Lets just talk about bottlenecks. I talked about that a little earlier. Those that Depart Kabul and get to those staging bases, thats the coordination i was talking about earlier, to ensuring that we place, you know, evacuees in one of those bottlenecks, so the increased through put they are able to hold there, with the joint staff in that trance com, as we look as those At Kabul, theres no constraint of allowing flights to leave today. We expect the through put that We Saw in the last two days to be able to continue with no bottleneck at others, and we continue to monitor that on an hourly and minute basis so we know where to fly people to. Do you have enough people in the i dont have the exact number in kabul, but there are evacuees in kabul being processed there to be ready to fly. But you dont have the number . I dont have the exact number. We have folks ready to evacuate. We can get you the number that is on the airport now. As The General said, it literally changes by the hour. If you think about what we did yesterday, i mean, its virtually you do the math, and its 1,000 people per hour in the last 24 hours, and its a fair question and well take it and get you the number where it is now, and just cautioning you that that number constantly changes. You get down to a certain level and then you get more and you just keep moving people through. Its constantly fluid. Yeah . Thanks, john. I know you say you are fixed on August 31st as a Departure Date brooke, we can find that number now so can you get that and bring it here now. You are fixed on the August 31st as a Departure Date, and does that fall under Speculation Or Planning . You made a distinction between the two when we talk about the possibility of things and i just want to get clarity on that. I am not completely sure i understand the question and i will take a stab at it and if i fail you can tell me i failed. The president s direction has been to complete the withdrawal, the Evacuation And Withdrawal by the 31st of august. Thats the direction we are operating under and therefore that is driving a lot of our plans. You heard us say and you heard the secretary say that if there needed to be a conversation about changing that, that he would have that conversation. Im not going to get into internal deliberations about what people may be thinking one way or the other, but you heard the national Security Adviser say yesterday that he believes we can accomplish this mission by The End of the month and so we are still driving towards The End of the month and thats where we are now and if theres a change to that we will meek it clear to the american people. In the past couple of weeks the pentagon has come under fire for not quoting even Khau Wal teas, and so is there planning going on in the event this has to happen . We are a planning organization, tom. We plan for all manner of contingencies, even as we execute the orders we have been given and thats what we are doing now. You say airlift is not a factor here, and obviously there are more people getting to the airport and getting out. What do you attribute that to . Is that expanding the parameter, and we dont have the number of people there now. The time in kabul has been short. As soon as we are getting people in and processed, as you can see, a flight every 45 minutes is a lot in getting people out of there. So as we look at what have been the factors behind that, numerous. Weather continues to play in everybodys factor. Great coalition and partners and other people volunteering aircraft. General lyon said yesterday, the ability to get not only aircraft coming into kabul but others providing aircraft to fly people from the Lily Pads or the Safe Havens or into the states and then moving them around has allowed us to keep the through put going. And also the continued ability to inform and get the word out of how to get into The Gates, where to come, the processing of the those not only through The Gates but the processing internally on kabul by our troops that are there continues to become more efficient. Are there more people showing up now than last week when there was so much panic . I would say as we look at those showing up with the right documentation, the right people that have come, i think is one factor that has allowed us to increase the through put. There have also been the crush of those first few days has reduced, as more Order And Structure around the airport increased, security, the processing, the flow itself has just gotten better and the crowds around the airport are smaller than they were before. So the situation around the airport right now is just not the same, its not as chaotic as it was in the first couple of days. I have spoken to Service Members and spouses where they are expected to be housed and they have a serious concern about covid. What are anybody living on the bases doing to ease the concern because as of yesterday they are still concerned about the issue . Yeah, and they have a right to be and we are in the midst of a pandemic and conducting one of the largest airlift operations in recent american history, and its no small feat in the best of circumstances and this is obviously not the best of circumstances because in addition to this we are doing it in the midst of a covid pandemic. Screening occurs at every stop, at every stage of the process. Were doing the best we can to make sure that we have got enough visibility on everyones health, but, again, were really the focus is on getting the numbers out, so theres an elementary screening done At Kabul for those who are symptomatic, and additional screening takes place at the temporary