Can work, as he promises to bring it across the finish line. Im Pamela Brown in for jake tapper. Welcome to the lead. And we begin with our Politics Lead and a truly historic day in American Politics. Embattled new York Governor Andrew Cuomo is resigning exactly one week aer the new York Attorney Generals Investigation concluded he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo maintains his innocence, even as he resigned today. The Threeterm Governor will leave office in two weeks. My instinct is to fight through this controversy because i truly believe it is politically motivated. I think that given the circumstances, the best way i can help now is if i step aside and let government get back to governing. And therefore thats what ill do. This can only be described as an abrupt and dramatic Fall From Grace, a little more than a year ago cuomo received high praise for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Holding Daily Press conferences. You may remember, which turned into mustsee tv. But then the scandal started. A federal investigation into Nursing Home deaths in his state, a federal investigation into giving Covid Testing Priority to family and close allies. The numerous Sexual Harassment allegations. A long list of drama that led to an even longer list of democrats calling for him to step down including President Biden, who moments ago said he, quote, respects the governors decision. And as cnns Mj Lee reports, with cuomo still up against a Criminal Investigation, his uphill fight to prove his innocence is far from over. Reporter an upheaval in American Politics, new York Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing his resignation. The best way i can help now is if i step aside and let government get back to governing. And therefore thats what ill do. Reporter the news marking a dramatic Fall From Grace for the Threeterm Governor, a fixture in national politics for decades. The governor coming under siege in recent weeks accused of sexually harassing multiple women, facing an Impeachment Investigation into albany and several Criminal Investigations. Cuomo remaining defiant about the Attorney Generals report released last week detailing the womens allegations. The report said i sexually harassed 11 women. That was the headline people heard and saw and reacted to. The reaction was outrage. It shouldve been. However, it was also false. This is not to say that there are not 11 women who i truly offended, there are. And for that i deeply, deeply apologize. Reporter the governor explaining that his instinct was to fight, but he didnt want to become a distraction for the people of New York. It is your best interest that i must serve. This situation by its current trajectory will generate months of political and legal controversy. Reporter Cuomos Resignation coming after a lengthy briefing by his lawyer, going on the attack against some of the governors accusers and saying the a. G. Investigation was incomplete. Everybody should have a chance to respond, and everybody should be scrutinized with what they say by facts, context, and evidence. That hasnt happened here. Reporter an attorney for two of cuomos accusers saying in a statement that the women felt both vindicated and relieved that cuomo will no longer be in a position of power over anyone. Cuomo handing over the reigns to Lieutenant Governor kathy hochul. Hochul tweeting this afternoon, in part, i am prepared to lead as new York States 57th governor. Now, there are some things that dont automatically go away just because the governor has resigned. There is the Impeachment Investigation that is still ongoing, in albany, there is the doj probe. There is also of course the Criminal Investigation that is being conducted by the Sheriffs Office in albany. That one is significant. So, we are going to learn, pam, in the coming days and weeks what happens to all of those different probes even after Governor Cuomo is no longer in office. Pam . This story will continue. All right, thank you so much, Mj Lee. And lets discuss, joining me now, Maggie Haberman of the New York times. Christine quinn, and former prosecutor with the new York District attorneys office. Great to see all three of you. You have covered Andrew Cuomo for many years. You say his decision to step down today is stunning. Why is that . Look, its both unsurprising and surprising, just to be clear. I dont think he had a choice. I think that he assessed the situation, he ran the string as long as he could and realized this was the best option because the other option was going through a pretty painful impeachment hearing. Its clear that the votes were there to remove him and to go through about hearing not just about these allegations but potentially about Nursing Home deaths or about his book deal. But it is surprising if you covered Andrew Cuomo and you know how much he likes to fight and how much he doesnt like giving in and how he generally goes kicking and screaming when he does back down. So the fact that he basically right after that combative statement from his lawyer and himself was, like, and i resign. It is a seismic shift in New York. Right. I agree with you. I think, you know, he clearly wanted to defend himself and also thats what he was doing with his lawyer. And then he said a couple other things, and then he got to the resignation part. Christine, do you agree with President Biden that cuomo has done, quote, a hell of a job as governor given his personal conduct . You