Or thank you all for your service, because so many of these afghans, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, have worked closely, have fought alongside and have died alongside American Military Service Men And Women over the past 20 years. And so i do think you will likely get some kind of response from afghanistan as the news of that speech trickles out, jake. So, dana bash, President Biden 13 days ago said that they would get every american out by August 31st and would stay longer if every american wasnt out. Obviously events overtook them. There was a Terrorist Attack, and the president said that it was the unanimous advice of his military and civilian advisers to withdraw August 31st. He said in addition in his speech just now that 90 of the americans who wanted to get out would get out and the administration was still going to work on getting them out, just not through military means. How do you think politically the american people are going to respond to that . It depends on how quickly he finds success with that promise. He said something to the effect of the deadline, the August 31st deadline was not for getting those remaining americans out. There was one hint in their diplomatic strategy, a very strong hint, that is, he said we america has leverage over the taliban, what he seemed to be referring to and certainly what i have heard from democratic sources on Capitol Hill is that what theyre relying on is the fact that the u. S. Sees the assets of afghanistan that are obviously now at some point going to be controlled by the taliban. The question is whether or not that is really leverage, and that is, again, these are some biden allies im talking to, they dont know whether or not just the money. Its a lot of money, but even that is enough leverage to get the taliban to actually make good on their promises that they are going to let some of those, all of those americans get through. And one thing i just want to add quickly to what clarissa said about the way that this is going to be perceived by afghans. What i heard from the president was maybe certainly not compassion what she said that people in afghanistan are expecting, its Frustration And Anger that all of the resources and the years and years of Training And Money and human cost didnt add up to the afghan army standing up, that they just melted away. And that is the message really the one that got through the most, the only one when it came to the people of afghanistan. Ambassador loot is with me in studio. And retired general loot, let me ask you, first of all, a big question, a bigpicture question. I know you dont like the term, but you were bushes, afghanistan War Czar and then obamas afghanistan War Czar on afghanistan. Ultimately, you think that President Biden made the right decision in ending the u. S. Involvement in this engagement. Jake, i agree with the president s decision. I think he actually outlined the two cornerstones of his decision in his remarks just now. First of all, the laserlike focus on Al Qaeda, which is the cause that took us there in 2001 and the weeks just after 9 11. He outlined the effects weve had against Al Qaeda, especially the Al Qaeda that could reach us in the intervening 20 years. And the conditions in afghanistan, the underlying conditions in afghanistan that made so difficult and, at The End, impossible this notion of state building. So i think hes been clear and consistent for at least a decade on this count that these are the two substantive cornerstones to his argument. And what about the criticism that hes gotten for the way that the actual end of the war was conducted, the withdrawal and, you know, there are criticisms that he shouldve started withdrawing the afghan allies, the siv recipients earlier. The president obviously feeling a bit defensive today, talked about how the american citizens in afghanistan had been mourned 19 times. I dont know if its fair to say he was pointing fingers of blame, but he certainly was suggesting, hey, we didnt just pull out, we tried to tell people to leave. Do you accept any of the criticisms of how this was done, or do you agree with President Bidens Essential Argument that this was going to be ugly and messy No Matter how we did it . Withdrawals are always difficult. There is some substance to that argument. But i think we have to look back beyond the past couple weeks, as weve been fixated, as we should be, in and around the kabul airport. Look, the Siv Program, to bring afghans who have worked alongside of us to safety and give them a new fresh start in america has been on the books for years and has underperformed under both democratic and republican administrations. In fact, the numbers since the Trump Agreement in February 2020 Last year, the numbers of the Siv Program were at a record low. So, there are months and months when we could have been deliberately, responsibly beginning to evacuate some of these vulnerable afghans. So we should look beyond the last couple weeks and think back about the last several years. Cnns Phil Mattingly is live for us at the White House. He was just in the room during President Bidens speech. Phil, President Biden, once again, characterizing this as ending a forever war, and also saying he wasnt going to have a forever withdrawal. He also seemed defiant even perhaps a little angry. What did you make of his Tone And Tenor of the words that he used . Is the White House making a calculation that a forceful argument from President Biden might resonate with the american people . The short answer is yes. One official told me that that was intentional. And it was striking. When you were sitting in the room he was forceful throughout, he was defiant in parts making very clear that despite the