Covid déjà vu as restrictions return and fights over school masks intensify

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     Another big day of Covid-19 news, with restrictions back in several parts of the nation and a brewing battle between parents, schools and politicians over whether or not students should wear masks.   Here's the latest on that and everything else we're watching this Thursday morning.     Pandemic déjà vu: Limits on indoor gatherings are back. So are lines at test sites. Any of this sound familiar?   In Hawaii, indoor social gatherings are capped at 10 people; in New Orleans, drive-thru Covid-19 testing sites are back and in Florida, a record number of people are currently hospitalized with the coronavirus.   As the hypertransmissible delta variant spreads across the country, driving new daily Covid-19 cases to a six-month high, many parts of the country are experiencing scenes reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic — something experts say could have been avoided.   "This entire surge was completely preventable," said Tener Goodwin Veenema, a professor and visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, adding that had more people chosen to get vaccinated as soon as they were eligible, it would have slowed down the spread of the virus.   "We definitely have taken a huge step backward," she added. "If anything, this fourth surge just provides more compelling evidence to universally implement the public health measures that we know will stop the spread of the pandemic."   Read the full story here.   Also in pandemic news today: Protests over vaccine mandates continue — some spurred on by nurses. GOP governors are in a standoff with schools over masks. One school district in Houston is imposing its own mask mandate, contrary to orders from Gov. Greg Abbott, while some parents in Tennessee are protesting a similar mask mandate. California became the first state to require all students and teachers to get vaccinated, or face weekly tests. Unvaccinated students will pay a $750 "Covid fee" at a West Virginia college, and $500 at a school in Alabama. As a 9-year-old fights for life, her mother pleads for Covid-19 to be taken seriously Potential Al Qaeda resurgence in Afghanistan worries U.S. officials With the Taliban steamrolling across Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials are concerned that a Taliban takeover of the country will allow Al Qaeda to rebuild and consolidate, creating security concerns well outside Afghan borders.   Nearly 20 years after it planned the Sept. 11 attacks from Afghanistan, Al Qaeda has a diminished presence in the country, which senior U.S. officials estimate at only 200 to 300 members.   "They're really not a very large or what we would consider a capable contingent," one of the officials said.   But the security vacuum left by the withdrawal of U.S. military forces could create an opening for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups to reorganize, the officials say.   Read the full story here.  Thursday's Top Stories Analysis: Congress is about to get a shake-up. Here's what's coming with new census data. The stakes are higher than ever, experts and voting rights advocates say, with fewer safeguards for voters of color. READ MORE Prison suicides have been rising for years. Experts fear the pandemic has made it worse. Nationwide, prison suicides have been increasing for years, and some experts worry worsening conditions and staff shortages brought on by the pandemic may accelerate that rise READ MORE Italy may have seen Europe's hottest day ever A temperature of almost 120 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in Sicily on Wednesday and, if verified, would be a record for the continent as a heatwave contributes to deadly wildfires. READ MORE OPINION Covid vaccines won't provide herd immunity. We need to look for additional treatments. We must invest in new therapies for those who get sick even as the vaccine drives continues, writes Dr. Kevin Tracey, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. READ MORE Also in the News Judge rules Democrats can have only limited access to Trump's financial records California dad killed his kids over QAnon and 'serpent DNA' conspiracy theories, feds say Odds of asteroid Bennu slamming into Earth are higher than first thought — but don't panic just yet 'Swan Song' is a 'love letter' to disappearing gay culture, director says Robert Durst testifies that he lied to police about night wife disappeared Shopping Korean beauty has been increasingly popular in the U.S. through the last decade — here's how experts recommend you get started with it. One Fun Thing Olympians Pamela McGee and JaVale McGee talk to TODAY Pamela McGee and JaVale McGee — the first mother-son duo to win gold medals in Olympics history — know what it means to come full circle.   "Now my running gag is that I'm the only Olympian basketball player to birth an Olympian!" Pamela told the "TODAY" show Wednesday.   Pamela, a two-time basketball hall-of-famer, was a member of the 1984 squad that defeated South Korea 85-55. Thirty-seven years later, JaVale, 33, secured a gold medal at the Tokyo Games, when the United States beat France 87-82 on Saturday.   And she has some advice for parents: "What I instilled in both of my children is to max out your capacity. Never be a child that says, 'coulda, woulda, shoulda,'" Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: patrick.smith@nbcuni.com.  If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Patrick Smith     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