know, i think there are a lot of great things that Governor Cuomo has done like Marriage Equality, like legislation around rape and Sexual Assault on college campuses, like legislation around abortion and reproductive rights. But all of that said, his legacy will be what he did to these 11 women, and god knows how many others. You cant take Marriage Equality away from him, but its all tainted now. Im someone who has worked very closely with the governor on a lot of different issues, but particularly ones for women and girls and the lgbtq community. And i have to say i thought he was one of the greatest allies women had in New York. And i really now feel, you know, misled and somewhat manipulated by him. So his legacy is never going to be the same and is really tainted and almost ruined, basically ruined by what he has done repeatedly. And, rebecca, there was a clear strategy here today as i was talking about with magee. He had his lawyer Come Outseting Up the defense, saying that there were some troubling omissions in the report, that it was a shoddy report. Then he comes out with part defense, part apologies. Then he resigns. What was the point of having his lawyer go first . His lawyers, i think, were in a really unenviable position in a certain way because they were facing a political situation, a public situation, a civil legal battle, and a potential criminal legal battle. Each of those arenas has its own rules and provides for certain kind of process for the person whos been accused. So, the Hodgepodge Defense was partially caused by the fact that they were trying to address all of these at the same time. So, i think part of what that did was set up future battles in which, you know, even though these allegations were, i agree, incredibly strong, incredibly convincing, and people accused of something who have a lot to lose defend themselves. If you would, magee, just set the stage for us big picture. How huge of a deal of it is in American Politics at large that Andrew Cuomo is stepping down as governor of new York Today . Look, Andrew Cuomo was a Comeback Story after pulling out of the election in 2002, the democratic primary just a few days before it was taking place when it was clear he was going to lose. Hes obviously a legacy politician. He is the son of a very famous governor in New York. Andrew cuomos life has been constructed in part at trying to best his father. His father died several years ago but Andrew Cuomo still wanted to get a fourth term, which had alluded his father. Andrew cuomos not even getting to that election. So it is dramatic just in terms of the stories of its state and politics. This is somebody who had been described as a possible president ial candidate on a number of occasions. This was somebody who was floated briefly as a possible Attorney General for the biden administration during the transition. So, she was seen as a democratic star, and certainly last year during covid and obviously his response has been pretty heavily criticized to the virus in the months since. But, at the time, he was getting a lot of kudos. So i think you are seeing this big shakeup in terms of the world of governors on the democratic side across the country and potential president ial candidacies. I will say im not certain that Andrew Cuomo thinks his political career is done. I think many people in The State think it is. I think its very hard to see him comeback from him. But i think he thinks he could have a future. And to resign rather than get impeached and be removed from office also might make you think that as well. I want to ask you, christine, i think this is important. Because he made clear today he thinks that at least some of these allegations are politically motivated. His lawyer who i interviewed over the weekend said, look, some of these women are being truthful, the governor has said that he has done some of these things. But as you heard him today, he was trying to make the case that some of this is politically motivated. Is there any evidence of that, christine . Theres no evidence of that. One of the women was running for office. She didnt raise this issue in her campaign at all, and that the governor raised that is still on the defensive. Tragically shows he just doesnt get it. Yeah. And, you know, this does raise the question of rebecca about whats going to be his future not only politically as magee raised. He might still think he has a future there, but also the legal aspect of this. The Albany County d. A. Says the Governors Resignation doesnt change the Criminal Investigation into him. How concerned should he be about potential criminal charge . Well, i think it is a concern, although there are a couple of things to point out about those potential charges. One, it looks like from all the evidence that we see that this would be a misdemeanor charge. He would be facing up to a year in prison and probably wouldnt serve prison time at all even if he were convicted. And second of all, the rules of evidence make it such that those charges will be hard to prove. And the d. A. S understand that. They have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. And part of what made that report so convincing is what everybody keeps repeating, which is those 11 women. But in a criminal case, you have rules of evidence that prevent you from usually bringing in evidence of other bad acts, and that will make it much harder if you have isolated one act to defend against. And so while i think its possible, i think that would be an uphill battle for a d. A. A d. A. Really has to consider this is going to be a lot of resources that takes away from other sorts of cases that the d. A. Might be working on. And maybe this is a priority, in which case they should pursue it as long as they have the evidence there. But those are a lot of considerations so we really dont know how that will end up panning out. Thank you all. An entire state left with just a few empty icu beds. Up next, a look at the surge of covid in places where people arent getting the shot. Plus, some School Officials risking their salaries over a battle involving kids and masks. Ill talk to one of those officials, ahead. Wait. Do we have to thank our moms twice . I dont know. laughs breyers. 