Coincidence inspiring america. This is Nbc Nightly News with lester holt. Good evening the questions of when, where, and how americans get to vote are tonight taking on greater urgency. In some of his strongest language yet, President Biden Today blasting republican efforts to restrict Voting Access as unamerican and a test of our democracy and directly addressing the false claims of rigged voting in the 2020 election the president facing pressure within his party to do more to stop a wave of republicanled State Voting laws that democrats say are aimed at Suppressing Voting by minorities meantime, a move by democratic lawmakers in texas to block passage of new Voting Laws there has republicans calling for their arrest chief white House Correspondent Peter alexander has details. Reporter President Biden Tonight in philadelphia delivering a stark warning that american democracy is on the line, condemning republicanbacked efforts to restrict Voting Access. I will be asking my republican friends in congress and states and cities and counties to stand up, for gods sake, and help prevent this concerted effort to undermine our election and the sacred right to vote. Have you no shame . Reporter in his most passionate remarks yet, denouncing former president trumps false claims he won. The 2020 election was the most scrutinized election ever in american history. The Big Lie is just that, a Big Lie. Reporter it comes just hours after texas republicans called for the arrest of at least 51 democratic State Legislators who fled the state for washington On Chartered private jets to deny republicans the quorum they need to pass new voting bills. Im not going to be a hostage. That my voter my constituents rights will be stripped from them. Reporter the lawmakers casting their effort as part of a generational fight. We will overcome reporter among the provisions the texas bills would add new voter i. D. Requirements for mailin ballots and end some early options like Drivethrough Voting and voting during overnight hours. Republicans slamming texas democrats, arguing the bills do not suppress the vote but secure it. Theyre doing this in a fit because they dont want mailin ballots to be verified they dont want the signatures to be verified they dont want basic integrity steps to be strengthened in the state of texas. Reporter the states republican governor calling the democrats move a stunt. Isnt that the most untexan thing you have ever heard . Texans running from a fight . Theyre Quitters Reporter late Tonight Vice President harris praising the texas legislators for putting a spotlight on the issue. And so im here to thank you. Reporter still, democrats do not have the votes to stop the republicanbacked bills in texas, nor to pass their Voting Rights Bills in the senate we, the people, will never give up but, peter, Senate Democrats would likely have to make a very controversial Rule Change in order to pass those bills, correct . Reporter yes, lester, thats right thats the dilemma for democrats. To pass the Voting Rights Bills they need ten republican votes but they have none the alternative here would be to eliminate the filibuster rule, which they could do if every Senate Democrat was on board, but right now at least two democrats oppose it. Lester Peter Alexander at the white house. Thank you. Growing concern this evening about new covid infections the number of daily cases doubling in the last three weeks while about 184 Million are at least partially vaccinated, less than half the population has full protection this comes as Health Officials met with pfizer to discuss whether theres a need for a Booster Shot here is Miguel Almaguer with that. Reporter after a private Zoom Meeting with pfizer monday night, today the Cdc And Fda say theres still not enough evidence americans need a booster the nation, struggling to get 98 Million americans their first shot, much less their third. And now theres growing concern over protecting the 28 Million schoolage kids under 12 who are still likely months away from qualifying for a vaccine before heading back to campus if youre not vaccinated, i do prefer that they wear masks. Reporter parents say theyre frustrated by the conflicting messages and lack of planning The Cdc says any student not vaccinated needs a mask at school, but most states have no Uniform Plan to require them of the 25 Million children old enough for vaccination, roughly a third are fully inoculated any outbreaks could lead to closures there doesnt seem to be any planning being done right now, and that were just setting ourselves up for failure, for another chaotic school year. Reporter with nearly 20,000 new covid infections reported in children last week, the State Health Officer in mississippi says ten children there are currently on Life Support because of the delta variant. Clusters of cases at Summer Camp are fueling new worries when School Returns there could be a fall surge. The threat is incredibly real and were already seeing surges in parts of the country where there are high pockets of unvaccinated people. Add to that an Inperson School Attendance of primarily unvaccinated children and you have an opportunity for the surges and hot spots. Reporter as delta forces some hospitals to reopen covid wards, cases are on the rise again in 27 states after outbreaks in rural and mostly unvaccinated communities, a troubling number of infections are now being detected in cities like st. Louis, new york, and los angeles. Tonight, an evolving virus with an emerging threat just as the youngest Unprotected Americans get ready to return to the classroom. Miguel, you said for kids who qualify more than 60 arent vaccinated im thinking through the calendar here. Theres not a lot of time before school youre right, lester it takes about five weeks to become fully vaccinated and thats exactly when children start returning to school so for parents who want to get their children inoculated before the start of the school year, now is the time to act lester all right, Miguel Almaguer, thank you. Theres also a lot of Talk And Confusion lately about Booster Shots. Dr. John torres joins me now dr. John, can you set it straight for us lester, the confusion started when israel announced it would give certain citizens with weakened Immune Systems a third shot to increase