We still believe there are credible threats. In fact, id say specific, credible threats. And we want to make sure were prepared for those. Reporter the Pentagon Warning that these could be rockets or vehicle bombs. In kabul, families collect the bodies of their Loved Ones and survivors come to terms with what has happened. This man says that he was an interpreter for the british, and was among the hundreds of afghan wounded. I fell into the stream, and thought i was the only one still alive. I saw all the other people were dead. More than 5,000 evacuees are waiting for flights at Kabuls Airport and allies like italy and spain have already ended their missions in afghanistan. We have the ability to include evacuees on u. S. Military Air Airlift out of afghanistan until the very end. Reporter the walls at Kabuls Airport are now stained with blood as afghanistan counts down the final days of americas longest war. Now, jake, in the final days of the reign of the previous afghan government In Kabul and the arrival of the taliban, large numbers, an unknown number of isis prisoners held by the government and held by the americans at Bagram Prison were released in the general chaos. They werent deliberately released. They simply escaped when the cell doors were opened. And there is great concern that those, of course, will have swelled the ranks of the socalled islamic state and the khorasan at a time when actually the taliban had been very effectively trying to crush them. Jake. Cnns Sam Kiley live from qatar. Thank you so much. Today, President Biden said that the Evacuation Operation is dangerous. But a worthy mission. He called the loss of 13 u. S. Service members tragic. And now, as Cnns Phil mattingly reports, were learning that bidens national Security Team has warned him that another Terrorist AttackIn Kabul is likely. We will complete the mission. Reporter President Biden facing the most stark crisis of his administration. The mission there being performed is dangerous. And now, its come with significant loss of american personnel. Reporter and the reality that things are likely to get worse. This is the most dangerous part of the mission. Reporter bidens national Security Team warning in a Morning Situation Room briefing quote, another Terror AttackIn Kabul is likely. Military commanders calling the days leading up to the August 31stWithdrawal Deadline the most dangerous period to date. Biden, as He Sat with israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett for a meeting that was postponed to friday by the attack, undaunted. Its a worthy mission because they continue to evacuate folks out of that region. Reporter but the scale of the tragedy and its fallout laid bare by the White House. Loss of lives of u. S. Service members, of afghans is a tragedy, is horrific. Is one of the worst things, if not the worst thing, we have experienced during President Bidens time in office. Reporter Biden Planning to call the families of the 13 dead, officials say. Yet, the White House remains primarily focused on two missions. Evacuating remaining americans and afghan allies by the looming August 31st deadline. I think our focus right now is on doing everything we can to get the remaining american citizens who want to depart out of the country. Reporter and now, hunting down those who perpetrated the attack. We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. Reporter with no gray area of what that pledge means. I think he made clear yesterday that he does not want them to live on the earth, anymore. The prospects for both exceedingly fluid, officials acknowledge, as the administration continues to grapple with what officials call a real and acute threat of more attacks and hundreds of americans and thousands of afghans remain in the country waiting to depart. That threat is acute. It is ongoing. Our troops are still in danger and they are taking the steps they are taking to save lives and evacuate people because of their commitment to the mission. Reporter and, jake, that mission is still extraordinarily reliant on the taliban even in the wake of that attack where u. S. Officials know that the attackers got through taliban checkpoints. The reality, White House officials say, is it is a necessity at this point in time. It is the only way they have gotten more than 100,000 evacuees out to this point and it is the only way they will be able to get the rest of the americans, both trying to get to the planes and and the Military Personnel out as well. Jake. Phil mattingly at the White House for us. Thanks so much. In our World Lead, the pentagon just confirmed there are still more than 500 americans, by their count, who are still trying to get out get out of afghanistan following yesterdays Dead Ly Attack at te kabul airport. Cnns Oren Liebermann joins us. And, oren, do we have a sense of how long these evacuations will take . Well, there is no doubt this is very much in crunch time. The final weekend, final four days at this point. Its already past midnight In Kabul. Perhaps, much more difficult to operate at night but the u. S. Has shown the Evacuation Operation continues. State Department SpokesmanNed Price said there are 500 americans they are in touch with and giving them directions for what it will take to get them to the airport and get them out. Whether that means simply walking there which could easy expose them to danger or going in a vehicle which could also expose them to danger. Or some sort of Helicopter Mission to get them out. We have seen a few of those to the airport. Or general frank mckenzie acknowledging there are Special Forces on the ground there and perhaps a type of covert mission. In addition to the 500 the u. S. Is already in touch with and trying to give instructions to get out. It was State Department SpokesmanNed Price who said there are severalhundred more who still havent made up their mind or are still determining whether they want to leave the country or not. Jake, i think its obvious at this point, that decision has to come incredibly soon. Its not just u. S. Citizens who need evacuating, we should point out. There is legalpermanent residents of the united states, or Green Card holders. There is also, obviously, those afghan allies who prapplied for those special immigrant visas. We are just a few days away from this August 31st deadline. What does the larger Operation Look like . The u. S. Wont put a number, in The End, on how many afghans whether the siv applicants or others that it will get out simply because at this point, its difficult to make a promise and then try to keep that promise given how dangerous it is on the ground with the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood of more Terror Threats but youre right. The evacuation continues. The latest update from the administration, 12,500 in a 24hour period. 