barrage of criticism he and his administration have faced over the course of the last 16 or 17 days, he believes the Operation Writ Large was, as he said, an extraordinary success. Theres numbers to back up that element of things and that anything that looked chaotic or damaging or bloody was the result of things that were out of their control, to some extent. Once again, citing the collapse of the afghan security forces, citing President Trump, his Predecessors Agreement with the taliban, citing a number of different issues, not really acknowledging any fault with the exception of believing that the afghan National Security forces would be able to hang on for a longer period of time. I think when you really take that speech at its core, the main component of it was to get back to how hes formulated his National Security policy, formulated his posture when it comes to Foreign Policy since the campaign and even, jake, as you would know quite well since long before the campaign for president. That is his view of the u. S. Role in the world and what it should be and what it shouldnt be. And without any doubt at all, he has long held the view that it shouldnt be engaged in wars like have taken place over the course of the last two decades. And i think White House officials are keenly aware that that is something that is agreed upon by a majority of americans. Theres no question about it. Both candidates in the 2020 president ial Election Race held that position of withdrawing from afghanistan. And i think that more than Anything Else was the message that the president wanted to get out through this speech, kind of get past everybodys Micro Focus on the last 16 days and focus bigger picture on what getting america out of afghanistan for the first time in 20 years means more broadly for u. S. Foreign policy, for u. S. National security posture, for u. S. Military forces in particular. I think the reality remains that while the administration has been clear that they are going to take a diplomatic track and have perceived commitments from the taliban related to the 100 plus americans that are still on the ground, related to the hundreds if not thousands of afghan allies including siv applicants, eligible individuals. While they are going to continue to pursue that, those individuals are still on the ground, and there are still a lot of questions about what the process will be to get them out. And there were also the pledges that the president made before now. Those pledges were that every american who wanted to get out would be able to get out and if not he would extend the deadline that afghan siv applicants, afghans who helped American Personnel would be able to get out. That obviously did not come to pass. The president explained and made very clear that their understanding, their kind of idea of facts on the ground was anything beyond August 31st, the taliban would make things extraordinarily difficult. But the bottom line here when you look at the operation itself over the course of the last 16 days, jake, is the taliban was running security for u. S. Forces, the taliban was essentially allowing who could and could not get into the kabul airport. And the taliban more or less implicitly dictated when the united states left afghanistan. On that, President Biden is pleased and believes that withdrawal was exactly what he campaigned on and what the american public wanted. How it pertains to the last 16 or 17 days though i think is still very much an open question. Phil mattingly at the White House. And we should tell you that white House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is going to begin briefing in a second. And when she does were going to take at least the top of the remarks. But before psaki begins we are in a period where people are taking a look back at the 20 years. And Craig Whitlock from the Washington Post got reports on this. And you have a very potent quote in that. You told the Inspector General for afghanistan in 2015, quote, we were devoid of a fundamental understanding of afghanistan. We didnt know what we were doing. What are we trying to do here . We didnt have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking. If the american people knew the magnitude of this dysfunction 2,400 lives lost. You called it a fundamental lack of knowledge that the u. S. Had about afghanistan. Did the u. S. Ever really come to understand afghanistan . Well, first of all, afghanistan is an enormously complex, and for americans, an enormously foreign place. There may not be a more complex and foreign place on the face of the earth than afghanistan. So when we went in, in the immediate aftermath of 9 11, we went in with a sense of urgency because we werent sure that the attacks on 9 11 were the last attacks. In fact, there was some intelligence suggesting that there was more to come. So we rushed in and we accomplished our immediate goal, which was to displace the taliban, to cause Al Qaeda to flee mostly into pakistan. And then we were left with the rest of the problem in afghanistan. And my comments to the Inspector General reflected that in my experience at the Tenyear Mark of personally working on this problem. So 2011 . Well, for me a few years after that. But when i had accumulated ten years, i was still learning things that were fundamental to the underlying conditions in afghanistan. I was learning things about the demographics, about the geography, about the neighborhood, about the political culture in afghanistan. Things that shouldve been instrumental in forming policy. And so i learned myself much over that tenyear period, and yet many of our decisionmakers to include many of our senior military officers, our diplomats and so forth, didnt have ten years of steady attention, steady focus on this problem. So, theres another famous quote, not mine, that we werent there for 20 years, we were there for one year for 20 years. 