Were going to bring in latasha brown, cofounder of Black voters matter, who is right now at the Lincoln Memorial in washington, d. C. Latasha, are you with me . All right. Were going to stand by for latasha. She will be joining us as soon as shes micd. We want to check in. Are you with me yet . Can you hear me . I cant. Can you turn it down a little bit . Okay, we can hear you. Were going to see you in just a second. I want to make sure that you can hear me. Latasha, do i have you . I can hear you. Great. Well see you there you go. We see you. We see you, and we hear you. Okay. The peril of live tv. Were happy to have you. Hi. You look great. Lets get into it. I want to know what is the point of this march, and what exactly are you hoping to accomplish . You know, today were doing this make good Trouble March because what we rally because we need to make good trouble. You know, we are right now in 2021, we have less Voting Rights now than we had in 1965 when the voting Rights Act was signed. As were talking about, theres a lot of Unfinished Business that we have to deal with in this nation. While dr. King and others thousands of others stood on the washington the Lincoln Memorial, were coming today threefold. One, its to lift up and commemorate what they did 58 years ago. But two, to also say that theres Unfinished Business. Weve got to deal with Criminal Justice reform, weve got to deal with reparations, weve got to deal with Voting Rights. And then the third piece is to really be able to lift up and amplify the message that the people are not going to giver up. Were not going to stop. Were not not finished until in this country we secure the right to vote that people are not punished because they participate in an election, but that we have free and fair election and all citizens have equal access to the ballot. Thats such a huge issue. Look, kind of feels like were in a quagmire here, right. Not only do we have State Houses that are imposing a lot of these restrictions, which i want to talk about in a minute. But for now lets focus on the federal government. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act did pass in the house. It does appear to be doa in the senate. Sure it has the support of lisa murkowski, but were still like nine votes short of seeing this legislation pass. The for the people act, hr 1. That seems doa for right now. So if our federal government is not going to step up and protect the rights at the ballot box, what is left . Where does this Fight Go from here . You know, i think the first thing we got to do, there is a solution on the table that you can end the filibuster. That the democrats actually have a majority in the senate, i believe that if the president used the full weight of his office to make sure that he put his party in line, that we can get this passed. If you really know the history of the March On Washington, the very first line in the list of demands was really calling for The End of the filibuster. And so here we are now, 58 years later, here we are, 53 years after the civil rights the civil rights movement, 58 years later, that were still looking at the filibuster as a vehicle that actually stops progressive legislation. A filibuster that is actually standing in the way of Voting Rights. So there is a solution. We need the senate to act now. I dont know why they went on Recess Right when people we dont have our Voting Rights secured right now in the state of georgia. There are 100,000 of voters that have just been dropped from the voting rolls. Were seeing people get kicked off. Election officials in Fulton Count where the Republican Secretary of state is threatening to take over Fulton County, the largest county in the state of georgia, just as if people will remember what trump asked them. So what we got to do is right now we have to be relentless in our fight, in our demand for Voting Rights. The senate has the power. The house has the power. Were talking about the Infrastructure Bill. Many of us actually met with leader Nancy Pelosi on this past wednesday. And what we asked her to do is to hold the line. What does it mean to hold the line . Listen, if we want an Infrastructure Bill passed, anything passed out of the house, she has the power to stop that unless it is attached to Voting Rights. I want to drill down because im glad you brought up your meeting with house speaker Nancy Pelosi. What exactly does it mean to hold the line . Youre asking her to hold the line, and youre saying youll hold the line. What does that although could like when it comes to look like when it comes to The Streets and Voting Rights . She has the power to stop everything. She has the power to stop what comes through the house and not to Let It Go forward unless its attached unless Voting Rights is a part of it. We want infrastructure. We support the Infrastructure Bill. We cant have political we cant have infrastructure talking about roads and highways and bridges at the expense of letting the political infrastructure in this Country Collapse and be weakened. What were saying is were asking her to hold the line, to use the fullness of her power as speaker and the house to literally say that were not going to let anything go forward, including the Infrastructure Bill, unless it includes Voting Rights. All right. Thanks so much hold the line. Hold the line. Cant stop, wont stop. Latasha brown, good luck with the march. Well check back in in Case Anything happens. Thank you so much. The host of Politics Nation and Founder And President of the national Action Network and my big brother, reverend Al Sharpton, whos leading todays March On voting Rights Event in washington, d. C. Hes also the author of rise up. Thank you, Reverend Sharpton, for joining me. I just spoke with latasha brown. Shes asking Speaker Pelosi to hold the line. Ill ask you, what is the ask and purpose of this march right now, and what are you asking the federal government to do . Well, we are here, this is the king family, dr. Kings granddaughter, yolanda, standing here with us. And weve coconvened this these are the brothers of John Lewis. We are saying that we want the president and others to stand up against the filibuster. We want to carve out. Pelosi cant carve out. The president and the Senate Need to meet and talk about a carveout. If trump can get them to do a carveout for supreme Court Justice nominees, they certainly can do a carveout for something as fundamental as Voting Rights. Voting rights is the basic foundation of this country. So you see already thousands have joined us. Were going to the the national mall, the Back Drop will be the capitol. Every year we went to the Lincoln Memorial. This year we want to bring it to the lap of the u. S. Senate so that the optics show that behind us is what were facing now. I have to tell you, this visual that youre giving us is very striking, that this is happening 58 years later. I do want to point out that you are flanked by members of congress. I see Congresswoman Sheila Jackson lee there. I see Congresswoman Terri Sewell, who introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and i believe congressman Al Green out of texas, where there is a huge issue with Voting Rights there. I want to talk to ask you about that. I dont know if you can hear me, rev, and hear the Sound Byte, but i want you to listen to what happened on the House Floor Yesterday in texas when we cant call a thing a thing, when a member brings up racism. Take a listen, and well talk about it on the other side. Intentional discrimination against people of a certain race, is that racism . That is those words, intentional discrimination i think can be fairly characterized in that manner. We can talk about racial impacts of this legislation without accusing members of this body of being racist. So rev, i hope you heard that. Essentially the Member Of Congress, the State House was saying we can talk about issues without Calling Members racist. Ive never heard a racist admit that they were racist, frankly. It sounds like theyre spitting in our face trying to convince us its raining. We can acknowledge that this policy is rooted in racism. How do we bring this fight to the State Houses to stop this cold in its tracks if the federal government is failing to do it on our behalf . The way to stop the State House is a federal law. Federal law exceeds state law. Thats why the pressure must be on the capitol, the pressure must be on passing the John Lewis act. We have Congresswoman Sheila Jackson lee was arrested on this. We have Congresswoman Terri Sewell who introduced the act, congressman Al Green. We have the chairperson of the Black-caucus'>Congressional Black Caucus with us. We need to pass federal law. Any time you have a State Legislator standing on the floor of the Texas House talking about dont mention racism, you can put a lipstick on a pig, but i wouldnt recommend you kiss it. Its still a pig. Thats absolutely, rev. Before you go, can the democrats hold the house and the senate as it stands right now . I mean, this does seem like it would be something in the president s interest to put this if the republicans Gain Control of the house and senate. We could be looking at a potential impeachment for president joe biden. We could be looking at half the democratic leadership losing control of the house and senate. So if we leave things as they are, what does that mean for the future of our government . If they do not do this, then the right wing will take over the senate, and the right wing will take over the house. You only need one more in the senate, you only need a few more in the house. So if they cant do the right thing, they should at least do something for selfpreservation. Clearly the people want to vote. And the way they want to do it is without impediments. These restrictions are for that. Thats why Martin And Andrea king and i are calling and yolanda and the Lewis Family are calling for people to pass the John Lewis act federally. Why did dr. King and John Lewis go to the federal voting Rights Act in 65 . Because it knocked out all of the state laws. We are doing the same Thing Today with the same fervor. It will not come from biden down. It will come from the people up, and youre seeing that demonstrated all over the country today. We are. And were going to be checking in later in the hour, rev, with the national Action Network thats happening in atlanta. Thank you so much. I know youre busy and blanked by all those members of congress. Thanks for taking the time to bringing us the latest from the nations capital, washington, d. C. Hell have more tonight on Politics Nation. And you dont want to miss tomorrow because that will be a Special Edition of Politics Nation as the show marks its tenth anniversary. So congrats to reverend al on that. Coming up next, the Supreme Court has decided its time to end the federal Eviction Moratorium. Congresswoman Korey Bush joins me to discuss how that move could leave millions of americans without a place to call home. Place to call home. Finding new routes to reach your customers, and new ways for them to reach you. Is what business is all about. Its what the United States Postal Service has always been about. So as your business changes, were changing with it. 