Replace him . Its way too early for this. Good Morning And Welcome to way too early. The show that gives us answers in the form of a question. Im Jonathan Lemire on this thursday, august 12th. Well start with the news. Today the fda is expected to approve Covid19 Booster shots for people with weakened immune systems. It comes as Covid Cases surge across the country, including a growing number of pediatric patients. Morgan chesky has the latest. Reporter as Covid Cases surge yet again the fda looks to speed up the Time Line for booster shots. Theyll look at a shot for Pfizer And Moderna boosters. Unvaccinated patients filling up hospitals as schools face push back over mask mandates. Im not willing to play Russian Roulette with Someones Life like that. Reporter the delta driven surge, in pennsylvania up 120 , in tennessee 40 . One in four new cases are kids under 17. Now were seeing more kids who are symptomatic and more kids being hospitalized due to the delta variant. Reporter cities and states reissuing mask mandates, while hawaiis governor is asking for vaccine passports. We believe that the parent rather than the government should ultimately be able to make that decision. Reporter in texas, districts fighting the same battle, facing threats of fines. Our goal is to keep schools open. Reporter the Deputy Superintendent of Dallas School districts, say when it came to the kids filling classrooms, Masking Up made the most sense. With the Executive Order in place was there any hesitation here . We want to make sure that were following the law. Weve been really clear that the most important consequence that were looking at is how we keep people safe. The cdc has updated its guidance to recommend that pregnant women get vaccinated against coronavirus. Prior to this the cdc had a neutral stance whether the immunization was safe for pregnant women. Now they say theres no increased risk of those vaccinated. The cdc found that pregnant women are more likely to get ill from covid than not pregnant people. In florida a 30yearold hospitalized with covid died just days after giving birth to her daughter. She cradled her newborn long enough to take two photos. Hospitals in that state are filled with so many covid patients that Ambulance Services and Fire Departments are strained to respond to emergencies. In bravard counties. They asked people to think twice before calling 911. Officials say they are trying to avoid taking beds from the Emergency Department from those who really need them. In st. Petersburg some patients are waiting inside ambulances for Up To an hour before hospitals can admit them. Those ambulances are not available to take another call which forces the Fire Department on the scene of an accident, for example, to take that transport, creating a Back Log for the system. Senate democrats may have a roadblock as they attempt to pass the second track of their infrastructure plan. Senator Joe Manchin is warning his party hes not sold on the 3. 5 trillion reconciliation package, despite an earlier vote to move it forward. In a statement he writings, it is irresponsible to spend at levels more suited to respond to a great depression or great recession. Chuck schumer responded at a press briefing. Look, there are some in my caucus who believe its too much. There are some in my caucus who believe its too little. I can tell you this, in reconciliation, one, we are going to all come together to get something done. And two, it will have every part of the Biden Plan in big in a big, bold, robust way. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of arizona has also expressed concerns with the size of the plan. Democrats will need both of them to agree for the bill to pass. In remarks yesterday, President Biden addressed republican critics who say theyre concerned about adding to the deficit. This isnt going to be anything like my predecessor, whose unpaid Tax Cuts and other spending added nearly 8 Trillion in his four years to the national debt. 8 Trillion. They didnt even try to pay for their Tax Cuts, which went straight to the largest corporations and the wealthiest americans. The investments im proposing will be paid for over the long term by having the largest corporations, including 55 that paid zero federal tax last year and the super wealthy, begin to pay their fair share. Theyll still make a lot of money but pay their fair share. Official gs tell me those remarks were aimed at republicans and the other audience, those moderate democrats expressing concerns about the size of the package. Today, the White House recognizes they have a needle to thread here in the weeks ahead. That is, as much as it was an accomplishment for President Biden to secure passage of the Infrastructure Bill, the harder part is now, keeping things in the senate where things are tied 50 50, and In The House where democrats have ago small margin, in line. They cant afford to lose any votes. They have weeks of tough work ahead. Theres also looming questions about the Debt Ceiling. President biden said the u. S. Will not default on its obligations. Worried about the Debt Ceiling, mr. President . Nope. Were not going to let us default. 