100 grade a milk and cream, and loaded with delicious cookie pieces. Better starts with breyers. Ive spent centuries evolving with the world. Thats the nature of being the economy. Observing investors choose assets to balance risk and reward. With one element securing portfolios, time after time. 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Complete Acne Care for sensitive skin. Now in the acne aisle. At usaa, weve been called too exclusive. Because we were created for officers. But as weve evolved with the military, weve grown to serve all whove honorably served. No matter their rank, or when they were in. A marine just out of basic, or a petty officer from 73. And even his kids. And their kids. Usaa is made for all whove honorably served and their families. Are we still exclusive . Absolutely. And thats exactly why you should join. Piano Playing here we go. [john legends i can see clearly now] make your reunion happen with vrbo. Your together awaits. Vrbo in our health lead, nearly onethird of eligible americans still are not vaccinated, fueling an alarming rise of new covid cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Now children, many who dont have the option to get vaccinated, are getting infected at unprecedented levels. And as Cnns Nick Watt reports, some childrens hospitals are trying to prepare for the unimaginable when more kids go back to school. Reporter we are in a major surge now as were going into the fall into the school season. Reporter so, should districts mandate vaccines for teachers . Im going to upset some people on this but i think we should. Reporter some places, there are politicians and parents fiercely opposing Mask Mandates for schools. Forcing masks is child abuse. Reporter among the actual experts, theres a near consensus view. I think bringing together large numbers of children, congregating them in classrooms with masks being optional or, worse yet, even forbidden, is just a formula for disaster. Reporter kids can get covid. In just the past week nearly 94,000 confirmed cases among children nationwide. With the Delta Wave we need to do everything possible to protect those that are not vaccinated. And those that are not vaccinated get protected two ways, by those that are eligible for vaccination and by wearing a mask. And i think its as simple as that. Reporter were now averaging well over 100,000 new cases a day, up 37 in just a week. Just over half of americans are fully vaccinated. Youre taking a hell of a risk if youre not vaccinated. Thats all there is to it. Reporter and youre pretty darn safe if you are. More than 99. 99 of the vaccinated have not suffered a severe case, according to our analysis of cdc data. This person from texas, young and healthy, did not get vaccinated, nearly died, now regrets it. Do it for your family, do it for yourself. Reporter arkansas has just eight icu beds unfilled. In mississippi . There are going to be children in my own community that are orphans, and it couldve been prevented. Reporter many hospitals now feeling the strain particularly in states with low vaccination rates. Theres outbreaks following the unvaccinated strategy all over the place with hospitals just about to tip over. The moral equation has to shift. Stop protecting the unvaccinated. Theyre selfish, theyre greedy, theyre not doing the right thing by their neighbors. Reporter now, pamela, today the baltimore mayor was talking about reenacting an indoor Mask Mandate, and he said anyone whos frustrated about wearing a mask and is not vaccinated, look in the mirror, its your fault. He says if youre unvaccinated and complaining, just shut up. Pamela . Did not mince words about that. Nick, thank you so much. Joining me now to discuss is michael osterholm, the director of the center for infectious Disease Research and policy at the university of minnesota. Nice to see you, michael. Bottom line here, why is it taking so long for the vaccine to get at least Emergency Authorization for kids younger than 12 . Well, particularly for the group under 12 were still collecting data. And one of the things that we all want are these vaccines right away. But at the same time we want to make sure that theyre safe and theyre effective. For younger kids under age 12, whats the right dose . We surely may not be wanting to use the same dose were using in adults. So those studies, which are ongoing, will hopefully provide us with licensed products some time yet even this year. But, as you and i both know, they cant come soon enough. So what is the difference, though, between a 12yearold who is authorized to get the vaccine right now based on the data and, say, a 10 or 11yearold . What are they really looking at . Well, youre absolutely