Theres really no way to overstate his influence not only on the stones but on the history of the music we love. Yeah, this is a great song choice. This is early stones get off my cloud, Charlie Watts, he was 80 years old. We got word weeks ago he wouldnt be out on the fall tour. Knew he wasnt in good health. He was so influential hearing from paul mccartney, and Elton John and ringo starr, and the funny thing about me always was to me and most people, he really was an understated jazz drummer. He later had a jazz orchestra. That was his first passion, but in 1962 and 63 he met up with mic Jagger And Keith richards and signed up for this gig where Mic Jagger is projecting and peacocking to 80,000 people in wembley stadium. Charlies expressionless, keeping the beat as if he was in the basement of a Jazz Club somewhere, so truly one of the greats, the long time, nearly 60 years with The Rolling Stones. The great Charlie Watts died yesterday at 80 years old. And rhythm sections of Rock N Roll bands often overlooked. They are the foundation musically of any rock band. Personality wise, like you said, people called the gentleman drummer. This guy was the foundation through a lot of crazy chaotic times for The Rolling Stones in the 60s And The 70s and stayed with them a very long time. Willie, baseball, the yankees will not lose. They beat the atlanta braves last night. Theyve now won 11 in a row. The Red Sox are playing better. The dynamics havent change. The yankees beating the braves coming into in Twogame Series had won nine games in a row, and the yankees took the two games before heading out of town. Basically ended on the Warning Track right there. Yankees winning eleven in a row, heading On The Road to play four against the oakland as, which will be a tall task. Theres no question they are hot, joe. Willie, i have been joking with you they were going to come back and do this and that, but one thing i have always said and we always say, its a really long season. You think back a month or two ago, and people wanted Aaron Boone fired talking about this is the worst Yankees Team in history, how could they have put such a bad team together. Whats been the difference, mika knows the difference. A lot of times we go through the Saber Metrics at night, and shes of course going through all of them, you know. Not. Whats made the difference. She knows and i know because of her, but whats made the big difference over the past 11 games. She just talks about war. She always talks about war. She obsesses over. When they made the move at the Trade Deadline, Anthony Rizzo and joe gallo, they were great moves by brian cashman, the gm. Of course theyre playing much better and the lineup is stronger despite the fact they have had a lot of guys hurt and on the covid list. The dugout, the demeanor, the chemistry of the team, winning helps, but a lot of that was sparked by a couple new guys in the locker room. The pitching has been strong most of the season but the bats came alive when the two guys came into the lineup. Youre saying actually you can use the Trade Deadline to make your team better. Thats interesting because the Red Sox, as i told you before, we got a bandy rooster, one eyed goat, and i think we have some coupons from barn hills country buffet, which again, they found that to be interesting because thats more of a Northwest Florida thing, and im not sure why the front office in boston would want that. There you go. Thats the difference, we were in first place at the Trade Deadline, werent we. Could have used an arm instead of those Buffet Gift certificates for sure. Youre two and a half behind in the Wild Card. Youre still right there. And were five minutes behind to get to the news. Just ahead, were going to have complete coverage of the fast moving developments in afghanistan. President biden is sticking with his Time Line to withdraw u. S. Troops from the country by August 31st. He says the u. S. Is on pace to pull remaining American Forces out by next tuesday but at the same time is asking for Contingency Plans. Were going to have reports from the House'>White House and kabul. First, we want to get you caught up on where things stand in the fight against the coronavirus as it still continues to spread. The Delta Variant, the daily number of americans getting their first dose of the vaccine has risen by more than 70 since midjuly. Thats according to the House'>White House. 450,000 americans a day are getting their first dose, up from 260,000 a little more than a month ago. This as a new study from the cdc finds that unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus than those who have received a shot, but at the same time it is starting to feel a lot like last year again. Oregon is restoring a statewide Mask Mandate, ordering vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks when gathering indoors and out. Massachusetts is preparing to introduce a Mask Mandate for the states public schools. New york will also impose a universal Mask Mandate in schools. One of the first actions taken by the first woman to serve as New Yorks governor who joins us at the top of the next hour, even the national Rifle Association announced it has cancelled its annual meeting which is set to be held next month in texas due to concerns over covid19. Lets bring in the director of the center for infectious Disease Research and policy, and at the Medical School of university of minnesota, dr. Michael osterholm, thank you for being on this morning. I gave a Blanket Assessment of, but where is this heading, young people going to School Unvaccinated, are you concerned the spread will continue . Well, we are right now in what i would call an ongoing journey with this virus. Meaning if you look at the Southern Sates who were hit hard early, florida, mississippi, louisiana, those states are starting to in a Sense Hit their peak, and i expect to see the new Case Numbers will decrease over the weeks ahead. However, whats happening in the southeast, georgia, south carolina, north carolina, kentucky, tennessee, southern illinois, what were seeing in the far northwest, were seeing in the upper midwest, particularly in second degree, where sturgis was held, what were seeing in the southwest, were seeing increasing cases in the area. The cases may go down in The Deep South, were going to see the rest of the Country Light up more. The million dollar, billion Dollar Question is how big will those increases be in those other areas. Thats the challenge. As far as kids we have to understand that we are in uncharted territory. This virus will infect children readily, they can transmit the virus readily. They get sick, very sick. I defy you to find a pediatric Care Bed in the country. This is a huge challenge. From the broad to the very specific as it pertains to children and the vaccine for 12yearolds, which is the age limit you can start to get the vaccine. A lot of parents, 12yearolds can be 6 feet tall to, skinny, little kids, and parents who are afraid to give those kids the vaccine saying it would be too strong for them, theyre only, you know, 60 pounds, 70 pounds, as opposed to to kind of tougher, bulkier 12yearolds, can you explain whether or not it is okay for all 12yearolds to get the vaccine. Remember first of all, the Pfizer Vaccine has been licensed for 15 and older. Thats been approved completely. The 12 to 15yearold Age Group is one that is approved, Emergency Use Authorization for which we expect full approval to come in the near days ahead. That vaccine is, in fact, safe and effective in that Age Group. When we get a bit below that, the doses are going to start reducing some. Let me remind you of this, 185 Million people in this country have received one of the mrna vaccines, either the pfizer or the moderna vaccines, and if you look at the only Side Effect that those vaccines have had has been a type of inflammation around the heart called myocarditis, its rare and mild. Not one person, this is an important number, not one person in this country has died as a result of the 185 Million people who have received the vaccine. I wish astrin had a Safety Profile that good. They are incredibly safe and effective. The worst thing you want to do is watch your child in an Icu Struggle to make it to the next day. I imagine Thats Part of the case you made when you spoke to the Minnesota Vikings at the request of the their head coach. I believe they have the lowest Vaccination Rate in the nfl, if not one of the lowest. What are some of the cases you made to them. What were some of the questions they had, and i ask not just for the benefit of the Minnesota Vikings but the questions they asked you are many of the same Questions Vaccine hesitant or skeptical also asked based on what they have read on the internet. What was the case there that other people watching the show may learn from . I appreciated the opportunity to meet with the team, all the coaches and players. I cant say enough good things about the vikings efforts to get their Team V vaccinated and promote around the community. A rumor that 6,700 people had died from taking the vaccine. Absolutely not true. A rumor that the vaccine makes you sterile. Absolutely not true. And so its amazing, you know, once a disinformation, piece of information becomes talked about, it becomes fact. And so what i did is just systematically went through and talked about what are the risks of getting the vaccine, which i just shared with you, what are the risks of not getting the vaccine, and i appealed to their team as a team. You know, we have to each Take Care of each other. Getting vaccinated today is not just about protecting yourself. If youre an adult, its about protecting your kids from getting the virus. If youre a leader on a Football Team, its about the community looking to you, young men and women in our community saying in fact, if theyre not going to get it, im not going to get it. If they do, im going to get it. It was an opportunity to share about vaccine and what it means to the community. Doctor, mika wrote an Article Yesterday about people that we know, that we have known, and that we have been shocked to find still havent gotten the vaccine, and for my friends, my Family Members that i talk to, its educated people, people with advanced degrees. It is shocking, shocking the disinformation that they fall for. First of all, i want to ask you if you have ever seen anything like this before in your career and secondly, have you ever seen a vaccine as safe as this one . Because youve got people in the military that get 14, 15 vaccines, including, like, vaccines for like anthrax, which that is a vaccine i wouldnt want to take, and yet, you just gave the numbers, 185 Million people have had this vaccine. Not one person has died from the vaccine. Safer than aspirin. How do we get that message to americans that just cant prefer to follow Conspiracy Theories, and at some point do we just give up and have Vaccine Mandates for a vaccine that as you said is safer than aspirin . Well, joe, you really laid out a very nice segue into that discussion. I have to share an experience i had a few months ago where i was talking to a civil War Historian, and he said to me, he said, you know, this Covid Situation has finally helped me understand what it must have been like back in the Civil War for a father and a mother to watch half their sons go fight for the North And Half for the south. We have seen so many families divided, friends divided, colleagues divided over this issue, and its been terribly unfortunate about the disinformation, and as you pointed out, that has become a real problem. Who do you believe today . You know, i have been in this business now 46 years. I have been involved with a lot of controversial issues, early stages of hiv aids. It wasnt until covid that i started routinely receiving Death Threats, and the vile communications that people assumed i was out to do them in, to march them into some kind of a camp, and where that comes from, when its our job in public health just to try to protect peoples lives without regard to race, creed, color, affiliation or whatever, this is a challenge that we have to understand. I would just leave you with one last point, and that is everyone in this country will know a covid related outcome, everyone, either you get vaccinated, get protected or you will eventually get covid, this virus will find you. Thats how infectious this virus is. You cant run out the Game Clock. Either you actually get vaccinated, protect yourself, your loved ones, your family, or you will know a covid related outcome, and you lay in an intensive Care Unit and possible never coming out the door alive. That kind of crystallizes everything. Dr. Michael osterholm, thank you so much. The President Biden says the u. S. Is on pace to finish the removal of u. S. Citizens and troops from afghanistan by the August 31st deadline. The House'>White House says approximately 12,000 people were evacuated from Kabul Yesterday alone. More than 70,000 have been Air Lifted out since august 14th. 70,000 people. The number of evacuations has picked up in recent days, even out pacing the goal set by President Biden earlier in the month of 5 to 9,000 per day. It is unclear, however, how many americans and afghans who worked with the u. S. Government are still there. We have two reports now from Peter Alexander at the House'>White House, and Richard Engel In Kabul. With a Frantic Rush to evacuate Stranded Americans and desperate afghans and despite pleas from u. S. Allies at a G7 Meeting this morning to stay longer, President Biden is sticking with his selfimposed August 31st deadline for u. S. Forces to leave afghanistan. We are currently on a pace to finish by august the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better. Reporter it follows a secret meeting monday in afghanistan between Cia Director William Burns and a top Taliban Leader who previously spent eight years in prison after being arrested by the cia. The taliban threatening consequences. The President Said hes asked for Contingency Plans to stay longer if needed but hes worried about a Terror Attack there. Im also mindful of the increasing risks that i have been briefed on. Every day were on the ground is another day that we know that Isis K is seeking to target the airport. Reporter u. S. Officials tell Nbc News 4,000 americans and their families have been evacuated from afghanistan, but thousands more remain trapped. The u. S. Is still relying on the taliban to allow Safe Passage For Americans to the airport that the State Department warns is a dangerous trip and the taliban is now vowing to block afghans from leaving the the House'>White House says evacuations have accelerated, 12,000 people in the last 12 hours, but a top democrat argues its very unlikely the u. S. Will be able to get all americans and afghan allies out in seven days. Its hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and The End of the month. Reporter republicans slamming President Biden for the chaotic withdrawal. Particularly after the decision made today, and what we heard today, he will have blood on his hands, people are going to die, and theyre going to be left behind. Reporter afghan refugees arriving in the u. S. Are detailing their exit from kabul, saying people died in the chaotic crush trying to get to the airport. The children were dying, there were many people pushing, saying they have to get to the flight. Reporter At Kabul International Airport, time is running out. The u. S. And Nato Allies have one week to pull out all their citizens after the taliban insisted they would accept no extensions beyond August 31st or there would be consequences. The u. S. Embassy feeling the strain issuing a final alert for american citizens to leave or they would be on their own, and recalling it 30 minutes letter. This is now an extremely busy airfield, every few minutes, New Planes are coming in, and they are not just from the united states. We have seen them from the u. K. , qatar, australia, civilian