8,500 of those from the u. S. Airlift operation. So that continues. Well keep an eye on those numbers. Its not the 20,000 or more than 20,000 there just a couple of days ago. But that is still a very high number, especially because of the incredibly dangerous environment on the ground there In Kabul. One that becomes only more dangerous, as the withdrawal officially becomes and the number of troops begins to come down. Incredible work being done to evacuate these people. Oren liebermann, thanks so much. Many republicans are calling for accountability from President Biden in the wake of the Kabul Terrorist attacks. Thats next. And words you never want to hear in the same sentence. Hurricane and new orleans. Tracking ida which is quickly gaining strength, ahead. Stop clearing breakouts doesnt have to be harsh on your sensitive skin. New cetaphil gentle clear contains balanced formulas that gently clear breakouts and soothe sensitive skin. Cetaphil. Complete Acne Care for sensitive skin. Now in the acne aisle. My great grandmother started a legacy of education in my family. She ran for state office. Had no problems breaking the norms. She had a dream and decided to pursue it. Find the strong women in your family with ancestry. Is struggling to manage your Type 2 Diabetes knocking you out of your zone . Lowering your a1c with onceweekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. Oh, oh, oh, ozempic® my zone. Lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight. 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Usaa is made for all whove honorably served and their families. Are we still exclusive . Absolutely. And thats exactly why you should join. Welcome back. Topping our World Lead today, republican lawmakers divided today over how tough and how quickly they should go after President Biden in the wake of thursdays deadly Terrorist Attacks in afghanistan. Some republicans were quick to call for the president s resignation or even to call for impeachment. Joining us now, he is the chair of the arm Services Subcommittee on readiness. Congressman, thanks for joining us. You have said that President Biden made the proper decisions along the way. Given the Terrorist Attack yesterday, do do you stand by that statement . Do you really think there wasnt a better, more organized way to exit . There probably was but it wasnt going to happen. Nobody anticipated the complete collapse, disappearance of the afghan government. It just simply was gone, and then all of the plans that had been made were not going to be executable. And a shift was put in place and which we are now working through one of the most extraordinary evacuation airlifts ever in the history of america or the military. What . 105,000 in the last ten days from beginning to this moment. Um so, sure. If the afghan government had not collapsed, we would not be in this mess. But we are where we are, and the loss of those 13 marines and soldiers is a terrible tragedy. Could it have been prevented . Not given the situation which we were faced with. We had to find a way to get those men and women and families into the airport, and that required personal interaction of our military with a very, very unruly crowd. And unfortunately, in that crowd, there was a suicide bomber. The pentagon has confirmed that american officials have been sharing some information on evacuees with members of the taliban because they need their help and relying on taliban help for these evacuations. President biden said yesterday he didnt know if there was a list of names or not when he was asked about the politico report. What kind that kind of list could include, of course, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants who are who are terrified that the taliban are going to come find them and kill them after the u. S. Leaves. What do you know about this story . And and how did this happen . Well, i dont one thing we do know about all this information coming out of kabul is that a lot of it is simply not true. There is a lot of hearsay going on. And the facts are probably quite different than that. I do know that the information that we receive is very, very closely held. And we receive probably well over 500 requests, including names, addresses, and phone numbers. And we share that with the State Department. I am confident the State Department is not sharing that with the taliban. We do know that the taliban is informed that there are certain people that need to be moved to the airport, so that clearances can be given for them. Beyond that, i dont believe that theyre given any other information, nor should they. Can the drawdown continue without the talibans help . And how much do you think the taliban will help with the evacuation of any american citizens or greencard holders or afghans after August 31st . I believe it is in the Talibans Interest to work with all of the countries who have evacuees or who would like to evacuate people from afghanistan. It is not in their interest to stop that. The taliban now is responsible for some 40 Million people in one of the most difficult countries in the world. They are going to need a lot of assistance from Around The World to get just to provide Food And Clothing and other essentials of life. So they are going to have to be cooperating. Now, they also are faced with isis isis. They also are faced with an ongoing disruption