20 oneyear wars. Our fundamental understanding of afghanistan was often at the 101 college level, and we needed masters degrees. Kaitlan collins, while were waiting for Jen Psaki to come out, President Biden has been putting part of the blame for the withdrawal on President Trump and the deal that the Trump Administration cut with the taliban for withdrawal May 1st. What did you make of that . And i guess a different question i have is even if one criticizes the deal that trump cut with the taliban, is biden really that upset about bringing an end to the war . That was one thing that both Biden And Trump seemed to agree on in 2020 is ending the war. And i think that is exactly right. That was part of that speech is this is frustration built up that President Biden has because he has been arguing for years that this war should come to an end, that the u. S. Involvement in afghanistan should stop. This is a longheld belief he has had long before he was running for president since he was Vice President , an argument he tried to make while he was Vice President that of course was unsuccessful at the time. And so i think that is a major underlying factor in this decision. I think the decision that former President Trump struck with the taliban is part of it, but i think that is an even bigger aspect of the decisionmaking that happened here. And certainly he said that essentially he felt like he had to make a decision when it came to him taking office and facing that May 1 deadline. He did tell Abc News recently though that he would have found a way to pull out troops regardless because he believed that was the right thing to do and that the u. S. Involvement there had long overstayed its welcome and was time to come to an end. And that is a philosophy hes tried to explain to us multiple times and tried to break through as theyve talked about the criticism. Thats different than asking questions about how this withdrawal was executed. But the fact behind the withdrawal is something he has believed in for quite some time. And an argument that he has long advocated for, at times, unsuccessfully. But now he is commander in chief and now it is his decision to make. President biden says he takes responsibility for the decision to withdraw. How does that play with other leaders in the region . Here comes Jen Psaki, clarissa, im sorry. Lets listen in. I just wanted to provide you all an update on our ongoing efforts on Hurricane Ida. The president and his Homeland Security Team are closely monitoring the impacts of Hurricane Ida as Damage Assessments continue. He has made clear that the state, tribal, and local officials who have request for anything have our full support, and we of course are in close contact. Today the Fema Administrator and the american red Cross Director in louisiana to meet with the Governor And Survey the damage from Hurricane Ida. Administrator chriswell will travel to Mississippi Tomorrow to meet with state officials. And as ida continues to move to the northeast, we expect Heavy Rain to continue. Theres Lifethreatening Flash Flooding that remains a threat in west virginia, pennsylvania, d. C. , and elsewhere. In the Gulf Coast Search and rescue efforts are underway. 12 urban Search And Rescue teams are currently operational in louisiana to support state and local efforts. The Coast Guard has been doing overhead flights including in Grand Isle to search for anyone in need of assistance. So far urban Search And Rescue teams have assisted over hundreds of survivors, and their work continues. Were also in regular contact which is a huge priority for people in the region with private Electricity Companies to ensure they have the resources they need as they work to Restore Power in Louisiana And Mississippi where more than 1. 1 Million customers remain without electricity. Weve seen some people in mississippi get electricity back, and were hopeful well see continued improvements. There are more than 25,000 linemen from 32 states in d. C. In the Region Racing to Restore Power. And fema has staged nearly 250 generators in the region to support impacted areas. Were going to get more generators to the area to get more power to the Emergency Services that need it the most. We also want to make sure that individuals in the impacted areas of louisiana know they can apply for federal assistance. We would encourage anyone in need of assistance to visit disasterassistance. Gov or call 1800621fema. As of this morning 48 shelters are open in affected areas throughout the Gulf Coast. Fema has staged more than 4. 4 Million meals, more than 124,000 tarps in the region. And additional Ambulance Crews have been transported to Louisiana And Mississippi. The Department Of Transportation also issued Emergency Regional Declaration for alabama, arkansas, louisiana, mississippi, tennessee, and texas providing flexibility for transporting fuel as well as Essential Items like food, water, and Power Restoration Equipment to support Emergency Relief efforts. And today we have two additional actions to announce to increase the availability of Gasoline And Ease price suppressors. First the department will extend and amend an Emergency Declaration that offers temporary flexibility to how many hours a Truck Driver can drive. This applies nationally to goods that support the Covid19 Response and will now include gasoline and other types of fuel, building materials, medical supplies, and food. Because the hurricane is hitting a region that is a key center of the Nations Oil Production and refining infrastructure, this waiver should help reduce