aircraft. This is a truly global Air Lift. These Satellite Images show the huge crowds trying to leave the airport. But now finally, the departures are going smoothly. We watched a Qatar Air Force plane bound for doha being loaded as u. S. Air force monitoring the runway. Will the Air Lift be done in a week, maybe, but it will be difficult because u. S. Troops dont just need to fly out afghans but also themselves. I just left Kabul Airport, and you go through the american check point, and youre handed over to what looks like another american check point, you see american uniforms, you see soldiers in black jackets, eye protection, new weapons, m4s, perfect condition, they know how to carry them, but theyre not american soldiers. Theyre the taliban. The images are hard to believe that this is how the united states is ending it longest war. American troops just yards from the taliban, helping the u. S. Get out and go home. The taliban are now on almost every corner In Kabul. They werent hostile to us or anyone we saw. The taliban claim to have found tolerance since they were in power two decades ago. The Old Tricolored afghan flag still flies and kabul for now is calm. Traffic cops from the u. S. Backed government have returned to work. The taliban move among them, and they are giving the orders. Theres an old taliban extropical depression, americans expression, americans have the watches, and they have the time. Americans time is about to run out. And richard haas, and four star navy admiral, james, i was critical of us removing 2,500 troops from the ground, agreed that we needed to send in more troops, and this evacuation, were at 70,000. I mean, it is one of the most extraordinary Air Lifts, i think, since berlin. I am starting to get a sense as a layman, and im curious what you think about it, im starting to get a sense of worried about the law of diminishing returns. I certainly want to get every last American Out of there, but it seems to me if we stayed past The End of the month, we would just be inviting an attack by isis, inviting an attack by lets say an even more radical element of the taliban. This is the sort of thing i would not want our troops sitting there indefinitely in this sort of situation. And just curious since you actually know what youre talking about our audience would probably like to know what your thoughts are on this situation unfolding. Yeah, joe, i think you have walked through the exact calculus thats going on in the pentagon and the House'>White House. By the way, just off the top, can we all stop for one second, think about those reporters on the ground In Kabul and the reporting theyre doing. My friend, Richard Engel, i say to all of them, thank you for your service as the saying goes. So to the military side of things, you know, its like The Rolling Stones song, you cant always get what you want. Youve got to kind of work your way through things, and you know, contrary to popular belief that militaries exist to destroy things, sometimes they do, but the real job is to bring order out of chaos, and thats what you have seen at the Kabul Airport. The challenge now is not getting people out of the airport, its still getting people into the airport. Having said all of that, we say in the military and the navy in particular, you know, The Park of a good Ship Handler is never getting in a situation that requires great ship handling. Fortunately, yes, military has shown some extraordinary skill here over the last couple of weeks, ramping up these efforts, but i am very worried we are one c 17 crash, one big bomb, one Fire Fight at the kia corral away from this thing turning sideways, so bottom line, lets get this thing done. Lets Get Out of here. If we still have people on the ground, we ought to try and extend that deadline. I think its like covid, diminishing returns kicking in here. Lets get what we can. Get It Done, Get Out, and richard, ill take the same question to you, this is obviously something you and i opposed strongly. Here we are, though, we are where we are. We have, again, 70,000 people already Air Lifted out. We have until The End of the month. I suspect the number will get close to 100,000. We must get every American Out that we can Get Out. Im curious if youre starting to have the same concerns that the longer we stay there, the longer were inviting an attack by isis. The longer were inviting an attack by radical, the most radical elements of the taliban. Yeah, were essentially a concentrated target there. Theres that, the taliban controls access to the airport. That we cant change. We can only fly out as many people as we can get in. We simply dont know how many people are going to be there. I think well probably get most of The Americans. I worry how many afghans were going to leave behind. People are talking about extending the deadline, even extending the role of american soldiers, and i think thats dangerous. I think the idea that we would send troops beyond the airport into parts of kabul, i think thats a military nightmare. I dont think we want to put our troops in that situation. The president has a dilemma. Its not just that he has until August 31st. In a couple of days you have to move out the u. S. Military. We have 5, 6, 7,000 troops there. They all cant come out in an hour. Those who are there to provide security have to start coming out sooner rather than later if we have to meet the August 31st deadline, i think the president has to do that. We have to assume its not going to be perfect by any means, and none of this gets at the question you raised at the beginning, which is the policy. Even if getting people out works fairly well and it seems to be, thank god, the geopolitical consequences, the policy that will be with us for years. Will be with us for years, willie, it is important to remember as we look at this, and were trying to figure out the political element of this for the biden administration because everybodys talking about how badly the withdrawal has been. Its important to remember, 75 of americans wanted us out before we started to move out. They dont like how it was chaotic, especially at the beginning. But obviously order has been restored weve gotten 70,000 people Air Lifted out. Were going to get more Air Lifted out. I saw that Richard Engel picture from above and his extraordinary reporting, hard to believe this is where the longest war ended with the taliban and the united states next to each other, working to get this evacuation going. Well, i think for most american people, that would be the way that he would prefer it to end rather than as the admiral said, this going sideways and there being planes blown up or isis attacks. Yeah, and thats what the President Said yesterday. He talked about this new g withveterans, that Nbc News reported, hearing from intelligence agencies, the cia, Department Of Defense, and that is this moral obligation to Get Out not just every last american but to all the afghans who for the last 20 years, the last two decades put their lives on the line, as interpreters, who fought shoulder to shoulder with americans in this war to protect the united states, to get them out too so as you look at the Clock Ticking with six days left, is it realistic to think youre going to get every American Out, which is a challenge itself, but all those afghan partners as well . I think its unrealistic, willie, i hate to say that. I resonate entirely to the moral sway argument, like every afghan veteran i have worked closely with, afghanis as interpreters, and high level officials. I wish and want every one of them to survive this. By the way, i want as many as we can get to come to the united states of america. You know, this is going to be like the hunger games. The people that make it through this gauntlet to get to that Airport Or Figure out some way to Get Outside the country and eventually get here, i want that person on my team. Theyve got determination, grit, and courage. What can we do when the airport closes. We can still be in contact, using telephones and cyber. We can encourage our former partners to Get Out of the country. Theres still going to be confusion. Get to a refugee camp, out of the country, be in touch with us. Once we get them out of the country, i think we can get them here. These efforts, i suspect, are going to continue, theyre just not going to be coming out of kia. And katty kay, i guess to add on to what Admiral Stavridis is saying, people who are there, who have contact, but when the perimeter is closed at The End of the war, will there still be people left behind and what becomes of them. What were hearing now is its possible there will be people left behind. Were hearing that from g7 leaders, which is why they pushed President Biden to extend the deadline. Boris johnson is under a huge amount of pressure, to make sure the afghans who worked with u. K. Forces are able to Get Out as well. Every army, the canadians, every army serving, they had people working with them, and they know the August 31st deadline, its difficult, especially if its not In Kabul itself, and as joe was saying, its a sense of moral responsibility, and how much the vets are feeling that, youve got veterans who are working to try and get the people working really hard, i know them who are trying to organize Air Lifts and bring people out. They feel that if they can get people out, it somehow helps them think this was a worthwhile endeavor. I think its psychologically, emotionally, morally for american veterans and veterans around the world who have served there, its very important they try and get these people out. Richard, i was in High School when vietnamese refugees came to the united states, and quite a few of them ended up in florida, and it was extraordinary, the contributions that vietnamese refugees have made to this country over the past 40 years. Extraordinary how quickly they acclimated to this country, even in schools in my area, many vietnamese refugees who began 9th Grade not speaking english ended up being valedictorian of their schools. Im curious your thoughts on how important it is for democrats, independents, and republicans to push aside those extreme voices in the Trumpist Wing of the republican party who are saying keep these afghan allies and refugees out. How important is it that we accept them into our country and do what we can to bring our wartime allies to their new home here . Well, joe, its not only important as fulfilling a commitment to them, a moral commitment. Its in our own selfinterest. One of the things that has made this country great are waves of immigration. These are people who want to come to the united states. They are attracted by the idea that is at the essence of this country. Immigrants have made a disproportionally positive impact of every dimension and domain of american life. Their the ones that take the civics test, when people become citizens. They end up learning more about who we are than many of us do. I actually think its the greatest way to refresh american democracy, as well as contribute to the american economy, as well as to help the american society. Yes, its the right thing to do for them. But its the smart thing to do for us. Admiral, it looks to a lot of people from the outside, and critics of the biden administration, at this point, the taliban is calling the shots, the Cia Director flying into kabul on monday, to meet privately with the head of the taliban, you had the taliban yesterday saying no. The August 31st deadline is the red line, after that, we Cant Guarantee anyones security. What is it like for you as someone who has served there, and commanded troops to see this dynamic at play after the taliban was driven out of the country so quickly . Well, as we say in north florida, sometimes you have to know the difference between quitting and getting beat. And what i mean by that is we have got to recognize that in this case, we have lost this conflict. Great break, therefore, we need to be thinking ahead on what we do thats in our interest. Thats why i was encouraged, extremely so, to see Ambassador Bill burns, you know, look in a dictionary under diplomat, theres his picture, go to negotiate with the taliban. We need to think about how we can come in over the horizon if we need to. There are practical things we may need to do militarily, intelligence gathering, all of those kinds of things, so katty is correct to say getting these afghan partners out is a part of salving the wounds of afghan veterans. Another big part is making sure going forward we ensure americas safety. We dont allow this to become an ungoverned space. We dont allow another 9 11, and we do that over the horizon, a combination of diplomacy, economic incentives, military if we need it. Weve still got a big job ahead in afghanistan, willie. The game has changed. We have to change with it. And richard haas, im not so sure everything was coordinated yesterday. They had the meeting. They both came out saying the same thing. The president Got Push back domestically, and sort of Put A caveat to it all. Im not so sure both sides didnt think this August 31st deadline, again, was not only in the talibans best interest but the troops on the ground. I dont know too many demanders who want their troops staying there past the August 31st deadline, and im the one that was yelling on this show several weeks ago that we have to stay there and surround the place, and get as many people out as we can, but by August 31st, again, i think the sell by date is going to be gone, and were going to have to figure out different ways to do it. We can threaten the taliban. We did that at the beginning. Were evacuating people, get in our way, bad things are going to happen to you. I think were at a stage now where again, people that arent aware, dont understand, the taliban have been attacked by isis. The situation is going to keep getting more volatile by the day. I think the president made it clear, were going to Get Out by August 31st. If it turns out that down the road we have to do something aggressive against the taliban because once again theyre trafficking with terrorists, much better to do that from Afar Without Thousands of american troops there essentially as Sitting Ducks inside an airport compound, so theres time for dealing with the taliban down the road to try to shape their behavior but i would think that the president has made it clear, were going to Get Out by August 31st. Hopefully many will Get Out before then. The reality is and the conversation has been realistic, theres going to be people left behind, and particularly for the afghans left behind, i worry its not going to be a good future if a future at all. Richard haas, and admiral james stavridis, thank you for coming on this morning. And still ahead on Morning Joe, well get a look inside one Florida Icu that is seeing a spike in covid patients. Plus, Nancy Pelosi continues to show shes a master of her caucus. House democrats are moving forward on a multitrillion Dollar Budget Blueprint after some moderates tried to alter her plans. Also ahead, the first female governor of New York, Kathy Hochul will be our guest. It will be her first Tv Interview since taking office. Youre watching Morning Joe. Well be right back. Ure watchi well be right back. Weve got you taken Care Of, sgt. Houston. Thank you. That was fast one call to usaa got her a tow, her claim paid. And even her Grandpas Dog tags back. Get a quote. Find your rhythm. Your happy place. Find your breaking point. Then break it. Every emergenc gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergenc. Before treating your chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more, youre not the only one with questions about botox®. Botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start, with about 10 minutes of treatment once every 3 months. 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Xfinity mobile benefits. And exclusive experiences, like the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. Hey its me. The longer youve been with us. The more Rewards you can get. Like sharpening your Cooking Skills with a top chef. Join for free on the Xfinity App and watch all the Rewards float in. Our thanks. Your Rewards. 