within the taliban. I couldnt say its a fullscale Civil War amongst them. But clearly, there are parts of what we call the taliban which are really various tribes or clans within afghanistan that are not, yet, onboard with the government, the taliban government In Kabul. So its going to be a very difficult period. We do have ways of working not only with the afghans that want to leave, want to evacuate. But we also have the ability to work with are the countries and this needs to be noted, in that, in this evacuation, united states has had enormous cooperation. First, with other countries that are there. Some of which have been mentioned but not all. We need to recognize their role. Perhaps, a third of all the evacuees did not come out on american planes. And worked with others. Beyond that, jake, we have the necessity of extracting from the from afghanistan, afghans that worked closely with us. And thats going to be an ongoing effort. Will probably take days, weeks, months, and perhaps even years to accomplish all of that. Uhhuh. But thats an ongoing effort. The president has clearly pledged to do that and carry it out. It needs to be noted yeah. That there is an incredibly effective Network Operating within the u. S. Government. Members of congress and senate. We have access to the State Department. We have a hotline we get our constituents contacting us. We have and they take it up. Actually, my office has a direct line to sergeants At The Gates at the airport. Yeah. If something comes up, that is in a desperate situation, we phone and say, hey, we got somebody waiting outside. Call their name. Theyre ready to go. Yeah. And i know that you you helped you and your your office helped get a big group out of the country. And they arrived through the gate today. Thank you so much, congressman. Appreciate your time today. Coming up. The battle over masks in schools. The judges ruling in florida on the governors orders. Thats next. Summer is a state of mind, you can visit anytime. Savor your summer with lincoln. Now were giving you even more reasons to rediscover the joy of travel. Like more layers of protection for you and your travel plans. Which means even more peace of mind. Reconnect with more. I have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Now, theres skyrizi. With skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. Skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. Nothing is everything now is the time to ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. Its an important time to save. With priceline, you can get up to 60 off amazing hotels. And when you get a big deal. You feel like a big deal. Priceline. Every trip is a big deal. In our health lead, a Florida Judge has ruled against republican governor, ron desantis, saying that the governor does not have the authority to issue a blanket mandatory ban on Mask Mandates in schools. The Ruling Today was in Leon County in the tallahassee area. One of ten School Districts in florida that has mandatory mask rules. Cnns Leyla Santiago joins me live from another one of them. Miamidade county. Leyla, so this ruling has implications statewide, huh . Right. This is a lawsuit brought on by parents but really it was School Districts across the state and particularly the ten School Districts that right now have mandates that go against the governors order. But you know what . The judge ruled in their favor saying that the governor does not have the authority to do so. And actually, pretty much a lot of the research and what the governor has called science, that he says supports him. The judge basically said that that it was information that was not interpreted correctly. Now, the parents in the School Districts that want these Mask Mandates in place. You might imagine, they celebrated this saying they were elated. I i want you to listen to the attorney for the parents. There is a bully in the room thats beating up on children. It shouldnt take more than a few people to Stand Up, and im glad that an army did and im glad i could play some small part of that. But someone has to tell the bully to put down the stick and go home and i think we did that and i think Judge Cooper added an Exclamation Point on that directive today. Reporter now, the governor is saying that he will appeal and believes that he can be victorious if he does so. But thats not the only thing that happened today, jake. All the the districts that have these mandates also received letters from commissioner saying that he plans to investigate them for noncompliance with the governors Executive Order that the judge has now said he doesnt have an authority to do. All right. Leyla santiago. Thanks so much. Lets bring in dr. Ashish jha. He is the dean of brown University School of public health. Dr. Jha, good to see you. Schools nationwide with Mask Mandates are trying to prevent what we see going on throughout the country. In alabama, more than 5,500 students tested positive for covid last week alone. In frederick county school, maryland, 600 students in quarantine. These are just reports coming in today. Do you see Mask Mandates for schools, at least for now, that just the Mask Mandates have to be part of our lives and the fights over the masks are just part of our lives . Yeah, jake. First of all, thanks for having me back. You know, what we know right now is we know how to get kids back to school safely. We really do. And Mask Mandates are a part of that. They are not the only thing. We got to do Ventilation And Testing and get everybody vaccinated who can be vaccinated. But the Bottom Line is that we have got to stop fighting about these things and focus on protecting kids. And helping them to get back to school safely. The biden administration says that it does not have the authority to issue a national vaccine mandate. But they are encouraging the private sector to create their own mandates, their own Vaccine Requirements. Today, the the head of the White House covid Response Team put it pretty bluntly. Take a listen. If you are an american who is not yet vaccinated, or if youre an employer who has yet to