Little ahead and then the water runs out. I gotta be strong for my kids. I dont want my kids to see us struggle. We have to do what we have to do in order for them. Were doing this for them. Our team is across texas. Morgan chesky is there. For millions of families, they dont have water. What are you hearing from folks . Reporter right now, 13 million texans have Water Systems that may be compromised. Unfortunately, we are probably going to see that go up when scenes like this, frozen lakes, start to disappear. The pipes that have frozen solid over the past five days will slowly start to thaw over the weekend. Thats where we are likely going to see more damage than we have seen with people having Ceilings Caving in due to water damage. Thats happened in every part of the state. It is encouraging that we had 6 Million People without power at one point and thats just a couple hundred thousand people. Theres still work to be done. Ercot that manages the state power grid says today for First Time Since this storm began, they will take it off emergency mode and proceed with regular operations. President biden spoke to greg abbott about plans to help with the recovery. The governor requested a disaster be declared. We see scenes play out across the state with people lining up for food, gas, water, anything they can use to survive over the next knew days. We are not expected to come above freezing until sometime later today and well above freezing until this weekend. Not out of the woods just yet for this crisis here, jeff. It is tough to just stand here and realize how many people are impacted by this. You hear story after story and you know the problems are only going to continue, even after the big thaw comes. Hopefully, sooner than later. Jeff . While you are on that frozen lake, morgan. Antonia, you were talking to people at their Breaking Point. It could be a while before people have Running Water and clean water coming into their home. What are they telling you . Reporter that is the perfect way to describe it. People are reaching their Breaking Point now. The mayor of houston says that the city will be on a Boil Water Advisory until at least monday. As has been the case throughout this crisis, officials cant promise a day or a time by which these issues are going to resolve. In the meantime, its the low income residents here who are suffering the most and who are struggling to come up with resources to find a plan b or at this Point A Plan C or d. I met yesterday with a woman who took somebodys pool water and brought it home and had to boil it in order to wash clothes and became her children because nobody in their family, a group of eight, had bathed since last weekend. In the evening, i spent time at an Affordable Housing complex where resident after resident told me they have no water. Not just unsafe drinking water, nothing is coming out of their taps. I met a woman there. She works at a local hospital. Her husband is oniasis for kidney failure. They have been shivering together in their home. Listen to what she has been experiencing. It is worse than a hurricane. This is the worstest. Im 56, this is the worstest thing i have been through since i have been living here in texas. Reporter you have to keep in mind that for folks her, this hasnt just been a tough week, it has been a tough year. These are the same communities that have been impacted by covid deaths. Now they are the last people who are going to be back to normal at the end of the winter storm crisis, jeff. Thanks so much for bringing us those stories. Some of the folks doing the most to help desperate texans are their own neighbors. Thousands of volunteers are stepping up to deliver clean water and other Life Saving Resources to people in need. One of the groups helping to lead that charge is known as crowd source rescue. Joining me now is the cofounder. Its good to see you. Your group, you partnered with houston to get bottled water to people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Give us a sense of the work that you and your volunteers are doing right now. As you mentioned, we partnered with houston and the Houston Food Bank and texas relief warriors. The idea is having volunteers sign up on crowdsourcerescue. Org freeze and we are delivering to people, particularly elderly or low income, but at this point anybody that we can with food, water. Some people are checking back in and saying, i havent eaten for three days. I dont have water to drink. This is happening all across the city and even in several Nursing Homes and longterm care facilities. Right now, our basic goal is getting as much relief out there as possible. You are obviously an independent organization. What is the city of houston or what is the state of texas doing as you are out there helping folks . Are you seeing the government step up, too . Are you filling a void that isnt being filled by the state and local government . Some of that is admittedly above my pay grade. I can tell you, we are working closely with local and City Government as well as county government. It does feel right now that houston is a little on its own. It feels not unlike harvey where we were cut off by water. Now we are cut off by ice. We are seeing regular people from houston stepping up to make sure the most vulnerable among us are protected and safe and have their needs met. When you are out there in the city helping folks, what are some of the other crucial needs you are seeing . When i look at social media, i see Grocery Stores and businesses that dont have anything on the shelves. Others have gone dark because of the power crisis. I would echo your previous guest who said this is worse than a hurricane. I never thought i would say it. But i would take a hurricane over this. We are seeing thousands of cases a minute. We are