43 past the hour, welcome back to Morning Joe, a live look at Capitol Hill as the sun comes up. The House passed the 3. 5 trillion Infrastructure Plan. A Human Plan that will allow the legislature to write the legislation. With no republican support. The Spending Bill was supposed to pass on monday but was delayed after a group of centrists threatened to pull their support unless the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill was given priority. To end the impasse, a measure promising to vote on the Infrastructure Bill before The End of september was included in the budget resolution. The House also passed the John Lewis Voting rights advancement act. The bill, named after the late congressman and civil Rights Icon, John Lewis was approved along party lines 219212. Every republican voted against that measure. The legislation would work to restore parts of the voting Rights Act of 1965 that were removed. One measure requires states with recent histories of discrimination to get federal permission to change their voting laws. Joining us now, white House-editor'>House Editor for politico, Sam Stein, and white House-correspondent'>House Correspondent for Politico And Coauthor of the Play Book, eugene daniels. Good to have you both. Sam stein, most of the media is saying that Nancy Pelosi proved how masterful she was. She did with the aca like she did with this. I have one skeptic who said she gave up, caved, gave up 90 of what she had demanded early on. I disagree with that. You know, her job is to get a bill passed. Its not to embrace one ideology or the other if youre speaker o. House. What are your thoughts on how this is Broken Down . How did pelosi get the deal passed and did the moderates end up dominating the final terms . My thoughts are who is your skeptic, im skeptical of your skeptic, to be honest. She did what she needed to do, to your point. She needed to get a Sequencing Bill through her chamber, and she did that, which is essentially her forte. Now, yeah, the moderates would say we wanted to decouple the physical Infrastructure Bill with the reconciliation, social Infrastructure Bill, and we did that. We got a vote certain for the physical Infrastructure Bill, but theres no Binding Language to what was passed. If pelosi decides to change her mind, she can do it. She might risk offending those moderates and their votes, but you know, legislation as you know, joe, is simply about getting to necessary majority, and you push things off and push things off until you get those numbers, and i think this week is evidence that pelosi knows how to do that, and well probably have to see the same sort of emotional dramafilled House-action'>House Action in late september now. But if youre a democrat, you put your money on Nancy Pelosi coming through. So eugene, we know the president and white House-official'>House Officials were calling around Capitol Hill particularly to those centrist democrats insisting their get on board and getting in this provision from Nancy Pelosi that guarantees a vote on infrastructure. This was, again, a procedural vote as sam said. What happens next year . I think most americans watching who dont follow every Twist And Turn of the House-procedure'>House Procedure want to know when does the bill pass if its going to pass, and when does that money start going out to the states . I consider those people who dont have to watch every procedural vote very lucky. What were seeing next is theyre going to fight over whats actually in the bill, and thats where youre going to see push and pull between progressives and moderates in the House. We know the progressives want to keep that money at 3. 5 trillion. They want more money, and when you talk about how much of the Care Infrastructure they want to make sure is in there, they want more than House moderates. One of the things we continue to hear from House moderates after they said we got this deal out of pelosi is now they feel like the bill, if she goes with what they went with yesterday, like sam was saying, any House passed Reconciliation Bill has to be passed with the majority. They gave a lot of power to Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to say 3. 5 million is too much. How long this can take with the quote unquote deadline, it can take a lot longer than that. Its a fight thats going to continue and continue because its hard to get all of these people together and agree on, you know, changing the idea of what infrastructure is, and sams right, the most important thing is getting to that vote majority. And House moderates facing tough races. Gottheimer, for example, is going to face a tough race. They dont want to take hard votes on things that may raise taxes, on people that they represent, and those are the aspects thats going to make it more complicated. Everyone is talking about whats happening now. September is going to be a very busy, intense month, and washington, d. C. , you have the debt ceiling, a bill to keep the government funded, this Infrastructure Bill and Reconciliation Bill all set to collide, and so thats what people should be watching, how much of that fight ends up frustrating House moderates more importantly House progressives who outnumber moderates by a lot. It should be a very busy fall. Nancy pelosi will be speaker of the House after the next midterm elections, only if those moderates get reelected. Thats where the battle is going to be, and who wins in those moderate districts, instead of all the, you know, the 400 gerrymandering districts, who in those 35 Swing Districts will determine whether Kevin Mccarthy or Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House. Nobody knows that better than nancy. A big day yesterday, eugene. I know that John Lewis would be so proud to see the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, Hr 4 finally get passed in the House. What happens next. This is the bill that, you know, the House has really been wanting to get done because they knew Hr 1 was going to be full of all types of other things that had nothing to do with Voting Rights, and quote unquote democracy reforms. What happens next is it goes to the senate, and you still have the same issue we had when talking about Hr 1. Where do we get the ten republican senators to jump on board. I dont see that happening. Theres been no indication that all of those senators have moved. Weve seen Lisa Murkowski of alaska say she supported the idea of Hr 4 weeks ago when she was talking publicly with Joe Manchin about this. Thats what happens now, this weekend, actually, a march on washington on Voting Rights, and so the thing that were going to see now in the House'>White House is working on this, Vice President harris has been kind of leading this effort for them is the pressure from the outside in to congress is going to be a lot more intense, right, youre going to have all of these civil rights leaders, Voting Rightings leaders, calling, protesting, going on twitter, on tv, talking about these senators who need in their eyes to get their act together and vote on Voting Rights. The thing that were hearing from voters and what is really important here is we already did our part. We sent you to washington, d. C. , so dont tell us now the ways that we have to get around some of these Voting Restrictions that are being put in place. Thats what youre going to continue to hear, and what senators are going to hear. Whether that changes minds, its hard to see. Theres all of this talk of trying to figure out how to get Voting Rights and reconciliation. Whether that happens, we shall see. We shall see. Eugene daniels, thank you so much as always. Great talking to you, appreciate your reporting, and it does seem, Sam Stein, theyre not going to get the five. Theyre not going to get ten republicans on John Lewiss bill. Probably arent going to get five. The question is are they going fo find a procedural way to get through there, doing what they do with Supreme Court justices and having an exception to the filibuster for civil Rights Legislation. That seems to be the actually only vehicle or only way forward is to make a carve out essentially for civil rights, voting Rights Legislation from the filibuster. Well know one thing, it used to be there was bipartisan consensus on Voting Rights history. That has not been the case in recently times. You see a vote of 219 to 212. People say this is a partisan piece of legislation. It used to be that you would have a huge number or not huge, but a fairly robust number of republicans who would support extending the voting Rights Act. So sam, before we let you go. I know you at politico have new numbers out, reflecting the President S Job Approval during this afghanistan crisis. We have seen some polls that show him hovering above 50 . Another poll shows him in the low 40s. What are you guys find something. That Poll Yesterday got a lot of attention, 41 approval. 55 disapproval. Our Poll Today is more in line with what has been the case. 50 approval. 48 disapproval. Those are well off his highs, i think its undeniably now true that he has taken over covid in afghanistan. On afghanistan, you can see the numbers right in front of you. Like joe mentioned early on, there is support for withdrawal. It stays steady. You know, 50 withdrawal. 39 oppose it. Even after all of that. If you ask people how the withdrawal is going, of course people are saying its not going well. 24 saying its going well. But if you dig into these numbers, i dont know if we have them here. Its remarkable how people have lost any appetite for staying in afghanistan. We asked a question. It says, would you support leaving if it means that the taliban regains control of the country. 47 yes, 41 now. Would you support it if Al Qaeda was back to the country. 45 say yes, continue to leave. 45 say no. The public has waned on the afghan war. They want to Get Out, even under terrible circumstances but they are upset with how biden has managed the withdrawal. Politico, Sam Stein, thank you so much. Greatly appreciate it. Mika, as you look at those numbers and you look at the numbers right now, post afghan chaos, look at the numbers for 75 of americans reporting it. Again, i strongly opposed this withdrawal, that said, politically, the further we get away from those chaotic pictures, the more youre hearing 70,000 are Air Lifted out. 100,000 are Air Lifted out, and the further we get away from the story, i suspect that is not going to be an Issue Driving Voters in 2022 or few voter, perhaps veterans, rightly. And at The End of the day, Joe Biden did what 75 of americans wanted him to do. He got of afghanistan. Again, im in the stated minority. When i say this is going to hurt him politically down the road, im not suggesting thats a good thing for our country. Im just saying, you look at these numbers, and in the midst of this chaos, this will be the low point for Joe Biden on afghanistan. More and more people are going to agree with what he did as we must have forward. And in the middle of crushing critique as it was happening he stood very firm and defiant on his position. Coming up, the Vice President s trip to vietnam was delayed for Hours Yesterday after two u. S. Diplomats reported mysterious health problems. What the House'>White House is saying about the latest incidents of Havana Syndrome. Plus New York governor Kathy Hochul will join us for her first Tv Interview since taking office. Morning joe is coming right back. Office Morning Joe is coming right back before discovering Nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn. Claire could only imagine enjoying chocolate cake. Now, she can have her cake and eat it too. Nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for allday, allnight protection. Can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn . When subway® opened they changed the fast food game. But sometimes you gotta refresh. To be fresh. Welcome to the eat fresh refresh. Refresh where there is so much new, some say that it Cant Fit in one ad. I say. Were talking a new allamerican club, delistyle ovenroasted turkey and. Oh, thats the new steak cheese. 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Katty kay is still with us, and well dive into the news, despite pressure from congress and u. S. Allies to extend evacuation efforts, President Biden is sticking to his August 31st deadline to withdraw u. S. Troops from afghanistan. Speaking from the white House-yesterday'>House Yesterday afternoon, President Biden reaffirmed his intent to get all Americans Out By next tuesday. But seemed to acknowledge the date could be flexible. We are currently on a pace to finish by august the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops. But the completion by August 31st depends upon the taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out and no disruptions to our operations. In addition, i have asked the pentagon and the State Department for Contingency Plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary. Im determined to ensure that we complete our mission, this mission. During a News Conference in Kabul Yesterday, a taliban spokesperson said the u. S. Must stick to the August 31st deadline and warned that the Group Wont let afghans be taken out on evacuation flights after that. Willie . So despite the President S insistence, the military will be able to get all americans and allies out of afghanistan by The End of the month, theres a lot of skepticism about that claim, and it comes from both sides of the aisle, republican senator Ben Sasse of nebraska said in a statement quote damn the deadline, the american people are not going to surrender our fellow citizens to the taliban. Americans want us to stay until we get our people out, and so do our allies, the biden administration needs to cut the stockholm syndrome. Theres no reason to trust the taliban, theyre violently blocking americans and our afghan partners from reaching the airport. And heres democratic Congressman Jason Crow of colorado, hes an Army Veteran who served in afghanistan. It is not going to be possible to get american citizens out and our afghan partners and their families out between now and The End of the month. Thats why theres broad and deep bipartisan support in congress and across the country to extend the deadline, and to make sure that were doing whats necessary to get folks out. The end of this mission should come not based on a Calendar Date. It should come when we accomplish the mission. And joe, of course, Congressman Crow speaks not just as an elected official but an Army Ranger and someone who served in afghanistan saying i dont want to stay forever but i want to stay long enough to get every American Out and to get afghan partners, wartime allies i served with out of the country. That echoed from Ben Sasse and many other republicans as well. I certainly understand Ben Sasses frustration, and anger, and Congressman Crow the same. He certainly knows the situation better than any of us. I also know there are a lot of Military Commanders that are thinking lets not tempt fate. Lets do everything we can. Lets do it by the guideline we set out, and then lets get our american troops home. Thats what they consider to be Job Number one. Its not going to be perfect. Its not going to be perfect. And even if this thing had unwound in a way that was less chaotic than it was at the beginning, we still would be having trouble getting people back to the united states. So well see how it goes. Lets bring in for more insight, white House-reporter'>House Reporter for the associated press, jonathan lemire, so jonathan, tell us what you know about Joe Bidens decision to stick to that August 31st deadline. What drove it . Well, first of all, joe, the deadline slipped from may, which is imposed by the trump administration, August 31st, which was created by the biden