adopt vaccination requirements, we have a very simple message. Get off the sidelines, step up, and do your part. Only a little more than half of the united states is vaccinated. That Number Hasnt really budged much in the last month. Do do you think that private companies and such should impose their own private Vaccine Requirements . Yeah, absolutely. I have been talking to a lot of companies and what they are realizing and i think whats going to motivate them, jake, is they are realizing they cant bring people back to the office safely. They cant get back to normal, unless all their employees are vaccinated. So if companies want to get back to what life was like and what we need it to be like after this pandemic is over, getting people vaccinated is a critical part of it so i see a lot more privatesector vaccine mandates coming in the weeks and months ahead. In florida, covid cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have reached record highs. This week um governor desantis there is pushing monoclonal antibody treatment. The state opened its 21st Site for that treatment today. Is that an effective option to help get covid numbers down . You know, so Monoclonal Antibodies do work but what i always remind people is that these are synthetic, expensive, and shortterm antibodies. There is a way to get natural longterm antibodies for free and thats called vaccines. We Cant Scale up Monoclonal Antibodies for millions of people. We just cant. We dont have enough of it so much, much easier to go with vaccines but as a Saving Grace for a small number of people, yeah, it can be helpful. Italy is reissuing an outdoor Mask Mandate in sicily because of the delta variant. Here in the u. S. , starting today, oregons new outdoor Mask Mandate goes into effect. Are outdoor Mask Mandates necessary . You know, i havent seen any data, jake, that we need outdoor Mask Mandates because i havent seen any data that, outdoors, the virus is spreading with any level of efficiency. Now, you can make the case that for a superpacked concert or a Super Superpacked rally, maybe. But i dont want to see outdoor mandates unless we have evidence there is a lot of transmission happening outdoors. Dr. Ashish jha, Thank You. Appreciate it. Coming up. Officials are discussing fortifying the u. S. Capitol once again as a rightwing Rally Plans to gather at the site of the insurrection. Stay with us. And two, September 18th. Thats when rightwing protestors will hold a rally in support of the jailed January 6th insurrectionists. Cnns Melanie Zanona joins me now. Melanie, how is Law Enforcement preparing . Well, the capitol is always a target but there are heightened Security Concerns right now from both lawmakers and Law Enforcement officials ahead of this rally that is going to be on the Capitol Grounds and it is being organized by a Formertrump Campaign Staffer in support of those jailed January 6th rioters. Now, Security Preparations are underway. There is discussions about bringing back that temporary fencing around the capitol complex. The mpd is going to be fully activated that weekend, which means civil Disturbance Units will be on standby throughout the entire weekend. And the Capitol Police received a Memo Warning that this group tends to attract farright extremists. So there could be the potential for violence and unrest. But the same memo also notes that similar demonstrations in the past have not turned violent. And so far, only 300 people have told the Event Organizer that they plan to attend. Not to mention, its taking place on a saturday while the house is still in recess. So, far fewer people will be here than there were at the capitol or be on a normal day. But look. These new fears come as Apcapit Hill is still reeling from the January 6th insurrection, as well as a recent Bomb Scare that ended without incident but sent a chill through the community, nonetheless. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean told me she is most concerned about her staffers and the Capitol Police who are strained and have been through so much this year. And democrats, in particular, are getting worried about the rhetoric that they are still hearing from their republican colleagues, who continue to spread and embrace trumps lies about the election. They are amplifying their warnings that that type of language can really lead to more political violence. So, look. The Bottom Line, jake, here is like no one wants to be alarmist or overly alarmist. But they are on high alert, and they are taking every preca precautionary step that they can because nobody wants a repeat of January 6th. And, melanie, we should just point out that that Bomb Scare that happened not long ago. It was an individual with clear animosity to Joe Biden and democrats. Yeah. Clear supporter of president trump. He had the ingredients for a bomb. I think he was charged for possessing um the ingredients of a weapon of mass Destruction Or Something along those lines. Uhhuh. And one of the first responses we got in the public here is Congressman Mo brooks, the republican, who was one of the people who helped incite the violence that day in that in that rally on January 6th. Decrying acts of terror. But then, expressing an understanding for what might lead somebody to such a a a moment on the brink. It it was truly outrageous. It was. He essentially offered measured sympathy for the bomb suspect. And jamie raskin, a maryland democrat, who i spoke to said its that type of language that is so dangerous and said could send all the wrong messages to bad actors out there who are looking to cause harm or might commit politicallymotivated attacks. He, of course, is on the January 6th select committee which is looking into some of the Security Failures as well as the root causes of this type of domestic terrorism and political violence and hoping to put out a report that will outline steps to hopefully prevent it from happening ever, again. You also have some reporting on the republicans divided in the house over how to respond in the in a political realm to the Terrorist Attacks that killed 13 u. S. Service