the hard right freedom caucus. early start continues now. good morning. this is early start. i m jlaura jarrett. i m christine romans. time for the top ten stories to keep an eye on today. masks should be brought back for vaccinated americans? you know, jake, this is under active consideration. pressure mounts on millions of americans who are still unvaccinated against coronavirus. 57% of eligible americans have taken the vaccine but half the country, half is unprotected since kids under 12 are ineligible. the delta variant is surging in states with low vaccination rates including missouri. in st. louis masks required in public spaces starting today. the british government is considering a vaccine passport