getting water and food and working with groups like the Houston Food Bank, we cant get it in and out the door fast enough. Right now, we are looking for Financial Assistance so that we can go and buy water. We have talked to a group with a helicopter to fly water into the city of houston. Its really taking the city down on its knees in a lot of ways. We are extremely grateful again for partnerships with the city and with groups like the Houston Food Bank and texas relief warriors, because i think what we are seeing is that regular neighbors can come out and help. Matthew, you and your team are doing the lords work down there. What can people who want to get involved and help your volunteer effort, how can they do that . Let us know where people should go. Crowdsourcerescue. Org freeze. If you are in houston, we could use your help. If you need water, food, power, give us a shout. We will get volunteers out to your area. We can take help from around the country. We have a number of volunteers on twitter and facebook just helping people in houston sign up and make sure that they can get water and food out today. Matthew, we appreciate your time and the work that you are doing down there to help folks in texas. We have a busy morning ahead. Any minute, we expect to see President Biden make his first major speech as president on an International Stage. He will speak to World Leaders at the Munich Security Conference. We got a look at part of what he will say. We will listen live as soon as he starts. Later this hour, dr. Fauci and other members of the White House Covid Response Team will hold a briefing with reporters on the latest on the Pandemic Response and vaccine rollout. Stay with us. Ith us rheumatoid arthritis. And take. It. On. With rinvoq. 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Is now a member of the paris Climate Agreement, part of the administrations efforts to regain trust among u. S. Allies and reinforce the president s view that Climate Change is a National Security issue. Im joined by security and diplomacy analyst, retired admiral here comes President Biden. We will take you live to this. All of you are the corner stone of the United States engagement [ speaking Foreign Language ] translator the question is whether we fall apart like the pieces of a puzzle and believe each of us can solve the problem on their own. As the german chancellor, i can say, in that case, our chances are slim. Emanuel macron made it clear in a world where americans are in retreat, he is counting on a strong retreat. We need freedom to act, our own strategy. In 2019, joe biden gave a promise to the United States allies for the time after donald trump. We will be back. Dont have any doubt about that. He promised the United States would do more for europe and nato again. Ladies and gentlemen, making the Transatlantic Partnership work means reinvigorating ties among Key Countries in europe and in north america. I could not be more excited today to welcome three very special guests virtually, of course, to munich today. Thank you so much for joining us. A very, very warm welcome, good morning to washington, d. C. [ speaking Foreign Language ] mr. President , we are so excited to have you here together and have you talk about a new transatlantic agenda. Im sure you are aware that Boris Johnson will join this program a little later. He was still busy with wrapping up the g7 meeting in which you all participated earlier. So now, as our first speaker in this program, it is my privilege to welcome the 46th president of the United States. President joe biden has truly been a loyal and longterm friend of the Munich Security Conference. In 2019, mr. President , you said in this very place, in this very hall, we will be back. Mr. President , thank you for keeping that promise. We welcome you back to the stage, and you have the floor. Thank you so much. We just spent from washington perspective, the morning together. I want to say hello to everyone and thanks to the Munich Conference for hosting this special session. For decades, as you pointed out, i participated in the Munich Security Conference as a u. S. Senator joining my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to affirm the importance of the Transatlantic Partnership. Three times as Vice President of the United States, including delivering the First International Foreign Policy address of the Obama Biden Administration and the first months we were in office. Two years ago, as you pointed out, when i last spoke in munich, i was a private citizen. I was a professor, not an elected official. I said at that time, we will be back. Im a man of my word. America is back. I speak to you today as president of the United States at the very start of my administration. And im sending a clear message to the world, america is back. The Transatlantic Alliance is back. We are not looking backward. We are looking forward together. It comes down to this. Transatlantic alliance is a Strong Foundation. The Strong Foundation on which our collective security and our shared prosperity are built. The partnership between europe and the United States in my view is and must remain the cornerstone of all we hope to accomplish in the 21st century. Just as we did in the 20th century. The challenge we face today is different. We are at an inflection point. When i spoke to you before, the Global Dynamics have shifted. New crises demand our attention. We cannot focus only on the Competition Among countries that threaten to divide the world or only on global challenges that threaten to sink us all together if we fail to cooperate. We must do both. Working in lockstep with our allies and partners. Let me erase any lingering doubt. The United States will work closely with our European Union partners and capitals across the continent to