8 Trillion of that is on the republican watch. The president was leaving a virtual meeting of state and local officials on the importance of the bipartisan infrastructure deal. Joining us now john breznihan. Both senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have spoken about the price of the reconciliation package. What is Majority Leader schumers plan to keep them on board. Right now his plan is to keep going. You got the first part, got them to vote for the budget resolution, which is the first thing they have to do. Now that they voted for that, the house will take up this same 3. 5 trillion resolution. He got them to get onto the bill. We knew that Kyrsten Sinema thought 3. 5 trillion was too much. A week ago she had a normal statement. And Joe Manchin has been making noises on this for weeks. This is not a surprise to anybody. The big issue is what you said, six or eight or ten house democrats who dont like this number either. So will they vote for the budget resolution. It is a balancing act. I think that, you know, its not going to come in at 3. 5 trillion. It was never going to come in at 3. 5 trillion. Its probably 1. 5 or 2 trillion, which is still an enormous amount of money, just a phenomenal amount of money, especially if you look at two other Things Opinion Congress already passed a 1. 9 trillion american rescue plan. And congress has to pass Government Funding for 2020 which is another 1. 5 trillion. Congress is going to be shoveling out a lot of money in the next couple of months. This is going to be its not going to be enough for the left, but its still going to be relatively a huge sum. On this before we move to the Debt Ceiling. If it does come in at 1. 5 trillion, will that satisfy the progressives who thought the 3. 5 trillion wasnt big enough . I think its going to have to. I think theyll gripe. But i think theyll depending on what the elements are in there, if theres enough in there on, you know, the Child Tax Credit or child care, dependent care, i think Thats Something they can deal with. I think the White House will say, look, we have to get through this election in 2022, well come back and visit this in 2023 but we have to stick together. I think that will be the other Driving Factor here, moderates are scared of 2022, Poll Numbers are already looking bad for them. We had retirement this week, Congressman Ron of wisconsin announced he was not running again, a big deal In The House, embattled democrat, been there a long time. I think the moderates are scared, the progressives, the leadership is going to go to them and say this is the best we can do under the circumstances were facing. What are you hearing about the Debt Ceiling threat, for those viewers watching going whats a Debt Ceiling, how big of a deal is this . Its a big deal. I did an interview with mcconnell who said republicans are not going to support raising the Debt Limit if democrats go through with this 3. 5 trillion plan. And thats what they did. You saw President Biden there. Democrats are taking the view under former President Trump, republicans racked up trillions of dollars in debt now that the bill is coming due, youre going to vote with us. Its feeling like 2011 when we had the Debt Crisis when former President Obama was in the White House and that was the first time we had u. S. Debt reading downgraded. The elements in play were not sure were going to get there. Were going to hit the Debt Ceiling, the Governments Ability to borrow money and pay functions is going to come up. At the same time we have to fund the government to keep the federal agencies open. This is setting Up To be one hell of a september. Thank you, sir. Im sure well see you next week. Still ahead, a fight over false claims of Election Frauds moves ahead in court. Major League Baseball is set for a movie inspired matchup in an iowa cornfield. Those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. Facing leaks takes strength. So heres to the strong, who trust in our performance and comfortable longlasting protection. Because your strength is supported by ours. Depend. The only thing stronger than us, is you. 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No no thats why comcast works around the clock constantly improving americas largest gigspeed broadband network. And just doubled the capacity here. How do things look on your end . Perfect because were building a better network every single day. Driven to deep left field. Back goes hayes. He leaps, its gone. 499 a way from the Magic Number 500. Miguel cabrera is a swing away from history after launching the 499th Home Run in his career. The 38yearold is poised to become the 28th major League Player to reach 500 homers. Hell go for that milestone in Todays Series Finale in baltimore. And to chicago, Corbyn Burns tied with 10 consecutive strikeouts. He is the second pitcher this season to match the Mark Hall of Famer Tom sever. To atlanta. Swing and a drive deep right field into the chop house. The Threerun Homer walks atlanta off with an 86 victory and now a share of first place in the east. In anaheim, Shohei Ohtani slugged his league leading 38th Home Run Last Night. It was not enough to pull past toronto, though. In boston, the slumping Red Sox turned in the highest Scoring Game since 2015, a 208 victory over tampa bay. They now move within four games of the Al East leading rays. If you build it, he will come. Those words whispered by a mysterious voice drove an Iowa Farmer to plow over his drops and build a Baseball Diamond in the 1980s Movie Field of dreams. After a one Year Delay because of the pandemic, major League Baseball is