Antibody Levels but it is only for those with the most compromised Immune Systems like Transplant Patients and not the general population now in the u. S. The Cdc And Fda are meeting with pfizer to jumpstart the process. So if and when boosters are needed, which they may be, we will be ready. But for now the Bottom Line is, if you are fully vaccinated you dont need a Booster Shot, at least not yet. Lester dr. Torres, thank you. In just 60 seconds, the biggest Inflation Jump in years. We will tell you which items are seeing the biggest surges and when relief might be in sight you may be feeling it yourself, growing anxiety about inflation. We are now seeing the biggest surge in prices in well over a decade, and it is affecting just about everything we buy. Our Stephanie Ruhle now on what you need to know. Reporter in the grocery store, at the Gas Pump, on the car lot, prices keep rising from may to june Inflation Jumping nearly 1 , and compared to a year ago up 5. 5 , the largest increase in almost 13 years. A big reason, the Sticker Price for used cars and trucks, jumping more than 45 . Ongoing Supply Shortages leaving dealerships without enough used cars to sell pretty up there new cars as well you got to have a car, you got to have a car. Weve had the guts to go out and pay the escalated prices to hope that we could sell it to the consumer we have the inventory and the consumers are buying them. Reporter Food Prices are also increasing, like milk up nearly 6 along with fruits and vegetables, up 3 . Meanwhile, restaurants are charging more to cover higher wages and at the Gas Pump drivers are paying 45 more experts describe it as a perfect storm. Businesses reopening across the country, Supply Chain problems creating shortages, and Consumer Demand soaring. It is coming off of last year, afterwards actually prices for a lot of goods fell. Airline prices fell. Hotel prices fell. Now theyre coming back with a lot of demand. Reporter the biden administration telling americans this is short term, brought on by the pandemic and the economic recovery. What can we do to protect ourselves . Well, you can shop around, thats one thing you can do you can make choices to go with substitutes or things that arent up quite as much so, stephanie, best guess, how long will prices keep rising well, lester, the hope is that these Price Increases will slow down in the fall as we go back to work and back to school and as we address these Supply Chain bottlenecks. Lester all right, stephanie. Thank you. With more severe weather expected this week, especially in parts of the plains and midwest, scientists are increasingly pointing to Climate Change as a major Factor Erin Mclaughlin reports. Reporter in the northeast, creeks flooding in a matter of hours parts of pennsylvania doused with up to 11 inches of rain, residents forced to flee their homes meanwhile out west, historic heat with the regions largest fire still only 0 contained. After four days of explosive growth, smoke from that fire in oregon now clouding the skies over utah. Extreme conditions leading to extreme concern as scientists say Climate Change shows no signs of slowing its deadly rampage. Scientists have predicted this for the last 70 years, but it is actually happening more quickly and it is more intense than we realized reporter so far this year there have been 8 Billion weather disasters, from the deadly Texas Freeze in february to the Heat Wave that hit the pacific northwest, killing more than 200 and devastating the coastline with hundreds of millions of mussels literally cooked alive, an event so extreme scientists now say it would have been virtually impossible without humancaused Climate Change severe heat is drying out the west with reservoirs reaching new lows the parched conditions now fueling infernos across the region, making the fires bigger and more destructive. 2020 was a Record Fire Season for california, but with more than twice as much Scorched Earth compared to this same time last year, tonight a record already on track to be broken across the west, extreme heat continues to threaten 10 Million americans, and officials are asking californians to cut down their Water Use by 15 lester . All right erin, thank you. Tense Moments Today outside a mall near baltimore where a Homicide Suspect Shot and wounded two detectives as they approached his car other officers returned fire, hitting the suspect, who later died the detectives are expected to recover. And a Deepening Mystery Tonight over the assassination of Haitis President. The american dea confirming one of the suspects had been a confidential informant for the Agency Gabe Gutierrez has the latest where is the leadership of haiti . Reporter in this Youtube Video posted in 2011, christian sanon portrays himself as a future leader of haiti who would battle corruption and turn it around now police say the haitian doctor who lived in florida is one of the intellectual authors of the plot to assassinate President Jovenel Moise last week, and they allege he even planned to install himself as Haitis President , though questions are mounting about who financed the brazen Attack Haitis Police chief says sanon was one of at least 29 people involved 24 have been arrested or killed, including 18 colombians, 2 u. S. Citizens, and sanon. The haitian government says the assassins posed as u. S. Drug enforcement agents the dea says they were not acting on behalf of the agency but it confirms another one of the suspects was at times a confidential informant. As tensions escalate in haiti, three politicians are jockeying for power and have met with senior Fbi And Homeland security agents on the ground tomorrow, the president s chief of security will be questioned to determine how the gunmen got in. Gabe gutierrez, Nbc News in cuba, staterun media reports one man has been killed and several protesters and security officials injured during antigovernment demonstrations as support for the uprising grows here in the u. S. We get more on that from morgan radford. Reporter a Third Day of protests in miami. A change is coming and it is time for a change. Reporter some demonstrators blocking traffic. Many cuban americans, worried about family back home. This is now a lifeordeath situation. Reporter where cubans on the island are grapplinwith dire food