meet the range of shared challenges we face. We continue to support the goal of a europe whole and free and at peace. The United States is fully committed to our nato alliance. I welcome europes growing investment in the military capabilities that enable our shared defense. To me and to the United States, we will keep faith with article 5. Its a guarantee. An attack on one is an attack on all. That is our unshakable vow. The only time article 5 has been invoked was after the United States was attacked on 9 11. You, our allies, joined us to fight al qaeda. The United States committed to consulting closely with our allies and partners on the way forward in afghanistan. The Biden Administration strongly supports the diplomatic process thats underway and to bring an end to this war that is closing out 20 years. We remain committed to ensuring afghanistan never provides a base for terrorist attacks against the United States and our partners and our interests. Our European Partners have stood with us to counter isis. Just this week, nato Defense Ministers endorsed significant expanded training and Advisory Missions in iraq which will be vital to the ongoing fight against isis. We cannot allow isis to reopen and regroup and threaten people in the middle east and europe and the United States and elsewhere. While the United States is undergoing a review of our own posture Around The World, i have ordered the halting of withdrawal of american troops from germany. Im lifting a cap imposed by the Previous Administration on the u. S. Forces in germany. I know the past few years have strained and tested our relationship. The United States is determined to reengage with europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership. Earlier today, as was referenced, i participated in the first meeting of the g7 leaders where i spoke about the dire need to coordinate multilateral action to address covid19, the Global Economic crisis and the accelerating Climate Crisis and so much else. Achieving these goals is going to depend on a core strategic proposition. That is the United States must renew americasing advantages to meet challenges from a position of strength. That means Building Back better our economic foundations, reclaiming our place in international institutions, lifting up our values at home and speaking out to defend them Around The World. Modernizing our military capabilities while leading with diplomacy. Revitalizing Americas Network of alliances and partnerships that have made the world safer for all people. I hope our fellow democracies are going to join us in this vital work. Our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they are rooted in the richness of our shared Democratic Values. They are not transactional. They are not extractive. They are built on a vision of a future where every voice matters. Where the rights of all are protected and the rule of law is upheld. None of this has fully succeed none of us is fully succeeding in this division, we continue to work toward it. In so many places, including in europe and the United States, democratic progress is under assault. I have known i have known many of you for a long, long time. You know i speak my mind. Let me be very straightforward with you all. We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future and direction of our world. We are at an inflection point. Between those who argue that given all the challenges we face from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the Global Pandemic, the autocracy is the best way forward, they argue. Those who understand that democracy is essential, essential to meeting these challenges, historians are going to examine and write about this moment as an inflection point, as i said. I believe that every ounce of my being, that democracy will and must prevail. We must demonstrate that democracy can still deliver for our people in this changed world. That in my view is our galvanizing mission. Democracy doesnt happen by accident. We have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it, renew it. We have to prove that our model isnt a relic of history. Its the single best way to revitalize the promise of our future. If we Work Together, with our democratic partners, with strength and confidence, i know we will meet every challenge and outpace every challenger. We must prepare together for a longterm strategic competition with china. How the United States, europe and asia Work Together to secure the peace and defend our shared values and advance our prosperity across the pacific will be among the most consequential efforts we undertake. Competition with china is going to be stiff. Thats what i expect. Thats what i welcome. Because i believe in the Global System Europe and the United States together, with our allies, work so hard to build over the last 70 years. We can own the race for the future. To do so, we have to be clear eyed about the historic investments and partnerships this will require. We have to protect for space for innovation, for Intellectual Property and the Creative Genius that thrives with the Free Exchange of ideas in open, democratic societies. We have to ensure that the benefits of growth are shared broadly and equitable, not just by a few. We have to push back against the chinese governments economic abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the International Economic system. Everyone must play by the same rules. The u. S. And European Companies are required to publically disclose corporate government structures and abide by rules. Chinese companies should be held to the same standard. Shape the rules that will govern the advance of technology and the norms of behavior in intelligence, so they are used to lift people up, not used to pin them down. Stand up for the Democratic Values and make it