members and and more than 150 afghans. Some people have been calling for President Biden to resign. Others have not. How is House Republican leadership handling this . Well, Kevin Mccarthy actually had a private call with his members last night. He pushed back on those calls for Bidens Resignation and impeachment saying we need to focus right now on getting americans out of afghanistan as soon as possible. The politics can come later. But they, so far, want to focus on the oversight and investigations and i think that really underscores the reality for republicans is that if they get political too quickly, it risks looking disrespectful and craven and like they are just trying to score political points. And so, its a bit of a Balancing Act here for mccarthy because he is facing an increasingly agitated right flank. A Growing Number of rankandfile republicans are pushing for some sort of action. They want their leadership to follow them. And even elise stefanik, the number three House Republican, said in a tweet just moments after reports were unfolding about these blasts that Joe Biden is unfit to serve as president. All right. Melanie, thanks so much. So, let us discuss. Amanda, republicans are pushing back against the idea of putting up that fence again to protect the capitol even though theres a September 18th rally in which i guess its a Insurrection Rally of some sort. Calling these people who attacked the capitol political prisoners. Um, what do you think . I mean, the fence is really the least of my concerns. Um, theres been so much political violence over the past year and that threat exists now. It continues each and every day. And its my belief its largely because people still have not been held responsible for their actions leading up to the events of January 6th. I mean, many of those actors who organized the rally are acting freely. They are organizing more rallies at the capitol, in the states, using language about the the stolen Election Lie to spur people into action. And the stuff thats happening in afghanistan is compounding it. You hear hot language about how Joe Biden is responsible for terrible things now. I mean, this is the kind of stuff that leads people to taking action and these they continue to be spurred on by a former president who also has faced no consequences. And so, yeah, the the fence i dont want to see the fence go up. But i am much more worried about how this movement continues to thrive and organizing going forward. And we should note, ryan, um, its not just the people who organized the rally for whom there has not been any serious accountability. You know, it has there have been, i think, more than 500 people who invaded the capitol who have been arrested. Yeah. But the people who who sold the big lie. I mean, Kevin Mccarthy, elise stefanik, and steve scalise, the three top House Republicans, they are part of this. They spread the lie. They voted to take away the votes of Arizona And Pennsylvania based on that lie. Yeah, and look. I mean, first of all, on the security issue, there are experts who deal with that at the capitol. We should defer to the people whose job it is to defend the capitol. If they think a fence has to go up, then fine. I mean, we got to be careful about saying a certain group at large a group of people dont have a right to protest. Of course. Of course. Of course, they do. Were i think lawfully. Right. Lawfully. What were concerned about is violent rhetoric overtaking this movement and the leadership of this country of of one of the parties basically looking the other way at at the least. And sometimes, endorsing endorsing it as the famous mo Brooks Statement after this this bomb suspect. Where he seemed to suggest this guy was motivated by something that was legitimate. Um, and its its the same issue we have been dealing with for years. Its gotten worse and worse and worse. Its the leadership of the party being you know, its the sort of tail wagging wagging the dog here. And republican leaders being afraid to upset their base. Afraid to Say Anything thats thats thats difficult and and tough. Um and thats they think is accusatory, right . And until that changes, until that Fever Breaks but thats not going to change. I mean, im just saying. We we saw January 6th. We see the same people continuing to organize base on the lie. Im just not sure how much more we need to see. We cant keep asking for republican leadership to take action. I am hopeful the January 6th committee will actually produce a meaningful report that shows us how these network thrived, how this happened because thats the only potential for accountability that i see ever ahead. I think thats likely. And and one of the latest developments in this is the Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt as she was part of that violent mob trying to burst into the speakers chamber. Uhhuh. He, finally, came out and did an interview and talked about how his actions saved lives. Which, by the way, republican members of congress were saying after the incident. But here is a little bit of of that interview. I had been yelling and screaming as loud as i was, please stop, get back, get back, stop. You are ultimately hoping that your commands will be complied with. And unfortunately, they were not. Reporter what did you think this individual was doing at that at that moment . She was posing a threat. To united States House of representatives. But we are in the upside down now, ashley. We are in the upside down where a political party that normally backs the blue, no matter what, is demonizing this officer. And turning Ashli Babbitt into a martyr when the truth is she was a sadly diluted, unstable woman who had been lied to by a bunch of politicians starting with Donald Trump. Absolutely. I mean, no one ever really likes to see a life lost, particularly at the hands of police. But lets be really clear. This is not a Police Officer putting a knee on a mans neck for over nine minutes. This is not a Police Officer mistaking an apartment, and going into someones home and killing them unjustly. This was a woman who was trying to