bringing the field to Life Tonight between the yankees and white sox. The team is set to play at an 8,000 Feet Stadium in iowa. A crowd is expected in the debut in the hawkeye state. Now well go to the weather. Lets go to Bill Karins for the forecast. Before we do, i will say that movie makes me cry every time. And i hope that the weather is good in iowa tonight. Yeah, its debatable. That movie and miracle, two of my favorite sports movies. As far as the forecast goes, i looked up and it looks like 92 for a high, mostly sunny and no storms that theyve had the past couple days, and the corn is high this time of year. Lets look at the obvious headlines. The heat is still one of the big, big stories out there. Heat warnings in the northwest and almost all of the east is under Heat Advisories or warnings. The exception being the southeast, not like its chilly there, its still hot but youre used to it. 106 Million people impacted by the advisories or warnings. The warnings are up for st. Louis, boston, hartford and file. How hot . Close to record highs today. Well be close to record high in washington d. C. , record is 99 today. Itll be interesting this afternoon if we get there or not, but you get the idea. This is hot for this time of year. And its going to be very hot on friday. Most areas cool off by saturday, including philadelphia, raleigh slightly cooler, nashville a little bit cooler, too. You have to bear with it for another two days and then well be back to normal. The Heat Index, feels like 106 in raleigh. New york city, philadelphia, boston and d. C. Will feel 105 to 110 this afternoon. A lot of thunderstorms in the great lakes. We have almost A Million people without power, michigan alone 750,000 people without power in michigan. As far as severe storms go today, New York state, vermont, we could have more additional storms with some strong winds. As far as the Tropics Go. No concerns right now with fred. Still looks to be a very weak storm as we go throughout the next two days. Our friends in florida will watch it closely, looks like it could bring heavy rain but the winds arent that strong, jonathan. Im actually you know, as far as the Tropics Go with this system, right now concerns are minor. Lets hope that continues. Ill say the Chain Lightning over the skies of New York Last Night extraordinary. It was. Bill karins. And still ahead, the latest on the fallout from Andrew Cuomos resignation. And how the Lieutenant Governor is distancing herself from the scandal. Well be right back. Tancing here scandal. Well be right back. Its non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. New Zzzquil Ultra. When you really really need to sleep. Experience, hyper performance that takes you further. At the lexus golden opportunity sales event. Get 0. 9 Apr Financing on all 2021 Lexus Hybrid models. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. vo unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. Thats how weve become the leader in 5g. 1 in customer satisfaction. And a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. From Prom Dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less theyll miss. But even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for Meningitis B. Although uncommon, Up To 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. Now as youre thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing Meningitis B vaccination. Washed your hands a Lot Today . Probably like 40 times. Hands feel dry . Like sandpaper. Introducing new dove handwash, with 5 x moisturizer blend. Removes germs in seconds, moisturizes for hours. Soft, smooth. New dove handwash. This is a cold call this is annie. Soft, smooth. Will you turn to cold washing in tide. Unsubscribe. Wait, wait, wait this helps the environment. It saves you money. I will take that money. For the environment. Managing Type 2 Diabetes . On it. On it. On it, with jardiance. Theyre 22 Million prescriptions strong. Meet the people who are Managing Type 2 Diabetes And Heart risk with jardiance. Jardiance is a oncedaily pill that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. So it could help save your life from a Heart Attack or stroke. And jardiance lowers a1c. Jardiance can cause serious Side Effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary Tract Infections, and sudden kidney problems. Ketoacidosis is a serious Side Effect that may be fatal. A rare, but lifethreatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. Stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, and dont take it if youre on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. Taking jardiance with a Sulfonylurea Or Insulin may cause low blood sugar. Lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal Heart Attack . Yep, theyre on it with jardiance. Ask your doctor about jardiance. New york will soon have new leadership. Incoming governor Kathy Hochul distanced herself from Andrew Cuomo and the scandal that drove him out of office. An thompson has the latest. Reporter Kathy Hochul stepping out from Andrew Cuomos shadow. Im ready for this. Reporter shell replaced cuomo on august 24th. Hochul promising shell be a different kind of leader. No one will describe my administration as a toxic work entire. Reporter the State Attorney generals Report On Cuomo detailed the allegations of 11 women who say the governor sexually harassed them. In my mind ive never