announcer: this is “nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening, everyone pfizer today took a major step toward approval of its covid vaccine for childrens 5 to 11. submitting trial data to the fda for review after recently determining it is safe and well tolerated a vaccine suitable for younger children is a major missing piece in the country's effort to turn back the pandemic especially with parents and many schools navigating infection outbreaks. but also today, the biden administration saying those pfizer booster shots fo certain americans are taking off a million shot appointments on the books of pharmacies 400,000 booster shots administered this past weekend. but there remain millions of others who haven't had a single shot vaccine mandates forcing tough decisions for many my conversation with dr. fauci in a moment. but first, let's get the latest from gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: with millions of children back in classrooms, pfizer submitted phase three data to the fda on vaccines for 5 to 11-year-olds, a crucial step towar emergency use authorization. >> gives another barrier of protection for the little ones. >> reporter: pfizer's ceo today with nbc's craig melvin who asked about younger children under five >> i believe in a couple of months, we should be in a position to have the data and the eventually submit. before the end of the year >> reporter: the 5 to 11 year old children in pfizer's tria were given two smaller doses of the vaccine than those given to those 12 and older the company says the smaller doses produce antibody responses that were comparable to those seen in older people who received full doses the vaccine caused similar side effects to those seen in adults including arm soreness and fatigue >> younger children are less apt to be infected but we do know there are children who become seriously ill. >> reporter: perhaps nowhere has the debate over the future of the pandemic been so heated as in schools where parents and administrators clashed over mask mandates and bus driver shortages and vaccine requirements new york city announced overnight that teachers and staff would have until the end of the week to get vaccinated after a federal appeals court green lighted the mandate. >> i think they should get vaccinated our kids are in there. they have to be held accountable. >> reporter: less than a quarter of americans still have not gotten a first shot, but confusion is mounting over who should get a third the fda authorized the pfizer booster for emergency use for certain americans. in charleston, west virginia, kitty frazier got her booster today. >> didn't even feel it >> reporter: not pfizer but moderna which the fda says can be offered to immunocompromised. do you think this whole rollout of the boosters has been a little confusing >> extremely confusing. when we came in, they said you can't have moderna because it's not yet been approved as has the pfizer, we got a little bit vexed. and thought, well, we wasted a trip down here but then when we said we were immunocompromised, they said we can have the shot >> picking up on that, gabe, what about the idea of mixing and matching vaccines, for example, getting the first two doses of moderna and a booster from pfizer? >> reporter: yes, lester today we learned that data from the mix and match trial have bee submitted to the fda but they're not yet publicly available no timeline for that yet. lester gabe gutierrez, thank you. i spoke to dr. fauci this afternoon about some of the confusion of booster shots and began by asking how many more waves of covid surges we might face. >> lester, that's up to us because we have the capability and the resources and a highly effective vaccine. we will not get another surge if we successfully get the overwhelming proportion of people vaccinated >> dr. fauci, there are signs showing the booster rollout being confusing. we are seeing people not on the original list of eligible individuals to get the booster shots. what is your message to the american public about boosters >> when you look at the data it does look like there is waning immunity certainly against infection and mild to moderate disease. the cdc made a recommendation of this essential 65 and over, people i long-term care facilities, age groups for people who hav underlying conditions and those in certain occupations that would put them at risk >> that's not the way it's playing out in the real world people are getting the shots who don't fit any of those categories >> that's correct. the reason is we're dealing with a moving target there is interpretation by some, well, let's just go ahead and get the booster. my prediction, and this is purely my own personal opinion as a physician and as a proper, complete regiment will be a single dose followed in a few weeks by the second dose followed several months later by the booster >> as an individual not eligible right now officially for the booster shot, am i and people like me at a disadvantage >> i don't think you are at a disadvantage, lester, because hypothetically, if you got the two shots of either moderna or pfizer that you still are highly, highly protected. >> part of my conversation with dr. fauci this afternoon let's get to that stunning new testimony from the country's top military officers about the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. contradicting president biden who had claimed they never advised him to keep a small number of american troops there to prevent a taliban takeover kourtney kube has more for us tonight >> reporter: tonight this blunt assessment from the president's top military adviser >> strategically the war is lost. the enemy is in kabul. >> reporter: all as general mark milley, general frank mckenzie and defense secretar lloyd austin were grilled over the chaotic afghanistan withdrawal >> nobody had resigned >> general, i think you should resign. secretary austin, i think you should resign >> reporter: the top brass were also pressed about president biden's claim that none of his military leaders advised him to keep at least 2,500 troops in afghanistan to avoid a taliban takeover >> no. no one said that to me that i can recall. >> reporter: but remarkably those military advisers openly contradicting the commander in chief. >> i recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in afghanistan. >> reporter: and testifying the president did hear their advice >> did these officers and general miller's recommendations get to the president personally >> their input was received by the president. >> reporter: tonight the