House'>White House to get everyone out, and he, the president , has come under intense pressure from both Sides Aisle to extend it. He decided to stick with August 31st, mainly for this reason, that the Department Of Defense senior leaders there said that every day past the August 31st deadline, the u. S. Forces stayed, the risk against them for taliban violence increased exponentially. The taliban is going to stick to the August 31st deadline, and the president thought putting americans in Harms Way beyond August 31st is something he couldnt do. Hes mindful of the sacrifices americas mothers and fathers have made for the young men and women serving the country overseas. We know this is something he believes is time for american President S in afghanistan to end. He left himself some wiggle room, joe, but he wants to get American Forces out by August 31st. He thinks the danger is too great. You know, its interesting, the president got Blow Back from our allies, closest allies, g7 allies. Im wondering whats the impact of that Blow Back, and could it possibly lead to an extension . Right. So joe, the senior white House-official'>House Officials i have spoke to and diplomats said certainly the president received a lot of pressure from g7 leaders, macron, and u. K. Prime minister johnson. We were in this too as Nato Allies in afghanistan. Were trying to get people out. Its worth extending to make sure everyone, not just u. S. Citizens or european nationals, but african allies Get Out of the country. The president was synthetic to sympathetic to that. They got 19,000 people out in the last 24 hours, and theyre approaching 100,000 people out since august 14th. Those are big numbers, and they feel this has been an extraordinary successful Air Lift to this point, though they know they have a long way to go. The president asked the pentagon to draw up Contingency Plans that would allow him to stay beyond August 31st. Ke dont have details of the conditions that would lead to that. Certainly theyre not going to leave americans behind. Whats the white Houses-concern'>Houses Concern about the domestic fallout of this, the political fallout of pictures we see every day . I saw you just went through some of the polls there, and certainly the President S overall standing has taken a hit in the last couple of weeks, due to the rise in covid cases. Most americans blame the unvaccinated and republican governors, his numbers have dipped. Hes in charge, as well as the handling of the afghanistan fallout. Most americans still agree with him that it was time for the u. S. To come home, and his aides point the at that throughout the process. They believe with the Evacuation Numbers improving by the day, they believe if they were able to get people out by August 31st this is a story that fades from the headlines, and eventually, americans will even give him credit for being the u. S. President that was finally able to end the war, something his predecessors were not able to do. Republicans are trying to seize the opportunity. There is vulnerability here. There are moderate democrats who believe this could hurt them in the midterms next year. The House'>White House is preaching patience, time will tell. Well be talking about something else next year. Like the southern border, something like the southern border is certainly going to be talked about a hell of a lot more than afghanistan come next fall. Can you give us some insight into the decision to delay the Vice President s visit to vietnam because of the Havana Syndrome . Well, as one white House-official'>House Official put it light heartedly, when it rains it pours, after two reports cases of Havana Syndrome in hanoi. Two medevaced out of the country for the symptoms of the unexplained syndrome around the world. These are not confirmed cases. Secondly, they were nowhere near where the Vice President would be. They felt it was safe for her to proceed with the trip, and underscores the importance of the trip, to reassure Allies America is here. The Vice President is in hanoi. She in fact visited the site where John Mccain crashed many decades ago and paid tribute to his service. Certainly white House-official'>House Officials are keeping a nervous eye on the conditions on the ground there. And then of course want to figure out just whats going on, whether these are indeed Microwave Attacks or espionage efforts or some sort of Sonic Wave incidents that we have seen across capitals across the globe, and many u. S. Officials believe that russia is behind these. No proof of that. Moscow has denied it. Jonathan lemire, thank you so much for your great House'>White House reporting. Really quickly, one Red Sox question, im wondering, should Matt Barnes and Martin Perez should they be Air Lifted to say, springfield, massachusetts, just for the safety of the Red Sox and the standings . Im not sure i would authorize the use of American Military Force to save them considering their performances the last two days. Sox have put up two wins that were so ugly they felt like losses. We of course fought further behind Willies Juggernaut yankees, trying to stay above those plucky as for the Wild Card spot. Were not talking about anything substantial. Maybe well pay 25 for somebody to fly them over in a plane. Thank you so much, jonathan lemire, greatly appreciate it. Mika. Now to the fight over school Mask Mandates in florida. Its escalating as Student Cases surge. This comes as more schools consider defying the ban on Mask Mandates, set by governor ron desantis. At least two florida counties say they are not backing down from requiring students to wear face coverings, despite the executive order. Floridas broward and alachua say they are in compliance because they allow a doctors note. That is not enough to be in compliance with the executive order. The Florida Board of education was directed to withhold State Funds on a monthly basis in the amount of the School Board Member salaries until the districts comply. Its unbelievable. Its a different story in New York state where one of the first actions taken by the states new governor was to put in a universal Mask Mandate in schools, and the 57th governor of New York, governor Kathy Hochul joins us now, and were going to get to your mandate for schools in a moment, which i congratulate you on, not a hard call, but apparently in these political times it might be. But first, i want to learn more about you as the first woman to lead the state of New York. Kathy, what lessons, i have been doing a lot of research into your background, your life of service, your Familys Story of struggle like many americans, what lessons do you draw from your mother and your grandmother that will really impact the way you lead this administration . Good morning, mika, and were products of our Family Story and i was blessed to have strong women in our history, a grandmother who came here with nothing, worked as a domestic in chicago, difficult circumstances, and ended up raising a family of eight while her husband worked at the steel plant. Thats not an extraordinary story but its part of why i believe in being a risk taker, people leave a country and come to a whole New World, not knowing whats going to happen, and this intense focus on family and faith, and thats what i draw strength from as well. For my own mother, my mother had a horrific childhood, an abusive home, mother died at a young age, left with a father, and she had to help raise younger children for years. My mother came through it, she taught Me Resiliency and toughness, and dedicated her life to helping others because she was so empathetic, and thats one of the traits i know drawing from my involved in social causes peopl poverty. We opened a home for victims of domestic violence. When my mother was 70 years old, she never stopped a lifetime of giving and and helping others. Those two strong influences is why i was drawn to Public Service as a way to do good for others. Im honored to be in this role to have the authority and the people around me and be able to work with other elected officials as i have my whole life to get things done for New Yorkers and give them the confidence that this state is in good hands. Lets talk about that toughness that you were brought up and handed down by your mother and grandmother. The circumstances around your rise to Power Issue obviously in the news. You said the day after the now former governor announced he would resign that you will fire Anyone And Everyone connected to the report who contributed to the culture of Sexual Harassment. Have you cleaned House . What have you told the rest of the staff . Yes, the individuals who were named are no longer part of this administration, and they know, im walt saying its over. None of this is going to be accepted, and i have surrounded myself with talented, particularly young women, and i want them to be the Role Models to others that this is a place of people who want to work with their Heart And Passion and bring good services to the public. But also its a culture where theyre going to be okay. You dont have to look over your shoulder. You dont have to worry about harassment, and thats what im going to instill, and anyone who violates that is going to have to deal with me. So governor, congratulations, i say congratulations, you have a lot on your plate. Im wondering, have you taken the same approach on employees that were involved in the Nursing Home Decision that really was the first big scandal that blew up in the governors office, but the same people that helped him with those decisions that obviously were woefully inadequate, and were actually dangerous to New York seniors . What i was referring to are the individuals named in the attorney generals report with respect to the Sexual Harassment cases. But you are correct that i need to continue working to identify principles involved in those decisions, and im working to go through. I have asked for a 45day Period to be able to assemble my team, and im not going to be replacing people when theyre in the middle of a pandemic on this day because i have so much to do to protect New Yorkers and were not anywhere near where we need to be but ill be taking an approach thats very different, transparency starting just today, were releasing more data than had been released before publicly. So people know the Nursing Home deaths and Hospital Deaths are consistent with whats being displayed by the cdc. Theres a lot of things that werent happening, and im going to make them happen. Transparency will be the hallmark of my administration. Its not hard to do, you just get the information out there and address them. So lets then go back to the Sexual Harassment issue. The big difference is that you were there, obviously. I think more women in power clearly can make a big difference on this issue overall, but specifically, what is different about the culture and the way your office Functions Today . You had said you were not in the governors orbit, so you could not have known about the widespread Sexual Harassment or inappropriate behavior. Should you have been aware, and what can you do to be sure things are different . Great questions, mika. And heres what everyone knows. Its no secret that i was not close to the governor. In fact, theres been many Media Reports of how he tried to have me removed from the ticket, and i didnt back down, and im still surviving today, so everyone knows that, and what that allowed me to do, if the governor didnt want me at his side in albany, thats fine. The last seven years, i have been out going to all 62 counties, all the time, spent an enormous amount of Energy And Effort in New York city to get to know the people, the issues, the mta and all the frustrations people have with public housing that needs to be focused on as well as creating jobs. So my focus has been outside of albany. Yeah. I think count the number of times on one hand i have been in the same room. I havent seen it, but ill tell you right now, what im saying right now to everyone who works for State Government, that will not be tolerated. Anyone who crosses the line will be addressed by me, but i also will make sure ethical leaders are trained, that we have strong ethics in place. I was shocked to find out that every New York State Employee is not required to even have ethics training. Yesterday i declared that over. Were having inperson Sexual Harassment training, ethics training, and you cant click through the computer and say you did the class because youre going to be held accountable. These are just the starts, but this is literally my first day on the job, and im working to establish, and talk to government individuals what else do you think should be done. Im collaborative, i want to hear from others on what they think i can do to elevate the culture in the area. I have a long way to go, but i have started already. And just another on that, though, you knew the guy had sharp elbows, you didnt get along with him. He didnt let you in to an extent, but do you think you should have been concerned about those who were working close with him, and do you think Andrew Cuomo should be able to run for office again in the future . Im not going to talk about the future. I have a lot to focus on today. He can do whatever he chooses, but im running for reelection, without a doubt in my mind, im going to have the continuity,able the issues we worked on. I want to demonstrate to people, theres a different way of getting things done in New York, a different approach can be just as high achieving and have the tremendous accomplishments without having a culture or as i say leaving bodies On The Road. I mean, i come from a family of athletes. We talk sports all the time, and i have come out of that world, so im prepared for the world of politics, but i want people to know, were going to govern differently, and i want everyone to know that from day one, and youre going to see the same and even greater results with a very different approach, and mika, to me, this is personal because i know theres a lot of people who question Womens Ability to hold executive positions. Im one of nine female governors in america today. Thats rather shocking but i want to make sure people know when im done with my administration, however many terms this goes that theyll say yes, women can leave, they can achieve greatness. They can do good for the people of their state, leave a strong legacy of accomplishment, but get It Done in a way thats so different than we have seen before, and thats the responsibility on my shoulders right now. I feel it strongly, i feel the weight of it, but im up to the task. Governor, its willie geist, good to have you on the show this morning. Youre stepping into the job, again, in the middle of a pandemic. Im curious about the Mask Mandate, the universal school Mask Mandate statewide that you put in yesterday. Obviously thats been a contentious issue in other states. I expect youll get Blow Back in the state of New York. What led to the decision to mandate masks in New York schools . Theres just some things in life that i call no brainers. I did consult, my approach is consult with people who are involved in something thats going to affect them. I met with the leadership of our state unions, the school boards, school superintendents, school administrators, various immigrant groups, and all the stake holders i could think of, i did a call with them before i even took office, got their opinions. But im decisive, give me the da data, the input, talk to dr. Fauci, i take the heat. You get elected democrat as the most republican district in the state of New York a decade ago. I have been in the Line Of Fire a long time. I believe this is right because its going to protect our children and protect the school environment. Thats all i need to know. You also said, governor, that an announcement on new Vaccine Mandates will be coming soon. Were you referring to schools, something more broad, what did you mean when you said that . Heres what im doing, what i have control