possible for us to accomplish any of this. Pushing back against those who would monopolize and normalize repression. This is also how we are going to be able to meet the threat from russia. Kremlin attacks our democraies and weaponizes corruption to undermine our system of governance. Russian leaders want people to think our system is more corrupt or as corrupt as theirs. The world knows that isnt true. Including russias own citizens. Putin seeks to weaken european project and our nato alliance. He wants to undermine the transatlantic unity and our resolve, because its easier for the kremlin to bully and threaten individual states than to negotiate with the strong and closely united transatlantic community. Thats why standing up for the sovereignty and integrity of ukraine remains a vital concern for europe and the United States. Thats why addressing recklessness, russian recklessness and hacking into Computer Networks in the United States and the world has become critical to protecting our collective security. The challenge is with russia may be different than china. They are just as real. It is not about pitting east against west. Its not about we want a conflict. We want a future where all nations are able to freely determine their own path without a threat of violence or coercion. We cannot and must not return to the reflective opposition and rigid blocks of the cold war. Competition must not lock out cooperation on issues that affect us all. For example, we must cooperate if were going to defeat covid19 everywhere. My first president ial National Security memorandum focused on Surging Health and humanitarian responses to defeat covid19 and prevent and prepare for the next pandemic. Today im announcing the United States is making a 2 billion pledge to covax, with the promise of an additional 2 billion to urge others to step up as well. Even as we fight to get out of the teeth of this pandemic, the resurgence of ebola in africa is a stark reminder that we must simultaneously work to finally finance health security, strength Global Health systems and create Early Warning systems to prevent, detect and response to future biological threats, because they will keep coming. We have to Work Together to strength and reform the world health organization. We need a u. N. System focused on biological threats that can move quickly to trigger action. Similarly, we can no longer delay or do the minimum to address Climate Change. This is a global existential crisis. We will all suffer the consequences if we fail. We have to rapidly accelerate our commitments to aggressively curb or emissions and to hold one another accountable for meeting our goals and increasing our ambitions. Thats why as president i immediately rejoined the Paris Agreement. As of today, the United States is officially once again a party to the Paris Agreement which we helped put together. On earth day, i will host a Leaders Summit to drive a more ambitious action among the top emitters, including domestic Climate Action here in the United States. I am grateful for europes continued leadership on climate issues over the last four years. Together we need to invest in the Technological Innovations that are going to power our clean energy futures, enable us to build Clean Energy Solutions to global markets. The threat of Nuclear Proliferation also continues to require careful diplomacy and Cooperation Among us. We need transparency and communication to minimize the risk of strategic misunderstanding or mistakes. Thats why the United States and russia, notwithstanding other competition, extended the new star treaty for four years, once i came i was sworn in. Thats why we said we are prepared to reengage in negotiations with the p5 plus one or Irans Nuclear program. We must address irans destabilizing activities across the middle east. We will work with our european and other partners as we proceed. We will Work Together to lock down radiological material to prevent terrorist groups from acquiring and using them. Look, the range of challenges europe and the United States must take on together is broad and complex. Im eager to hear next from my good friends and outstanding leaders about their thoughts on the way forward together. Let me conclude with this. We cannot allow selfdoubt to hinder our ability to engage each other or the larger world. The last four years have been hard. Europe and the United States have to lead with confidence once more, with faith in our capacity, a commitment to our own renewal with trust in one another and the ability of europe and the United States to meet any challenge to secure our futures together. I know we can do this. We have done it before. Yesterday, after a sevenmonth 300 million mile journey, nasa successfully landed on mars. On a mission of exploration with elements contributed by our European Partners to seek evidence of the possibility that life beyond our planet and the mysteries of the universe. Over the next few years, perseverance will range and collect samples from the red planet and pile them up so another mission and rover, envisioned as a joint effort between nasa and the European Space agency, will retrieve this trove of scientific wonders and bring it home to all of us. Thats what we can do together. If our unbound capacity to carry us to mars and back dont tell us anything else, they tell us, we can meet any challenge we can face on earth. We have everything we need. I want you to know the United States will do our part. We will stand with you. We will fight for our shared values. We will meet the challenges of this new moment in history. America is back. Lets get together and demonstrate to our great, great grandchildren when they read about us that democracy, democracy, Democracy Functions and works and together theres nothing we cant do. So