white house responding >> there wer recommendations made by a range of his advisers, something he welcomed >> reporter: meanwhile, milley went further also contradicting president biden's assertion that the afghanistan withdrawal was a quote extraordinary success. >> would you use the term extraordinary success for what took place in august in afghanistan? >> it was a logistical success but a strategic failure. >> reporter: and he was asked if the rushed exit that left americans and afghan allies behind damaged u.s. credibility >> i think the damage is one word that could be used. yes. >> reporter: later milley was pressed if he considere resigning because the president disregarded his advise >> why haven't you resigned >> the president doesn't have to agree with that advice. >> reporter: mille speaking about the outgoing days of the trump administration when he reportedly told a chinese general if we're going to attack i'm going to call you ahead of time >> i am certain president trump did not intend to attack the chinese. my task at that time was to de-escalate >> reporter: general milley warning that al qaeda could rebuild itself in afghanistan in as little as 12 months lester >> thank you. tonight democrats control congress but remain divided over how to move forward on two signature pieces of president biden's agenda while also facing a potential government shutdown. garrett haake is on capitol hill >> reporter: tonight democrats facing delays, divisions and tough decisions as they struggle among themselves over moving the president's agenda forward. speaker pelosi planning a thursday vote on the trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill. >> i urge a strong bipartisan support for this legislation >> reporter: progressive democrats say they'll oppose that bill without a deal to advance democrats' $3.5 trillion social and climate policy bill, too. >> look. the agreement from the beginning and we have been talking about this for months now is there is one big package. >> reporter: the senate's two most conservative democrats haven't signed off on the larger bill. each meeting privately with president biden today. >> progressives think you are dragging your feet, senator. >> everybody has their own opinion, right >> reporter: congress faces a thursday deadline to fund the government or stumble into a shutdown. republicans blocked the vote last night demanding democrats take sole responsibility for also lifting the nation's debt limit. >> democrats will not get bipartisan help borrowing money so they can immediately blow historic sums on a partisan taxing and spending spree >> reporter: experts say a government default would send stock markets plunging and lead to millions of lost jobs congress has 20 days to avoid the outcome lester garrett, thank you. in montana today, new information on the potentially important focus in the investigation of tha deadly amtrak train derailment over the weekend. did the tracks themselves play a role miguel almaguer is there. >> oh my god >> reporter: while clues lie in the wreckage, tonight there is increased focus on the rails did the tracks or maintenance or perhaps human errors play a critical role in the deadly derailment? amtrak's black box similar to this one in 2013 will include critical data like braking and now front facing cameras like the one seen here will show the moments just before the train left the tracks frame by frame >> the focus is on the track itself and on the first wheel of the amtrak train that derailed. >> reporter: with several of the toppled cars just off the track this rural montana rail line has reopened the company that maintains the track says they are regularly inspected. >> the train is destroyed down there >> reporter: with passengers possibly ejected during saturday's accident, almost all of the first responders arrived were volunteers. trevor fosom was driving to a wedding and was the first person on scene. >> some were stunned beyond belief, lik they could not believe what had happened. >> reporter: with dozens injured, three lost their lives don and marjorie were celebrating their 50th anniversary, telling friends this would be a trip of a lifetime >> they're still together, living the rest of their lives so it's a trip of a lifetime >> reporter: tonight the tragedy and the mystery but no answers that will ease the heartbreak miguel almaguer, nbc news, joplin, montana. in 60 seconds, the nba's biggest star gets the vaccine but not all players are on board. the controversy just before the season starts. and gymnast simone biles, her revealing new comments about the recent tokyo games. back now with a growing firestorm over vaccines in the nba and what the sport's biggest star lebron james revealed today after staying quiet on the issue for months we get more from sam brock. >> reporter: the nba's efforts to vaccinate all of its players just got a massive jolt from none other than lebron james who had been silent for months. >> after doing m research and things of that nature, i felt like it was best suited for my family and my friends >> what does lebron james' decision to get vaccinated mean for the nba. >> the face of the league is on board lebron james has always been a guy that's a trend setter, an example setter, and this is no different >> reporter: according to the nba, around 90% of the league reportedly received the shots. and the athletic says two marque franchises the knicks and lakers will have fully vaccinated rosters by season start. other big name players are pushing back >> it's none of your business, what it comes down to. you know i don't ask you about your beliefs >> some people have bad reactions to the vaccine. nobody likes to talk about that >> reporter: the nba does not require players to be vaccinated but those sitting on the sidelines for shots will face more stringent testing and rules. new york and san francisco are issuing requirements for home teams. meaning any player on the knicks, nets or warriors who isn't vaccinated could risk missing all home games and docked pay by management for some players getting shots on the court means getting shots off of it, too sam brock, nbc news. another sport superstar is also speaking out simone biles casting doubt about her future in gymnastics saying she wished she quit before her difficult time at the tokyo olympics here is kristen dahlgren >> reporter: it was a moment that stunned the world. >> simone biles is out of the competition tonight. >> reporter: simone biles now telling "new york magazine," it's like i jumped out of a moving train after withdrawing from