down everything you need to know about president biden s tonight, president biden addressing the nation a short time ago. his new vaccination mandate affecting millions of americans. amid soaring covid cases, more than 1,000 americans now dying a day, more than 1 in 4 new cases now churn. the president late today now hiding his frustration with the nearly 80 million unvaccinated americans. telling them, quote, the time for waiting is over. reminding them the fda has given full approval. and the president now ordering companies with 100 workers or more to require workers be vaccinated or be tested weekly. a new executive order requiring most federal employees and contractors to get vaccinated. what the president said about booster shots, that third shot. where does this stand tonight? and are those booster shots ready to go?
amy klobuchar revealing her very personal health battle. and diane sawyer here tonight with the children of 9/11. here years of reporting on them and now 20 years later, the remarkable reunion. good evening and it s great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin tonight with that sweeping new plan to fight covid. president biden a short time ago unveiling his newest effort to get ahold of this pandemic, to get millions of americans vaccinated and of course it comes as the delta variant sweeps across the country, crippling hospitals. 1 in 4 new cases of covid now in children. and 1,000 people dying every day. the president warning americans, we re in a tough stretch and that it could last for awhile. the president taking executive action to get more people vaccinated, most federal workers and contractors now must get vaccinated.
millions of health care workers, not just nursing homes now, but hospital and home health care, as well. the president also ordering workplaces with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated or tested weekly. the president showing his frustration. and on booster shots tonight, those third shots, the president said he wanted to clear up any confusion out there. he said the decision is in the hands of the cdc and the fda and as soon as those booster shots have been authorized, he said, they ve already been ordered up, they ll be ready to go. tonight here, the numbers. 73% of people 12 and older have had at least one shot. and the president tonight taking aim at passengers you ve seen on those flights berating flight crews and fellow passengers over masks. he said, show flight attendants some respect, revealing the tsa will now double fines against passengers who refuse to wear masks. abc s chief national correspondent matt gutman leading us off from california. reporter: faced with a rele
eligible americans and that the administration will be ready to administer those shots at tens of thousands of sites across the country for free in the coming days. that includes pharmacies and drugstores, as you mentioned, he is leaving the decision of who should get those boosters and when entirely up to the cdc and the fda. david? all right, matt gutman tonight. matt leadinging us off, thank you. as we said off the top tonight, the president warned we are in a tough stretch. he railed against what he called pandemic politics, the fights against masks and vaccinations. one more question on this tonight, rachel scott live at the white house. and rachel, the president taking aim at local officials that he said are actively working to undermine the fight against covid by opposing masks and vaccination mandates. he said, i ll get them out of the way. the president frustrated with politics, the fights, the images that we saw out of tennessee, the young man trying to make the case. t
covid because someone wasn t wearing a mask. this is a very shut up! you re not listening, shut up. this is a very hey, guys. we re here to act professional. reporter: in some southern states, infections and hospitalizations are leveling off, but they are climbing in states to the north. the country is still going to be in deep trouble for the rest of the year, although the worst affected areas are going to shift. we re going to be watching this closely. let s get right to matt tonight, because matt, the president also brought up booster shots. the president had said that they would be ready to go by september 20th, but he made it clear late today that this is in the hands of the fda, the cdc, bt that when the shots are authorized, the federal government will be ready? reporter: david, the president assuring americans that they will be ready, that they ve purchased enough of those booster shots for all