overthrow our democracy. And we saw the violence that they were willing to take. And the officer followed the protocol. He was saying he told her to stand down, stand down, and she wouldnt. And he needed to take action. If folks really want to talk about police reform, there are ways to do it but these folks are not interested in police reform. They dont think the rules apply to them. And January 6th was the perfect case and if they are saying theyre going to do it again, we need to take their threat seriously. And take the necessary steps. No, its its a great point because during the trump presidency, look. Those of us who live in washington, d. C. , weve become somewhat accustomed to somebody who is violent and has serious problems often trying to hop the fence at the White House. Yeah. Yeah. And often, that person ends up dead. Its a suicide mission. If well, thats not necessarily what why they do it. Right. We all know that. We have seen it for years. It happens all the time. Anybody who works in the White House knows this. And as you say, if we want to have a debate about the use of lethal force by police, instead of tasers or whatever, fine. Lets have that discussion. Lets have that debate. But when that happened when when trump was president. When somebody who people Secret Service thought he had a gun and he was near the White House, not at the White House, they shot him. He ended up in the hospital. I i think he survived but nobody said anything at that point because its not about that. Yeah. And whats sad about that interview is that he felt he had to go on tv to clear his name. He had been hunted by an online mob for months who wanted to out him. Led by the president. Former president. Yeah. Accused him of murder. But he is not the only one. We are seeing other Capitol Police officers to fend for themselves in the public square. Michael fanone, harry dunn. The Capitol Police officers that are filing a lawsuit. Why are they left to fend for themselves . Its not just the republican party thats hanging these people out to dry. Its people at the Fraternal Order Of Police union, their leadership who is leaving them without any kind of kind of meaningful support that i can see. George floyd policing act. And take a listen, ryan, i will get your reaction. Here is lieutenant Michael Byrd asked by Lester Holt of nbc to respond to trump actually calling him a murderer. I mean, its in its its pretty incredible. Um, he said that it was disenheartening. He went on to say he would defend the former president and his family, should he be assigned to do so. I mean, thats remarkable. I wouldnt expect nothing less from a from a Police Officer, a good Police Officer. But its pretty pretty Remark Bl T remarkable thats what he said. We have been in washington covering these institutions for a long time. When i was watching the events of January 6th unfold, the Thing Thaif that i was just blown away by Shouldnt Use that term but that i was shocked by was how easy it was and how much the police backed off in the initial phases. There might be all kinds of reasons. They felt overwhelmed and when you saw that group of people amassed outside the speakers lobby. I just felt like i Cant Think of how many times i have been in a situation at the White House or covering congress where you know if you do something stupid, you you could be endangering your yourself. The example of jumping over the fence is a good one. But up on capitol hill, its the same thing. Um and they were restrained in a lot of ways that day. And it was awful and to to watch what happened. But the idea that anyone could think that that Officer Wasnt doing his job when that group of people was violently assembled in front of that glass. Breaking through that door. Only fired a single shot. Didnt hit anybody else. The one person that was trying to break in. I mean, it is incredible that it didnt spiral into something else. And actually, the seven u. S. Capitol Police Officers and you just noted this a second ago are suing formerpresident trump and the organizers of the socalled stop the steal Riot Rally and and riot. Um and yet, Donald Trump remains the the number one prospect to to be the nominee in 2024. But see, this is the a bigger issue that were having in our country is that people have literally been brainwashed and its scary. By the Mis And Disinformation online that has been the propaganda on fox news. It is another epidemic that our country is facing and until we really hold platforms accountable, until we really do some deprogramming to make people understand our democracy is functioning, Donald Trump lost. Its scary. I mean, you said leadership didnt Stand Up. Liz cheney did try to Stand Up but then, got the boot. She got the boot. Well, she is on the committee now. She is going to do a lot of good work and they are going to be looking into the world that Social Media Networks played in propelling that disinformation. Well but its not the first time. They did it in 2016, too. We should just note that because its its an excellent point. There are brave republicans who are outraged by this, not just amanda. But Congressman Kinzinger and and congresswoman liz cheney. Former congresswoman former Congressman Denver Riggleman from virginia is now on the staff of this of this January 6th committee looking into it. So there Mitt Romney obviously has minced no words about it. Mitch mcconnell at one point had minced no words about it. There are people who see it clear eyed but youre right. Its taken over too many people, too many republicans. Absolutely. Yeah. How to how to get through to those people is i mean, thats hard because i think its i hope its okay to say that when you see Ashli Babbitt and you learn about her background. And you there is you have to have some sympathy for some of the people and what got them to that point. They were lied to. Lied to. Yeah. They are being lied to now about vaccines, about the election, about so many things. And until leaders truly Stand Up and put country over politics, our we are in a very dangerous situation. I just want to note, amanda, the