crossed the line with anyone. Reporter though he faces potential civil and criminal action, cuomo has not been charged with a crime and denies any wrong doing. Have you made any deal with Governor Cuomo to pardon him should he be charged criminally . Absolutely not. That has not come up in any conversation. Reporter raised in buffalo, hochul served in several parts of government but was never part of cuomos inner circle. I think its no secret that we have not been close. Reporter the resignation has not stopped the impeachment process. Our thanks to Ann Thompson for that report. The russian government is trying to Sideline Alexei Navalny from upcoming elections. They announced new charges against him accusing him of creating a nonprofit that infringes on peoples rights. It could keep the 45yearold locked up for another three years. His current Prison Sentence on charges of violating parole ends in 2023, the next president ial election is 2024. It comes a month ahead of an election in which some of Alexei Navalnys top aides planned to participate. Still ahead, the taliban gains more ground. Plus Homeland Security says Conspiracy Theorists are filling Social Media with continued calls for violence over Election Fraud claims. What it means for the midterms and beyond. Before we go to break, we want to know why are you awake. Email your reasons to way too early or tweet me at Jonathan Lemire leave out the h, please. Be s ingredients, and fermentati. Fermentation . Yes. Formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness. New chapter. Wellness, well done. [engine revs] ricky bobby, today the road is your classroom. [engine revs] now lets go borrow a boat and make some bad decisions. [engine revs] time to go incognito. [zippers fasten] [engine revs] i love you, ricky i love you, cal whats the next stop . Its time for your extracurriculars. vamanos, Amigos Woohoo Judith in this market, Youll Find Fisher investments is different than other Money Managers. Its time for your extracurriculars. other Money Manager different how . Dont you just ride the wave . judith no we actively manage Client Portfolios based on our forwardlooking views of the market. other Money Manager but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right . judith no, we dont sell commission products. Were a fiduciary, obligated to act in our clients best interest. other Money Manager so when do you make more money . Only when your clients make more money . judith yep, we do better when our clients do better. At Fisher Investments were clearly different. Welcome back to way too early. Its 5 30 on the east coast, 2 30 out west. Im Jonathan Lemire. A d. C. Federal judge appointed by President Trump said that Dominion Voting systems lawsuits should move forward. In denying the Defendants Motion to dismiss the 1. 3 billion suits, District Judge Karl nickels ruled that dominion had grounds to say they made the claims knowing they were false or with Reckless Disregard for the truth. Powells attorney told forbes theyre disappointed about the ruling but looked forward to litigating this case on the merits. The department of Homeland Security is sounding the alarm about Election Fraud claims fuelling calls for violence on Social Media. Dhs officials tell Nbc News they are warning local police departments about the growing calls for violence related to the unsubstantiated claims of fraud related to the 2020 election and the alleged, quote, Reinstatement Of Former president Donald Trump. One official said theres no specific plots but the agency has seen Conspiracy Theories move from obscure forums to more stable ones. Theyre looking to avoid the January 6th insurrection repeat. Good morning, thank you for being here, meredith. Talk if you could to start us off on your reporting on the continued misinformation on Social Media particularly among supporters of Donald Trump leading Up To what they say will be his return to office. Well, this is something that obviously concerns national security officials, dhs, obviously issuing this warning where they say there is a, quote, moderate concern here, but this is something that the Security Teams across the country have been concerned about for months. Politico reported back in june that there were concerns from dhs about Conspiracy Theorists and people who believe that the former president could somehow be reinstated. He will not be. This month. And potentially they could be there could be Lone Wolf actors, violent actors who might lash out in the same way that we saw on January 6th. So its definitely something that people are concerned about. And, you know, the presence of qanon, the presence of these Conspiracy Theories still continues to swirl around a lot of the former president s supporters. This week there is this cyber Security Election Forum going on in South Dakota held by one of the former allies, mike lindell, where hes trying to prove that the election was stolen and it is something that a lot of people truly believe. And its something thats talked about on certain Trump Protrump podcasts and things like that. So security officials really are concerned about the real threat. And the former President Isnt helping things himself. Yesterday he issued a statement where he said he spoke with the parents of ashley babbit, who was a Trump Supporter who stormed the capital on 6th, she was also an Air Force Veteran but she believed