right. It seems like there might be a bright line. If youre just one day old or one day younger, youre eligible or youre not eligible. But the challenges we have in doing these studies is you do them incrementally. But we did them in adults. And thats a place where from a standpoint of Consent And Willingness to participate in these studies, you can make that choice. Once you become involved with adolescents, for example, particularly the older ones, they still can have a voice. But its parents that often decide. Well, when youre in the younger age group, they dont really have a choice. Its the parents who decide if theyre going to be involved or not in these studies. And from that perspective we believe that safety has to be of the highest order. So youre right, it seems artificial, but they had to put a cutoff somewhere to do an incremental group to say were going to look at 12 to 18yearolds and now 11 to 3yearolds and now under 3. This is unfortunately one of the challenges of trying to do these studies. And normally for a vaccine like this, if it were not covid, we would be taking years to do this kind of work. I dont want anybody to misinterpret that as meaning there are being shortcuts taken. But it is going to take us until this fall or early winter before we have these vaccines for these kids. And the big reason is because you have the entire world medical apparatus working on this to get these vaccines out, to get vaccines to kids. That is in process. We just heard dr. Anthony fauci say that teachers should be required to get the vaccine. Do you think that is enough to keep Kids Safe in school . Well, its a critical step but its not enough. I worry very much about whats going to happen this fall. As youre seeing right now, were seeing the most number of kids hospitalized with covid since the very beginning of the pandemic. And those numbers are continuing to increase. Delta basically is a somewhat different virus in kids than it was these strains of virus that we had a year ago. When we first generated data showing that kids didnt transmit nearly as frequently, they didnt get infected often themselves, and they surely didnt get in serious disease that often. This is a different virus. This is not your strain of a year ago. And what were seeing now are kids frequently are transmitters, theyre easily to get infected, they can get very sick. And i think that the School Opening that were seeing happen right now is a Collision Course with destiny. I think clearly we are going to see major outbreaks, and thats why the most we can do is bubble the kids as much as possible. Teachers, any adult in a School Setting should be vaccinated. I strongly support dr. Faucis point about mandates. I think at the same time at home we have to do that. One of the things, pamela, it is just so concerning to me is kids 12 years of age and older are eligible for this vaccine. Junior high and high school, and yet were seeing horrible, horrible rates in many communities of these kids getting vaccinated. And if you want to protect them, vaccines it. If you want to protect their younger brothers and sisters, vaccines it. So i think we have to really put a fullcourt press on getting 12yearolds and older vaccinated and then protecting the younger kids as best we can with vaccinating all those around them and what we can do in schools to provide them safer air. Very quickly if you can, just want to drill down on what you said about this strain being more dangerous for Kids Versus A year ago. How so . Well, clearly its much more transmissible. In that sense were seeing that all over. Let me give you an example right here in minnesota. A state that has an incredibly capable and competent health department, and they have been following it very closely and carefully cases throughout our community and trying to understand where they were exposed to the virus. From the beginning of the pandemic through this past July 1, we had four examples of outdoor festivals or fairs where transmission occurred. Weve all talked about the safer outdoor air. Since July 1 there have been nine in minnesota. And that really gives you an indication just how much more infectious this virus is. Michael osterholm, thank you so much. Proof that bipartisanship can work. Thats what President Biden is touting today with a big step forward for his agenda, up next. [relaxed summer themed music playing] summer is a state of mind, you can visit anytime. Savor your summer with lincoln. Daddy printed out my permission slip, right . Steven . dramatic Opera Music do you suffer from Cartridge Conniptions . Be conniptionfree, thanks to the Cartridgefree Epson Ecotank printer. Big ink tanks, a ridiculous amount of ink the epson ecotank. Just fill chill. If you have obstructive Sleep Apnea and youre often tired during the day, you could be missing out on amazing things. Sunosi can help you stay awake for them. Once Daily Sunosi improves wakefulness in adults with excessive daytime sleepiness due to obstructive Sleep Apnea. Sunosi worked for up to nine hours at 12 weeks in a clinical study. 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With details about how bonds can be an important part of your portfolio. Hennion walsh has specialized in fixed Income-and-growth'>Income And Growth solutions for 30 years, and offers highquality municipal bonds from across the country. They provide the potential for regular Income. Are federally taxfree. And have historically low risk. Call today to request your free bond guide. 