lets get working. Thank you all very much. America is back, so says President Biden as he delivers remarks at the Munich Security Conference, virtual this year because of the pandemic. Lets dig into what we heard. Im joined by my friend and colleague Kelly Odonnell. We have with us retired admiral James Tervidas and the former mayor of greenville, mississippi. Kelly, we will start with you. We heard the president say, america is back. He said the Transatlantic Alliance is back. What is the administrations plan, kelly, to make this more than a message . Reporter jeff, what really is striking about this is its a combination of tone and action. The president does not need to say explicitly what all of us heard, which is, rolling back donald trump policies and his vision of how International Order should work and work differently than the biden plan. When you hear President Biden talk about not removing troops from germany, that is loaded with message to Angela Merkel of germany who had at Times A Very Conten contentious relationship with donald trump. He talked about article 5, referring to the compact of nations in nato, about as one nation is attacked, all respond, thats something that donald trump at times seemed to not agree with or even fully understand. Challenged that. He would try to clean that up. What you heard from President Biden today was very clearly an articulation of his own agenda, one that very much matches a lot of the partners at the Leadership Table whom he has known for many years. When you talk about things like the verbiage but also money for vaccinations worldwide, that is a very tangible aspect that can help with covid and, of course, when you help with covid Around The World, we have learned through this Global Pandemic how it can have real impact right here in the United States. Jeff . Admiral, President Biden attended the Conference Many times in the past as have you. Is what you just heard is it enough to reassure our allies . Is that enough to reassure our allies that the u. S. Is committed to being a Global Partner . I think it is, jeff. Because of President Bidens Long Association with this conference, which is in every way the premiere security conference. Its the davos of interNational Security. I have attended a dozen teams over the last 20 times. President biden has probably attended 30 times over the last 40 years. This is the place you go to make that kind of statement. Frankly, his statement was pitch perfect. It echos what our new secretary of defense, lloyd austin, rolled out in brussels over the last two days of the defense ministerial. In addition to the excellent points kelly raises, i will add that its very reassuring to the europeans to hear that we want to work with you to resolve the challenges of iran. That, of course, was an agreement that cratered under the trump administration. The fact that the biden team went to brussels, not just jumping back with tehran, very reassuring. The message will land very, very well in europe. Lets talk about Climate Policy as well. We heard President Biden mention that in his speech. Former Secretary Of State john kerry, who is President Bidens Special Envoy for climate, he will speak in a few hours at this same conference. I spoke with secretary kerry a couple weeks ago. I asked him about the paris Climate Agreement and the president s commitment to it. Here is part of the conversation. Does the Paris Agreement need to be stronger . Yes. Absolutely, yes, it has to be stronger. One of my missions on behalf of the president and the country is to help create the dynamic where we are bringing reluctant partners to the table because they see the benefits. Im confident we can get there. The issue is, are we going to get there in time . This question is for you, heather. Whats your sense with the u. S. Back as a member of the paris climate pact, does that increase the chances that action will be taken in time to mitigate Climate Change not just here but Around The World . Well, absolutely, you know, the president has pulled together an all star climate cabinet, climate team that is well poised and experienced to make that happen. I think he has laid out an international and domestic message and platform to say not only are we here, are we back, but acknowledging that we have within our own democracy some work to do. We have within our own democracy working on equity in climate and climate justice. I heard that very quickly very clearly. Lets not negate the fact while theres been trouble and challenges, theres been an effort from the United States mayors, universities, State Government to say that we are still in. That was a very Strong Movement that worked with global mayors and organizations. Environmental organizations, universities, cities across the country did a lot of work over the past four years to show that we were going to remain true to our nationally determined contributions that we will definitely have to revisit moving forward. Its not only possible, i think we have the people in place to make it happen. The question will be, how will our country really live up to making sure that its done in an equitable fashion and showing the International Community how we are leading in this space . To your point, part of that is how we talk about it. Climate change on a global level tends to be an esoteric issue. How do you take that issue down to a personal level, heather . How is it affecting people in greenville, mississippi, where you were once mayor . How are you selling this message to the American People as being an imperative National Security issue that it is . You know, we dont have to go far. I dont have to look further than outside my front door where theres five inches of ice because of the winter storm. Dont look further than whats happening in texas and the failure