in all these Conspiracy Theories and thought these things were true. And the former president has made calls to find out who the Capitol Police Officer was that killed her on that day. Theres an effort certainly to make her a martyr in that move. And Donald Trump is not going to be reinstated as president tomorrow. What do you make of the arguments from seasoned attorneys one of whom a federal prosecutor, theyre making to avoid accountability for these false claims of fraud fuelling the fear of violence we just discussed . One of the things theyre trying to argue is that this is hyperbole, they were speaking in exaggerations about the elections, no reasonable person would believe, and Thats Something that the judge underscored is a lot of people bought into the things they say. If youre Sidney Powell or Rudy Giuliani or anyone who made the claims, dominion is not messing around with the lawsuits. They are asking for serious money here, billions of dollars in claims, and, you know, this is the first of many lawsuits that dominion has put forward. They also said theyre suing the conservative right wing networks, Oan And News max media yesterday. Politicos meredith mcgraw we always appreciate it. Thank you so much. Still ahead, a 2,500 slice of cake you wont want to test. Plus what is the totally different plan for the future of jeopardys hosting duties . I didnt get the gig. Way too early is right back as we look at light terrific in Times Square this morning. Customer Hi . burke happy anniversary. customer for what . burke every year youre with us, you get Fifty Dollars toward your home deductible. Its a Policy Perk for being a farmers customer. customer do i have to do anything . burke nothing. Customer Nothing . burke nothing. Customer Nothing . burke nothing. customer hmm, that is really something. burke you get a whole lot of something with Farmers Policy perks. See ya. kid may i have a balloon, too . burke sure. Your parents have maintained a Farmers Home Policy for twelve consecutive months, right . We are farmers. Bumpadum, Bumbumbumbum Burke Start with a quote at 1800farmers. People with moderate to severe psoriasis, are rethinking the choices they make like the splash they create the entrance they make, the surprises they initiate. Otezla. Its a choice you can make. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats Plaque Psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory Tract Infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines, and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. Ever notice how stiff clothes and if youre pregnant can feel rough on your skin . For softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free gentle downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. The towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. Try downy free gentle. Trelegy for copd. Birds flyin high you know how i feel breeze drifting on by you know how i feel [man coughing] its a new dawn, its a new day. No matter how you got copd its time to make a stand. And im feelin good start a new day with trelegy. No oncedaily Copd Medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. With three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. It also helps prevent future flareups. Trelegy wont replace a Rescue Inhaler for sudden breathing problems. Tell your doctor if you have a Heart Condition or high Blood Pressure before taking it. Do not take trelegy more than prescribed. Trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. Call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, Mouth Or Tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or Eye Pain occur. Its time to start a new day. Ask your doctor about oncedaily trelegy. And save at trelegy. Com. After months of searching, Mie Yam Bee Yal Lick and Mike Richards have been named the new hosts of jeopardy. So its the Executive Producer of jeopardy, Mike Richards who chose himself as the host. I searched long and hard and chose to pick me. He said it was really emotional when he chose to receive the call from himself. Mike, am i sitting down . You did it. Time for something totally different. As you heard Jimmy Fallon just say, in a Plot Twist Jeopardy named two hosts to take over for alex trebek. They announced that Mike Richards pulled a Dick Cheney and picked himself and Mayim Bialik will host duties. Shell host the franchises spinoffs and Prime Time specials. Hell host the daily shows. It sparked heated Fan Debates and many were surprised by the decision for two hosts. Author James Patterson and Dolly Parton have been working 9 00 to 5 00 together on a new novel. In february of 2017, patterson flew to nashville to pitch parton an idea for a new book. Would you work with him on a novel about a singer going to seek her fortune. Her answer was yes. In two days later he sent her an outline and lyrics for seven new songs. The book will be released next Year And Parton will release a 12track Title at the same time. Now a followup on a story we reported a couple weeks ago. A royal fan now owns a slice of history, likely with freezer burn. A 40yearold Piece of cake from Prince Charles and princess Dianas Wedding sold at action for over 2,500. The large slice was first owned by a staffer. Bids came in from around the world but it landed with Jeffrey Layton for over three times itsest mated value of 700. Still ahead, Richard Haass joins us