about vaccine booster shots. new york times, and washington post, are both on the board with reports that the way house has decided, most americans should get a booster shot. eight months after they ve completed their initial vaccination. and could begin offering the extra shots as early as mid september, to all who want or need them. we have a doctor standing by, to talk about this development a bit later on it is broadcast. tonight on another front, far from, home the president is under intense criticism, after the sudden collapse of the afghan government, and military, in the chaos that erupted over the weekend. as the taliban took over the capital of kabul. this came in the wake of the president s decision to pull u.s. troops out of the country, after two decades, and two trillion dollars spent. today biden spoke to the nation, and defended his decision. our mission in afghanistan
they saw it coming. and now they re crying for help. so the best case, would be that there is a real airlift. not for the general population, but for more of the people, that could get to kabul, and had connections to the u.s.. four for the general population, i think it s back to the middle ages. the taliban is much better, than it had been 20 years ago, at public relations. and they ve gotten social media on their side. propaganda. beyond with they could have ever done. so they have a certain interest and not having a bloodbath in kabul. they don t want to inherit what we saw in the nineties, would peter saw when he first went in, when he was the first in after 9/11. i was there in 98, and saw the rubble from russia, from that war. they don t want to inherit that kind of city. they would love to benefit from the improvements, but not for half the population. i want to say one other quick thing, that general mccaffrey may or may not disagree. with he is the expert.
still in the country, are tens of thousands of afghan interpreters. marked for death by the taliban. who today, were taking their meals in the presidential palace. settling in, celebrating their victory. as we drove through kabul, it is clear the taliban s hard-line is creeping back. this was a popular beauty salon. styling women s aaron makeup. the taliban banned salons, along with education for women and girls. so when the taliban returned, now they ve painted over the beauty shop. people here know what the taliban want, we know with the taliban expect. we watched demand tear up the beauty parlor sign. in line with the taliban s wishes. a 20-year war, the longest in u.s. history. today ended in disgrace, the u.s. leaving behind a country, its citizens are too terrified to live in. the administration, maintaining it was taken by surprise.
airport, including civilians, and just keeping those flights going. that s not going to happen. there s no way for people to get to kabul to the airport. when i guess the state department today, they said will be notifying, people these are the siv, is the people who had military connections, and then there s that second category of people, who worked for american corporations including news companies. news corporations. and those people will be in the second priority. and will be able to get, out if they can get to kabul. or if they can get to a border. and if that borders still open. it s a hit and miss thing. you have to get through taliban lines. but the women, millions of, women who have gone to, school learn to code, learn to become teachers. aspire to be doctors and engineers, we have another generation already, a generation that is never known taliban rule. they don t want to go back, but they re terrified.
with education for women and girls. when the taliban returned now they ve painted over the beauty shop. people know what the taliban want. they know what the taliban expect. we watched a man tear up the sign. a 20-year war, the longest in u.s. history, today ended in disgrace. the u.s. leaving behind a country its citizens are too terrified to live in. the administration maintaining it was taken by surprise. the rush of people onto the runways did stop the evacuation process because planes couldn t take off or land, but the runways have been cleared. over the last several minutes, planes have been coming in and taking off at a rapid pace, showing that the u.s. is trying to make up time and get this done as urgently as possible. richard engel, nbc news, kabul.