over now, i have Mask Mandates, did that, announced 580 Million for a approach to get more testing in schools. Were launching that right now, our Backtoschool Covid Testing initiative, and also working with rite aid. Every student, administrator, teacher has easy access to testing before school starts. What i dont have is the ability to mandate vaccines because the legislature did not confer on the governor at this time. The executive powers necessary. Governor cuomo had that last years ago but those are not in place now. I Cant Mandate that right now, but i am working already with everyone who is involved and see if we can get to the same outcome. I believe thats important. I really believe its important, and i admire what mayor De Blasio did this week, and he talked to me beforehand, this whole new era of collaboration that he told me in advance he was going to do this, wanted to make sure i understood and i think that makes sense. We have to get people feeling safe about their schools. Im a mom, and the stress thats on families and parents, letting your most precious child go off to school, and youre so worried about them, i get it. I get that. And if they know that wearing masks and having people in that environment vaccinated will create a Safety Net around their child, thats what people need to hear. So you may not have the power to do that from albany, but it sounds like you think Vaccine Mandates at the local level are a good idea for teachers . Absolutely. Absolutely. And were working with the teachers unions. I understand the issues but they want their teachers safe, they dont want a teacher whos exposed as well. Theyre representing the teachers, concerned about the children in schools. Its just the place we are now, and having the Fda Approval, removing the Emergency Use Authorization, anyone who was hesitant before because they decided i cant get a vaccine until its finally approved. That excuse is gone. You dont go to kindergarten unless youre vaccinated. We have to get back to the normalization of vaccinations and forget all the republican rhetoric which is killing people, and im going to be that blunt about it. Because im sick and tired of what im seeing going on in other states, and im glad most of New York is not like that. Im ready to address the issues because its smart for people, it protects lives, and thats what the job of a governor is to do. Let me ask you quickly about mayor De Blasio, we had him on the show yesterday, he said he had a couple of Great Phone Calls with you, looking forward to getting to know you better. Frankly, he said, its a relief not to have Andrew Cuomo there. He believes the personal drama can be sucked out of the relationship with the governor of New York and mayor of New York city, and work on things like the mta, on fixing the sub way, how important is that relationship with mayor De Blasio. I have been building relationships since i was a Board Member 27 years ago, and to the county and thats the hallmark of how i approach government. You dont get anywhere without those collaborative relationships. For me its not a new concept. I do this naturally, but im really looking forward to working with mayor De Blasio. We have had strong conversations and i spoke with Eric Adams Yesterday talking about getting the money out for all the renters and landlords who have been desperately waiting for the money that came from President Biden, that came from Chuck Schumer and our senator, and our delegation, worked so hard to get this money to the state, but the money has not been distributed in the way im satisfied with. We talked about ways we can work together even now. Ill be convening the bureau President S to talk about a plan we have, 1 Million to get the word out that people who are behind in the rent because of covid are eligible for dollars right now, and if they apply, and this is the good news, they dont know this. If they apply for this money in New York state, you cannot be evicted for a solid year, so that gives people a little breathing room. We want to reimburse the landlords, make people whole. People dont know about this, im going to be working at the local level to get the message out. Were having conversations and also were going to have results as a result of those conversations. Thats going to be the difference, and i dont engage in drama. I dont have time for that. Its all about getting things done. I love it. Governor, as part of my 50 over 50 with forbes, we highlight and celebrate women well over 50 reaching their highest heights, and your birthday is friday, 63rd birthday, happy birthday, and i love asking this question to fabulous women over 50, did you ever imagine as a much younger woman, did you ever imagine and think about your career after 50 . No, tell you what, and thank you for pointing out im well over 50. Im not sure how to take that. Me too. I can handle that. When i was a teenager, 13yearold, social Studies Class in my public school, i learned about government and at that time people were saying, what do you want to be when you grow up, i decided at age 13, and no one in my family is in politics or law, but i wanted to be a lawyer so some day i could work as a top aide to see a u. S. Senator. By the time i was 27, i was an attorney on the staff of senator moynahan, so thats as far as i had career planning, mika, the rest has been being prepared for opportunities and its been successful. So i never look at the next rung, and thats perhaps why i get to the next rung because im focused on the job at hand, and always have been, so i have considered every level of government i have served and even Town Board when youre so directly connected to people, in the Grocery Store trying to get shopping done, and people are saying, my sewer is backed up, what are you going to do about, ill get my plunger and fix it. Im hard wired to Focus On Local Issues but i bring the knowledge to the job im in now, and it really changes my perspective, and i want people to have a very different perspective of their State Government whenever my term is over and people start evaluating my legacy, so to answer your question, i dont have a plan b, i dont know what im doing Career Wise next other than im going to be the best Damn Governor this state has ever seen. There you go, and by the way, every woman i asked had no clue, never planned over 50, and lets plan on turning the phrase well over 50 to doing very well over 50. New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Thank you for adjusting. Thank you very much for being on. Its great to get to know you. Thank you so much. Thanks, governor. Thanks, mika. Still ahead on Morning Joe, with coronavirus cases still surging across the country. New polling is taking a look at whos been vaccinated and who hasnt. Were digging into the new numbers. Plus, many kids are returning to classrooms this year with anxiety, grief, and gaps in their social skills, thanks to the ongoing pandemic. One of our next guests has tips and tools for parents sending Tear Kids back to school under these difficult circumstances. Morning joe is coming right back. Circumstances. Morning joe is coming right back discover card i just got my Cashback Match is this for real . Yup we match all the cash back new Card Members earn at The End of their first year automatically woo i got my money its hard to contain yourself isnt it . Uh huh well let it go woooo get a dollar for Dollar Match at The End of your first year. Only from discover. Hearing is important to living life to the fullest. Thats why inside every miracleear store, youll find better laughs at family barbecues. Youll find a better life is in store at miracleear, when you experience the exclusive miracleear advantage. Including innovative technology, like the new miracleearmini. So powerful, yet its nearly invisible. Were so confident we can improve your life, were offering a 30day riskfree trial. Call 1800miracle Today and experience the miracleear advantage. Welcome to allstate. You already pay for car insurance, why not take your home along for the ride . Allstate. Here, better protection costs a whole lot less. Youre in good hands with allstate. Im evies best camper badge. But even im not as memorable as eating youre in good hands with allstate. Turkey Hill Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough creamy Premium Ice Cream and chasing fireflies. Dont worry about me. Im fine. You cant beat Turkey Hill memories. Welcome back to Morning Joe, new polling from Nbc News shedding fascinating light on who has been vaccinated against coronavirus and who has not. 67 of american Men Eligible American men have been vaccinated compared to 71 of women. Broken down by age, 63 of 18 to 35yearolds have been vaccinated, that compares to 58 of 35 to 49yearolds. 71 of those age 50 to 64, and 86 of eligible americans over the age of 65 have received the vaccine. Broken down by race, 66 of caucasians have received the vaccine. 76 of africanamericans, and 71 of latinos have been vaccinated. When it comes to where americans live, 79 of urban residents have had the shot, compared to 67 of suburban residents, and 52 of rural americans. Also, 59 of white evangelicals say they have been vaccinated. Broken down by party, 88 of democrats have been vaccinated, compared to 60 of independents, and 55 of republicans. Just 46 of republicans who say they support Donald Trump more than the party have been vaccinated, that compares to 62 of republicans who support the party over trump. 91 of people who voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 General Election have been vaccinated, compared to 50 of people who voted for Donald Trump. So joe, theres a ton in there, but that last number manifested itself at a rally the other night where Donald Trump was up there, said i got the vaccine, and actually perhaps for the first time in the history of his rallies was booed by the crowd. Yeah, because he said they should too. Yeah. It is remarkable. Its breathtaking that with over 600,000 people dying from covid after all that weve heard over the past couple of months, about the Delta Variant and the fact that younger americans are getting it as well, that this is, what, maybe ten times more dangerous as far as spreading around. You still have people, willie, that are looking at this as a political issue instead of a medical issue. And are still looking to get information from just Conspiracy Web sites instead of from their doctors, and it explains, really, why a lot of people i have spoken with who are so intelligent in so many aspects of their life, why when you start talking to them about this vaccine or you start talking to them about covid, its like their Iqs Drop by half and they start Coming Up with the dumbest explanations for why theyre not getting a Life Saving Vaccine. And the things that people have asked me, all i can do is just where are you hearing that. It always goes back to facebook. It always go back to online conspiracy sites. They are being fed lies and for some reason they want to believer the lies, they want to believe the misinformation because theyre looking at this virus through the lens of politics, and willie, weve said from the very beginning, from the very beginning, for a year, what, a year and a half now, the virus doesnt care if youre ca if youre an independent, and youre just not taking Care Of yourself or your children or your family or your community or Small Business owners in your community, in your neighborhood, if youre looking at it through a political lens. But here we are, you know, people in parts of the south taking Deworming Medicine for cows instead of taking the vaccine. A year ago you had governors buying tons of hydroxychloroquine instead of following medical advice. You had Donald Trump talking about bleach. I mean, the insanity continues. You know, we always bring up bleach and the lights inside of people, but what what i hear from people i have known my whole life, some of the things theyre saying today is just as stupid as Donald Trump talking about bleach. Weve got a vaccine thats safe. If you look at the numbers, its safer than aspirin. If you look at the numbers, and yet the lies just continue. I could ramble on about this forever. I know right now youre thinking i probably am, but it is one of the most confounding things that i have ever seen in my life, that people have a passport, they have a passport to safety and to health and to saving their children, and saving their communities, and helping Small Business owners, and helping family restaurants, and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and their hometown, and they refused to do it. The same people that have been bellowing, let us get back to our normal routines for a year now have a passport to normalcy, they will not take it, instead they embrace the lies. They embrace the Conspiracy Theories, they believe what they read on Web Sites that are run by chinese religious cults more than they believe what they are told by their hometown doctor. Its all too much. Well, youre not ramble because youre getting at the heart of the issue now, why people arent getting vaccinated why hospitals in those states youre talking about particularly in the south are not filling up, theyre full to the max. They dont have Icu Beds left, and theyre Shipping Patients out of state to care for them, and what you said is right is that people are now, because of the information filters they have, because of the political Media Culture we live in, they are happier to believe that an antiparasitic drug meant for livestock is okay to take but the Life Saving Vaccine that has not killed anyone is not safe because of what theyre hearing and what theyre seeing every day online and on television. Lets bring into this conversation, the dean of brown University School of public health, dr. Ashish jha. You have done everything you can to present the facts about whats happening, and hoping people are listening, unfortunately, not enough of them are. We just got Fda Approval for the Pfizer Vaccine. Do you believe that changes the trajectory of this pandemic or are you skeptical like many people that that act by the fda, an organization that many skeptics dont trust because of what they read online is going to change things at all . Willie, good morning, thanks for having me here. I think it is going to change the trajectory, and let me say why. First of all, i think what joe just laid out is absolutely right. There is a toxic Misinformation Campaign thats very deliberate. This is not random musings of your Uncle Bob sending around some nonsense on facebook. These are well concerted, well organized campaigns to cause Confusion And Misunderstanding among the american people, and it clearly works among some people. Now, the reason why i am optimistic that the fda full approval is going to work or have an impact is because businesses, schools, universities have been waiting for full approval, and with this full approval in hand, i think youre going to see a wave of mandates, and a lot of people who are skeptical of getting vaccinated are much, you know, are going to be willing to get vaccinated if it means their job, their school is on the line, so i think youre going to see a real up tick in vaccinations. Not because Fda Approval is going to convince individuals, but its going to convince businesses, other large, you know, employers that they should do this. Part of the concern we have heard even earlier this morning is about kids, under the age of 12 that are not eligible for vaccine, and schools are open in large swaths of the country, and will be open everywhere in the next week or two. What are your concerns there and across the country now as young kids who cannot be vaccinated head back to school . Yeah, look, one of the good things about the last year is we have learned how to bring kids back to school safely, and its not, you know, its not just you wing it and kids are immune. Its none of that nonsense. You got to do certain things. You have to make sure the