to discuss the talibans fight. A look at this date in history, 82 years ago, The Wizard Of Oz had its World Premier in wisconsin, three days before opening in hollywood. Were off to see the wizard the wonderful wizard of oz because because because because because because of the wonderful things he does were off to see the wizard s at the lexus golden opportunity sales event. Lease the 2021 is 300 for 379 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. Still fresh unstopables inwash Scent Booster Downy unstopables as the Taliban Takeover continues in afghanistan, families are fleeing for kabul in droves but many fear that soon not even the capital will be safe. Reporter the taliban claims hundreds of prisoners in afghanistans second largest City Kandahar are free after they overwhelmed the jail holding the insurgents and flung open the gates. Hundreds of afghan soldiers under siege at the airport reportedly surrender. Video shows weapons, vehicles, and an Attack Helicopter now in their hands. By some estimate the taliban now controls 65 of afghanistan. More families are fleeing to the Capital Kabul every day. This woman says the taliban are not allowing girls and women to go to the market. Under the taliban girls were banned from school and women from work. Many terrified the dark days are about to return. Do you worry about the Girls Safety Today . Yes, the principal says they tell us you all might die. It upsets you . Reporter yes, she says. I try to help the women, im very said. When i see all these girls, i get really upset now. Joining us president on the council of foreign relations, Richard Haass. Thank you for getting up early to be with us. Lets talk about afghanistan, President Biden is showing no Signs Hell walked back. He was asked earlier this week if he had any regrets about his decision, he said no. But what are you hearing from people you talked to or what do you think, inside the White House do you think theres some second guessing going on . I think there was guessing before the president made the decision to implement the policy of his predecessor. It was a year and a half since the united states signed the agreement with the taliban. It was never a peace agreement, it was an american withdrawal thats now being implemented. Theres a lot of people with second thoughts. The president , though, felt strongly almost surprisingly strongly about it, jonathan. I think whats happened now is what people thought was inevitable is happening at a much more rapid pace than most thought, the taliban advance and the collapse of afghan security forces. Why is it happening so quickly . Why are the afghan forces folding with such little resistance . My own sense because theres not a lot of Loyalty Or Connection with this government, many people see it as corrupt and distant. Afghanistan is a country of different geographic, ethnical and tribal loyalties. The taliban have their historical linguistic base in the south. The rest of the country is divided. So the loyalty, first and foremost, is not to the government. Its often to the tribe or local leader. So the Fault Lines now are coming to the fore. And also the afghan military, a lot of it is a paper military. The numbers thrown around, 175,000, 200,000 troops, many of those are paper troops. The people dont show up for work. So the taliban are incentivized, organized and ideological, and the government forces essentially are not prepared to stand and fight for the most part. The biden administration keeps threatening to not recognize the taliban on the world stage. Do we think the taliban cares at all about that . People have been so wrong about the taliban, all this talk that somehow theyre going to be more moderate this time around, guess what, theyre not. Youre going to see sharia law, its going to be a nightmare for men, women and girls. The idea theyre interested in Peace Talks was a farce. It was a tactical device to get the united states out. The taliban Couldnt Care two figs about what the united states or the europeans will do. The real question is whether the six neighboring countries of afghanistan are prepared to do anything . My hunch is not. Theyre going to make sure the refugees dont spill into their own countries. So i think the taliban will gain control, they could have a longterm civil war, but the idea that foreign aid is going to be withheld, thats not a priority for them. One other subject, this is an extremely important conversation about afghanistan but we talked about Alexei Navalny and russia how he could face more charges that would, what a coincidence, keep him in prison beyond the next president ial election in russia. How do you think the movement is going to fare without him if hes still locked up . Hes a legitimate political rival for vladimir putin. So i think theres almost no chance, jonathan, that hes going to get out of prison, much less have the chance to compete on a level playing field. And i think putin is prepared to pay whatever price the u. S. Criticism or sanctions or European Criticisms or sanctions he has to pay since putin cares about his own continued rule. Theres no number two to navalny, maybe one may emerge. For putin this is again a price well worth paying. And the idea that the u. S. Russia Relations will suffer because of it, its like the taliban, Hell Shrug his shoulders, a price hes more than willing to pay. If you notice a pattern