shortages, rising covid cases, and a communist dictatorship that is cutting off the internet while protesters cry out for help they are starving, literally there are food shortages, there are medical shortages, and the cuban people need help. What is it going to take if it doesnt happen now, when is it going to happen . Reporter their Outrage And Desperation captured by a viral Hit Song called patria y vida. Reporter Meaning Homeland and life. A spin on the communist Era Slogan Patria y muerte, meaning, homeland or death. The cuban musician who fled 25 years ago is one of the creators. [ speaking foreign language ] reporter you changed the slogan [ speaking foreign language ] reporter you changed death for life of course we need life. Reporter we need life its the most important thing. He says they are fighting because their family on the Island Cannot just today an activist was arrested by cuban authorities while expressing her views to a Spanish News channel. Romero was on the show when it happened live. [ speaking foreign language ] reporter you thought that that could have been my daughter no one knows where she is so far the biden administration is not intervening but issued a statement in support of the cuban people. This, as Cubas President blames protests on the u. S. Government and its embargo, but romero says this movement is for cubans and by cubans [ speaking foreign language ] reporter theres nothing more beautiful than freedom and this, he says, is just the beginning they need their freedom. They deserve it. It has been long enough it is enough it is enough already reporter morgan radford, Nbc News, miami. Weve got more to tell you about up next with states legalizing weed, will employers make big changes thats coming up next in our series red, white, and green. Here are the two battling to the Line And Allyson felix. Simone manuels above her trying to fight on, and above simone. Getting an opportunity to show her stuff. Nonstop, displayed at the highest performance level. Finding something and the us takes Gold Dream on Dream On Dream On Dream On yes Ahhhhhhh Dream until your Dreams Come True back now with our series red, white, and green. As a growing number of states legalize marijuana, it is leading to major changes in the workplace. Here is jacob Ward Reporter this Carport Manufacturer had a problem. The michiganbased plant was suffering from a labor shortage. We are working a lot of overtime. People are working seven days a week at some of our plants because we dont have enough people to run the lines. Reporter so the head of hr went to her boss with a radical idea, quit Screening Applicants for marijuana use. It is legal people can, you know, use it theres medical benefits to it, so why penalize people that could be very, very good workers for their usage outside of work . Reporter as word got out, the applications rolled in the facility went from one application a week to six it is important to note that the quality of the Candidate Hasnt decreased by any means. Were continuing to receive qualified candidates, so it has been a really positive change for us. Reporter this isnt some oneoff experiment across the country, companies are doing away with Marijuana Screening to expand the pool of potential applicants the nations secondlargest employer, amazon, leading the way. They stopped Screening Employees for Weed Usage last month while 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana, each one has different laws regarding employee protections. In colorado and california, weed is legal but employees can still be fired for using it outside of work back in michigan, Plant Manager Dave wells top priority is safety, but he doesnt see Weekend Activity as a risk. Does it make a difference to you whether someone enjoys a beer in their offtime or enjoys a little marijuana in their offtime no, it doesnt. What they do on their own time, i really dont care. Reporter it is an attitude more employers are taking with competition fiercer than ever for good talent. Jacob ward, Nbc News, michigan and also in our series red, white, and green, we have an exclusive with top Senate Democrats unveiling their new plan for Marijuana Reform Thats Tomorrow on today. Up next here tonight, coworkers and their lifesaving and incredible bond inspiring america. Finally, the Coincidence And Compatibility that brought two coworkers and their families closer than they ever could have imagined. For coworkers Tia Wimbush and susan ellis, one conversation last summer changed their lives. Both of their husbands had been dealing with Kidney Failure and were in need of transplants. Tia had an idea. I asked her, whats his Blood Type, and she told me that it was o negative and i thought, well, what do you know, im o. Im o positive, but i think that could match. So my next natural question was, well, what is your Blood Type and she said that it was a positive, and i was thinking, rod is a positive reporter so in a paired exchange, they decided to each donate their own kidney to the Others Spouse i wish i could tell you it was this really gutwrenching decision that we had to ponder over there was no Hesitation Or Doubt or any Trepidation Whatsoever Reporter now several months and two Kidney Transplants later, all four are doing well both men with a second chance at life the Culmination Of Susan and tia, i mean, you got to look at it one way. They saved my life and they also saved rodneys life. Being able to actually be with my family and actually enjoy it, actually feel well enough to enjoy it, i mean, it is definitely exciting reporter all four of them proof that a connection can change a life we all have that quiet voice that is nudging us sometimes to help somebody else. Answer it. Thats nightly news for this tuesday. Thank you for watching, everyone im lester holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night heres whats coming up tonight at 7 00, confusion over masks and whether your kid will have to wear one at school. The state changing course on enforcement. And no sign of a missing runner after four days of searching. Hundreds of volunteers are showing up to help. So, is it possible hes not in the park at all in. All the News Coverage and me being familiar with these hills, i know that i might add a little value to the search. The search is being s