Over 800 killed by 6.0 earthquake in Afghanistan, Epstein hearing scheduled: Unbiased Updates, Sept. 1, 2025

A killer earthquake shocked Afghanistan. This morning, hundreds are dead, and a desperate search for survivors is underway.

Plus, some deportation flights to Guatemala were stopped after a last-minute court order involving unaccompanied children.

And Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping partake in what they’re calling a security summit in China. We look at what the Chinese leader said in a message seemingly directed at the Trump administration.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.

At least 800 killed by 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan

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.

At least 800 people have been confirmed dead and more than 2,800 injured, according to a spokesman for the Taliban government. Multiple villages throughout the area have also been reduced to rubble.

The quake hit a series of towns in the Kunar province, not far from the city of Jalalabad in neighboring Nangahar province and near the border with Pakistan.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was just 5 miles deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage. It was also followed by several aftershocks ranging from 4.5 magnitude to 5.2.

Rescue operations are underway, and medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and Kabul are helping, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.

Judge blocks deportation of hundreds of Guatemalan children

As hundreds of Guatemalan children waited on planes to be deported to their home country, a federal judge issued an emergency order preventing them from taking off on Sunday.

Lawyers for 10 of the nearly 700 unaccompanied minors say the kids were woken up in the middle of the night and loaded onto planes for deportation to Guatemala.

Federal judge Sparkle Sooknanan said in her order Sunday that the children could not be deported for at least 14 days and were to be returned to refugee resettlement facilities while the legal process plays out.

Lawyers for the Trump administration argued the children were not being deported, but rather reunited at the request of their parents or guardians.

Sooknanan asked the Department of Justice to provide evidence supporting its claim, giving the government until Friday to file a formal response.

Oversight chair schedules hearing with Epstein victims on Tuesday

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee has scheduled a bipartisan meeting for tomorrow with the victims of convicted sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) announced the meeting Sunday. According to ABC News, he also sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, seeking relevant suspicious activity reports in connection with the Epstein investigation.

He’s demanding the information be turned over by September 15. 

Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing for a discharge petition that would force Attorney General Pam Bondi to release Justice Department files on Epstein. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Sunday on Meet the Press that he believes he has the votes to pass it.

Aid flotilla heads toward Gaza in attempt to break longstanding Israeli blockade

A flotilla carrying activists — including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg — and humanitarian aid is on its way to Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade by sea as the Palestinian people face mass starvation.

The Global Sumud Flotilla left from Barcelona, Spain on Sunday, carrying food, water and medical supplies. In a statement, activists said they’re demanding safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor.

The convoy of about 20 boats includes delegations from 44 countries and is said to be the largest attempt yet to break the 18-year Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea.

Organizers say they’ll be joined by more ships from ports in Italy and Tunisia in the coming days as they make their way from the western end of the Mediterranean towards Gaza. They’re expecting to arrive mid-month.

Meanwhile, Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, further limiting the deliveries of food and supplies there and declaring the whole city a “combat zone.”

Explosions and gunfire rang out across the city overnight.

At least 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Putin, Xi Jinping appear together at summit meant to show China as global leader

Just a few weeks after meeting with President Trump in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China meeting with Xi Jinping.

The two communist leaders stood side-by-side as part of a two-day summit, meant to show China as a global leader and to play up the friendship between China and Russia.

In an address to attendees, the Chinese leader decried today’s “Cold War mentality” and “bullying practices.” He did not mention the United States by name, but analysts believe it’s a clear message aimed at the West.

A military parade is set for Wednesday in Beijing. Putin, as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, are expected to be in attendance.

Powerball odds

Finally this morning, whether you’re laboring on this Labor Day or enjoying the end to a long holiday weekend, we can all agree — wouldn’t it be nice to never have to work again?

Tonight could be your chance.

The Powerball jackpot has now grown to the fifth-largest in the game’s history at a whopping $1.1 billion.

That’s a lump sum cash payout of just under $500 million.

Your odds of winning aren’t great — less than 1 in 292 million, making you more likely to be struck by lightning than win.

Still, someone’s got to win at some point. Can’t be you if you don’t try, right?

The next drawing’s tonight at 10:59 p.m. Eastern.