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All right, that was congresswoman Bushs Protest on the steps of the capitol. Would save countless of americans from eviction. When the biden administration agreed to extend a federal moratorium on evictions into october, this was despite president bidens own reservations about the legality of such a move. I Cant Guarantee the Court Wont Rule that we dont have that authority. But at least well have the ability if we have to appeal to keep this going for a month, at least. I hope longer. The Supreme Court has now had its say, and on thursday struck down the moratorium, effective immediately. And that move put millions of people at risk of being thrown out on The Streets. Joining me now is congresswoman Cori Bush, democrat from moodys, who im honor from missouri, who im honored to have on the show. Congresswoman, thank you for being here. Thank you for the work that you did on the steps of the capitol. This is devastating, what happened in the Supreme Court. And now this is essentially been punted back to congress to deal with. So as millions of people are hanging in the balance, their lives, their livelihoods, children, pets even, what does this mean, whats the plan . And can congress stop this from happening with such opposition from the republican party . You know, i think looking at the humanity. Im undering our colleagues to reflect on the humanity of every one of their unhoused neighbors or soon to be unhoused neighbors and support a legislative solution to this eviction crisis. You know, wondering who should do what and when we should do it. Right now we have to remember that the Pandemic Isnt over. The Jobs Crisis Isnt over. The health Crisis Isnt over. Before this pandemic started we already had a housing crisis. We cant make it even worse now in the middle of a deadly global pandemic. And i am appalled that the Supreme Court would rule in this way and say, yeah, okay, 11 Million, hit The Streets, even though we know that, you know, we have people who are already on The Street that we havent been able to help. Its okay to send 11 Million more. Yeah. This is devastating. At the conservative court, the three liberal judges dissented obviously. You know, this is no easy feat, though. So i mean, you are facing an uphill battle in congress. There is staunch republican opposition. But something interesting that i find about this Story Housing and real Estate Industry groups spent more than 100 Million Lobbying Congress the past year and a half and the White House and worked to extend the Covid Moratorium that these groups hope to stop. So essentially you have this group of people saying, no, we want the moratorium to end. What impact did that have on the republican position saying basically opposition saying basically we dont care . You know, we have some people in congress who care about their big donors, you know, and im not republicans and democrats, you know. And then we also have some who care about who first care about their Community Members in their districts and the people that live in those districts. And for me, my office says, you know, we want to do the absolute most for everyone in our district starting with those who have the very least. And so i dont wanted people who dont feel that way. I dont understand why we signed Up To run for congress to sit in a seat where we dont make sure that all of the people in our communities have the resources and the access they need. And so i think that as were looking at what happened with the republicans, im also looking at whats happening with our democrats because we have we can get this done. We need congress to legislate a full Eviction Moratorium that will keep people in their homes. Automatic, that dont require a declaration form. And one that will cover all evictions and not just those that are related to rent. You know, i understand our landlords, our landlords are saying, hey, we need this money. I know that was some of the push for the republicans. You know, we get that. But were trying to give the money we need to disburse these funds. Thats that 46. 5 billion, it has to get into the handle of the people and give us the opportunity to get that done. And im glad you brought that up because that has been a huge issue, actually getting the money to the hands of the people. So of that 46. 5 billion you talked about, only 4. 7 billion has reached the hands of the people who most need it. Theres, you know, a digital divide, theres paperwork, theres a lot of bureaucracy at the state and local levels. And look, i want to make the point, all of these people who need it are not democratic voters. These do impact people in the republican base. So how do we fix the bottleneck to get this money in the hands of the people who need it . Yes. So one thing that we first of all, we are my office is working weve been talking with leadership in the house, weve been talking with Chairwoman Maxine waters, trying to figure out all the we can do. One is working on disbursement. In my community in missouris district, what weve been able to do is part of our district set up clinics within all of our st. Louis public libraries, county libraries, to make sure people have access in their communities. So thats one way. But streamlining this process is something that we have to do and have to figure it out. And it can be done. As soon as we finish with the protests on the steps, our communities organized, set up a better structure, and the money has started to flow out. Its not rocket science. Its just getting volunteers, getting more help, making sure that people get what they need. And let me just say this to the american people right now who are facing eviction, let me just say its a travesty and a political failure what is happening to you right now. I know what youre living through. I understand that momentbymoment feeling, what those thoughts are like, i know the fear of uncertainty and the Fear Whove speaks for me in this moment. Let me say this, congresswoman Cori Bush is speaking for you. I Wont Rest, my team Wont Rest, and those that were working with in congress, we Wont Rest until we make sure that you have a safety in your homes. Its not okay. Its unjust and unfair whats happening to you. It is indeed unjust, congresswoman. I just want to point out even outside of this Eviction Moratorium, in no state metropolitan Area Or County in america can a worker earning the federal or prevailing state Minimum Wage afford a modest Twobedroom Rental Home at a fair market. So this is a really challenging legislative situation that you have taken on. And thank you for it. Thank you so much, congresswoman. Are you welcome here any time. Thanks for joining me. Thank you. Thanks for being here. Dont go anywhere at home. Coming up, the changing face of the Black-caucus'>Congressional Black Caucus. You heard from one of the members. Could the younguns with more progressive views shift the group dynamic, or do they have more in common with the establishment democrats . We will talk about it with Angela Wye and Roland Martin next. You dont want to miss this. Stay with us. Dont want to miss. Stay with us establishment democrats . Establishment democrats . Are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas, or abdominal discomfort . Taking align can help. Align contains a Quality Probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24 7. Try align, the pros in digestive health. man my ex is dating a pisces. So im like, screw it. Lets talk manifesting. Lets talk chakras. Lets Talk Self healing my way through the 12th house. woman in van set your intentions. Man Sitting crystals up. woman full moon bath ritual. Cleanse and find your magic. Let it go huh, huh Let It Go word, word, 88 Let It Go Let It Go okay, so this year the Black-caucus'>Congressional Black Caucus is the largest it has ever been with 57 members. And while the group contains most of the Black members of congress, it is also more diverse with a generational and maybe an ideological divide that could change the power dynamic, frankly. I wanted to bring in two heavy hitters. Angela rye, politics and Culture Commentator and host of one with Angela Rye and director of the Black-caucus'>Congressional Black Caucus and our pal Roland Martin host of Roland Martin unfiltered. Looking good. Angela, the progressives versus establishment, i got to know i dont know if Black folks care. I think theyre like how are you going to help my situation tomorrow. Sometimes it feels more like a Twitter Fight than a reallife fight. However, it is a discussion thats happening especially when it comes to the cbc, how older established Black candidates may differ from younger more progressive candidates. Im curious, what are your thoughts . There are so many. In is a book in and of itself. Maybe this should be the sequel to yours, right. I think theres a lot going on here. And part of it is theres a way that our elders in particular are used to doing things, and folks are coming in, theyre completely different. Youre talking about 57 members strong. I remember sitting in a meeting with Congressman Rangle who, of course, was one of the founders of the cbc who said it was so much easier when we were smaller, right. And i think that thats true for all of us. We know how hard it can be to galvanize and organize around a mission. We have friends in The Streets. Theres two different Voting Events happening. And we know that Black folks are battling to not only protect democracy which is what weve always done, but you saw, of course, Reverend Sharpton flanked by Cbc Members today. There are some other members who want to take a way more aggressive approach. So most of this isnt even idealogy. We can look at the Progressive Caucus where Cbc Members, there are 27 Cbc Members who are members of the Progressive Caucus. If you look at their voting records its closer to 50. Its not an ideological divide. It is more style than substance. The question for the elders that i would ask and you know i love you all, Cbc Family is how worth it is it to continue to exacerbate the divide . We have members of the caucus who have benefited from the strategy of challenging incumbent democrats. Im not somebody whos like go and take them on, theyre their there are trump folks that have to be taken on first. I digress much there are members including Congressman Meeks who is the chair of the Cbc Pac who benefited from Eliot Engel being challenged. He now sits in the seat. Again, like i said, we could go miles for this. There are bars for this. I wanted to give examples of where you see some slight differences but really when you look at The End result, we all get to the same place. Thats right. And people supported Eliot Engel over i believe it was Jamal Bowman who was challenging him. Let me turn to you, ro. Angela made the good point that maybe its not an idological debate, more style and substance. Listen to this Sound Byte from Congressman Clyburn who was confronted by activists outside of his office and well talk about it on the other side. To be out here using your energy to get more progressive people Congressman Clyburn was not here for it. Hes said im more progressive than any one of you. Whats your take on all this, roland . Look, i need people to understand if you dont look at history, then you dont understand today. You have Congressman Ralph Metcalf who was the second africanamerican Member Of Congress out of chicago who was criticized because he was tied to the daily machine. And in the course of Fred Hampton was killed he led the effort for an investigation. You have always had Cbc Members who differ. Remember, today is the March On Washington. The anniversary of the March On Washington for jobs and freedom. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell was fighting Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King and others because here he was with power in congress, political power, and they were out in The Streets. Youve always had this divide. We also need to understand something. And Black folks have got to realize this here every Black Member Of Congress is not from a, quote, Black district. Let me repeat that. Theyre not from Black districts. Significant white population. Hispanic population. Gerrymandering, how it impacted. When you say youre representing us, no, you understand the makeup of the district. Every congressional district is 700,000 people. And folks lose sight of this. So congressman Sanford Bishop here in georgia is from a more conservative district how its drawn, then you had, of course, congresswoman nikita williams. People lose sight of that. Its also a question of power. The end of date if youre a Congressman Clyburn and others, how they view to get things done. He said to be more pragmatic. You have folks say we can be super progressive and never get anything passed, or you can to actually compromise. Folks say, i hate compromise. Guess what theres no bill that gets passed in congress that does not involve compromise. Thats right. You know what, roland made a good point, angela, because congresswoman lauren underwood, one of the younger members of congress, she represents a district out of Illinois Thats overwhelmingly white. I think their Black population is less than 4 and she got elected 2 Black. 2 , thank you. Her constituencies are 2 Black. So she has some loyalty to her constituents i suppose. I dont know what happens when their interests run contrary to the majority of Black folks. But i want to get from you, angela, is this a lot of people ask, what does the cbc do . What are they doing for Black people . When Reverend Sharpton and i did radio we used to answer the question. The cbc does a lot. Are they a powerful enough body that these 57 members can say, you know, to latashas points, were going to hold the line. Were not going to vote for anything until you pass Voting Rights. Can they do that . They can, and they should. I dont know if they will, right. I think what we should remember as roland talks about history is how the Black-caucus'>Congressional Black Caucus was founded in 1971. So after Adam Clayton Powell, right, again, mr. Rangle challenged adam congratulaten powell. In 1971, this is after they had a meeting with president nixon, they gave him more than 60 recommendations of what needed to be done for Black people. I would tell the cbc writ large, something they wrestle with every meeting, what is your mission, what are you about . They are called the conscience of the congress for a reason. When there is a budget presented by the democratic party, by the democratic caucus every single year, the cbc has an alternative budget reminding the country, reminding congress of what its priorities should be for Black people. We cannot run too far from that trying to protect a majority overall when that majority doesnt serve us. And that Majority Wont serve us if the Cbc Isnt constantly using that Bully Pulpit that now has grown to 57, its 58 if we count Sister Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote in the senate. I know thats a stretch, but im going to claim it. Thats right. We have to remember, right, what theyre supposed to be there for. I understand there is no Cbc Power if theres not a democratic majority. But we have to first remember what our foundation is, and that is protecting the interests of Black people. Even for members who dont come from Majority Minority districts. You will not be empowered if there arent Black contributions coming to you from all over the country. Right. Weve got to have a balance. I do not envy them. Theyve got to vote on it. I really want them to harken back to their county. Yeah. I i hear you. Ro, sorry, i didnt know if you were saying something. Go ahead, real quick. We have ten seconds. No no Member Of Congress owns a seat. If someone challenges you, then you run. I dont care if youre Black, latino, white. And so if you get challenged, suck it up, campaign, and make your point. But nobody gets to get upset because someone challenged you because you challenged someone else. Thats right. All right. Roland and angela, as soon as the annual legislative conference comes back well do the show from there so we can have more time with you both. Thank you, guys. Coming up, more shocking and disturbing testimony continues to come out of r. Kellys federal trial. Well talk about that after the break. After the break. With downy infusions, let the scent set the mood. Feel the difference with downy. Get ready. Its time for the Savings Event of the year. The Homeandautobundle Xtravafestasaveathon at this Homeandautobundle Xtravafestasaveathon, theres no telling what we might bundle Homeandautobundle Xtravafestasaveathon bundle cars, trucks, colonials, bungalows, and that Weird Hut your uncle lives in. So strike up the Homeandautobundle Xtravafestasaveathon band for the deal that started forever ago and will probably never end. Homeandautobundle xtravafestasaveathon. Say it with me. Homeandautobundle no ones leaving till you say it right. Homeandauto. vo this is a place for ambition. 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I felt awful because of my psoriasis. I was covered from head to toe with it. It really hurt. Then i started cosentyx. That was four years ago. How are you . See me. Cosentyx works fast to give you clear skin that can last. Real people with Psoriasis Look and feel better with cosentyx. Dont use if youre allergic to cosentyx. Before starting get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections some serious and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, or if youve had a Vaccine Or Plan to. Tell your doctor if your Crohns Disease symptoms develop or worsen. Serious allergic reactions may occur. I look and feel better. Ask your dermatologist if cosentyx could help you move past the pain of psoriasis. All right. You guys remember surviving r. Kelly . Three accusers have testified in horrific detail about alleged sexual, physical, and psychological abuse at the hands of the R B Superstar as parts of the his ongoing federal trial in brooklyn. The three women say their relationships began with him when they were 16 or 17 years old. And they testified that they were beaten, sexually manipulated, humiliated, isolated from their friends and families, and in one Case Pressured to have an abortion. Now r. Kelly has denied all of these allegations, but were going to get into it. Joining me now is the representative from a long Walk Home that seeks to end violence against women and girls. So grateful for you being with us this morning under these horrific details that we have to get into. Last week marked the first time that we heard one of kellys alleged victims was the first time she took the stand. You know, they cant really get back what theyre accusing r. Kelly from taking from them. What does justice look like to these women do you think . Well, i think its a mix of things. One, just the ability to tell their story in the Court Of Justice and be heard. Thats part of it. Then also theres a complete shift in our culture and our consciousness in how we think about these cases and how we think about survivors testimony. So i think part of it, like you said, they cant ever get back the innocence that was lost, they cant, you know, Make Up for all the time that was stolen psychologically, physically, as a result their interaction and assaults and that they experienced with r. Kelly. By coming forward and being in community with other survivors and also being heard by not just the court but the court of Public Opinion, i think does get closer to a sense of justice that so many survivors continue to not be able to have in this country and throughout the world. Something thats interesting obviously there are great reporters covering the story. A lot of Print Journalists on top of it. However, there really is no media allowed in the courtroom, no cameras allowed in the courtroom because of covid restrictions. Im curious what impact do you think that has on the trial . Were relying on the reporters. Were not hearing from these victims, alleged victims directly. Yeah. Its an interesting question because we just went through a kind of a national experience with another trial in terms of Derek Chauvin and having access to the witnesses and testimony. So i think youre right that it does, in fact, you know, maybe the level of empathy that we would normally have toward survivors when theyre giving us these very salacious and violent details of his assaults, would be increased. I do think just by reading the stories, i mean, the details are so atrocious. And this is important to think weve already been socialized to understand these allegations because of the documentary surviving r. Kelly, as well as the really brilliant reporting over the last decade and a half. So we do have a sense of these testimonies. Weve heard a lot from victims over the years. So this is almost like a kind of Tap Stone or culminating moment for them to be heard, for them to be believed, and then for some version of justice to be meted out in this moment. Im curious your opinion on this because there is something, again, that mostly lives on social media. But it has to come from somewhere. Its not real life, but it does happen. Ive seen uncomfortable comments about people blaming the parents or people saying they lie, why are you guys constantly attacking Black men never mind the Black women and Black girls who were harmed by this. But this Kindof Behavior among a small group of men who defend this behavior or at least are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt despite the evidence that weve seen, video evidence, and details coming out in the trial. What do you think thats about . Well, i think its at some level its about, you know, identification with r. Kelly and the power that he wielded over these girls who are now women and all the people that he hired and all the people that supported his behavior. So theres an identification with him as opposed to identification with the suffering and the stigma and the selfharm and the selfblame that the victims experienced. The optimistic point of view, the optimistic version i have is that, you know, r. Kelly was on trial in 2008 in chicago for pornography and obstruction, right. Those were the charges. Now we have a completely different landscape, both the federal charges of racketeering and the violation of the mann act, Public Opinion is strongly against r. Kelly. And more survivors are believed than ever before. So that minority thats continuing to call out in support of r. Kelly are simply a minority at this point. And more importantly, what i think is we should think about the new charges as racketeering and criminal conspiracy is that theres an indictment of the systems and individuals that supported r. Kellys rampant sexual assault of Black girls and Black women for several decades. Thats whats on trial here. Rape culture, the bystanders that supported him, and the industry and the people that he hired to continue to recruit, groom, harm these girls who are also now women, and thats whats on trial here. So the minority of people who are supporting him are going to always be there. But im really interested in the fact that we have an actual majority that we didnt have in 2008. Absolutely. Public opinion has certainly shifted here. Thank you so much for making that point. Thank you. Youll have to come back. I enjoyed having you. Dont worry at home, Coming Up next, voting Rights Activists are talking to The Streets on the anniversary of dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream speech. 