the risk of Gasoline Shortages or price increases stemming from the hurricane. This waiver is accompanied by additional safetyrelated Reporting Requirements to monitor driver working hours. Epa has approved Emergency Fuel waivers for Louisiana And Mississippi effective immediately, which will expand the supply of gasoline that can be sold in these two states and Increase Availability at this critical time. We are continuing to assess and will continue to provide you all updates. Why dont you kick it off, josh . Good to see you. Two subjects, first on afghanistan. The president said that any additional evacuations will go through diplomatic channels and that the united states has a leverage over the taliban. Can you tell us what those channels look like and what kind of leverage the united states has . Absolutely. Well, first i would say i would point you to the remarks that the Secretary Of State provided Last Night, but let me give you some highlights of that. We have enormous leverage over the taliban including access to the global marketplace. Thats not a small piece of leverage. And in order to gain access to the global marketplace, were going to be watching closely, as will the global community. I would note that yesterday the u. N. Security council also signed a passed a resolution that made clear to what the expectation is in terms of safe Travel And Evacuation or departure of individuals who want to leave afghanistan. And nearly half of the countries in the world have also signed on to a Statement Making clear that is the expectation. Thats the diplomatic side. And the other diplomatic components that our Secretary Of State will be focused on include establishing presence in doha, which is already underway, which is a place where we will be able to operate from diplomatically. So we can have access with consular officers and diplomats who can engage with american citizens or others, our afghan partners who want to depart. Were working to set that up now. The other piece is engagement with the taliban, which will continue through our ongoing channels that we have with the taliban on the diplomatic front. The other piece of this, which is very important is operational, which is opening the airport and regional airports and also ensuring that there is Overland Travel that is possible, which means being able to leave across borders. And the president touched on this in his statement. On the Airport Front the more specific piece were working on with the qataris and the turks who are important partners here is getting the civilian side of the airport up and operational again so that we can use that not just for flights for people to depart but also for humanitarian assistance, which we will work through programs like the World Food Program and others to distribute. So, there are a number of channels. This is a priority the Secretary Of State will be leading. They will continue to provide updates, and were hoping to make progress in the coming days. Secondly on the economy, you were asked the other day about the expiration of the extended unemployment benefits. We know the black unemployment in this country is above 8 . Its above 7 in new york, nevada, illinois, california. With the expiration, how do you ensure that people in those places still get the support they need . Youre right. And, josh, its vitally important to look at the fact that there are different circumstances in different states. If we just take a step back and look at the national landscape on these benefits, in about half of all states, 24 governors have already made the decision to eliminate Pandemic Unemployment benefits. Thats a choice they have made. And the remaining 26 States Unemployment levels vary pretty widely from 3 to 7 . And half of these remaining states have Unemployment Rates that are already less than 5 . So, there are differing needs in different states, and governors are making different decisions. What were trying to do and what we announced about two weeks ago but obviously there was a lot of news going on, is our effort to put new tools in place to help states that choose to further extend Pandemic Unemployment benefits because of those needs, because there are states like those you have mentioned or because they have higher rates of unemployment among africanamericans or other groups that need additional assistance. A letter was sent underscoring and affirming that states can use their allocations of the 350 Billion of state and local Relief Funds included in the american rescue plan. That is funding that can be used. The Department Of Labor has also made 90 Million in career grants available to support comprehensive reemployment services for all americans and 146 Million in reemployment services and eligibility assessments. And the Department Of Labor also sent a letter just last week to states with information that had a leveraging existing Ui System to deliver support to unemployed workers. We have been engaged now with about 30 states and counting to talk about their specific needs and how programs that are available can be eligible to people in their states. First on ida. Thank you for that information. What he does not want to do is interrupt Rescue And Recovery efforts, which as many of you may or may not know who have covered hurricanes before, people leaving their homes and going to evacuation centers, that can increase in the days ahead. It isnt just always in the day after. And certainly there are ongoing efforts on the ground. Hes open to that. I dont have anything to announce at this point in time. Obviously the president of the united states going to a region takes a lot of resources. On afghanistan, is there any sense of if and how many americans mightve left today . Is