house select committee investigating the insurrection has now sent letters to 15 Social Media companies requesting data on the rioters and and regarding how Election Misinformation Spread on those platforms. What do you think they are hoping to find . I am hope i think they are going to provide a narrative of how that Riot Rally was planned and executed and communicated. I mean, the entire thing was pretty much planned online and uploaded to the internet. I mean, this is a publiclysourced investigation that we can have. And it would be remised not to look at the role that Social Media Networks played and um how they continue to turn a blind eye to their role in this crisis. And yeah, we should point out, ryan, that that i mean they have asked for a lot of information from from trump and from others. And yes, they have Subpoena Power but its going to end up in court. Its going to take years before theres resolution. And i would not be surprised if Attorney General garland actually, ultimately sided with the with the Trump Team on some of the information because yeah, because of the precedent of Executive Privilege. Forgive me if im wrong but i think some in the administration have already signalled that they are going to cooperate with with some of those requests. But trump has already put out a statement, you know, saying that his the Executive Privilege applies here. For the tech companies, i dont think it will be particularly difficult for it will be they should respond to those subpoenas. I dont know what their arguments are are going to be. Youre right. The court is going to tie up in the courts for a while. Thanks, everyone. Have a great week. Appreciate it. This afternoon, the republicanled fight to overhaul Voting Laws in texas took a key step towards its seemingly ineave tabl conclusion. Despite democratic lawmakers flying to washington, d. C. To get out of town. Despite the need for two Special Sessions, the Texas House finally passed a bill that contains significant, new restrictions on voting compared to what Voting Rules were in 2020. Cnn hes Ed Lavandera has been watching the battle. First, ed, tell us whats in this new bill that got through the House Today . Well, jake, as you mention, texas democrats have been spending the summer trying to block the passage of this bill they describe as one of the most restrictive Voting Bills in the country. Some of the things that it includes would be a ban on drivethru Early Voting, Stricts Ea restricts Early Voting hours. And a lot of this, really aimed at the Harris CountyHouston Area and many of the big cities here in the State Of Texas. That are led by mostly democrats now at this point. But texas democrats staged two different walkouts from the legislative process this summer to try to block the passage and prevent the required number of lawmakers on the floor to conduct business. But in The End, that wasnt enough. Republicans say this is about protecting the integrity of the Election Process here in this state. But democrats are saying with the way this State Of Texas is and the demographics are quickly changing. That republicans will come to regret making these changes and this vote. If you think that youre winning today by the things that you have put in this bill, let me give you a prophetic statement. You will reap what you sow. And you know what . It wont be years or decades from now. It will be sooner than you think. Reporter what will happen sooner is that this bill will be signed in the coming days by the governor of texas, greg abbott. It heads over to the Senate Side and then it will be sent to the governors desk. In the meantime, democrats here in texas are continuing to urge federal democrats and Congress Mall democrats to pass a federal voting Rights Bill that they vote would help protect them from some of the measures taken in this Texas Version of the bill. Not only here in texas, jake, but as you well know in several other republicanled states across the country where similar bills have also been passed in recent months. Jake . So, ed, beyond getting the word out and bringing attention to this issue, did the texas democrats accomplish anything by running away to washington, d. C. . You know, theyre going to try to put the best possible spin on it at this point saying you see like Beto Orourke saying today they did a great job of Raising Awareness across the country, of the measures by republicans in texas. But in The End, they walked out toward The End of the legislative session in may. They forced the governor of texas to call two different Special Sessions to get this bill passed. You know, the immediate impact is that this is not going to stop the inevitable signing of this bill here in the State Of Texas. Now, what they continue to do here in the months ahead and what this and how this will play out in the Election Process next year, perhaps there will be fights in court over this and obviously depends on what congressional democrats do, but democrats are touting that they have raised awareness of whats in this bill and they hope that politically that will garner them a lot of support in the future. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. We have some Breaking News for you. Internationally, the California Parole Board has granted parole to surhan surhan convicted of assassinating robert kennedy. Prosecutors did not oppose his release. The Boards Decision could still be reversed by Gavin Newsom who will review the case. Sirhan is 74 years old. The palestinianamerican was said to be outraged by kennedys support for Weapon Sales to israel. Natasha joins me from Los Angeles. Surprisingly, two of kennedys surviving sons were supportive of sirhans parole. Douglas kennedy was actually present for this hearing. I can read you a little of what he said. He said, i do wish him well in life and i really do believe any prisoner who is found to be not a threat to themselves or the world should be released. R. K. Jr. Also submitted a letter showing his support of his release saying that, while nobody can speak definitively on behalf of my father, i firmly believe that