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Activists across the country are marching for equality at the ballot box. Joining me is my good, good friend, Msnbc Correspondent tremaine lee, who was at the March On voting Rights Event in d. C. Youre in my neck of the woods. Whats the crowd like there, and i understand there are two different events happening. Youve got Reverend Sharptons Event And Latasha brown, Black voters matter r. These two going to converge at any point . Reporter thats right. Let me ask you a question first. Thank you for having me on this hot, balmy day me on this hot, balmy day. Im not sure if you can see over my shoulder that the crowd is marching our direction. Were expecting Tens Of Thousands of people in dc converging. Union workers, statehood activists, but as you mentioned, Voting Rights is the Core Theme of today. You have two different organizations, the March On for Voting Rights, the reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King ii behind us, and you also have Black voters matter, the make good trouble rally, that will be ending at the Lincoln Memorial. Theyre doing that today, tiffany. I think it makes the point that theres not one monolith of activists when something this widereaching impacts the entire community. So thank you. Be safe on The Streets. Looking good. Were circle back with you if anything happens at the march. Activists are also marching in the key Battleground State of georgia. Joining me now, Msnbc Correspondent Shaq Brewster and the acl. What is the crowd looking like . I see a stage behind you and Rumor Has It Ludacris will you joining you later. Reporter its not just a rumor. Thats pretty much a lot of the draw here, that ludacris will come and perform after. Whats going on now, and ill let you take a look at the crowd, were right in front of the king center, and you have speakers on stage, we already saw elected representatives go and give their speeches and theyre rallying right now. What will happen is the group will start walking and go for about a milelong march and then come right back here. Thats when ludacris will take the stage and give that performance. This is one of the satellite marches that are taking place. Theres an event happening in dc, and this event in atlanta. Its happening in other states across the country. And folks are bringing the direct connection to what happened 58 years ago with the March On Washington. I want you to listen to a little bit of the conversations that ive been having with folks who came out early on a hot Saturday Morning to stand up for Voting Rights. We sure are tired of watching these republicans here in georgia eliminate the right to vote. Theres a place near me, but i cant get to it because its in a weird place. And no buses go there. So getting rid of Drop Boxes or limiting early voting that makes it difficult for everybody i know that works, works at night. They say it was easy for them to vote because they worked at night. All of these things that Black and brown people have to deal with. Reporter so you hear something that theyre referencing is that law that was passed here back in march. That was signed by governor Brian Kemp. Theyre saying that they are here to show a counter to that, that they disagree with what they see as an effort to take away or threaten their vote. You heard the last woman, i asked her, what does she see compared to what happened in 1963 to whats happening now. She said she wouldnt believe she would still be here having this fight right now. She said its more important. She said that was the start of it and ts a continuation and you hear people making that direct connection to what this event is honoring. Im extra interested in this, obviously, because this is where i grew up, in atlanta. Something that i was really surprised to hear is that 95 of eligible voters are registered in georgia, and i do want to say a registered voter is not a ballot cast. So there are the policies that will still have an impact on who actually shows Up To the ballot box. Im curious, how many people are there paying attention to not just the local fight happening, but also the battle at the federal government . Youve got the statehouses and then you have whats happening at the federal level. Are people more focused on the statehouse or walking and chewing game, focusing on the federal government as well. Reporter its a little bit of both and i think people acknowledge this is a layered approach. There are federal elections and there are certain things that the federal government can do and thats why theyre here for the push for h. R. 1 and the push for the John Lewis Voting rights bill. Theyre also talking about whats happening at a local level. You mentioned the study, that 95 of georgia voters or adults here in georgia are registered to vote. That was largely because of something that Secretary Of State Brian Kemp did, which was automatic registration. That was in partnership with the drivers license office, where if you get your drivers license you would have to opt out of being registered to vote rather than opt in. Brian kemp, governor Brian Kemp, is now a villain, so to speak, for many of the people here because of the law that was signed that makes it harder not to get registered, but makes it harder to vote. It limits the number of Drop Boxes in places like Fulton County and the early Morning Voting hours and its those restrictions that will be in place the next election that are already in place in many parts of the law, its those Restriction Thas people are fighting out against. Thats what lillian, the woman in the yellow that you heard from, thats what she was pointing to. She said, look, i dont drive. Its hard for me to get to a voting location. I use a dropbox. I get a ballot in the mail and do the mailno voting. Its an added barrier for someone like me to cast that ballot. She said im going to vote, but theres many people that will not do what they need to do to get that vote in. Thats what folks are pushing back against, the added barriers, not just the registration piece, its making it easier, simpler to actually cast that ballot and that law makes it harder to do that. Ive got to tell you, governor Brian Kemp has been a longtime foe of Voting Rights. I just want to point out that over 265,000 georgians cannot vote because they were incarcerated, theyre on parole or flown probation. It shows how the criminal Justice System disproportionately is against Black and brown folks. Thank you so much. Enjoy the ludacris convert. Thanks again. Coming up, were anticipating a Pentagon Briefing with the latest developments in afghanistan and were going to bring that to you live. Thats next, so you dont want to miss it. Theres a lot of news still Coming Up in the second hour of cross connection, so keep it right here. Well see you on the other side of the break. And one we explore one thats been paved and one thats forever wild but freedom means you dont have to choose just one adventure you get both. Introducing the Allnew 3row Jeep grand Cherokee L jeep. Theres only one. Start your day with Crest 3d white and from mochaccinos to merlot, jeep grand Cherokee L your smile will always be brilliant. 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You downloaded the Td Ameritrade mobile app so you can quickly check the markets . Yeah, actually im taking One Last Look at my dashboard before we board. Excellent. And you have thinkorswim mobile so i can finish analyzing the risk on this position. You two are all set. Have a great flight. Thanks. Well see ya. Ah, theyre getting so smart. Choose the app that fits your investing style. Welcome back, everybody, to the cross connection. Were awaiting that Press Conference from the pentagon with the latest out of afghanistan. Were going to bring that to you live as soon as it begins, which will be any moment now. Heres what we know right now. Overnight the u. S. Military carried out a military Drone Strike, killing a planner for isisk, fulfilling president bidens promise to track down the terrorists who killed 13 u. S. Service members and more than 160 afghans in thursdays devastating Suicide Bombing that took place in kabul. Now, today u. S. Troops remain vigilant as time runs out to complete one of the biggest Air Evacuations in history before tuesdays deadline. So far, more than 105,000 people have been flown out of afghanistan since august 14th. That is no small feat. So joining me now is Courtney Kube, Nbc News Pentagon correspondent. She is standing by awaiting that live briefing. I dont want to keep you long because i know when that briefing happens, youre going to have to get there and ask questions. The latest from the State Department, is there are 500 americans still in afghanistan. Do you think that number is accurate, and what are those americans doing there and how quickly will they be able to get evacuated out . Reporter the numbers have been difficult during this entire Evacuation Process, tiffany. Its been tough to find out exactly how many americans are in afghanistan and still waiting to get out. The State Department is saying there are at least 500 still. The other big question is, are they in kabul and are they able to actually get them to the airport safely and get them out on evacuation flights. Despite the fact that there was this very deadly attack on thursday at Kabul Airport, evacuations continue. As you mentioned, more than 100,000 people, according to the u. S. Government, have now been taken out on those evacuation flights. Its a combination of military and civilian charter aircraft. Were expecting to get an update on that Evacuation Mission here at the pentagon today. Were also waiting to hear more about the u. S. Military presence there. There are somewhere in the north of 5,000 u. S. Troops on the ground at Kabul Airport, but the deadline is quickly approaching for the u. S. Military to be completely out. The question now, has that Evacuation Process actually begun . The u. S. Will need several days to get all of those military and their equipment out if they want to meet that deadline, theyre going to have to start with what the military called retrograde within a matter of hours. Is there any chance that the deadline will be extended . Like you said, theres still a lot left to do and not a lot of time. Reporter thats a Policy Decision that the White House is going to have to make. There are meeting regularly, in fact theres a meeting this morning to discuss afghanistan. But as of now, all indications are the u. S. Military will continue on this path to be completely withdrawn from afghanistan by August 31st. I have A Thousand more questions for you, but well check in with you after the briefing so you can get situated. I want to bring in a Senior Fellow at the center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and author of islamic exceptionalism. He recently wrote a wonderful piece in The Atlantic this