there even a way to track that from the u. S. Government at this point . We remain in touch through a range of means of communication, email, text, whatsapp. Thats something that we could certainly do from here but also having a presence in doha and diplomats in the region will enable that to happen locally or close by as well. I dont have an update for you on the numbers. But Thats Something the State Department would have the best assessment of. We have asked that was white House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. I want to bring in President Bidens National Security adviser Jake Sullivan who joins us now for an interview. Jake, thanks for joining us. So President Biden, i think its fair to say he took something of a defiant tone in his address to the american people this afternoon. Why is that . Is the criticism he feels unfair . What exactly is going through his mind . You know, jake, i see it a little differently. Obviously everyones going to, you know, make their own interpretation. I dont think defiant is the right word. I think he was speaking with absolute Passion And Conviction about his decision to end the war. And its a decision that operated out of his gut, his heart, and his head. And he wanted to communicate to the american people why he did it. And he wanted to do so with the sense of deep emphasis and to walk through it painstakingly so that people really understood the rationale for his decision. And i think he summed it up in The End when he said the argument for staying in afghanistan is being made by people sitting quite comfortably and saying we can do this in a Lowgrade Or Lowcost or lowrisk way. And he felt very strongly that he wanted to communicate to the american people that there is nothing Lowgrade Or Lowcost or lowrisk about war. And certainly not about this 20year War In Afghanistan that has caused so much death, wounded so many people, and left so many people with invisible injuries and so many families suffering. So, thats what he wanted to communicate today. I think it was a speech that really reflected joe bidens heart, and a speech that he feels was the ultimate delivery on a commitment he made to the american people to end this war. We had former Bush And Obama War Czar Doug Lute on before. And he was talking about how this is a position that then Vice President , now President Biden has had for more than a decade wanting to end the u. S. Involvement in the War In Afghanistan. The war is over, but of Course Involvement with afghanistans not over because as President Biden just acknowledged, there are up to 200 american citizens who want to leave afghanistan and didnt make it out before the deadline. Ive been told some u. S. Citizens who showed up to the airport before the deadline were left standing outside the gates. They were unable to get in. How are you going to get those americans out . And what was the reason that some citizens could not get in . Was it entirely because of Terrorist Threats to Hamid Karzai International Airport . Well, jake, i think its really important to answer your question. To start with the fact that we gave 19 messages starting in March To Americans to leave the country. We offered them financial assistance to leave the country. And then for more than two weeks we gave them specific instructions for how to come. 97 of the people we communicated with got to the airport and got out on planes. Theres a variety of reasons for why those remaining folks didnt. Some changed their mind at the last minute. Some wanted to bring very large extended family who were not americans who couldnt get through checkpoints. Some may have shown up at the airport, although i have to tell you im not familiar, and general mckenzie said he was not familiar with anyone being turned away at the gate last minute. But the fact is that we went out of our way for two full weeks to create the circumstances for any american who wanted to get to the airport and get on a plane to do so. And the question the president ultimately faced was how long do i keep u. S. Marines in Harms Way with threats escalating hour by hour . How many more days do i do that . He ultimately decided it was right to end it and to shift to a diplomatic mission. And we have plenty of leverage with the taliban to help effectuate the Safe Passage of any further americans who want to leave afghanistan. How are you going to get the americans and u. S. Legal permanent residents, how are you going to get them out . There are two primary ways that obviously people can leave afghanistan. One would be by air and were working closely with other countries to get charter air flights going in the short term, and then to get american citizens who want to leave the country or legal permanent residents onto those flights and out. The second is by ground. We are working with neighboring countries to be able to accept american citizens or legal permanent residents traveling by ground across borders to get them processed and then get them safely out of the country. We will work through any american whos still in the country just as we did for the last two weeks. Well call them, well email them, well whatsapp them. They can talk to us about how to create a plan and execute on that plan. Well do it person by person, Case By case, by air or by Ground Anyone who wants to leave the country we will make that happen. What about special Immigrant Visa Applicants . Same way. What we have gotten from the taliban is a commitment both private and public that any afghan who has valid Travel Documentation including a visa, a special Immigrant Visa, or other form of visa from the united states shall be allowed Safe Passage. We have u. N. Security Council Resolution reaffirming that. And we have