwest to parts of Europe and North Africa. Climate scientists say to to expect more of it. READ MORE A catfish farm is accused of abusing fish. A prosecutor called the case a waste of time.  A growing body of research that suggests fish feel pain is sparking an effort to improve the treatment of farm-raised fish that end up on American dinner plates.   READ MORE Also in the News Texas high court blocks mask mandates in two of state's largest counties Food assistance program to get permanent boost under Biden administration Fred reforms into tropical storm on path to Florida, Grace churns in Caribbean Texas party boat with 53 people capsizes, leaving one dead  7-year-old boy dies from brain-eating amoeba in California, family says Shopping We spoke to experts about the best cycling shoes for indoor and outdoor biking.  One Fun Thing There's no place like home: China's wandering elephants appear to be heading home  After plundering crops, raiding a retirement home and taking China's internet by storm, a herd of wild Asian elephants that wandered hundreds of miles across southern China finally appears to be heading home.   "Whenever people and elephants share the same landscape, elephants are a big deal for people and people are a big deal for elephants," one expert said.   Read more about their epic journey here.  Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill     FOLLOW US     Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? SIGN UP HERE Check out all of NBC Newsletters here.     Get the NBC News Mobile App   30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 View in browser | Unsubscribe | Manage Subscription | Contact | Privacy