Safe Havens, and of course upon arrival here in the united states, theres a screening that is done as well. Its on everybodys mind, believe me. We are also mindful of the health of our aircrew and our troops at the airport. Its a constant process and we are not leaving anything for granted. We are taking it seriously. I dont know the medical process. Let me go over here. Apparently im missing ill come back to you. I promise. Can you talk about why theres a consensus in the highest levels of the u. S. , is there a Communication Issue . Sorry, i misunderstood. What is the dissidence you are talking about . We can see a different statement from the White House, and a different comment from the pentagon. Is there a Communication Issue from the highest level . No, i think you are reading more things into what you need to. Theres still an Al Qaeda Threat in afghanistan and Al Qaeda affiliates that are there, and theres no gap. You say between 5,000 and 10,000, so its a different statement and thats why i have to ask. The Defense Department cannot speak specifically to the number of americans in afghanistan, and we addressed this earlier in the briefing. Theres no firm certain hard number on that, because not every american that goes to afghanistan has to tell the government they are there. We made it clear any american that wants to leave we will find a way to get to them or find a way to get the information to them to make for transportation out of the country. This is a dangerous and perilous environment and its very dynamic and fluid and we are doing the best we can to move as many as we can as fast as we can. If they cannot reach the airport, The Americans, dont the Taliban And Isis hunt for them . We understand that afghanistan is a dangerous place right now and thats why we are trying to move as many americans as fast as we can, and we want to get that done before The End of the month. Gordon . There are conditions at i didnt understand what The General was saying earlier, i understand the three main hubs to be qatar and let me just set this a little bit. Yeah, we have three main hubs and we are adding to that. You have seen italy, u. S. Military installations and there are others in the Gulf Region willing to take on a temporary basis some individuals, and so its a bigger and broader spoke hub network. Let me level set the first question right away, we are aware of and as concerned as anybody about what had been some terrible Sanitation Conditions at qatar, that were facilitated by the Shear Numbers and the speed with which those numbers got there and we all recognize that, and Nobody Nobody here wants anybody to be less than safe, secure, comfortable and well cared for as they go through the process. We take it very seriously. We will be the first to admit that the conditions could have been better, and they are improving now. I am not going to stand up here and tell you they are perfect because they are not, because evacuees continue to flow into qatar, and theres a lot on the ground right now and as The General said we are working hard to clear out that population so that we can ease The Pressure there and continue to move these people along the way to their new lives. Nobody is making excuses and nobody is ducking from this. We recognize that things were and in many ways are still not at the level of sanitation and good hygiene that we want. I can tell you from the secretary on down everybody is focused on trying to improve that and as a matter of fact you saw a statement from central commands Last Night they are taking measures to ease pressure and improve conditions there, and not just there but every other temporary Safe Haven that we are operating from. Before The General speaks to the hubs, can you clarify, you said you dont think theres a crush around can you clarify . The Crowd Size is smaller now than it was in those first few days. So were not experiencing to the degree we did last monday the physical crush and chaos. Im not suggesting, gordon, there are not desperate people outside that airport that want in. Absolutely. We are not ignoring that. I am saying to megans question, we are not seeing the same pressure put on the system now that there was in the early days. First lets go back to the question, so approximately right now 5,000 a little more than 5,000 are there going through the processing and continuing to be processed and so gates are open and we will continue to assess those numbers throughout the day. When we go back to hubs and spokes, i will give you the macro and then we can get back with you on the real details. Both within the u com, we have main hubs, and from there within the last 24 to 72 hours, both of those commands have started building up and going from an initial Operating Capability to get what we would call smaller Satellite Areas to ensure that with the through put that we have had we can safely and humanitarianly keep those people there until their flights go back into the states. When you specifically talk about i can just bring it up in talking to Sepb Com this morning, and we are talking about capabilities and we talked about this earlier, but a lot of work has been done in the last 48 hours of bringing in more portable Hand Washing stations and refrigeration trucks to ensure theres Cool Water and the food is there to ensure that people have these humanitarian capabilities. I want to say as a scheduling note, this Afternoons Briefing will be joined by two other commanders so they can address the specific questions about the temporary Safe Havens. Laura . The afghan troops helping with the evacuations currently . Yes. All of them . Any that want to leave, and we have to assume that thats all of them. They will be evacuated. Yes. How many do you estimate . I dont have an exact number, and The General has said 5,000, and there are some helping us in the Security Mission and they will all be able to come out. They dont have sivs . They will all be able to come out. Just a followup, what is happening to the money that was intended to go for the afghan security we are working closely with congress on that, but that money is being held now. Yeah, absolutely. Let me go to the phones. In addition to not getting one side of the room i have not done a good job here on the phones. Dan la moth. Thank you for taking my call. We have heard a lot of frustration with some of these veterans groups and other organizations that are trying to assist people to get to The Gates and through The Gates, and it sounds like theres at least to some degree some inconsistencies on who is being allowed in and when they are being allowed in and chaos that is to a degree frustrating but understandable . The gates, the coordination is the critical piece of understanding getting through the checkpoints. That has been a lot of the work that has been done over the last 48 hours is the coordination between u. S. Forces, for the commanders to ensure who comes through and what checpoints people are coming through to expedite. We have had an increase in information coming to the commanders on the ground of who needs to come. I think that has been one of the increases in our through put, is understanding through all the populations of who is needing to come through The Gates so we can better provide information of which gate and the conditions are set to come on to h kya. You have been very patient. I want to go back to the airport. I know you dont want to speak about the deadline on August 31st, but whenever the u. S. Troops are leaving, are you speaking with the taliban or a third party, a third country about the security of the airport to allow the airport to remain open . Ill let The General take it. I would just say that we are in daily communication with the taliban about the Security Situation at the airport now. Our focus from a Military Perspective is going to be whenever right now the plan is to end this mission on the 31st of august. I dont want to suggest that thats not what we are planning on. As we get there, as i said earlier, we want to preserve as much capability as long as we can to continue to conduct evacuations while safely removing our people and our equipment all at the same time. Thats our focus right now is on properly executing the mission and effectively and safely drawing it down. I will ask The General if he has any other thoughts. I just think when you talk about transition, absolutely theres planning going on on how to transition all of the space that we currently occupy here in the future. Okay. Go ahead . Thank you so much. Just a followup to the previous question. For those that are symptomatic, what are they being told when they arrive for processing . Being told . Once they are arriving, are they being told, hey, you know, like, what is the process for those who may have symptoms . I dont know how they are getting the information about where they need to go and which gates they need to go to, et cetera, et cetera, so what are they being told . Let me take the question and see if we can get a more contextual answer to that, and i am assuming there are different demands, and obviously the demands in terms of timing is a much more urgent, and i think its going to vary, and let me see if we can get you a better answer. We will have to wrap it up. We will see you again at 1500 3 00, sorry with general van herk, and i will basically turn the podium over to them and i assume that that will be the focus on the briefing if i need to stick around after for other issues, ill do that as well. Well see you later this afternoon. Thank you. A good Tuesday Morning to you. Craig melvin here. You have just been watching and listening to a Pentagon Briefing on the latest on the afghanistan withdrawal. Just heard from General Taylor there, of course, The Press spokesperson kirby. The pentagon, as you just heard there probably, the pentagon says it needs several days to complete that withdrawal now, and they said they can finish the job before the August 31st deadline. More than 21,000 people have been evacuated from kabul in a 24hour period, and thats the highest since the operation started according to officials started there, and all this happening as President Biden is set to speak about Afghanistan Today after a virtual meeting with g7 leaders. President biden facing a huge decision here, whether to extend the u. S. Withdrawal beyond the August 31st deadline. That decision is expected today. We have heard that according to two u. S. Officials, and it comes as we are learning a little more about a secret meeting on monday between the leader of the taliban and the director of the cia, the agency that once helped capture him. Lets get ride to our team covering the latest on afghanistan. Mike memoli there at the White House, and courtney who was just at the briefing that we were just broadcasting there, and Ali Vitali standing by for us on capitol hill. Courtney, let me start with you. The pentagon not appearing to want to get ahead of the president s decision to extend that withdrawal from afghanistan. You are reporting that decision will likely come today. Did anything that we just heard there point toward a decision one way or the other . Not really. You know, the pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, said