signed A Hundred countries up to work together to hold the taliban to their commitments. We also have considerable leverage to hold the taliban to their commitment. So that applies to the afghan special Immigrant Visa holders who stood with us. We intend to work to ensure that they too can get on planes to come to the united states. Jen psaki, the white House Press Secretary just referred to access to world markets. I dont take that very seriously as leverage. Afghanistan doesnt export anything at this point other than opium. Is there other forms of leverage that youre talking about . I think jen was using a general phrase around economic leverage because, jake, were not going to negotiate on tv with respect to the forms of economic leverage we have over the taliban. Well deal with them directly, and they well understand the extent to which the united states plays a central role in the fundamental functioning of any basic so you mean like access to the World Food Program, relief of sanctions against the taliban . Not the World Food Program. Were not going to hold Food Hostage from the people of afghanistan. In fact, we will support humanitarian assistance going directly to individuals in afghanistan. But when were talking about afghan reserves, afghan access to the banking system, afghan access to any kind of fundamental operation of the economy, think about the fact that the united states has basically been the steward of this for the last 20 years. That doesnt change overnight, and the taliban well understand that. So they understand the extent to which their ability to deliver anything for their citizens in the way of a Functioning Economy rests on the international community, it rests on the united states. Now, im not going to stand up here and make specific threats. I would rather deal with the taliban in a direct and decisive way privately. And we believe they fully understand the extent to which should they choose to go back on their commitments with respect to Safe Passage or their Counterterrorism Commitments or others, there will be a significant price to pay, and it is in their selfinterest not to do that. Jake, about 13 days ago i believe President Biden told Abc News that the u. S. Military would stay in afghanistan past the August 31st date if american citizens who wanted to get out remained in country by the deadline. Now, i understand between that pledge and August 31st there was a horrific Terrorist Attack that killed 13 american service members, wounded at least 20, and killed scores of innocent afghans. Is that what changed his mind and caused him to go back on that pledge . I think there were two major factors in the president s decision to leave on the 31st. And, by the way, that was a decision that was backed up unanimously by every one of his civilian and military advisers including the commanders on the ground, including his entire Military Leadership and his Secretary Of State. Everyone stood behind that decision because they believed not only was there going to be increasing risk to force, which is to say the likelihood that more American Marines could die the longer that we stayed. But there was increasing risk to mission as well because the united States Presence at that airfield was creating a greater magnet for terrorism, Instability And Violence than us transitioning from a military to a diplomatic mission. He ultimately made the judgment that we were more likely to get more americans out of that country and more afghan allies out of that country by leaving than by staying on an openended basis. That was a judgment he made as the dynamic situation evolved over the course of the 13 days from the Abc Interview to the 31st and its a judgment that he very much stands behind. I just have one last question for you. A local Journalist North of kabul tells cnn that the taliban dragged an afghan Folk Singer from his home and killed him. Weve heard many stories like this in the last few weeks. There was an afghan comedian. We are told about abuses of afghan women and girls, other individuals who worked with the american people. What happens to these people . Is the response of the biden administration basically just thoughts and prayers . Jake, the president spoke to this in his speech today. He said that the united states is going to stand up in a variety of ways including with our economic tools, our diplomacy rallying the rest of the world to fight for Human Rights In Afghanistan on behalf of women and girls, on behalf of the people of that country who deserve to live in Peace And Dignity and security. But, no, hes not prepared to have the United States Military fight a third decade in a Civil War to do that just as hes not prepared to send the u. S. Military in to solve for Human Rights Abuses of a similar kind to the ones you just described in many other countries around the world. But its not just thoughts and prayers. We have plenty of tools to be able to fight on behalf of Human Rights and Human Dignity in afghanistan just as we do in other places. The president said today he is determined to do that, and hes a man of his word. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, thank you so much. We appreciate you coming on and taking our questions. 