he would strongly encourage this board to release mr. Sirhan because of sirhans impressive word of rehabilitation. We did speak with the Los Angeles county Prosecutors Office Yesterday about this new directive of theirs since the da was elected to office, this districtive of not appearing at Parole Board hearings. The hope there to allow the board to make an objective decision based on how the inmate has behaved since the crime. Of course, as you mentioned, sirhan has been in prison now for more than half a century. So this decision, as you mentioned, will now be under review, and Governor Newsom does have the opportunity to reverse it if he chooses to do so. Appreciate it. Also mandatory evacuations underway across the Gulf Coast as we brace for hurricane ida. Ida is set to make Land Fall sunday as a category four storm, exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina devastated new orleans. Alison joins me from the cnn weather center. What areas are most at risk . Right. So it is really going to be the areas right along the coastline, but you can see Areas Inland in ohio that could end up having impacts from this storm. Lets take a look. Sustained winds of 80 miles an hour moving to the northwest at just about 15 miles an hour. We have the Hurricane Watches and warnings. Thats the red and pink color you see here in anticipation of this making Land Fall as a hurricane. Not just a regular hurricane but a major hurricane because we anticipate it will continue to strengthen, especially once it gets over the warm waters of the gulf of mexico. Unfortunately, it is also expected to make Land Fall as a category four storm before finally beginning to move inland. We talked about the very warm waters of the gulf of mexico. That will play a key role as how much this storm strengthens over the next few days. You see the pink color, 10 to 15 feet. But even the surrounding areas, 7 to 11 feet on the easter side. So that will be a major impact. Widespread Power Outrages likely because of how strong the winds are expected to be. Even some Areas Inland could have 60 miles an Hour Wind gusts. Plenty strong enough to bring trees and Power Lines down. Rain, this is going to be the most widespread problem because look at how far inland it comes. Nashville, memphis, as far south as ohio could pick up several inches. How devastating do you predict this hurricane will be . Could it be another hurricane like katrina . So it made Land Fall as a cat 3. This is forecast as a cat 4. So the potential there to have much stronger winds than katrina is a likelyhood. The other thing to watch is the speed. The slower the storm makes Land Fall, the more time it has to dump rain, so that will be a key thing to keep an eye on in the coming days. Alison, Thank You so much. Also breaking today, the u. S. Intelligence community reached an inconclusive assessment about the origins of the coronavirus after a 90day Investigation ordered by President Biden. Alex joins us now. Alex, did this assessment give us any more clues as to where this virus originated, if not 100 so. Reporter no, jake, not really. No. This is a short summary, barely two pages. A summary of the key findings of this 90day Investigation. Not only did they not say what the origin of the virus is, they didnt even give an indication of which way they are leaning as an Intelligence Community. This report was highly anticipated because of Course Everyone wants to know the answer to that question. But, jake, there was no real expectation that there would be any sort of Smoking Gun and there isnt. What they say is the Intelligence Agencies and there are 18 of them in this country are united around the fact that there are two plausible scenarios. The famous Lab Leak Theory that its caped from a lab in wuhan or that the virus jumped from an animal to a human in nature. What might be most interesting about the summary that they put out today was they show how divided the agencies are. Only with a low level of confidence. Then they say there is one other agency that assesses with a moderate level of confidence that its caped from the lab. There are plenty of others, three they say, that say they dont have enough data to make an assessment. The Intelligence Community does not believe this was a bio weapon, that most agencies do not believe that this was genetically modified. They call on china. They say they dont be able to get to the bottom of this because china has not played ball and, so, there is a possibility, jake, that we never actually find out the origin of this virus. Are there plans for the Intelligence Community to try to continue investigating until an origin is confirmed . I mean, it is not as though we dont have spies in China And Vice versa. Right. So they will not stop looking for this question. This formal investigation is over. They put an immense amount of effort into it. This was an effort in transparency. But when you talk to people familiar with the intelligence, if china is not more cooperative, they really will not get to the bottom of this question, jake. All right. You dont have to be the Intelligence Agency to know china will not be cooperative. Join me for a special Twohour Edition of State Of The Union sunday. We will have an interview with Mitt Romney, as well as the first joint interview with Peter Myer and Seth Moulton following their trip to afghanistan. In addition, we will have democratic senator Chris Murphy and much, much more. Until then, follow me on facebook, instagram, twitter and the tiktok. You can tweet the show. Our coverage continues right now with one mr. Wolf blitzer right next door in the situation room. Welcome to our viewers here in the united states and Around The World. Im Wolf Blitzer in the situation room. Tonight President Biden is vowing the united states will complete its mission in afghanistan despite urgent warnings that another deadly Terror Attack may be imminent. A Terror Attack is likely as the operation enters what they are calling the most dangerous period just ahead of the u. S. Withdrawal deadline this coming tuesday. This as the Death Toll is