18002173217. Thats 18002173217 topping our Politics Lead today, President Biden praising the powers of bipartisanship moments ago after the senate passed a sweeping 1. 2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Package earlier today. But as cnns Kaitlan Collins reports, it might be a while before President Biden can sign it into law. On this vote the yeas are 69, the nays are 30. Reporter capping off weeks of intense negotiations, the senate passed a critical component of President Bidens agenda today. After years and years of infrastructure week, were in the cusp of an infrastructure decade. Reporter with yesvotes from 50 democrats and 19 republicans, the 1. 2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Bill made its way through the upper chamber. I want to thank those senators who worked so hard to bring this agreement together. I know it wasnt easy. For the republicans who supported this bill, you showed a lot of courage. Reporter President Biden who was scheduled to be on summer vacation, returned to washington to tout the achievement. America, this is how we truly build back better. Reporter for weeks his top aides, ten senate democrats, and republicans have worked fiercely behind the scenes to reach a deal. If passed by the house, the bill would revamp the nations roads and bridges while boosting Broadband Connections and combating climate change. This will deliver huge benefits, millions of jobs to the american people. It will deliver clean Drinking Water and highspeed internet to every household in the country. Reporter the Cash Infusion is urgent, but Nancy Pelosi Wont bring it up for a vote until another more ambitious Policy Package expected to have only democratic support also passes the senate. This message is that he remains committed to passing each of these pieces of legislation on dual tracks, that he is going to work in lockstep with speaker pelosi. Reporter moderate house democrats are pushing for an immediate standalone vote as their progressive colleagues warned they wont vote for it until the 3. 5 trillion package passes. With hopes of Passing A 3. 5 trillion Budget Blueprint that would in Turn Advance the priorities they left on the Cutting Room Floor of the bipartisan talks. The Twotrack Strategy is proceeding full steam ahead. Reporter but first there will be a marathon of votes into late tonight with Senator Mitch Mcconnell warning of hundreds of gop amendments. We will debate, and we will vote, and we will be counted. Reporter now, pamela, the Senator Mitch Mcconnell and those other 18 republicans who voted for this bill to get it passed through the senate were shrugging off those threats from former president trump. But there were several republicans who had initially backed this deal when democrats and republicans had first announced they had come to a broad agreement. In the end they did not actually vote for this. But as biden noted today this bill still has a long way to go as it makes its way through the house. But President Biden said he is optimistic and confident that it will win approval while there. If its so important why doesnt the house take it up now, Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much live for us from the white house. Some School Officials are now risking their salaries in order to implement Mask Mandates in their schools. Im going to talk to the head of one of those County School boards, up next. [music plays. ] voiceover riders. Wanderers on the road of life. The journey is why they ride. When the road is all you need, there is no destination. Uh, iim actually just going to get an iced coffee. Well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually no, ii usually have a destination. Yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. Nope, just the coffee shop. Announcer no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at 79 a year. Voiceover cause shes a biker. Please dont follow me in. Breaking news. Notify just the last hour, the School Board in broward county, florida, The States second largest school district, voted to keep its Mask Mandate, defying an order from republican governor Ron Desantis. He threatened to withhold Broward State Funding as well as two more counties. Cnns Leyla Santiago reports from one of those counties which started school today. Reporter it makes you pause, it does make you pause, but our goal is the Health And Safety of our students and our staff. Reporter School Board Member Tina says shes willing to risk her salary to spare the students of Alachua County from risking their health. As kids step into the classroom for the first day of school, governor Ron Desantis is threatening to withhold salaries from superintendents or School Board members who are mandating t masks. The party that emphasizes local control and has completely removed the Decisionmaking Authority from our own elected officials here. Reporter in alachua County Schools, students are required to wear a mask for the first two weeks unless they provide a Doctors Note. The Governors Office says those counties are not complying with his Executive Order saying, in part, when districts enact policies that require a Doctors Note, they are not giving all parent a free choice. But some schools feel they are not getting a choice. If we chose to not do that because of money or politics, then we wouldnt be advocating for the best Interest And Safety of our students. And that is what were here for. Reporter at