competition the star spoke openly >> i was like, no, mental is not there so i just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself. >> reporter: but she now says it was a long time coming. i should have quit way before tokyo when larry nassar was in the media for two years, it was too much nassar is the former team doctor sentenced to life in prison after being accused of sexually abusing hundreds of young gymnasts including biles. in an exclusive interview before the games biles spoke the nbc news about being an abuse survivor. >> even though i compartmentalized it, it slowly started to creep into everyday life and started affecting how i lived. >> reporter: this month biles gave searing testimony before the u.s. senate >> i blame larry nassar and i also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse. >> reporter: behind the scenes video diaries now part of the facebook docuseries, "simone verses herself" offer an intimate look at her struggles >> i just feel like mentally i'm struggling >> reporter: the star says she's now in therapy, a work in progress, putting healing and herself first. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. up next for us here tonight, traveling overseas our guide to what you need to know in "the price you pay. working at recology is more than a job for jesus. it's a family tradition. jesus took over his dad's roue when he retired after 47 year. now he's showing a new generation what recology is all about. as an employee-owned company, recology provides good-paying local jobs for san franciscans. we're proud to have built the city's recycling system from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america. let's keep making a differene together. it was a moment five years in the making, barack and michelle obama breaking ground today on his new presidential library in chicago construction has been long delayed by legal battles from residents who objected to placing the center in the city's historic jackson park obama vowed it will be a benefit to the community. as more americans consider traveling overseas once again, a look at what you'll have to go through to book your trip, board to a flight and even go to a restaurant tom costello is just back from a trip to europe >> reporter: while the u.s. remained off limits to most international visitors, europe reopened to fully vaccinated americans this summer. it could get busier over the holidays. before you board a flight, you must upload your cdc vaccine card to the airline's website. many countries health departments also require it europeans use a phone app that displays their vaccination status americans can use their cdc card but don't forget it. here in france, you need to show your cd vaccine card to eat at a restaurant you'll also show your card to get into art shows and sporting events you even show your vaccine pass to go hiking. through a french national park. >> we had to show it to get on an airplane, get into restaurants, museums any kind of public place and it's fine. we're good with that >> reporter: while the rules change often most european countries do require americans to provide proof of vaccination but do not require further testing or quarantine though sweden is not allowing americans to fly directly from the u.s. and britain still requires testing despite sporadic protests, european generally support the mandates, masks required in grocery stores, train stations, even some outdoor markets. >> if it means we can travel so be it. >> reporter: returning home to the u.s. does require a test >> we're going t swab each nostrils beginning with your left >> reporter: i used one i bought from the airline that requires a video call with th verifies the results after 15 minutes i see only one pink line y have tested negative for covid-19. >> reporter: covid negative and free to fly home tom costello, nbc news. >> welcome back, tom up next for us the surprise reunion of two best friends "inspiring america." with covid keeping so many of us away from friends and loved ones over the past year and a half the reunions are all the more sweet here is kevin kibbles. >> reporter: covid is a real jerk. >> what are you doing? >> reporter: for a kid it can steal your health, loved ones, even best friends. >> oh. >> reporter: 11-year-old stevie hasn't been able to see his pal owen since owen's family moved from chicago to missouri until now. >> what are you doing here >> reporter: it turned this day into 100% pure joy. >> you just made my day. >> reporter: kids know a thing or two about friendship describe the friendship >> i don't think i can because it's so many nice things to say about it >> reporter: what it's been like not seeing him? >> it's been hard because we talk to each other over the phone. i really liked whe me and him play each other in the park. >> reporter: let's give owen a call >> all right, hi owen. >> hi. >> reporter: constant companions since kindergarten, owen traveled back to chicago with his dad on a business trip and hid out in the backseat >> it's amazing how a little video of kindness and friendship and emotion can make other people feel good >> i feel like i'm dreaming >> reporter: when you are with your bff, you are on the top of the world. swinging on a star kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> made his day? made mine, too that's "nightly news" for this tuesday thank you for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night, everyone >> what are you doing here >> i don't know. what am i doing here wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good start. but kids also need computers. and sometimes the hardest thing about homework is finding a place to do it. so why not hook community centers up with wifi? for kids like us, and all the amazing things we're gonna learn. over the next 10 years, comcast is committing $1 billion to reach 50 million low-income americans with the tools and resources they need to be ready for anything. i hope you're ready. 'cause we are. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ . i'm raj mathai. next on nbc bay area news tonight, biles in the bay. the most famous gymnast in the world talks exclusively to us and opens up about her struggles. >> your emotions are kind of all over the place. it's a rollercoaster. >> we go one on one with simone biles. also kids and the vaccine. the big hurdle just cleared. so when can parents take their kids in to get their shots? and he says he warned elizabeth holmes that her blood testing machines did not work. we break down the

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