week to put all this into context. Thank you for joining us because i feel like the Cable News airways have been overflowing with opinions and i think its important that we stop and take a moment and explain to people the dynamics of afghanistan and your piece in The Atlantic did a great job of doing that. The first thing i want to ask you, im going to quote Back To You, and you say american planners thought they knew what this country needed, which was not quite the same as what people wanted. Im sorry, were going to go to that briefing and we will circle back with you on the other side of the briefing. Lets go to the briefing now. Yesterday u. S. Military forces conducted an Overthehorizon Counterterrorism Operation against an Isisk Planner and facilitator. The Air Strike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of afghanistan. Two high Profile Isis targets were killed and one was wounded, and we know of zero civilian casualties. Without specifying any future plans, i will say that we will continue to have the ability to defend ourselves and to leverage Overthehorizon Capability to conduct Counterterrorism Operations as needed. We continue to evacuate American Citizens and vulnerable afghans out of kabul. In fact, there are approximately 1,400 individuals at the Kabul Airport who have been screened and manifested for flights today. As i said yesterday, we have the ability to include evacuees on Military Airlift out of afghanistan until the very end. This is a massive military diplomatic security and humanitarian undertaking for the united states and our allies. Ill give you a specific update over the last 24. Yesterday 32 u. S. Military aircraft, 27 c17s and five c130s departed with approximately 4,000 personnel. Combined with 34 coalition aircraft, departures, an additional 2,800 personnel left kabul for various intermediate staging Bases. 66 flights left out of Kabul Yesterday in that 24hour period, with 6,800 evacuees. Today i can report an updated total evacuation that is more than 117,000. The vast majority of which are afghans. Of this total number, approximately 5,400 are American Citizens. This is an incredible number of people who are now safer, thanks to the heroism of the young men and women who are putting their lives on the line each day to evacuate american and vulnerable afghans out of kabul. Threats to our forces and to this operation remain real and significant. Im sure you can appreciate that. And now as the Military Mission begins to end in kabul, thousands of Service Members are working across the globe and within the united states to complete this incredibly important mission. Out of the Ucom Arr, six flights will transport about 6,000 afghans to the united states. Since august 20th, the Ucom Arr has received nearly 3,000 vulnerable afghans and evacuees. A good example of how were building out capacity, a flight from italy will fly to philadelphia international airport, the second u. S. Onward location to receive flights. As the Commander General said in his brief yesterday, our total capacity across multiple u. S. Installations is approximately 21,000 and growing. Were steadily working to increase the capacity to 50,000 by september 15th. Right now we are hosting approximately 8,000 afghan applicants at fort mccoy, fort bliss, fort lee, and joint base maguire, dix, and lake hurst. A dedicated team are working closely with numerous agencies, both government and nongovernment, to ensure further requirements and additional capabilities are available. We will keep you updated on this effort. They continue to conduct humanitarian relief operations in Haiti And North com is postured to support fema as a lead federal agency in preparing for tropical storm ida. Lastly, i want to share the Department Of Defense will shortly release the names of the 13 Service Members who were killed in service to their country. We grieve with the Gold Star families, friends and Loved Ones of our fallen. They will be remembered and revered among americans who have served in afghanistan in Operations Freedom Sentinel and enduring freedom. I dont have anything to adjourned, so well go right to questions. Thank you. A couple questions on the strike last night in afghanistan. General taylor just said that two highprofile targets were killed and one wounded. The initial announcements, i think, said one. This was all the same strike . Was it a single strike . And can you explain any more about whether these individuals were directly involved in the Thursday Bombing at Kabul Airport . So it was wel without getting into too much tactical detail, i will tell you it was a single mission to get these targets, and as the assessments and information flowed over time we were able to recognize that another was killed as well, and one wounded. So, i mean, battle damage assessment, as you know, sometimes takes time, information comes in. As we had more clarity, we wanted to be transparent. Does that mean they were involved directly in the Kabul Airport attack . They were Isisk Planners and facilitators and thats enough reason there alone. I wont speak to the details of these individuals or what their specific roles might be, but as the general said, we had the ability and the means to carry out overthehorizon capabilities and were going to defend ourselves. I would like to ask you another question just about the Airport Situation at the moment. Is it true that only u. S. Passport holders are being allowed onto the airport now through The Gates . Any u. S. Passport holder that wants to get in can get in. And we are still i dont think im wrong, but we are still processing and getting on planes Siv Applicants, as well as vulnerable afghans. Are they being allowed on to the airport . As far as i know, yes. I dont think thats changed. Can you give us the names of the two individuals killed in the strike . No, were not going to release the names. Were just not going to release the names. If i can go back to thursdays Suicide Bombing, there appear to be images and reports from the ground that some of the afghan civilians killed may have been shot by the marines at the gate. At this point in time since were 48 hours, do you have any evidence that the marines or any of the u. S. Troops may have shot, injured or wounded we Cant Confirm that and certainly were not in a position to deny it, either. We are investigating there. As we get more information that we can reliably communicate to you about this incident, we will. There were other dire warnings saying dont approach The Gates. Did this Air Strike have anything to do with the potential for future attacks . Can you talk about what Capabilities Isis might have lost in the Drone Strike . Well, a couple of things. Ill let the State Department speak for the advisory they sent out. That is not uncommon for them to do that, particularly in a country like afghanistan and theyre constantly watching the threat environment, as are we. And theyre doing the prudent, responsible thing, to inform americans there in kabul about whats best for their own safety. But, again, i think ill let the State Department speak to the rationale there. Obviously, theyre doing what they believe they need to do to keep people safe. I am not going to talk about specific Capabilities Isis may have lost in this strike. They lost a planner and they lost a Facilitator And Theyve got one wounded. And the fact that two of these individuals are no longer walking on the face of the earth, thats a good thing. Its a good thing for the people of afghanistan and its a good thing for our troops and forces at that airfield and im going to leave it there. To follow up, can you discuss the level of threat right now at the airport . Weve seen a number of allies bring their Evacuation Operations to a close early. Will the u. S. Still stay there through the 31st . We are going to complete this mission by The End of the month. Weve said that. Nothing has changed about the timeline for us. And we will do this in as safe and orderly way as possible, and that includes being able to continue to evacuate right up until The End. What about the threats at the airport . Can you describe what the threats are still very real, theyre very dynamic and we are monitoring them literally in real time, and as i said yesterday, were taking all the means necessary to make sure we remain focused on that Threat Stream and doing what we can for protection. A couple questions. First for you, john, have u. S. Troops begun retrograde withdraw from the airport . We have begun retrograding. Can you say anything about the number who have left . No, i cannot. General taylor, the numbers of Military Aircraft who have left are relatively consistent with where theyve been for several days but the number of passengers is down from where it was. Does that mean the u. S. Is starting to move military equipment, or are there planes going out not full . As we said, our mission to continue evacuating those as required and to meet the Mission Requirement by August 31st is what the commanders are executing. Does that mean that youre starting to take some equipment out on the aircraft, or do you not have enough passengers there is equipment leaving on those flights that was originally planned. If i could ask one more. Have there been any attacks General Mckenzie talked about how the taliban had thwarted attacks before thursdays attack. Are there any cases that youre aware of that the taliban have stopped attackers from getting to the airport . I dont have specific reports of that, other than as you can see, as we just talked, the security of the base is the most important thing that were doing to allow us to continue our mission. Thank you. John, you said the threat at the airport remains active and dynamic. Is it fair to say that, whether or not those people killed last night deserve to be on the face of the earth or not, that the threat at the airport remains unchanged . I wouldnt say that it remains unchanged. I didnt say that. I said it remains active and dynamic, and it does. Is it as serious as it was yesterday . It is a serious threat. Im not sure how any potential Terrorist Threat can be anything other than serious, or that we shouldnt take it seriously. Its serious. Yesterday you denied the taliban claim that they had assumed responsibility for security of some parts of the airport. Is that still the case, that the taliban do not provide security at the airport itself . That is still the case. And is that going to remain the case until The End, or at some point do they have to move into the airport to keep the crowds at bay while those last planes Take Off . Im not going to talk about the specifics as we get closer to The End. Let me just say this, as clearly as i can, we will maintain the ability to defend ourselves and our operations all the way through. Yeah, lucas. Did the taliban in any way provide any Intelligence Or Support with this Drone Strike that killed those two isis terrorists . Im not going to talk abouT Intelligence matters one way or the other. Im not going to talk abouT Intelligence matters one way or the other. Did the taliban support this Drone Strike . We had useful intelligence on our own to conduct this strike. Do you consider the Taliban And Haqqani network separate entities . Lucas, im not going to give you a breakdown here, a characterization of the taliban or haqqani. Youve got to remember what were focused on here and thats on getting more people out and