they were still working towards the August 31st deadline, and that being said its still up to the president. This is a Policy Decision the White House has to make. The president has to make, whether he wants to extend the military mission there in afghanistan, and thats not a decision that would be made lightly. Lets look at the options here. If they decide to extend to allow for more time for americans and afghans and other third country nationals to get out of the country, the taliban are completely surrounding that airport in kabul right now. In fact, they are even controlling several of The Gates to get into the civilian side of the airport. So if the u. S. Were to extend against the wishes of the taliban theres a real possibility that the taliban would attack, they would consider It Offensive against any kind of agreements that have been made, and theres the possibility troops would come under fire and all the civilians that would be left there at the airport, so the decision is does the u. S. Want to take that on, does the u. S. Want to get into a fight with the taliban right now in kabul . The other side of it is, despite the fact of what John Kirby said, is the u. S. Has the capacity to get all americans out and as many afghans as possible, and the chances are they would not have a chance to get everybody out with this deadline. It would take three or four days to get all u. S. Troops and americans there at the Airport Out by that deadline. So if you back time that, you are talking The End of the week that the u. S. Military would have to start their retro Grade Or Withdrawal and that only gives you a couple more days to get evacuation flights out. Beyond that we know there are other american citizens and special Visa Candidates who are not inside kabul and cannot get there right now. If thats the case, there are still people who would potentially be left behind if the u. S. Were to leave by August 31st. Its a difficult decision. We are told by u. S. Officials the president would make that Decision Today but we dont know if the White House will announce it to the american public. Courtney, we just heard General Taylor say i believe, and you correct me if i am wrong, roughly 5,000 people in the airport there in kabul right now, is that accurate . Thats right. One thing that is important to point out, you know, for several days there was all this talk about the chaos at the airport and particularly at The Gates outside. On saturday the u. S. Military started working more with the taliban, frankly, on efforts to control the crowds at the gate. That has been working. In the last 24 to 48 hours, the crush at The Gates is less the crowds at The Gates is much less and thats because the military now are having americans meet in certain locations and bringing them in in smaller intervals, and again they are coordinating with the taliban to do this, as they have been, and they are in the constant communications between the u. S. Military leaders on the ground in kabul, and their counterparts in kabul and it has led the situation at The Gates to be less. Theres still a continuing threat from isis, and theres specific intelligence that they wanted to attack The Gates or the airport itself or people trying to move to the airport, and theres a concern that as the crowds were growing there was a potential for a suicide attack, and maybe a Vehicle Bourne ied Explosive Device that could target one of those locations, and in addition to the fact they are getting more people out every day, they have been able to thin some of the crowds around The Gates by sending people there in intervals. Mr. Memoli, when we hear from President Biden today should we expect his decision on whether to extend that withdrawal . Its unclear, craig, whether the president will announce a decision if a decision, i should add, has been made by that point but its clear The Pressure is on him from his allies in congress to extend that deadline, and we just heard from congressman Jim Himes from the intelligence committee, and part of the briefing received yesterday suggested we need more time to get our people out, and murphy has been outspoken and generally supportive of the president s approach in afghanistan saying yesterday that we should essentially call the talibans bluff, and of course they said a Red Line on whether we stay beyond August 31st, but significantly the allies internationally, the president we just received word from the White House in the last few minutes here that that meeting he was participating in this morning with g7 allies, and he spoke at the start of the meeting we are told, and there would have been a back and forth among the leaders in the roughly two hours that followed, and Boris Johnson among those leaders was telegraphing that he intended to pressure the president to keep our operations going there beyond August 31st, because, remember, its not just american personnel, its not just the afghan allies but so many of our allies also have a presence on the ground there, and the time it will take just to get the military out, and we are talking about by The End of the week if the president sticks to the deadline that will have to end in terms of those evacuations. The White House at the moment is focusing on the incredible uptick we have seen, well beyond the 5,000 to 9,000 the pepped gone was saying a week ago they would be able to evacuate, and now 10,000 per day, and this is now an administration that struggled to get his footing in addressing the crisis and now is flooding us with information. Two Pentagon Briefings, and we expect to hear from the President Today as well. Allie