Howard Bishop middle school, teachers told us the first day of school brought excitement, but also a sense of Apprehension And Uncertainty over the Mask Controversy and a rise in hospitalizations. Florida has a Hospitalization Rate that is more than triple the national rate. And the American Academy Of Pediatrics reports that the u. S. Had an 84 increase in new covid19 cases among children during the last week of july. Yet, desantis is holding firm. If you look at the data, its totally reasonable for a parent to say, you know what, id rather send my kid to school without wearing the mask. Reporter but the data shows masks work. This principal says masks are only one of the Mitigation Strategies they have in place. We know how to contact trace and who mightve been around a positive case. Reporter are you expecting that . Um, i hate to sound like a pessimist, but were going to be prepared for that. Reporter alachua County Schools say they are seeing an increasing number of employees testing positive. Two employees and one student recently died from covid. On monday there were 32 new positive cases and 72 employees were in quarantine, and the School Year has only just begun. Now, amidst a pandemic and politics. And just moments ago, President Biden criticized the governors efforts here in florida to prohibit any sort of Mask Mandate. And the school is calling it, quote, disingenuous when asked if he had any federal authority to intervene, biden said hes looking into it. All right, Leyla Santiago, thank you so much. And i want to bring in the chair of the Alachua County public Schools Board in the gainesville area. Nice to see you. Today was the first day of school. Im glad. Today was the first hows it been going . And have any parents so far used the Doctors Note to get their child out of wearing a mask . I dont have a number on that, possibly tomorrow after they have a chance to look at the optout forms that may have been submitted today. But today was the very first day, its an exciting time in the Alachua County public schools. Well, congratulations on your first day of school today. Governor desantis does not agree that a Doctors Note gives parents enough of a choice. And he is threatening to withhold your salary. Are you willing to give up your pay over this fight . Well, you know, its very important for our children to be safe and have wellbeing as well as our staff. And so im all in if he wants to take the salary away from us, our Board Members as well as the superintendent, i feel even more empowered that i know im doing something correct. So, what happens if a student shows up to school without a mask and a note . Is there disciplinary action if that happens . No. There will be no discipline well, im going to say there should not be any disciplinary action except that we have two nurses at each school site, and im sure that they will take the opportunity to call the parent to say the student is out of compliance, we can do one or two things, give a call to a parent, we have plenty of masks on campuses. So its no problem handing a Student A Mask to put on. So, why not do then what other School Districts are doing and allow parents to Opt Out of the Mask Mandate . Why is there this extra step of requiring a Doctors Note . Well, our Optout Policy will require, because, as you expect, any parent can say their child has a situation. We want it to be through a physician that is stating that, will sign off on that so that we know that this is absolutely the truth. Of course all of this could be alleviated in large part if children 12 and younger could get a vaccine. What is your message to the fda as you wait for the Emergency Authorization process to play out . Well, we are hoping that they will continue to adamantly push to find whatever they need so that the fda can approve the vaccine for children younger than 12. We certainly could use that in our elementary schools. Okay, leanetta, thank you so much for joining us today. I thank you for having me. Well, coming up, the taliban now claiming an eighth city in afghanistan as hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed in the violence. Thats next. Tates Postal Service is changing with it. With ecommerce that runs at the speed of now. W. Next Day And Twoday shipping nationwide, and returns right from the doorstep. Its a whole New World out there. Lets not keep it waiting. [music plays. ] rock the boat dont rock the boat, Baby Rock the boat dont tip the boat over here we go. Dont rock the boat, Baby Rock the boat see disneys jungle cruise. Its time to rock the boat, america. Priceline will partner with even more vegas hotels to turn their unsold rooms into amazing deals. Delegates, how do you vote . cheering yes, yyyyes, yes. That is freaky. applause what happens when we Welcome Change . We can make Emergency Medicine possible at 40,000 feet. Instead of burning our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. We can create new ways to connect. Rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. With app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. Faster. Vmware. Welcome change. In our world lead, the biden administration is scrambling for a diplomatic solution in afghanistan, as the taliban continues to gain ground just days before key u. S. Forces are set to leave. Today the taliban claimed that size an eighth Capital City giving them control of a large swath of the country seen here in red. Lets bring in cnns national Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood and international Security Editor Nick paton walsh. Nick, lets start with you. We are seeing these really heartbreaking videos of afghans, now refugees taking shelter in kabul. Is there any chance Afghanistans Government could regain control . Not at this stage. And at this point they seem to be constantly trying to work out which is the next fire to put out. We were at three provincial capitals on sunday. Now we are talking about eight with the possibility of a ninth being reported at the moment. It just keeps happening. President Joe Biden pressed on this because, it is, frankly, happening. He said he did not regret the decision to withdraw u. S. Troops, reminded americans they spend over a trillion dollars in 20 years to train 300,000 afghans. He said its down to the afghans and their leadership to come together to fight. Sadly, a lot of that is based on the same misconceptions americas had for a long time. The trillion Dollars Wasnt just spent on the military. Some of it wasted on projects, some of it must be in Taliban Hands right now. Peoples attention often lapsing, the same person again and again. Can the afghans come together to fight . There was a move by President Ashraf ghani to bring a lot of the local militias back under control. There may be 300,000 soldiers but thats a very small number of commanders that are actually effective. So a lot of Joe Bidens talks still sadly resting on the Talking Points that have proven to be hollow over the past decade. The taliban are moving exceptionally fast. I think we will see Air Power begin to diminish in the next three weeks. The u. S. Are not going to be providing Air Support come september. That will be key. And the other question is what kind of society are the taliban bringing in with them, and what are they doing to those who are loyal to the government . Very concerning. Kylie, what is the u. S. s response . Right now im learning that there are active discussions underway to further draw down personnel from the u. S. Embassy in kabul. Now, this comes as nick has pointed out there are these taliban gains that frankly sources tell me have come at a more rapid pace than u. S. Officials expected them to. And that is what has spurred these conversations about a potential partial withdraw in the coming days or weeks. Now, this is not an evacuation that is being considered at this time. But it is part of the Planning And Part of the preparations for if the situation on the ground there gets worse. Now, the State Department says that their posture has not changed. And they point to the fact that there are ongoing discussions about the Security Situation on the ground in afghanistan, but they also acknowledge that the problems there continue to get worse. The Security Situation is challenging, and they would have more diplomats on the ground there if they could, but, frankly, they cant right now. And the other thing to consider is that the u. S. Continues to push for a diplomatic solution in afghanistan. That is what they are saying is the only solution here. U. S. Special representative for afghanistan is in doha in talks with the taliban, again this week pushing for this diplomatic solution, pushing the taliban to stop their military offenses and telling them to get involved in negotiating a political settlement. But they have tried that for months now, and that has gone nowhere. Pam . Weve seen that. All right, thank you so much kylie and nick. Well, wildfires raging out of control are now forcing thousands of californians to leave their homes. Thats next. Has plans built just for you. Le switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. You founded your Kayak Company because you love the ocean not spreadsheets. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. Indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. Visit indeed. Com Hire Usaa is made for the safe pilots. Like mac. Who can come to a stop with barely a bobble. With usaa safepilot, when you drive safe. You can save up to 30 on your auto insurance. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Get a quote today. In our national lead, california remains ablaze with 11 active fires wreaking havoc, 12,000 californians have been evacuated across The State. In northern california the dixie fire, which is now the second largest fire in state history, continues to grow. The blaze has already destroyed nearly 900 structures, more than 16,000 more structures still in danger. Dixie fire is only 25 contained after burning for 27 days. And with thunderstorms and extreme heat in the forecast, firefighters are bracing for a difficult fight to contain its spread. Im Pamela Brown in for jake tapper. You can follow me on twitter or tweet the show theleadcnn. And our coverage continues now with Wolf Blitzer in the situation room. Happening now, new York Governor Andrew Cuomo is resigning. The democrat aiming to avoid impeachment while also attempting to undercut the Sexual Harassment allegations that forced him out. Also tonight, growing fears for covids youngest victims, as kids are caught in the middle of the war over masks. Ill ask the president of the American Academy Of Pediatrics about the danger for children and the need for them to be vaccinated. And President Biden takes a Victory Lap after a bipartisan Infrastructure Bill passes the u. S. Senate. Does this put his domestic agenda back on track . Welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around