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The Department Of Energy says the outages could delay getting nine refineries back online. Cnns rya cnns Ryan Todd is live for us in the New Orleans area. Have you seen any sort of urgency in the effort to get some of the critical services and infrastructure back up and running . Reporter well, jake, the Cell Phone companies, the Power Companies are saying that theyre approaching this with urgency. But theyre just not giving timetables as to when some of these services are going to be restored. So thats a big level of concern here. Going to give you a visual now of the level of concern regarding just getting the basics. And in some cases the level of desperation. Food and water, people all over this neighborhood of algiers worried about where they can get their Food And Water. This line was much longer earlier. This coming today as officials continue to warn residents about the dangers in their neighborhoods two days after the storm hit. Please dont come home before they tell you that its time. Reporter millions of residents along the Gulf Coast who survived Idas Wrath now facing new threats. More than A Million people are still without power. Officials warning that could last as long as a month for some customers. Im not satisfied with 30 days. Nobody whos out there needing power is satisfied with that. Reporter this as Heat Advisories are in effect for the entire region where ida made landfall. The Heat Indexes will be 100 degrees for the next two weeks. Now is really the most dangerous time over the next week, couple of weeks. So were haasking people to be patient and careful. Reporter limited drinking water, a lack of cell service, shuttered grocery stores. Were going to dig our way out of it, but people shouldnt underestimate how long this is going to take. Reporter residents are on edge. The biggest failure is this colossal failure of energy and corporation. They are the only game in town, nine parishes or counties without power, nine, really . Reporter the Entergy Corporation has given no specific timetable, saying its still working to assess the damage and that residents should be prepared for the recovery to take some time. This line at a Food And Water Distribution Center in algiers snakes around several blocks. The food issue, the water issue, i dont think that they have these things out quick enough. Reporter this family lives in a house where the Roof And Ceiling were damaged by ida. When it rained Last Night there was water all over. Reporter just getting basic supplies is a huge concern. Whats your biggest worry right now . Running out of food and beverages. And i have a son with a heart condition. Thats my biggest concern is him. Reporter she is concerned that the oppressive heat that set in following Hurricane Ida will make her Sons Condition deteriorate even more. How worried are you as the days go by with no power . Its going to get rough. No electricity, people dont know whats their next move. Its probably going to get rough. Reporter theres a real concern about people doing some looting or other things like that as they get more desperate for Food And Water the longer these Power Outages go on. We did have some word just in that two employees in alabama who are working to Restore Power in that state were killed in some kind of an accident there. Just giving you a sense of some of the danger that people are involved in here. One other thing about that womans son. She is worried about his medication running out. Shes contacted an Ambulance Service down the street who says they may be able to come and help her out if hes in desperate straits. But this is the thing that people are having to figure out on their own. Theyre not getting a lot of personal help from local authorities. The Power Situation is obviously impacting the Nations Fuel supplies since a great deal of it comes from that region. Whats the latest news when it comes to the refineries . Reporter right, jake. Were getting word that most of the oil and natural Gas Production is still down. Its still off line. They got 90 of the Oil Production off line still, off the coast of louisiana, more than 90 of the natural Gas Production is off line. 278 Production Platforms remain evacuated. Nine Oil Rigs remain evacuated. That is a huge concern. Weve been seeing really, really long lines at Gas Stations, people getting more on edge, more desperate. If these Oil Rigs and other production Platforms Cant get back online, its going to be just more trouble. Brian todd in the New Orleans area, thank you so much. Coming up, controversial opinions. Cnn sat down with the leading republican contender who might replace californias democratic governor after the recall election. Thats next. Oh no. I thought i just ordered tacos. Nope . Ramen. Burgers. Milk from the store, and. Cookies . 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With Comcast Business you get the network that can deliver Gig Speeds to the most businesses and advanced cybersecurity to protect every device on it all backed by a dedicated team, 24 7. Every day in business is a big day. Well keep you ready for whats next. Comcast business powering possibilities. In our politics lead, were exactly two weeks away from californias recall election, and all eyes are on Larry Elder, the controversial conservative Radio Host and republican frontrunner who is set to replace Governor Gavin Newsom if newsom is recalled. Cnns Joe Johns sat down with Larry Elder to address controversies. And he got a window into how elder might lead. Reporter this is the man who could set off a political earthquake in california. Larry, larry reporter Larry Elder, a 69yearold conservative Talk Show Host turned political candidate has become the republican frontrunner. This man that im going to defeat. Reporter in the race to recall california Governor Gavin Newsom. My agenda is crime, homelessness. My Agenda Reporter that agenda, says elder, includes rolling back the states covid restrictions, vowing to repeal Mask And Vaccine mandates for California State workers. Will you follow the science . Im going to follow the science. Im going to i dont believe the science suggests that young people should be vaccinated. I dont believe