getting our troops out, completing this mission, and im not sure what benefit it does for me to try to characterize one group or another. The people that the Deputy Leader of the taliban is surging haqqani, who has a 10 Million bounty on his head. People should know, are these separate entities . We know that there is a certain matter of commingling here. Theres a marbling, if you will. What im pushing back on is the relevance of what were trying to do today, which is complete an evacuation safely and get our troops and our forces at the airport out safely. Thats what were focused on. One more question. Every major Newspaper And Television News Outlet has said that the u. S. Military recommended to the president to leave 2,500 troops in afghanistan, not pull out. Have you asked any of those outlets for a correction . Say that one again. Every major Newspaper And Television News Outlet has reported that top Pentagon Brass and the Defense Secretary to the head of forces in afghanistan, that the chiefs recommended to the president that 2,500 u. S. Troops should have stayed in afghanistan, not pulled out. Have you asked any News Outlet for a correction to those stories . Thanks for repeating it. We dont make it a habit to talk publicly one way or the other, up, down, or or less, about the Advice And Counsel that Pentagon Leaders give the chief. Has there been another Helicopter Evacuation recently . I dont think there has been. No. Can i follow up, then, on the discussion about the drone Strike Yesterday. Its been characterized as being retaliation, as being reprisal for the bombing at the airport. Is that accurate, or was this something that, as part of your Overthehorizon Counterterrorism Planning you were already considering . This was a little bit of both. I mean, we have the ability to conduct overthehorizon terrorism capabilities, weve talked about that. This certainly fits in that mold. But its not coincidence that it happened just a couple of days after we lost 13 brave Service Members. And can i ask again, youre calling one a planner and another a facilitator. I believe youre saying thats correct, right . Thats the characterization of these individuals . What is the difference, and what makes them a target . That is the clarification, planner facilitator, theyre those that would have the ability to facilitate or help plan in attacks. And as we said, that gave us the Ability And Authority we had to conduct those missions. Were they involved in planning an imminent attack . Were not going to go into detailed Intelligence Information that led to that attack, or that strike, or future operations. Thank you. A couple of things on the strike. First thing, you called them high profile. Can you explain to us but not senior, and then i have a followup. What makes you say theyre high profile . Based on the intelligence collected and activities in the past, that was the classification used for those. General taylor, can you just clarify, were you actually targeting both of these individuals, or were you targeting one and the other one happened to be there and got struck . We had the intelligence that led us to the Target Area that allowed for that strike to happen with the bda as briefed. Were you targeting two individuals in this strike . We had intelligence that allowed us to conduct that strike on those multiple individuals. John, if i could ask you, also, so now you have done this strike, what is the assessment or feeling about the impact of this strike on isisk in afghanistan . Have you degraded them in any fashion . Can you explain that . If theyre high profile, have you deterred, degraded . What is your conclusion about what the impact of this strike actually has been . They have two they have two high Profile Planners or one planner, one facilitator, there are no longer on their muster role. So they have lost some capability to plan and to conduct missions. Barbara, make no mistake, nobody is writing this off and saying, well, we got them, so we dont have to worry about isisk anymore. Not the case. As i said earlier, the Threat Stream is still active, still dynamic, were still laser focused on that and we arent thinking for a minute that what happened yesterday gets us in the clear. Not a minute. But do we believe that we hit valid targets, bad guys who can do bad things and can plan bad missions . Absolutely. And do we think that will have some impact on their ability going forward . Absolutely. What and how much, were just going to have to keep watching the intelligence going forward. I dont know if you can answer, but does the united states have a sense, even if you cant say names, do you have any sense of who was in command of isisk right now . Im not going to get into specific Org Charts and intelligence about what we know about the organization. Obviously we put a lot of time and effort into learning as much as we can and i think, just for security purposes, im just going to leave it at that. First of all, where did the Unmanned Aircraft come from . Was it a Predator Drone . Can you give us any information . Thats overthehorizon. So no specific information . And then were there reports that the targets were in a vehicle . Is that accurate . Or was there any other damage to Isis Infrastructure . As i think the general said right at the top, were going to be loathe to release a lot of tactical Level Bda Detail here. We want to preserve as much flexibility as we can. So i think you can understand, or at least i hope you can understand that were just not going to be able to answer a lot of that detailed stuff right now. What do you think about the isisk cells in kabul itself . Because clearly these attacks are coming from kabul, its possible the terrorists have gone underground. Obviously, you Cant Target the city itself with Air Strikes right now. What i would tell you is were watching the Threat Stream very carefully. Clearly they have the ability to operate inside kabul. Were mindful of that. And were watching it as closely as we can and were obviously trying to make sure that we have available to us as much Information And Context as possible so as to prepare for any future attacks, and that certainly, we have to assume, could come from or be planned out of or sourced out of places that they might have established themselves in kabul. I think thats really as far as were going to be able to go right now. A couple of questions about the airport. When are we officially handing the airport over to the taliban . Is the taliban going to be running the airport . Are they going to be running it with the turks, as i believe have been reported . Were going to continue to run the airport up until The End and those details, as they continue to be worked out, will come forward. But right now we will continue to run the airfield to make sure that we can execute our operations. And are some of The Gates to the airport welded shut, as has been reported . There are gates that are closed, absolutely, right now. But as we said earlier, we do have gates that continue to be open as we coordinate and still work with the department of state to get people in for evacuation. Thank you. Howard altman. First of all, i want to express my condolences to the families that lost Loved Ones in kabul. Despite this massive effort to evacuate folks, there were a number of organizations, including current and former military, that theres a level of frustration in not being able to get people out and theyre working in many ways to facilitate that. My question is, is dod cooperating with any of these organizations . Can you talk about that . And then what is your message to these organizations . Are they helping, hindering . Given what you know about how this is unfolding, should they continue their operations . Its certainly not for us to tell them to stop caring about individuals that they know that are in afghanistan, howard. We are as you might imagine, we are working off many different streams of information about various vulnerable afghan groups, not to mention applicants in the special immigrant visa program, and of course American Citizens. And i dont want to speak for the State Department, but the State Department has really been a liaison with a lot of outside groups to help identify those who need to be evacuated. We are primarily responsible for helping provide that secure area at the airport for them to be able to get through to process and get through to properly manifest them and get them on flights out of there. But, look, i mean, i think a lot of us are getting emails and calls and texts from friends and colleagues, many of them are veterans, who are passing information to us to try to help get additional people out. And were doing the best we can when we are contacted, to get that information in the right stream, to the right people on the ground there at the airport, to continue to facilitate movement. And as the general said, were going to try to facilitate movement of evacuees right up until the very end. Have these efforts helped, or are they adding to the confusion . And is dod cooperating or helping in any way . I think, certainly, howard, to the degree that they have brought to light information that we can act upon to get additional people out, of course, thats been helpful. And we certainly share the concerns that these groups have for these individuals. We feel the same obligation that they do. So do the Degree Theyve been able to help us latch on and identify, then yes, thats been helpful. A few different things. One question with the taliban. Its not an intelligence question, but was there any kind of coordination, did you share any information prior to the strike on the isis targets with the taliban . No. And turning to the preparations for folks, is there a total number of people you have, evacuees you have on domestic Bases here, plus those kind of on the step to come back, so all the different hubs plus the Bases, do you have a total number there . I dont have it with me, gordon. The general yesterday said weve got just under 7,000 Siv Applicants at u. S. Military installations across the country. Hes opened up additional installations to try to get us to a capacity of maybe as much as 50,000 if we need it. He gave that Number Yesterday and i think i dont think that number has changed appreciably over the last 24 hours. Before i jump off here, let me just check and see if ive got an updated number in europe. Ive got it here somewhere, i think. I dont think ive got it across europe. Well have to come Back To You on that. And then two other quick ones. Do you expect the troops to come into dover as soon as today . What i can tell you is that the remains of the 13 individuals who were killed are on their way back to the united states. But i am not able to give you a precise arrival. And final clarification, struck in the target from last night was a planner and a facilitator or they were both considered kind of both . I didnt quite understand. The capabilities of those struck and killed last night were a facilitator and planners. Were not going to get into this one was this, this one was this. Facilitators and planners, yeah. Were you aware of them before . Were not going to discuss the intelligence that led Up To, the intelligence that we had allowed us to conduct that strike. You cant say if they were individuals who were already on the u. S. Radar as high profile people . We had intelligence on the targets that led us as we continued