batali, The House, they held an Allmember Briefing within the last hour on the situation there in afghanistan. We know some top democrats have serious doubts that the united states can complete its mission by August 31st. What are you hearing on The Hill . Craig, mike talked about the allies of the president who are urging him to ignore or renegotiate the deadline, and that briefing that you mentioned for the full house is happening right now, and it should be ending in about 15 or so minutes, so we are waiting for that to wrap up, and as they were going in clearly a lot of questions from lawmakers about how this pullout could be done expeditiously, but also what put us in this place in the first place. Republicans have been quick to try and lay all of this at President Bidens feet, at least most of them have. Democrats on the other hand, though, have been a little more restrained in that they are focused on what is being done to make sure that americans and allies are being gotten out in time. At the same time, though, theres skepticism about that. We heard, for example, from Adam Schiff Last Night after his committee was briefed. Listen to what he said. There were any number of warnings that the taliban might take over, and some included the potential of a very rapid takeover. At the same time, though, i think its fair to say that nobody predicted such a rapid collapse, a rapid and complete collapse of the afghan government and forces. More briefings will be coming on this, craig. Once lawmakers get back on The Hill, theres going to be a focus on getting hearings together and hearing from key administration officials, not just in classified briefings like this one where they are hearing consistently from the pentagon chief, and instead they want to ask questions and get answers not just for lawmakers but for the american people at large about how all of this happened. Can you confirm this morning that the cia director, william burns, he held a secret meeting with the leader of the taliban monday in kabul, the same man the cia once helped to capture and put in jail. What more can you tell us about that secret meeting . We believe, craig, that all of the issues that were discussing right now in terms of the deadline and the circumstances around getting americans and afghans to the airport, that cia director, bill burns, was pressing and negotiating with the Defact Yo Leader of the taliban, and it symbolizes the incredible change of circumstances we find ourselves in. Not only did the Cia Help capture this man and he was in prison in afghanistan, and before that the taliban was a spent force and defeated in part by the cia which went into afghanistan after 9 11, and now the taliban holds most of the cards. As courtney made clear, they have incredible leverage as to whether or not this deadline is enforced, because if they decide to attack, the u. S. Is a vulnerable position, and theres great frustration in the cia about the fact that it looks like we are not going to be getting out all the afghans that helped the Cia And State department during this 20year war in afghanistan, and many are spread across the country and have no way to get to the airport. We are running out of time and space. We are hoping to get out all The Americans but it really looks like this deadline is going to be really difficult to extend it, and there are going to be afghans, Special Immigrant Visa applicants who are stranded and at risks to their lives as the taliban tries to figure out who was helping The Americans. Thats a source of deep frustration among the people that work for cia director, william burns, craig. Mr. Memoli, before i let you go here, i want to ask you quickly about the Vice President. She just landed in vietnam but she was delayed because of a socalled, quote, anomalous healths in department. What does that mean . Yeah, craig, absent these developments to the story we are following with regard to afghanistan, this will be a were bigger Story Line that we would be following. The Vice President making her second significant foreign trip and she was you in singapore and her departure there as she was heading to vietnam was delayed because of the explanation of an anomalous episode. Officials are confirming there was concern about an episode of the Havana Syndrome, and this is something that we first encountered at our diplomatic compound in havana and its something now we have seen throughout the world, hundreds of diplomats experiencing this, and at least two u. S. Diplomats at the u. S. Embassy in vietnam had to be medevaced from there because of the some of the significant symptoms they were experiencing as a result of the Havana Syndrome. The team traveling with the Vice President saying as part of the delay they were making an assessment of whether it was still safe for the Vice President , for her party to travel and ultimately that assessment was reached it was safe to do so. A significant Story Line that will raise the profile of the Havana Syndrome incidents that we have seen affecting our diplomats throughout the world. Mike memoli at the White House where we expect to hear from President Biden later today. Ali vitali on The Hill, and thanks to Courtney Kube as well. Meanwhile, the u. S. Hit a massive new milestone in the pandemic. 38 Million new cases now confirmed. This morning i talked to dr. Anthony fauci about what is next. I asked him whether he thinks that children under 12 could get the vaccine by christmas. His answer to that, and why dr. Fauci is hopeful that we are about to turn a corner, next. Nurtec can now treat and prevent migraines. Dont take if allergic to nurtec. 