science suggests that young people should have to wear masks at school. Im not sure the science alone has said that at all. And young people are not likely to contract the coronavirus. And when they do, their symptoms are likely to be mild and not likely to be hospitalized and theyre certainly not likely to die. Reporter the science says hes wrong on two counts. Millions of children have tested positive for covid19, and masks are proven to prevent the spread of the virus. A california native, elder was raised in south central los angeles, made his way to brown university, and received a Law Degree from michigan. For 27 years, he was the voice of conservative rage on the radio. Blacks exaggerate the significance of racism. Affirmative action is wrong. Reporter some of his most controversial comments over the years were about things like systemic racism and policing. Studies do not show that the police are pulling black people over just because theyre black. It is false. If i had known there would be so many people, i would have prepared something to say. Reporter many of his views are extreme. But at least on two policies elder tells me he would not try to implement them if elected governor. Am i opposed to the Minimum Wage . Yes. Thats not even close to anything on my agenda list. Reporter he suggested in a 2010 column a constitutional amendment to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants. A politically explosive position in a state rich with immigrants. Are you going to do things like deny medical Care And Education to undocumented immigrants in the state . Um, again, not even close to anything on my agenda. Reporter as elders political star rises, his decades of comments on race and women mocking Sexual Assault and saying women know less than men about politics are drawing fresh scrutiny. For instance, elder tweeted that women have no right to Maternity Leave in addition to other sexist comments. I have great deal of respect for women. My mom was a woman. I had her on my show every friday. Only you bring up these kinds of issues. When im on the Campaign Trail and i meet a lot of women, nobody says to me, you know, larry, im concerned about what youre going to do women, just you guys. Reporter i talked to Larry Elder at one of his favorite restaurants here. I asked him if he wanted The Endorsement of former president donald trump. He said he was indifferent and had not asked for it, a source close to trump told me no decision has been made about whether to support Larry Elder. Back to you, jake. All right, Joe Johns, thank you so much. Appreciate it. President biden calls the military evacuations from afghanistan a, quote, extraordinary success. But what about the american citizens still stuck inside the country who want to get out . Stay with us. You dont get much time for yourself. So when you do, make It Count with crest prohealth. It protects the 8 areas dentists check for a healthier mouth. The 1 Toothpaste Brand in america. Crest. 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. One of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. Turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. Unlike regular turmeric supplements qunols Superior Absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. The brand i trust is qunol. Is your family ready for an emergency . You can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home, creating a supply kit, and including your whole family in practice drills. For help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter. Pge. Com a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. A Weeks Worth of Food And Water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first Aid Kit are a good start to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter. Pge. Com welcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. This hour, a rogue gator attack, dangerous heat and no relief in the near future. The misery on the bayou after Hurricane Ida tears through the Gulf Coast. Cancer diagnoses are down, but thats a bad thing. The danger of patients putting off checkups and screenings during the pandemic. But first leading this hour, the last u. S. Service member has left afghanistan, but the final u. S. Citizen who wants to get out has not. President Biden Minutes ago seeming defiant and defending his decision to leave and to do it now despite the u. S. Evacuating more than 123,000 people from afghanistan over the past month. Critics are slamming President Biden for going back on a promise he made that u. S. Troops would stay until every american who wants to leave afghanistan gets out. As Cnns Phil Mattingly reports, the White House is now laying out exactly how it believes americans stuck in afghanistan will be able to escape. My fellow americans, the War In Afghanistan is now over. Reporter President Biden moving to mark an end to the most acute crisis of his administration. I refuse to continue a war that was no longer in the service of the vital national interest of our people. Reporter as the country after two decades, thousands of lives and trillions of dollars seeks to turn the page on americas longest war. I was not going to extend this forever war. And i was not extending a forever exit. Reporter biden delivering on a Campaign Pledge that has long been popular by a company fatigued and in many cases apathetic about the war. But still facing major questions in the wake of the evacuation that got more than 122,000 people out of the country. Yet left more than 100 american citizens who want to leave afghanistan still on the ground. Biden making a point of knowing the support he had across the Administration And Military to leave by the deadline. Leaving August The 31st is not due to an arbitrary