adults around them are vaccinated if Kids Cant be vaccinated. You have to make sure theres masking, good ventilation, plenty of testing going on on an ongoing basis. A year ago, the schools didnt have money to do any of this stuff. They do now. Congress has given a lot of money to states and cities to do all of this stuff, and the school districts have them. And as far as im concerned, and this is what we recommended in our town, and for me its personal. I have kids in public schools that i want to be safe, including one whos unvaccinated. Evidence is clear. We do those things, we can get kids back to school safely. If we dont, were playing roulette, taking our chance here, and that is not working out in many parts of the country, and i certainly wouldnt do that with my own kids health. Johnson johnson has just released its research saying that its worth getting a second shot of the J J Vaccine and that that will increase immunity, theres been quite a lot of confusion whether its as reliable against the Delta Variant as the mrna vaccines, and i know people who have got J J who have added a pfizer shot. Are we going to get indications of whether its better to get J J and then get Pfizer Or Moderna because people, the 14 Million americans who got J J are feeling a bit left in limbo here. They have been feeling left in limbo. I have been hearing from a lot of people, especially because i encouraged people to get the J J because i thought and still do that this is a fabulous vaccine. It really is. The data out this morning suggests a second J J shot six months later gives you a huge increase in your antibody levels. And that should correlate with much much lower levels of breakthrough infection. The thing i would say is over the last couple of months as i have been monitoring breakthrough infections and hospitalizations, we are not seeing higher numbers in people who have been fully vaccinated with J J. I still think J J offers a high degree of protection against severe illness, even against delta. Were going to want to watch this. Its a press release, were going to look at the full set of data, see where the fda goes. I suspect people are going to need a second shot, and that second shot may be another J J shot. Jonathan lemire is with us and has a question. Jonathan. Good morning, doctor, good to see you as always. I want to get you a little bit on the mixed messaging we have heard from some administration officials when it comes to this and vaccines, and in particular, to those for children who are not yet authorized to get one. Just yesterday, we heard from dr. Fauci say that he thought kids ages 5 to 12 might be vaccinated by late fall, but then his colleague dr. Collins suggested it wouldnt be until 2022. So my question is to you, how harmful is that perhaps to parents who are so nervous about school kids right now, and whats the latest youre hearing as to when we should be able to expect children who, you know, so many parents are so anxious to get the shots, when do you think theyll be able to . Yeah, this is a big question. I have a 9yearold, its a very personal question. First of all, i dont think we should be able to read the tea leaves and make guesses here. Thats the frustrating part about this. Last week, representative Ro Khanna, and katie porter, and members of congress, republicans and democrats wrote a letter to the fda, and said, hey, tell us the Time Line, tell us what data you have and what data youre waiting for, and tell us when all of that should be widely available. I have been optimistic that it would be by The End of september, early october, but it shouldnt be about my guess versus dr. Collins, versus dr. Fauci. We should all be on the same page and the fda should be much more transparent about all of the things that representatives Ro Khanna and porter were asking about. Were grateful for your expertise. Im sure well talk again soon. Thanks for your time this morning. More on the pandemics impact on the mental health of children. In one new study, half of parents say they kids experienced signs of Depression Or Anxiety for the first time during the pandemic. Joining us now, clinical Neuropsychologist Dr. Bill sticksrou, author of the new book, what do you say, how to talk with kids to build motivation, Stress And Tolerance in a happy home, thanks for being with us. This is front and center for so many families heading back to school, kids in many ways for the last year and a half have been in a bubble. Some have been lucky to go back to school, those have been remote, some have been on some form of a hybrid model. The question a lot of parents have about a lot of things. What do i say in this situation . What should we be saying to kids who may be apprehensive about heading back to school this fall . The first thing ill say is that it turns out that a close relationship with a parent is about as close as you can get to a Silver Bullet protecting kids against emotional problems, and so two of the keys for developing and maintaining a close relationship with your kids are empathy and validation. Empathy part is that we listen when theyre upset, we listen to their feelings without judging. We make comments like it sounds like youre really frustrated by that, youre scared of that. Let them know were understanding. And the Validation Part is, i would probably feel that way too. Its normal to feel this way. This is one of the most important ways that we stay connected with our kids. This is empathy and validation. But the other thing is, willie, that empathy doesnt mean pity, and we dont want to feel sorry for our kids, and certainly, we had a mental Health Crisis in this country before the onset of the pandemic, and for many parts of the population, its worsened, but we dont want to feel sorry for kids. We want to have a tough time. We dont want them to feel sorry for themselves. And what we want to say, its better to say, i know this is really hard for you, and im 100 confident that you can handle it, than this will work out, theres nothing to worry about. Doctor, im so glad you talked about the mental Health Epidemic we were having before covid because its always important to remember, if you went to High Schools, if you went to college campuses, if you talked to leaders in those areas, educators, they would tell you children, our students because of social media, other reasons from instagram to you name it were facing higher degrees of anxiety, of depression. It was almost becoming an epidemic in and of itself. With those things stacked on each other, what do you do for children who are anxious . What do you do for children who are depressed . How do you move them through that anxiety . So what we want, primarily, is to communicate confidence and encouraging kids and the goal for kids to have what we call in the book high Stress Tolerance. The ability to tolerate stressful situations and not freak out and try to avoid them. The way that happens is that kids have experienced handling stressful situations so that this involves building a sense of control. We wrote a book in 2018 arguing an important thing to do for kids is develop the sense of control over their lives because thats related to mental health, hugely. We saw the kids so lonely and anxious and depressed and either feel overwhelmed or hopeless or helpless. The focus is how to help kids develop a sense of control over their own lives and certainly the Serenity Prayer why you focus on accepting. The things that we cant change. And focusing on the things that we can change and having the wisdom to know the difference. An important thing to do for kids who are anxious and depressed is certainly if we can get them help. 80 of kids with Anxiety And Depression dont get Treatment And Treatment will change the course of a Kids Development because it changes the brain so we want to treat Anxiety And Depression in kids, increase the sense of control. No matter whats happened you feel i can handle this and to develop that is by handling things with support. Thats interesting. Is it a sense of resilience. We live slightly in an era of Helicopter Parenting and reluctant to let the children face challenges or have failures in their life. Are we then almost taking away from them some resilience and some feeling of, yes, i can handle that and perhaps taking a sense of control . Thats a perfect point because think about it why the way you develop that confidence in being able to handle stressful situations is by handling stressful situations. A useful formula or developing high Stress Tolerance is adversity plus support. We dont want kids chronically stressed and pressured. However, being stressed, going through a period of anxiety with support and kids learning to manage it thats what builds that resilience and inner Strength And Confidence that we want in kids. Im sorry. We have a delay here. Finish your thought in a second but its so important what you are saying here is help our children develop high Stress Tolerance. I think sometimes and i have four children and i think sometimes far more so than our parents we try to bubble wrap our children and we sometimes dont want them to go take chances where they may skin their knees. It seems to me the message is so important today with so many people so concerned about the kids like all of us but the first instinct is to bubble wrap them and protect them from absolutely everything and in so doing youre right. We are undercutting the ability to move towards independence, arent we . We are. Mammals are wired to protect and soothe the young. If we are still doing the soothing and protecting they dont learn to soothe and protect themselves. I lectured in houston about the first book and mentioned an elite school in washington, d. C. , i dont remember why. A woman came up and said im a mental Health Person in houston we know this independent school in d. C. Really well because the kids get in the colleges and cant handle it emotionally. They take a medical leave and come here for treatment. They dont have experience dealing with hard things. They build a College Resume and not solving problems, making appointments, handling disappointments. Amen. We really got to rethink this. Yeah. A lot of parents leaning in listening to this conversation, so important especially right now. Dr. Bill styxrud, thank you. Coming up here on Morning Joe, turning back the afghanistan. President biden is sticking by his August 31 deadline to withdraw american troops from the country and leaving the door open to pushing the date back why well have the latest on the evacuation efforts. Morning joe coming right back. 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Wireless on the most reliable network nationwide. Wow. Big deal . We get unlimited for just 30 bucks. Sweet, i get that too and mine has 5g included. Thats cool, but ours save us serious clamaroonies. Relax people, my wireless is crushing it. Thats because you all have Xfinity Mobile with your internet. Its wireless so good, it keeps one upping itself. Thats right. Pfizer says that theyre renaming the vaccine which led to another interesting announcement. This year Johnson Johnson is so proud to offer its own Covid19 Vaccine and today we are prouder to announce its brand new name. The Pfizer Vaccine. Thats right. The J J Vaccine is now called Pfizer Vaccine. Byebye bad press. Hello rebrand. Johnson johnsons Pfizer Vaccine. Good name. Welcome to Morning Joe. It is wednesday, august 25. So good to have you with us. We are going to have complete coverage of the fast moving developments in afghanistan. President biden is sticking with his Time Line to withdraw u. S. Troops from the country by August 31st. He says the u. S. Is on pace to pull remaining American Forces out by next tuesday. But at the same time is asking for Contingency Plans. We will have reports from the House'>White House and kabul. But first we want to get you caught up on the fight against the coronavirus as its still continuing to spread. The Delta Variant. The daily number of americans getting the first dose of the vaccine has risen by more than 70 since midjuly according to the House'>White House. 450,000 americans a day get the first dose up from 260,000 a little more than a month ago. This as the new study from the cdc finds that unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus than those who have received a shot. But at the same time it is starting to feel a lot like last year again. Orr or is restoring a statewide Mask Mandate ordering vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks when gathering indoors or out. Massachusetts is preparing to produce a Mask Mandate for the states public schools. New york will also impose a universal Mask Mandate in schools. One of the first actions taken by the first woman to serve as New Yorks governor. Even the national Rifle Association announced it canceled the annual meeting set to be held next month in texas due to concerns over covid19. Lets bring in the director of the thank you very much for being on with us this morning. Thank you. I gave a Blanket Assessment of where the country stands right now but where is this heading in terms of especially young people going to School Unvaccinated . Are you concerned the spread will continue . We are right now in what i would call an ongoing journey with this virus, meaning if you look at the southern states hit so hard early, those states are actually starting to in a Sense Hit the peak and expect to see the Noon Case numbers will start to decrease over the weeks ahead. However, what is happening in georgia, south carolina, north carolina, kentucky, southern illinois, the far northwest, south dakota, seeing in the southwest is now increasing cases in those areas. While the Case Numbers go down in The Deep South we see the rest of the Country Light up more. How big will the increases be . Thats the challenge. As far as kids we have to understand we are in unchartered territory . It will infect children. Can transmit readily. They get very sick. I defy you to find an open pediatric intensive Care Bed in this country. Im going to go from the broad to the very specific pertaining to children and the vaccine for 12yearolds which is the age limit to start to get the vaccine. I know a lot of parents, 12yearolds can be 6 foot tall to recall little kids and parents who are afraid to give those kids the vaccine saying it will be too strong for them why theyre only 60, 70 pounds opposed to kind of tougher, bulkier 12yearolds. Can you explain whether or not it is okay for all 12yearolds to get the vaccine . Well, remember that the Pfizer Vaccine has been actually licensed for 15 years of age and older. Just remember that. Thats been approved completely. The 12 to 15yearold Age Group is approved Emergency Use Authorization for which we expect full approval ahead. That vaccine is in fact safe and effective in that Age Group. A bit below that then the doses reduce some. 185 Million people in this country have received one of the mrna vaccines, pfizer or the moderna vaccines. And if you look at the only Side Effect has had is an inflammation around the heart. It is very, very rare. And it is typically very mild. Not one person, this is an important number, not one person in this country died as a result of the 185 Million people who have received the vaccine. I wish aspirin had a Safety Profile that good. These vaccines aren credibly safe and incredibly effective and the worst thing to do is watch your child in an Icu Struggle to make it to the next day. Doctor, i suspect thats the case you made going on monday and spoke to the Minnesota Vikings at the request of their head coach. I believe they have the lowest Vaccination Rate in the nfl if not the one of the lowest. What are some of the cases you made to them and the questions they had . The questions they asked you are many of the same questions that vaccine hesitant or skeptical people in this country have. What was the case you made there that other people watching the show may learn from . In fact, i really appreciated the opportunity to meet with the team. All the coaches and players. I cant say enough good things about the efforts to get all of the Team Vaccinated and promote vaccinations throughout the community. I addressed this disinformation out there. A rumor that 6,700 people died from taking the vaccine. Not true. The idea that the vaccine makes you sterile. Absolutely not true. It is amazing once a Disinformation Piece of information is talked about it is fact. I did go through and tacked about the risks of getting the vaccine and not getting the vaccine. We have to each Take Care of each other. It is not just about protecting yourself but your kids from getting the virus. A leader on the Football Team it is about the community looking to you. Young men and women in the community saying if theyre not going to get it why should i get. If they do maybe i should get it. It is an opportunity to share about vaccine and what it means to the community. Doctor, mika wrote an Article Yesterday about people that we know and shocked to find still havent gotten the vaccine. For my friends and Family Members i talk to, educated people, people with advanced degrees, it is shocking, shocking the disinformation they fall for. First of all, i want to ask you if you have ever seen anything like this before in your career. Secondly, have you ever seen a vaccine as safe as this one . Because youve got people in the military that get 14, 15 vaccines including like vaccines for like anthrax which that is a vaccine i wouldnt want to take. And yet, you just gave the numbers. 