to work up, conduct that strike. Can i ask one more on the overthehorizon efforts. The last time the u. S. Announced a Counterterrorist Strike in afghanistan was February Of 2020. Are you aware of any other particular specific not against taliban, but specific Ct Strikes since February Of 2020 in afghanistan . I dont have that information. With all due respect, the reasons youre getting questions about the intelligence is two days before kabul fell T Intelligence did not show the country was about to fall to the taliban. It did not show how serious these isis fighters were. I understand, and i understand that people are not going to go into the details of the intelligence that goes in. The attack on u. S. Troops at the Kabul Airport in the next few days . The intelligence that we had was good enough, it allowed us to conduct that strike. As mr. Kirby said, we now have two members of isisk that are no longer able to facilitate or plan attacks. Were they planning attacks on u. S. Troops im not going to go into that. The secretary and the president to greet the caskets . I dont have any Schedule Announcements to make with respect to that. Along what i think each of you said when you were talking about the presence of the taliban at the airport, are you saying that there are no taliban on the airfield beginning to transition to control on either the civilian so there was some Reporting Yesterday that the taliban were in control of The Gates, and then there was reporting that we were shutting down all Evacuation Operations in the course of a day. And my Point Yesterday was those are not true. Were not shutting down Evacuation Operations. Were going to continue going until The End. We are still in charge of the airport and we are still in charge of security at the airport. And what was true a few days ago is still true today. The taliban have checkpoints around the airport, in a loose perimeter, if you will. But they are not manning gates, we are not at the airport doing Security Roles or anything like that. Theyre not at the airport . Theyre not at the airport. Just going back to the Drone Strike, obviously you cant give specific names of countries. But did you notify any countries for which the drone may have had to fly through before the strike . And which committees on The Hill did you notify prior to the strike, if at all . As far as i know, there was no notifications that did or needed to happen before hand. To countries or committees . No notifications that were needed to be done beforehand. Youre not releasing the names of these individuals, but you know them, right . And do you know the nationality of these individuals who were killed in the drone Strike Yesterday . We know who they are. And the one that was wounded was the planner or facilitator. I dont have that information. Did you have any conversations with the taliban, have they indicated that they will not allow afghanistan to be used as a Launching Pad for a Terrorist Attack against the u. S. , its friends and allies . Can you say that one again . During your conversations with the taliban leadership, have they indicated or given any assurance to you that theyll not let afghanistan to be used as a Launching Pad or Terrorist Attacks against u. S. , its friends and allies . They made assurances as part of the Doha Agreement about affiliation with Al Qaeda and about Terrorism Terrorist groups operating from afghanistan. Theyve said that publicly, theyve said that as part of the Doha Agreement. Do you have any indication of the level or types of foreign fighters that may have flowed into afghanistan in recent days and weeks . I do not. Okay. I think were going to call it a day. Were going to call it a day, lucas. I appreciate it very much. How many prisoners were released in jail thank you. I appreciate it. You were just watching Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby and army major general William Taylor with the latest on the evacuation out of afghanistan. So yesterday 6,800 evacuees left kabul, bringing the total evacuation to 117,000. Officials also gave details about the mission overnight that killed those two isisk targets, and wounding one other in retaliation for the Suicide Bombing outside of the Kabul Airport that killed 13 american Service Members and 169 afghan civilians. Now, officials are saying no civilians were killed in the u. S. Drone strike. We want to give time, give Courtney Kube time to get to her camera position. She was just there covering the briefing. Let me recap where we were. The major General Taylor said that they would be there until the very end. I think the question remains, what is the very end . We stick with the August 31st deadline. There were 66 flights that left out of Kabul Yesterday with 6,800 evacuees. Of the total evacuees in the past few days, 5,400 of those were americans. However, how many americans remain in kabul is a question we still have for the pentagon. Theres a Flight Leaving from italy to philadelphia. Theyre working to increase the capacity to 50,000 of those Siv Applicants, special immigration visas. The really interesting thing here is the isisk attack, because theyre saying that these two were planners and facilitators. We didnt get a lot of information, understandably, and i know theres a lot of questions around these attacks, understandable that we have to wait as the u. S. Intelligence agency works through all of this. So i want to bring back with me the Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution who will help us make sense of this. Before we go back to our reporter, Courtney Kube, still at the pentagon, you just heard a lot of information there. And i think the main question i have about all of this, so you have isisk, who attacked the airport. So let me just let our viewers know. Isisk, this is the islamic state Khorasan Province and they became about in 2015. Theyre there. Then you have the taliban, so some of these members of isis were disaffected taliban members. So its kind of this civil war, so to speak, happening. So was isis targeting the taliban, were they targeting the united states, or both . What do you think . Hi, tiffany. Thanks for having me. So there are internal decisions within the taliban itself and also between these different groups. As you said, theres the taliban, Al Qaeda, and then isisk. And if we want to understand what the Isis Affiliate was trying to accomplish, theyre trying to undermine the taliban. Thats one of their goals. They see an opportunity to move into this vacuum of leadership and establish themselves and to be a force on the ground. And by launching the attack that killed 13 Service Members the other day, theyre able to basically show that the taliban doesnt have full control and to also kind of make a bid that they are the more extreme option. So for people who are dissolutioned with the talibans moderation, thats how the taliban is trying to present itself to the international media, isis comes in and says we are the real jihadists, the true extremists, if you dont like what the taliban is doing, for example, the taliban leader met with the Cia Director just the other day, isis can come in and say, look, theyre selling out, theyre talking to the americans, support us instead. It is interesting that the taliban met with the Cia Director. He was once trying to kill this person and you see these two people meeting. And im in no way making light of this, but this does feel like a freddy versus Jason Type Scenario because you have two extremist groups. I want you to make sense of this for me, because a lot of people say, well, the people in afghanistan, they lacked the political will to fight, and thats how the taliban was able to take control of this country so quickly, that quite frankly, the united states seemed blindly sided by. The united states didnt understand the culture and whats happening on the ground there. Explain that to us, if you will. The first thing i would say is that over 60,000 afghan Military And Security personnel were killed over the last 20 years fighting the taliban, so afghans have paid a very heavy price, they have been willing to fight on the front lines, and i think thats important you know, this myth that the afghans werent willing to fight for their own future, that even pride reiterated in his first speech after the talibans takeover, i think its quite unfair and also inaccurate and doesnt speak to the real sacrifices afghans have made. But when it comes to why more recently we didnt see resistance of the taliban in recent weeks and months, there i think we have to take a broader view and we cant just look at the past year. We have to look at 2001 onwards, what american planners helped support and promote from the beginning was a strong president ial system that was top heavy, that didnt actually speak to the diversity in afghanistan. Because if you have a very diverse, divided society, you want to have a decentralized system that doesnt concentrate too much power Up Top. So there were a lot of original sins. Stand by, because we have courtney and i want to bring her in. Were going to come Back To You. Let me recap a bit with courtney. I understand youre in camera position. You asked great questions during the Press Conference. We got a lot of information out of this Press Conference. But still, we remain with a lot of questions. So recap, if you will. We recapped a little bit of what happened. I think i want to start out with a question for you. They said that the u. S. Remains in control of the airport, so this reporting that the taliban has taken over the airport, not true. However, there is a lot of reporting that green card holders are having trouble getting to the airport. So even if the u. S. Is in control, if you have the taliban around it and theyre stopping green card holders from gaining access, were still in a bit of a quagmire. This was a persistent problem since the Evacuation Mission began, because the taliban have the Airport Airport surrounded. They have created this perimeter with a series of checkpoints and they are stopping people as they go through to try to access the airport. Now, we know that the u. S. Military has been in communication with the taliban in ways that i think a month ago would have been almost unthinkable. U. S. Military commanders in kabul are frequently throughout the day talking to their taliban military counterparts on the ground to help facilitate americans moving through those checkpoints. And in many cases that has been working. But throughout the course of the last ten days or so, we have also heard of many cases and incidents where americans are not getting through. We also know there are many cases where afghans are not going through. In addition to them stopping people at these checkpoints, the taliban for all intents and purposes is also providing security in many ways. They are not only stopping people that are trying to get to the airport, but we know from General Mckenzie that there have been cases where theyve actually stopped wouldbe attackers from getting through. General mckenzie talking about that said, when he was asked specifically, how did the people get through who were able to carry out the attack on thursday at the airport, he said there are varying levels of competency among the taliban who are controlling the checkpoints. Again, it is remarkable that the u. S. Military is working in this way, coordinating in this way with the taliban, something