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You expressed Confidence Dr. Fauci about the full approval will move the need in terms of vaccinations, is that because you think previously skeptical folks will rush out and get the shot or is that because more private companies will be able to mandate they get the shot . Its going to be both. Theres a survey that those about 30 of the people who have not gotten vaccinated and had been reluctant to get vaccinated have said once they get what they consider the stamp of approval from the fda that they would very seriously consider getting vaccinated. Thats one element. The second element is what you just said on the piece, which is they will now be much more enthusiasm in mandating vaccines be that incorporations or places of employment, universities, colleges, the military. All of that, i believe, will contribute to the number of people being vaccinated. The third thing is the company in this case, pfizer, can now ties. There will be a lot more advertisement out there, which you were not allowed to do unless you get full approval. I believe those three things working together hopefully will get a lot more people vaccinated. Lets talk about this group that is still not eligible. As a parent of two small children under the age of 12, what is the likelihood that that group is going to be able to get the shot before the Christmas Holidays . You know, i think theres a reasonable chance that that will be the case. Whats going on right now is that the companies, both pfizer and moderna, at least two of them, as well as working with the nih clinical Trials Group in my own institute are working very hard to get data on both the safety, the correct dose as well as the predictability that these vaccines will be effective. Were collecting that data now. That data ultimately will be presented to the fda to look at it for the balance between Safety And Risk Benefit Ratio for the children. I hope all of that process will take place expeditiously and that we will have it on the timetable you just mentioned, hopefully by late fall and early winter. For more on where things stand now, outside the Aclu Headquarters in washington, d. C. Because that group is now getting involved in the legal fight over School Mask mandates. I also want to bring in dr. Octer, hes an Associate Professor at florida international community. Good to have you. Let me start there at the Aclu Headquarters. That organization filing a suit in South Carolina on behalf of several families with preexisting conditions, and take us through what this could mean. Reporter craig, the aclu says that Mask Mandate bans are illegal because they discriminate against kids with preexisting conditions, kids who could get a severe case of covid because separate is not equal, and by definition you have to consider separate if you know that your child is going to get very sick. There are families across the country filing these lawsuits. We counted them in all but two states that have these Mask Mandate bans, and this is a major national group now getting involved, craig. The reality is, this is not just about kids who are being forced into virtual, craig, but we talked to a Family Yesterday that doesnt have that choice, so when we talk about the Mask Mandate bans in the states, we are talking about parents that have children without preexisting conditions and those who do, who are faced with really agonizing decisions here about sending their kids who they know are likely to get infect back into the classrooms. We caught up with mary wilson, the mother of two twin daughters in South Carolina who are diabetic, and within days of sending them back in 8yearold ella came down with covid. Heres what she said it was like in her classroom, craig. Were you scared to go into school or how did you feel about it . I was a little nervous at first, because i was like, what will happen and will i be okay . How did you feel when you found out you had covid . It was actually pretty scary, because i didnt know if it would get worse. I was really, really worried, scared and upset. Now, they were not part of the suit, craig, but there are many families in that state who are who have kids with asthma, who have kids with Lung And Heart conditions and those parents have already had a year with Struggle And Strife with Virtual School and they dont have a choice. We are seeing in this many states and we reached out to the South Carolina Governors Office for comment and they said they do not comment on specific litigation but they said the only truly inclusive option at this point is to allow let every parent decide whether or not to let their child wear a mask in school, and i caught up with ella, and she will have to send both girls back into schools without masks next week. Heidi, stand by. I want to bring the doctor in here for a few moments. Our local Nbc Affiliate In Columbus, ohio, who talked to people that got the shot after the fda granted full approval to pfizer, and one man, alex todd, said he was waiting for full approval before getting the shot. Mr. Todd saying, quote, i feel a lot more confident in it for sure, and pretty much all the people i talked to that didnt want the vaccine have been waiting for the approval. How optimistic are you, doctor, that folks who have been sitting on the sidelines are all of a sudden going to rush out now and get the shot because of the full approval . Well, the Fda Approval is great news but i have to be realistic, because as a scientist its not realistic they will not all rush out. You can have a survey saying 30 are just waiting for approval, and we know