here, china shrugging us off over hong kong, russia shrugging us off over Alexei Navalny, the taliban shrugging us off. Youre seeing it, the u. S. Influence and the ability to change behavior on the part of rivals, that influence is way down. We appreciate you getting up this morning. Hope you will come back soon. Next time maybe you can taunt me about the yankees. Earlier we asked why are you awake . One viewer writes my cat did her best rendition of the hails are alive with The Sound Of Music outside my Bedroom Door at the top of her little lungs, precisely at 4 45 a. M. Another viewer emails my Cat Alarm went off with no snooze bar. We do well with cats on the show. Its a key demographic. Car member is Up To send her greetings from croatia. And jerry emails, i am up way too early because for some reason i thought making my Doctors Appointment for 7 00 a. M. Was a good idea. Nah. Yeah, i would say go a little later in the day, although if you have to fast or not drink water beforehand, get it out of the way early. Lets hope the show is on in the doctors office, too. We have much more ahead. Coming up on morning joe, the mayor of San Antonio joins the show after a legal victory over the governor. And a Check In with dr. Scott gottlieb about the timing for federal approval of pfizers coronavirus vaccine. As the nfl deals with players refusing to get the shot we hear from Lane Kiffin about how he got his team to 100 Vaccination Rate headed into the College Football season. Morning joe is just moments away. Dont go anywhere. Ng joe is ju away dont go anywhere. At new chapter, its innovation, organic ingredients, and fermentation. Fermentation . Yes. Formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness. New chapter. Wellness, well done. When i was young nonononono please please no. I never needed anyone. Front desk. Yes, hello. Im so. Please hold. 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And the only way we prevent it is to get vaccinated, to wear masks, to do social distancing, washing your hands all the time. And not just think about my freedom is being kind of disturbed here. No. Screw your freedom. Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities. You cannot just say, i have the right to xy an z. Thats Arnold Schwarzenegger asking people to take people over. California became the first state to require all teachers and School Staff to get vaccinated or get tested weekly. The policy applies to staff members serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The governor said these were the appropriate steps that needed to be taken. We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have, i have four young children, and that is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe. Staying in that state, californias largest single wildfire in recorded history continues to grow as Firefighters Attempt to contain the massive dixie, it comes amid soaring temperatures in much of the country. Reporter the Dixie Fire setting a grim milestone. The nations largest fire has torched more than 500,000 acres. Its massive spread now more than half on the size of rhode island. That plume now creates its own weather, meaning the winds can go any direction. Reporter the fire decimating small town greenville, destroying nearly every man made structure in sight. Historic homes and businesses levelled, whole neighborhoods wiped off the map. 47yearold College Professor Gary Maynard was arrested and charged for serial arson, accused of starting the nearby ranch fire. He was in the midst of an Arson Setting Spree and tried to trap first responders by gaining access to an Evacuation Zone and lighting fires behind them. Reporter it seemed like a good idea to rent bikes. Im drenched. Reporter two Ice Cream stops later. Were not making it back. Reporter oppressing Heat Coast to coast with advisories in effect for 140 Million americans. In the west, temperatures soared, spokane 98 and sacramento 103 degrees. In the midwest Kansas City and st. Louis skyrocketed into the 90s with lows in the 80s. In virginia, a 5yearold died after being left in a car. The dome of Heat Making Temperatures dangerous from the Mid Atlantic to new england. We cant stay out too long because its this hot. Reporter an excessive Heat Warning remains in effect, Heat Index values Up To 109 degrees expected in New York. A nation now in the grips of multiple Heat Waves with days to go before theres relief. As the show draws to a close well see if we hear from President Biden today, speaking about Prescription Drug prices before he heads off on his summer vacation, trying to escape the Heat But Cant escape the growing priority for the White House, keeping democrats in line in the coming weeks and months about the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill In The House and keeping all democrats, from moderates to liberals, in line for that multitrillion dollar reconciliation bill. Thank you for getting up way too early. Morning joe starts now. American and Delta Airlines will not require employees to be vaccinated. A twist, frontier is now the classy airline. Didnt see that one coming. I prefer the 3m duct tape, please. Good Morning And Welcome to morning joe, its thursday, august 12th. You got duct taped to your seat that one time they ran out of mr. Pibb. I did. No mr. Pibb, no rc cola, i was like what am i doing here . You know, you talk about duct