that would have been unthinkable for the last 20 years. It is belowing my mind. I started my career covering the launch of afghanistan, i suppose on one level it makes sense, the united States Government funded the taliban when they were going against russians. So let me ask, because something i thought was interesting as well about General Taylors comments was the kind of ambiguity around isis and who these people were. Were these people directly responsible for the attack that killed those 169 afghans and 13 u. S. Service members. They were a little ambiguous with that response. They said they were planners and facilitators and one is wounded. I wonder if the mission at this point is just kill any member of isis, because they have declared, you know, the u. S. To be their enemy, so if you see them, strike them, or is the mission we will strike if you strike us . Reporter so it was very obvious by The End of the briefing that they were being intentionally vague about who these individuals were and they wouldnt tell us nationality, who they were. They clearly know those things. Saying only that they were facilitators and planners. In cases like this, and we see this in iraq and syria, when there is some sort of attack, the u. S. Military will often respond by taking out a location so that they can stop future attacks. So its not even necessarily that the u. S. Is striking someone who may have been directly involved in something that just occurred, but that they want to be able to stop some future attacks. And our viewers should just look to some of the attacks by hezbollah in iraq, that has hit a lot of u. S. Military installations for the last several years. Often when there is one of those attacks in iraq, the u. S. Military will respond and hit a location that includes kh, maybe command and control, maybe one of their stockpiles of weapons. Not necessarily people that were involved in the attack, but people who would potentially carry out future attacks. We dont know, again, because theyre being very vague about who these individuals were who were struck in the Drone Strike last night. Ill tell you in the last those are the kinds of things the military will carry out after the kind of strikes the military will carry out after an attack like this. Im putting you on the spot a little bit here because, again, we know that they were intentionally vague, as you say, during this Press Conference. Just based on your reporting, sources and folks youre talking to, who do we think the target was from isis . They could have been targeting the taliban, the u. S. , they could have been targeting both and happy to get as many people as possible, potentially. Reporter so one thing thats very clear is the way this was carried out. It was by a drone. The munition, according to defense officials, was intended to be very targeted so that they could minimize any civilian casualties. Im also told, according to defense officials, that they were in a vehicle at the time and it was an isolated area, again with the intent of minimizing civilian casualties. This was a very targeted strike. The military, the defense officials, are very confident they got the individuals that they were going after here. It was clearly intended to send a signal to isisk, look, if youre going to attack us, we have the ability to take out some of the people who would carry out these kinds of attacks in the future. This was not something that was intended to bring down all of isisk in afghanistan, but instead intended to send a signal to them. Let me ask, because i was actually asking, who was the intended target from isis. Do you think they were targeting the taliban or were they targeting americans or were they targeting both . Reporter most likely it was both and most likely this was less about who they were targeting and more about them being able to carry out a spectacular attack. Isis wants to they want to do anything they can to disrupt u. S. , taliban, all operations in kabul right now. They want to sow chaos and get headlines. And the one thing thats very clear from what happened on thursday, this deadly attack, theres only somewhere in the neighborhood of 500, maybe Up To 1,200 isis fighters in all of afghanistan. They are dwarfed in number by the taliban right now, who have a minimum of 75,000 taliban fighters throughout afghanistan and its probably much more right now. The fact that isis was still able to, with a small number of fighters, carry out this spectacular attack, thats what they want to get across, that they can still do it, even with install numbers, even when they are taking fire essentially from all sides. They are target number one of the taliban, of the u. S. , of the now defunct afghan security forces, and they still were able to do this and create mass carnage in a very deadly attack on thursday. Thank you so much. A lot to work through. Thanks for getting to the camera so quickly after that Press Conference. I want to bring shodi back into the conversation, who was explaining to us the dynamics and the ground on afghanistan. So i want to pick up where courtney left off because she made a really good point that it wasnt necessarily about any target for isis, that it could have been potentially just them saying, hey, were here and we want to establish to the world that were going to try to take control of this country as well potentially. Im just curious your take on that. Yeah, i think thats right. Isis in afghanistan has not gotten much attention as of late, so obviously now were all talking about them and paying attention to them. So in that sense, theyve already gained some ground. And theyve also signaled to afghans that they are going to be a force on the ground. So this is sort of them announcing themselves in this new context and showing and trying to demonstrate that they can or should be an alternative to the taliban and others. And because the taliban does have internal divisions between those who are trying to be more pragmatic and those who are more hardlined, thats where Isis Khorasan can make an impact in terms of peeling people who become disaffected with the talibans new, more supposedly pragmatic approach. So it kind of feels like this could potentially be just a longtime civil war here in afghanistan between these two factions of these terrorist groups. Im curious how an organization like the taliban and you write a little bit about this, how they gain legitimacy with the people of afghanistan. Because as soon as they took over the country, immediately you had people covering shops and places where women got their hair done and nails done. Its like they immediately knew, oh, were going back to these days, and i dont know that it was unwelcome by everybody in afghanistan. Exactly. So the taliban does have significant local support, but that doesnt mean that afghans necessarily agree with their extremist ideology. You can be an ordinary afghan person and youre balancing different options in your head. And if you look at the afghan central government that is now departed that was supported by the u. S. That was extremely corrupt, ineffectual, couldnt get basic things done, and then compare that to the taliban, which was brutal, but was able to provide public services and governances, so if youre choosing between chaos or some random warlord who is terrible and the taliban, you might say we dont love the taliban, but well go with that if thats all we have available to us. So i think in that respect its important to remember that a lot of this is about basic governance and how the old afghan government, despite receiving tens of billions of dollars of support from the u. S. , was not able to run the country in any kind of minimally effective way. And its also worth noting that the u. S. Was spending billions and billions of dollars trying to basically superimpose a modern westernstyle legal system onto afghanistan, and many afghans had been traditionally used to local mediation from tribal elders, and they didnt want to go through the bureaucratic red tape of a government they didnt trust yet. And the taliban was able to kind of come in and resolve those disputes on a local level. So, again, this has to do with basic misunderstandings of what afghanistan needed in the 2000s. We had all these ambitions that were part of this american hubris where we couldnt even get the basics down, which was understanding the local culture. American hubris, thats such an interesting way to put it and really accurate. I want to talk a little bit about this Doha Agreement because you just heard the Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby say, look, during the Doha Agreement we had assurances about the Talibans Engagement with Al Qaeda, we had assurances they would not be a terrorist Breeding Ground to attack the united states. I have to tell you, based on my lived experience here, i dont always trust the u. S. Government. Im damn sure not going to trust a terrorist organization like the taliban to say, oh, yeah, were all good, wink, wink, we wont attack. What should our take be on them giving the u. S. Government assurances . Yeah, first of all, i think its interesting looking back that the trump taliban deal from last year got relatively little attention at the time. People werent focused on afghanistan and with trump, as im sure people recall, there were so many controversies that it was hard to focus on one thing. That, i think, was one of the big mistakes that led us to where we are now. I mean, that was a very flawed agreement in a number of ways. I think first and foremost, the afghan government itself was not party to that agreement. It was just between the u. S. And the taliban. So one of the major parties was basically left out. And if we are going to make a deal with the taliban, we should at least have some kind of intraafghan settlement where there is actually peace. But instead, the agreement said that it would be an item to be discussed in the future. So it was pretty much postponing the idea of a Peace Settlement between afghan factions. Now, when it comes to what the u. S. Did get, which is assurances, as you mentioned, that the taliban would not host terrorist groups, that is obviously very important, and if in the future the taliban violates that, because that was the clearest part of the deal, then the u. S. Does have the ability to kind of come back in and say, well, the taliban has not lived Up To its assurances. Right. I think you made a good point about the afghan government was cut out of the conversation between the Trump Administration and the taliban. So obviously that had an impact. Thank you so much. It was really great having you here to break this down. You just gave us great facts. Coming Up Tomorrow on the Sunday Show with jonathan capehart, the latest in afghanistan and the pushing for Voting Rights, james clyburn. Dont go anywhere. Well be right back. Dont settle for silver 1 for diabetic dry skin 1 for Psoriasis Symptom Relief and 1 for eczema Symptom Relief Gold Bond Champion your skin did you know that your clothes can actually attract Pet Hair . With Bounce Pet Hair lint guard, your clothes can repel Pet Hair. Look how the shirt on the left attracts Pet Hair like a Magnet Pet Hair is no match for bounce. With bounce, you can love your pets, and Lint Roll less. We did it again. Verizon has been named americas most reliable network by rootmetrics. 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