Inpatient Care when it comes to now go and get it, people still dont do it and they will find other excuses. There will be plenty of people like those In Columbus that do get the vaccine, so there will be an uptick, which is good, and as mentioned by dr. Fauci and others and including you, craig, it will make it easier for institutions, whether its cities or businesses to be able to mandate the vaccine. There are some institutions waiting for that approval and as soon as they get it they will mandate it. That will probably cause the biggest uptick in vaccinations. I think there will be a spike in vaccinations, but i dont think you will get all of that get vaccinated. I cant believe those still exist. Its crazy and thats what they were waiting for, a lot of them will find another reason to be hesitant and i just do think there will be an uptick, though, not just for everyone. The american academy of pediatrics, dr. Akhter, new patient, 180,000 new cases, thats a significant jump from the previous week. Why is that . Is that because kids are going Back To School or is there more to it than that . There are a couple of factors, craig. Kids will go Back To School and it is going to increase Disease Spread and we could have said that outside of covid, when kids are back in School Viruses spread. The interesting thing is if you ask the aaap or other experts last year there is Community Spread that children and schools do, and thats what the data suggested, but clearly well have to relook at that. The Delta Variant is a lot more transmissible. You and i have talked about this, craig, before about being factors for diseases. It seemed like maybe coronavirus 19 was maybe a little bit different and the Delta Variant, and i know of personally, many teachers who have had a lot of their classrooms shut down than we ever saw before and i think its a combination of kids going Back To School and the variant is more transmissible and youll end up in that vaccination where there were kids getting infected. Dr. Akhter, thank you. Heidi, thank you, as well. In just about a half an hour from now The House will be back in session, but can Speaker Pelosi Strike a deal with those moderate democrats and holding up a vote on the democratic budget or will this stalemate throw President Bidens entire agenda into disarray . Woman from our classrooms. Man . To the playing fields. Maybe more than ever before, we are ready for this school year. Im so excited to see all of my students. Were doing all we can to make sure our schools are safe. Woman . To make sure our schools are safe. I want to thank parents and families for working with us. And continuing to be our partners. Thank you so much. We cant do it without you. We cant do it without you. Woman because we know quality public schools make a better california. We are close to landing the plane. Thats a quote from House Speaker Nancy pelosi during The House democratic Caucus Meeting this morning. Nbcs Sahil Kapur is following this story for us. Sahil, where do things stand . Craig, democratic leaders have hatched a plan that they believe will break this logjam between Speaker Pelosi and allow The House to move forward on President Bidens multitrillion dollar reconciliation package. Essentially what theyre offering the moderates is a guarantee that by September 27th The House will vote on that senatepassed Infrastructure Bill that moderates are insisting that that come up before the Reconciliation Bill is passed and pelosi is offering this as a measure to get them onboard to begin work on the 3. 5 trillion bill. As this happens, President Biden has also been Making Calls along with senior White House staff, we are told, to democrats a wide variety of democrats in the caucus including members of this group of ten moderates. Lets put their names up on the screen. Led by Josh Gottheimer the centrist democrat from new jersey. These are the democrats demanding pelosi change course. Theyve not finalized this, but the Rules Committee earlier today approved a process to put on the House Floor to begin working on this. I want to play what jim mcgovern, the chairman, had to say earlier about that. These negotiations are never easy, and i think it was Hillary Clinton that takes a village. I say it takes a therapist, but the Therapy Session is done. That turns out the Therapy Session, craig, is not entirely done. The Rules Committee will have to tweak that language to firm up that commitment on the Infrastructure Bill in response to demands by the moderates and theyre much closer on advancing this lynchpin that President Biden campaigned on in the 2021 elections. Sahil, thank you. Thank you, as well, for joining me this hour. Ill see you back here tomorrow, but up next, Andrea Mitchell reports. At pnc bank, we believe in the power of the watch out. 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Order an xchair with elemax today. Use Code Tv and get 50 off plus a free foot rest. Hey, change happened and weve made it a good thing with all new elemax from xchair. Now the future feels better than ever before. Order xchair with elemax today. Use Code Tv and get 50 off plus a free foot rest. This is Andrea Mitchell reports in washington where President Biden is preparing to address the nation on the military evacuation of u. S. Citizens and afghan allies from kabul. As the White House faces a critical decision with thousands of lives at stake the president could announce whether he will extend the August 31st Withdrawal Deadline set by the taliban as their Red Line as nato allies want no end to the evacuation or at least not ending it until early next week. Nbc new