185 Million people have had this vaccine. Not one person has died from the vaccine. Safer than aspirin. How do we get that message to americans that just prefer to follow Conspiracy Theories . Some point do we just give up . Have Vaccine Mandates for a vaccine as you said is safer than aspirin. You laid out a very nice segue here into that discussion. I have to share an experience of talking to a civil War Historian and he said to me this Covid Situation finally helped me understand what it must have been like back in the Civil War for a Father And Mother to watch half the sons fight for the North And Half for the south. Families and friends are divided over this issue and terribly unfortunate about the disinformation and a real problem. Who do you believe today . Ive been in this business 46 years. Been involved with a lot of controversial issues. It wasnt until covid that i started to routinely receive Death Threats and people assume that i was out to do them in, to march them into a camp. Where that comes from when its our job in public health to try to help protect peoples lives and so this is a challenge that we have to understand. I would just leave you with one last point. And that is, everyone in this country will know a covid related outcome. Everyone. Either you get vaccinated and protected or you will get covid. Thats how infectious this vishs is so people have to understand you cant run out the Game Clock here. You get vaccinated, protect yourself, your loved ones, family or you will know a covid related outcome and may mean you in an intensive Care Unit and possibly never coming out the door alive. All right. That crystallizes everything. Doctor, thank you so much. President biden says the u. S. Is on pace to pull out of afghanistan by next tuesday. Despite pressure to extend the deadline. Well have the latest on evacuations from kabul next on Morning Joe. My nunormal . Fewer asthma attacks with nucala. A oncemonthly addon injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. Nucala reduces eosinophils, a key cause of severe asthma. Nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, Tongue Or Trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, Injection Site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. 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Now to afghanistan. President biden says the u. S. Is on pace to fin ib the removal of u. S. Citizens and troops from afghanistan by the August 31st deadline. The House'>White House says approximately 12,000 people were evacuated from Kabul Yesterday alone. More than 70,000 have been Air Lifted out since august 14. 70,000 people. The number of evacuations has picked up in recrept days. Even outpacing the goal set by President Biden earlier in the month of 5,000 to 9,000 per day. It is unclear, however, how many americans and afghans who worked with the u. S. Government are still there. We have two reports from Peter Alexander at the House'>White House and Richard Engel In Kabul. Reporter with a Frantic Rush to evacuate Stranded Americans and desperate afghans despite pleas from u. S. Allies to stay longer President Biden is sticking with the self imposed August 31 deadline for u. S. Forces to leave afghanistan. We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31. Reporter it follows a secret meeting monday in august between Cia Director and top Taliban Leader that spent eight years in prison after being arrested by the cia. After the meeting the taliban declaring the u. S. Must go by The End of the month as promised threatening consequences if not. The President Said he asked for Contingency Plans to stay if needed. Im mindful of the increases rexes ive been briefed on every day we are on the ground is another day we know that isisk is targing the airport. Reporter 4,000 americans and families have been evacuated from afghanistan but thousands more remain trapped. The u. S. Is still relying on the taliban to allow safe passage to the airport but the State Department said is a dangerous trip and the taliban is vowing to block afghans from leaving. The House'>White House said evacuations sbrerted. 12,000 people in the last 12 hours but a top democrat argues its unlikely to get all americans and allies out in seven days. Hard to imagine it. Reporter republicans slamming President Biden for the chaotic withdrawal. After the decision made today and what we heard today he will have blood on his hands. People will die. And left behind. Reporter afghan refugees arriving in the u. S. Detailing the exit from kabul saying people died in the crush trying to get to the airport. Yeah. The children were dying because there were many people pushing. They say they have to get to the flight. To the terminal. Reporter At Kabul International Airport time is running out. The u. S. And Nato Allies have one week to pull out all their citizens and vulnerable afghans after the taliban again insisted to accept no extensions beyond August 31 or there would be consequences. The u. S. Embassy apparently feeling the strain issuing a final alert for american citizens to leave or be on their own and then recalling it 30 minutes later. This is an extremely busy airfield. New planes are coming in and not just from the united states. We have seen them from the uk, qatar, australia, civilian aircraft. This is a global Air Lift. These Satellite Images show the huge crowds trying to leave the airport but now finally the departures are going smoothly. We watched a qatari Air Force Plane loaded. But will the Air Lift be done in a week . Maybe. But it will be difficult because u. S. Troops dont just need to fly out afghans but also themselves. We just left Kabul Airport and you go through the american checkpoint and then youre handed over to what looks like an american checkpoint. See uniforms and soldiers in flack jackets. New weapons. M4s. Perfect condition. They know how to carry them. But theyre not american soldiers. Theyre the taliban. The images are hard to believe. That this is how the united states is ending its longest war. American troops just yards from the taliban helping the u. S. Get out and go home. The taliban are now on almost every corner In Kabul. They werent hostile to us or anyone we saw. The taliban claim to have found tolerance since they were in power two decades ago. The Old Tricolored after began flag flies. Traffic cops from the deposed u. S. Backed government returned to work. The taliban move among them and giving the order just theres an old Taliban Expression that The Americans have the watches and they have the time. It seems thap right and The Americans time is about to run out. House democratic leaders strike a deal with moderates to pass a Budget Blueprint over a key hurdle. Does it mean President Bidens economic agenda is back on track . Morning joe is back in a moment. Vo a clean energy future. Its finally within our reach if congress passes the President S build back better plan which creates millions of clean energy jobs. The plan is paid for entirely by making big corporations and the superrich pay their fair share in taxes. Americans making under 400k wont pay a dime. A clean energy future. Its about good paying jobs for us and protecting our planet for them. Congress lets get this done. I had the nightmare again maxine. The world was out of wonka bars. Relax. You just need digital workflows. They help keep everyone supplied and happy, proactively. Lets workflow it. Then you can stop having those nightmares. No, i would miss them too much. Whatever you business is facing. Lets workflow it. Servicenow. The House-yesterday'>House Yesterday passed the democrats 3. 5 trillion budget resolution, a socalled human Infrastructure Plan that will allow the party to begin writing the actual legislation. It passed by a 220212 Party Line Vote with no republicans support. The Spending Bill supposed to pass on monday but was delayed after a group of centrists threatened to pull the support unless the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill given priority. A measure promising to vote on the Infrastructure Bill before The End of september was included in the budget resolution. The House also passed the John Lewis Voting rights advancement act. The bill named after the late congressman and civil Rights Icon John Lewis approved 219212. Every republican voted against that measure. The legislation would work to restore parts of the voting Rights Act of 1965 removered. One such measure requires states with recent histories of discrimination to get federal permission to change the voting laws. Joining us now, white House-editor'>House Editor for politico Sam Stein and white House-correspondent'>House Correspondent for Politico And Coauthor of the Play Book eugene daniels. Good to have you both. Sam stein, i think most of the medias saying that Nancy Pelosi proved once again how masterful she is. But i have a skeptic texting me saying she gave up, she caved up, she gave up 90 of what she demanded early on. I disagree. The job is to get a bill passed, not to embrace an ideology or the other. What are your thoughts on how this is Broken Down . How did she get the deal passed . Did the moderates dominate the final terms . My thoughts is who is your skeptic. Im skeptical of your skeptic. Pelosi did what she had to do to your point. She had to get a Sequencing Bill through her chamber and she did that which her forte. The moderates say we want to decouple the physical Infrastructure Bill with the reconciliation social Infrastructure Bill and we did that. We got a vote certain for the physical Infrastructure Bill and no Binding Language to what was passed. If she decides to change her mind she can do it. Might risk offending the moderates and the votes. The legislation is about getting to the necessary majority and push things off until you get the numbers. I think this week is evidence that pelosi knows how to do that and will probably see the same emotional dramafilled House-action'>House Action in late september now but if youre a democrat you put your money on Nancy Pelosi coming through. Eugene, we know the president and white House-official'>House Officials calling around Capitol Hill especially to centrist democrats to get on board and getting on this provision from Nancy Pelosi to guarantee a vote on the Infrastructure Bill Coming Up in september. This was again just a procedural vote as sam said. What happens next year. I think americans want to know when does the bill pass if it will pass and when does the money start going out to the states . I consider the people that dont want every vote very lucky. What we are seeing next is going to fight over whats actually in the bill and see a lot of the push and pull between the progressives and the moderates here in the House. Progressives want more money and when you talk about the Care Infrastructure to make sure is in there they want more than House moderates but a thing we continue to hear from House moderates now after saying we got the deal out of pelosi is now they feel like if the bill, if she goes with what they went with yesterday then any House passed Reconciliation Bill is written with the ability to pass the senate with the 51 vote majority. Basically they gave a lot of power to manchin and sinema to say 3. 5 trillion is too much. Sam stein and eugene daniels, thank you both for being on this morning. Coming up, in florida at jackson memorial Hospital Icu beds are hardly available and medical staff is stretched thin as patients line up outside the e. R. Ahead on Morning Joe. Hi, im debra. Im from colorado. Ive been married to my high School Sweetheart for 35 years. Im a mother of four always busy. I was starting to feel a little foggy. 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Grew up at midnight the maccabees dreams are on the line. You got this. Refresh. It all, comes down, to this. Back now to the coronavirus and the doctors still fighting on the front lines. Nbc News Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez takes us inside one icu in tampa, florida. Reporter at st. Josephs hospital in tampa, the pandemic is peaking daily. This is not normal. Reporter Nurse Jamie says she brought four patients to the morgue. I went home last night and i was mad. Reporter why . For sure. Because i dont need to be doing this right now. We could have avoided this whole wave if more people in our country had gone and just gotten two shots. Reporter they have about 1200 covid patients shattering the prooefr you record of 700 last summer. This is one of the covid icus. There are 26 beds and 25 are full. The hospital set up overflow beds in other parts of the facility. The amount of death and dying we are seeing is in my whole Nursing Career never seen anything like this. Reporter ambulances have to wait here to drop off parties or rerouted to other hospitals. We are saying that we dont have beds or staff to provide care for critical care patients. Reporter so now you divert ambulances half the time without the beds. Exactly. Reporter across the country new covid cases are up about 12 over the previous week. Hospitalizations stayed about the same but deaths are up 23 . The only chance we have is vaccination and thats it. Reporter among Health Care workers the toll is measured in shifts and memories. Jamie cared for a fellow nurse that did not survive. It could be me. It could be any nurse, anyone we know. Once you are in the bed in the icu you dont have control anymore. Im still here and trying but i want to make people better. Thats what i do and i cant and it is awful. Gabe gutierrez reporting from tampa, florida there. Lets bring in dr. Juni varnie from miami. Great to have you on. You wrote an appeal to those unvaccinated in the miami herald. Quote i saw a young mother looking ill and barely able to walk. If i asked anyone at home was sick she cried. Her 1yearold daughter spiked a fever the day before. I recommend vaccination to the patients. I tell them that getting vaccinated is an act of love showing how deeply you care about the health of the people around you. We are all connected. We are safer with one person in the community is vaccinated. This variant is worse than last years virus. So doctor, if you could talk more before we get into your direct appeal about the vaccine to what you have seen in the Emergency Room. You say in early july the pandemic felt like an afterthought and yet here we are again. Yes. So im a new doctor. I graduated Medical School in