to prepare for those citizens for extreme weather. The fact that we have to help people fast and first because of what they are experiencing as a result of extreme weather and connecting that to climate. Its not that much of a sell as much as it is a realization that we have to act based on the science, based on the facts and that we have to do it quickly. I think folks feel and see whether or not its a hurricane, extreme weather like ice, the midwest or fire out west, all of these are slowing us a consistent pattern of extreme weather events that we know are caused by Climate Change. Its a matter of us putting our feet down on the ground, pulling together and saying, this is what needs to happen. Focusing on areas that we know cause a lot of pollution, like transportation. Focusing on sectors that we know should be reduced, particularly in communities of color, where we have born the brunt of climate pollution and change. Again, i feel confident that theres a team in place to do this. The all of Government Approach that President Biden and Vice President harris have put forth, we have to take seriously. Its more than all of government. Its going to take all of us. We cannot lay this in the lap of one particular agency or one particular government. It will truly take all of us, local, state and federal, pulling together to ensure that we have sound Climate Action that gets us to the goal of really seeing significant change and restorative action in communities of color that have born the brunt of this so long. President biden has signalled the u. S. Wants to join its european allies in an effort to restart the Nuclear Talks with iran. The message from iran has been, first, the u. S. Has to lift sanctions. What do you make of the messaging we have seen so far from tehran . I think tehran a capital in which excellent negotiaors live. They will push the limits. They want to see the u. S. Blink. I am very hopeful that the Diplomatic Team around President Biden will not take the bait and not simply liftanctions. We need to engage with europe, stronger together in the world. There is every chance that the europeans will be the ones who put the u. S. And tehran back together in a single room. Let me make one other point, picking up on something heather talked about, which is Global Climate. A very important segment of this speech was china. The u. S. And its confrontation but also its cooperation with china. We are not going to resolve Global Climate without working closely with china. Even at the same time, we have to face the challenges that are coming out. Europe will be key here. Climate will be an important opportunity for cooperation with china. I think that was a subtext in the speech as well. This has been an all star panel. My thanks to each of you for your brilliant insights. Admiral, Kelly Odonnell and heather, thank you. State Department Spokesperson ned price will join my colleague to talk about President Bidens Foreign Policy. Thats today at 3 00 p. M. Eastern right here on msnbc. In a few minutes, we exbekt expect to see dr. Fauci and other members of the White House Covid Response Team for an update. 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Putting safety first. If you see wires down, treat them all as if theyre hot and energized. Stay away from any downed wire, call 911, and call pg e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. And that white house Covid Response briefing we told you about earlier, its happening right now. Andy slavitt, im, is speaking about how weather across the country is hobbling the rollout. Here he is. 1. 4 million doses are in transit today, and we anticipate that all the Backlog Doses will be delivered within the next week with most being delivered within the next several days. And we expect we will be able to manage both this backlog and the new production coming online next week. With everybodys hard work and collective effort, we will be able to catch up, but we understand this will mean asking more of people. Ups and fedex both will support saturday deliveries tomorrow. We are working with the jurisdictions to see which ones are able to take saturday deliveries. The Packaging Plan for moderna vaccines is just now coming online. Roads are being cleared for the workforce to leave their homes. They are working today through sunday to package the Backlog Orders and will put the vaccines and ancillary supplies on aircraft on sunday night for monday through wednesday delivery. As we get back on track, were asking states, sites, and vaccinators to help us catch up and to get americans vaccinated. We know Many Americans are awaiting their second dose, and many more their first dose. Were asking Vaccine Administration sites to extend their hours even further and offer additional appointments and to try to reschedule the vaccinations over the coming days and weeks as significantly more supply arrives. States and Vaccination Sites are going to want to be prepared for the additional volume. Whatever reduction we see in our sevenday average this week in vaccinations from the weather, if we all Work Together from the factory all the way to the vaccinators, we will make up for it in the coming weeks. I want to personally thank the men and women who have continued to keep our operations up and running throughout this storm and theyve been working 24 by 7 with the states and with local Vaccination Sites, and my thoughts remain with all of those impacted. Ill be happy to answer any questions about this topic, but before we turn it over to dr. Walensky and dr. Fauci, i do want to briefly touch on our work to stand up more federally run sites. Even as we manage the weather on the one hand, we are pushing ahead with plans to get more vaccines to more places to get more americans vaccinated. Today im pleased to announce well be opening five additional vaccination centers, one in pennsylvania and four in florida. In florida, we will stand up four major new Community Vaccination centers in partnerships with the state in orlando, miami, jacksonville, and tampa. These sites will have the capacity to vaccinate a total of 12,000 individuals per day in total. In pennsylvania, were announcing a major new Community Vaccination center at the Pennsylvania Convention center in philadelphia. This site will have the capacity to deliver 6,000 doses per day. Selection of all of these sites is based on a cdc Fema Framework that has been developed to target vaccinations to those who are most vulnerable. The goal is to launch Vaccination Sites that use processes and are in locations that promote equity and deploy the cdcs social vulnerability index. The federal government will be deploying teams immediately to work hand in hand with state and local jurisdictions to get these sites set up, and we expect them all to be up and running in the next two weeks. So thats a brief status from the White House Covid Response Team. Here well have more announcements to come next week. With that, i will turn it over to dr. Walensky to overview the state of pandemic and Public Health. Dr. Walensky. Thank you so much. Im glad to be back with you today. I have new information to share from cdc regarding ongoing Safety Monitoring of the covid19 vaccines. But before i go into those findings, i want to provide a Brief Overview of the latest data on the pandemic. We continue to see a fiveweek decline in covid cases with cases decreasing 69 in the sevenday average since hitting a peak on january 11th. The current sevenday average of 77,000 cases is the Lowest Reported since the end of october but still higher than the height of last summers peak. Like new covid19 cases, the number of new Hospital Admissions continues to drop. The sevenday average of new admissions on february 16th, approximately 7200, represents a 56 decline since the january 9th peak. As i reported on wednesday, the number of deaths continues to fluctuate. The latest data indicate that deaths have declined modestly in the past week to an average of approximately 2,700 per day. These numbers are a stark reminder of the thousands of lives lost to this pandemic. Another reminder of the devastating impact of the pandemic has had on our country was brought into clear view yesterday in a report released by the cdc on the provisional Life Expectancy in the first half of 2020. The report found Life Expectancy was at its lowest level in 15 years, dropping by a full year compared to the Life Expectancy in 2019. This represents a substantial decline in life expect ti in our nation. Ancy in our nation. More importantly, the declines in Life Expectancy were again most pronounced in certain racial and ethnic minority groups. The largest declines in Life Expectancy occurred in nonhispanic black persons, dropping 2. 7 years, levels not seen since 2001. And hispanic persons lost the second highest Life Expectancy dropping 1. 9 years. These findings, though not surprising, are sobering and representative of the continued need to actions to stop the spread of covid19 seriously. Now more than ever with continued spread of variants that stand to threaten the progress we are making, we must recommit to doing our part to protect one another, wear a wellfitting mask, social distance, avoid travel and crowds, protect and practice good hand hygiene and get vaccinated when the vaccine is available to you. I also want to spend a moment talking about Vaccine Safety. To date, more than 41 Million People in the United States have received at least one dose of the covid19 vaccine. But we continue to hear that people might be reluctant to roll up their sleeves because they are worried about adverse effects. I will reiterate the cdc is committed to monitoring Vaccine Safety and frequently reporting on what we know. Today, cdc is releasing a study on the Morbidity And Mortality Weekly Report that comes from Safety Monitoring in the United States from December 14th through january 13th, 2021. During the first month of vaccinations, approximately 1. 6 Million People enrolled in vsafe, cdcs new phonebased Covid Vaccine safety Monitoring System. Among those enrolled, 71 reported pain where the shot was given, 34 reported fatigue, and 30 reported a headache. These are common with most vaccines and typically resolve within a day or two of vaccine. Its important to know that half people dont feel very well after getting their second dose. You need to have an activity. There were reports of severe reactions like anaphylaxis, a serious but treatable reaction. In fact, there were 4. 5 cases of can fi lack sis for 1 million doses given this time, a rate similar to what weve seen in other commonly used vaccines. In the first month of experience, a total of 113 deaths were reported, of which approximately 65 were among longterm care facility residents. A thorough review of the available data indicated that these deaths were not related to the covid19 vaccine. And the death rate in this population, though truly sad and unfortunate, was consistent with the expected Background Death Rate in this demographic. I want to emphasize that we have implemented the most comprehensive Vaccine Safety Monitoring System program in our history. And the data released from the cdc today are reflective of this effort. We will continue to closely monitor these events and report back as further data emerge. I want to be sure that you know the facts and not the myths about Vaccine Safety. The fact is they are safe and they will save lives. That is why we are committed to working with state and local Public Health partners as well as partners in the private sector to support getting people vaccinated asck