may and started the emergency medical residency on july 1. At the time we didnt see many covid patients and picked up quickly and been very sad, very hard. Every shift we see people struggling to breathe. I think that the Tampa Nurse that said this we are here to Take Care of patients and seeing people suffering so much and feels like we maybe could have prevented getting here had folks taken the vaccine. Its been hard. With an infection a lot of times we have a Kritd Cli ill patient and call the family and turns out that everyone else at home is sick, too. Not just patients that we Take Care of but hearing of entire families affected. What are you seeing in terms of capacity at the hospital where you work in that Emergency Room opposed to a month and a half ago . What does it look like right now . It was certainly easier to get an Icu Bed when i first started in july. I think jackson is seeing the same challenges that hospitals all over south florida and the Country Face right now. The hospital is planning ahead. Ready to scale up. We are facing the same staffing shortages that everyone else is. The folks have been working hard. Stretched very thin. I have been here for a few months but i think about the folks at the fore front of the pandemic. Doctor, just to be clear the people ending up in the icu, are they overwhelmingly people not vaccinated . It is true. Jackson publishes the numbers every day. I think 90 of the patients hospitalized are not vaccinated and 7 maybe Transplant Or Cancer patients, dont have a great immune system and mack the most of the vaccine. There is an uptick in people getting the vaccines because of the experience you have seen, because of the Delta Variant. Just anecdotally from what you see there in florida do you feel that people who might have been skeptd call about the vaccine because of the experiences in hospitals at the moment may be a little less hesitant now, maybe more open to looking at getting a vaccine . I am. Im hopeful. I think a lot of patients i talked to havent talked to Health Care people about it. I that you can to my patients. I ask them if theyre vaccinated. I think its a normal and healthy thing to chang your opinion if the situation changed and with delta the situation absolutely changed and if youre someone on the Fence Or Someone whos been unsure or hesitant what we are seeing right now is very difficult and very preventable. You can go in and get the vaccine from almost anywhere locally. Its something you can do keep yourself safe and the people around you safe. I couldnt recommend it more. It is okay to change your mind if you havent been vaccinated yet. Doctor, we have heard the heartbreaking stories from hospitals in the country of people in icu and asking for vaccine when its too late realizing perhaps they should have received it. How do you have the conversations with patients and how do you say to people that are skeptical . They have very specific fears pers from misinformation online. How do you talk to patients about the vaccine . By the time someone gets to the Emergency Department they feel pretty terrible. More open to the conversation. It depends on how sick they are. Ill have a more extended conversation with them. The cdc recommends being vaccinated after the infection clears up. If they require a Bipap Mask or intubated it is a harder conversation to have because im not sure how much the vaccine will help unfortunately. I hope people read your piece before it comes to all that. Doctor, thank you for your time this morning and thank you for what you do and the colleagues doing in the Emergency Room there at jackson memorial hospital in miami. Thank you. Up next, possible new cases of the socalled Havana Syndrome. Two diplomats evacuated from vietnam after experiencing mysterious Health Symptom just thats where Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling this week. Well speak with a former Cia Intelligence Officer who was one of the first people afflicted with the syndromes debilitating effects. Thats next on Morning Joe. Is what business is all about. 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Janssen can help you explore Cost Support options. We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31st. The sooner we can finish the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops but the completion by August 31 depends upon the taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those transporting out and no disruptions to our operations. Ive asked the pentagon for plan to adjust the timetable should that become necessary. Im determined to ensure that we complete our mission. This mission. It is not going to be possible to get american citizens out and afghan partners and families out between now and The End of the month. Thats why theres broad and deep bipartisan support in congress and the country to extend the deadline to make sure to do whats necessary to get folks out. It should not be based on a Calendar Date but accomplish the mission. That is democratic Congressman Jason Crow of colorado, united states Army Veteran that served in afghanistan with his reaction to President Biden saying Hell Stick to that deadline of August 31 to get all americans out of afghanistan. That is next tuesday. Joining us now retired cia senior Intelligence Officer mark who warned a calamity to occur if President Biden didnt extend the withdrawal deadline. His recent Book Clarity in crisis. Great to have you with us. You disagree with the President S decision to stick with that August 31 deadline as does Jason Crow who served in aghanistan. What do you think happens on september 1, the day after the united states leaves the troops if that deadline is not extended and then the second part of the question is what is possible . Whats realistic in the next si americans and our afghan wartime allies . So thats the key question, what happens on september 1st. And i am, as many others are, extremely concerned. I cannot imagine what it will be like for the Air Force C17 Pilot or crew to look out as theyre taking off on the 31st and seeing tens of thousands of afghans left behind. This is something that i think we have to continue to pressure, frankly, the administration to reconsider that 31 August timeline. For me at cia, its personal. I served as a Base Chief in afghanistan for an entire year, only a couple of americans and hundreds of afghan allies. So i see these people in my sleep now and we have a moral imperative to try to get them out. So it is absolutely critical that we do all we can in the remaining week, six days, but try to push the timeline. President biden i think provided a little bit of wiggle room. Im not sure how much the administration believes that. But youre going to see scenes of medieval terrorist group taking over a country and really marking for death a lot of our allies and Thats Something that should give us pause. Seth moulton and Peter Mejer went over to afghanistan, opposed the timeline being ended, but said after they got there that Seth Moulton said he changed his mind because the commanders on the ground basically said we just cant keep staying here without bringing risk to the troops. What are your thoughts about that . So i think the trip was actually interesting, because its been severely criticized, certainly by the administration, but others throughout the government. A Vip Trip by what we call a congressional delegation is always a burden, even more to people in the field and during this chaotic evacuation operation. But make no mistake, they went there because they didnt believe that they were getting the truth from the administration. I think theres been an incredible divorce from reality between what the administration has been saying about the boots on the ground, that afghans are not stranded, that well be able to complete this by 31 August, versus all the reports you see from exactly whats happening, that afghans cant get to the airport, that afghanamericans are still stranded. So ultimately the dod officials, as you mentioned, are concerned about terrorist attacks, but i would challenge that a bit. Were the united States Government and military, the idea that we should just kind of fold and go away and not continue to try to really negotiate with the taliban to extend the deadline, i think all efforts have to be made. You saw the Cia Director made a Trip Kind of as a hail mary. This is the continued pressure we need to really push this deadline. Again, we have a moral imperative to our afghan allies. Theres tens of thousands of people we risk leaving behind. For myself and others, this is personal. By the way, let me just say for those people that are criticizing these two members of congress to go over and see whether theyre being lied to or whether theyre being told the truth, you dont get it. Members of congress, the media, have been lied to by the military, by the administration for decades, for centuries. You go back to vietnam, the first thing you want are a couple of people and a surprise visit. And tell me if im wrong, two members of congress who do a surprise visit, dont have all the bells and whistles, dont have 20 that are going to do a Dog And Pony show like members of congress got in vietnam and like theyve gotten in Afghanistan And Iraq through the years. I want the people who are funding the operation and have Oversight Responsibility for the operation to actually see the operation. Am i wrong . No, youre entirely right. I actually am not one critical of the trip. I smiled when i saw what they did. But they did so because they believed they were being lied to. And i think a lot of us, were very critical of the trump administration, and thought that when the biden administration came into power that there would be more of a level of transparency. That doesnt seem to be the case right now. So i dont blame these two members of congress. I think personally they did the right thing and i actually dont think that they care about the criticism theyre receiving, because they were absolutely going about their oversight duties. Good for them, i say. Good for them. The Administration Wont like it, the State Wont like it, bureaucrats wont like it. Americans should be glad. Willie and i really want to get to this Havana Syndrome issue, but i want to ask you one more quick question. The commanders on the ground, im getting a little bit worried about extending this deadline out too long, but also, ive been talking to you and agree with you 100 , we dont want to leave our allies behind. It sends a horrible message and its an immoral thing to do. They stood by us, we stand by them. But whats the number . Were at 70,000, im guessing well probably be over 100,000 by the time we get to August 31st. What is the number youre looking at where you can say, okay, okay, biden has done all he can do, lets bring the troops home . So i hate to focus on the numbers, but thats what we have to do right now. I think theres probably 150,000, 160,000 in total afghan allies and their families, so i think we have to really understand that we have to evacuate their families as well. So were probably just halfway done. So there is much more to do. And people see those numbers and they get a little shocked. Well, you know what, these are the people and their families who helped us, who kept me and my team alive in afghanistan. I dont care if the numbers are high. Get them all back here. And ill tell you, theyre going to be a set of damn loyal americans when they get to the united states and ill be proud to live next to them any time. Amen. I want to ask you about the latest cases of Havana Syndrome. Unfortunately, you have firsthand experience with this. At least two u. S. Diplomats will be medically evacuated from vietnam after reporting the socalled Havana Syndrome and symptoms in hanoi over the weekend. One official telling msNbc News, the incident happened at the staffers homes, not at the embassy. The cases delayed Vice President Kamala Harris for more than three Hours Yesterday when she was departing singapore. It has affected more than 200 u. S. Officials and their Family Members around the world in countries like cuba and china. Mark, your reported case was in moscow. You were staying at a hotel in moscow in 2017. You describe in some graphic detail what it felt like, how long the migraines continued, for months after. What was the experience like for you, and what is going on here . So, first of all, ive been on this incredible medical journey. I still have a headache almost four years later. Its unfortunate, its extraordinary. Ive gotten a lot of treatment at walter reed, so im much better, but i sympathize with the officials. This story in hanoi is front Page News for the simple reason that i think this is a shot across the bow, this is our adversaries hitting two of our u. S. Government officials, but more importantly sending a message to our senior vips, administration officials, in this case the Vice President , that no one is immune. There is no doubt in my mind that the secret service and protective details are looking at this with serious alarm, and once again, it just shows the absolute requirement to get to the bottom of who is doing this, which adversary, and hold them accountable. But to me, this is a sign, a direct message from an adversary that even our senior most officials are not safe. How do we get to the bottom of this . Weve seen administration officials Put A lot of effort trying to get to the bottom of cyberattacks. Why not this one and how do we find out what they are and what theyre doing . This administration, when you say new, the current Cia Director bill burns has made this a priority and i give him tremendous credit. Hes met with victims and arranged for Health Care, which was not the case before. Just as importantly, there is a new Task Force as weve seen in the media, led by one of the veterans of the hunt for osama bin laden. So we have operations officers who i think are putting the right amount of time, resources and money into this. This was not the case, it is now. And im confident that were going to get to the bottom of this. Weve got a very late start, but i think Burns Team is working this 24 7, and they have to if you see what just happened in hanoi. Mark, were not being attacked by space aliens. If this is the russians, if this is the chinese, were technologically advanced. I mean, weve got to be able to get to the bottom of this, right . This isnt some new technology that we dont know anything about, is it . No, not at all. Directed energy weapons exist, they have existed. We know the soviet and the russians have them and we have them as well. Theres Counterdrone Technology the u. S. Government uses to knock small drones out. So we do know. Its just a question of putting the right amount of people and resources and starting with the biden administration we are now doing that. And, again, i credit director burns for really taking point and leading the way on this. We will get to the bottom of this, i am confident. Retired cia senior Intelligence Officer, always great to have your Experience And Expertise on these matters. Well see you again soon. Thank you. We will be right back here tomorrow morning. Chris jansen picks up the coverage right now. Hi, there. Im in for stephanie ruhle. It is wednesday, august 25th. And we start with breaking news on Capitol Hill where House speaker Nancy Pelosi is about to speak any minute now, and the House foreign Affairs Committee will be briefed about afghanistan by the Deputy Secretary of state. Last night, we learned congressmen went to afghanistan without any government approval. It comes after President Biden said hes sticking to his pledge to withdraw u. S. Troops by August 31st. He made the announcement after a virtual meeting with our allies, in spite of their arguments for keeping troops past The End of the month. Its also what the taliban wants, after they called that date a red line. And warned of consequences if we keep troops there any longer. But it does come with a contge