The situation room. We begin this hour with americas covid19 emergency. Cnn national correspondent Erika Hill is following all the new developments. The aggressive Delta Variant is now more dominant than ever and rapidly infecting people who are unvaccinated. What can you tell us . Reporter thats absolutely right. The numbers here dont lie, jim. In fact, some 22 , nearly 73 Million people in this country, 22 of the population, live in a county thats considered to have high transmission. What we know is the lower the Vaccination Rate in many areas, the more we are going to see some of these surges fueled by the Delta Variant. That is prompting new cause for concern, new calls for new americans to get vaccinated and also more concern that maybe some americans may never get the shot. Dreams of a covid free Summer Turning to a nightmare. The Delta Variant now represents 83 of sequenced cases. This is a dramatic increase up from 50 the week of july 3rd. In some parts of the country, the per
And touchdown. Welcome back new shepards first human crew. Welcome to earth. Congratulations to All Of You. Youve watched all of it unfold live here. Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his crew, check it out, popping open the hatch of the rocket and popping some champagne, too, first unpiloted Suborbital Flight all civilian Crew Landing successfully on the 52nd anniversary of the lunar landing. Were gearing up to hear from the crew members during a News Conference and that includes 82yearold Wally Funk, involved in the Mercury Program who became the oldest person to go into space. Look at her popping out of the capsule there, about seven hours away from the Launch Site in south lake, texas. A wally watch party her family and friends cheering her on as she made this historic flight, tears, emotion, joy, all of it. We are here with you for the next couple of hours for a special coverage. I bring in nbcs morgan Chesky And Van horn in texas and all Astronaut Panel of experts with us, Mike Massimin
Supreme Court Justice Breyer says he has not decided if he is ready to retire and now some liberals are frustrated he wont Step Down. The first case of covid has already been detected inside the Olympic Village. So grateful youre with us this morning. Always a pleasure to see you, amara. Welcome. Thank you, boris for having me. Of course. In the race against Covid Variants and the vaccine, there are new signs that the United States is far from the finish line. For the first time since january, cases are rising in all 50 states as declining Vaccination Rates threaten the progress the United States has made since the lifesaving shots were rolled out. The White House says that the Covid19 Crisis is now a pandemic of the unvaccinated. With that group making up virtually all of those who are being hospitalized and dying. And the outlook is much worse in parts of the country struggling to get Residence Lifesaving vaccines. The White House says misinformation on Social Media is costing lives
Also, Movie Theater stocks are having a rough week as investors worry about the delta variant. What does this mean for the movie industry, which just started bouncing back . Well discuss all of that with our Saturday Night panel. From Nbc News new York Headquarters in New York, im Joshua Johnson. Welcome to the week. We begin with Voting Rights. Today marks one year since the death of congressman and civil Rights Icon John Lewis. Ceremonies took place this afternoon in nashville to celebrate his life. In san diego, the u. S. Navy named a ship in his honor. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at the christening of the usns John Lewis. Its fitting that we honor John Lewis with this formidable ship, because John Lewis was a warrior. This ship will be a beacon to the world, reminding all who see it of the Persistence And Courage of John Lewis. The bill that bears his name, the John Lewis voting Rights Act is currently stalled in congress. Many democrats say passing it is critical to ensuring
Put crime at the center of his campaign. And yesterday, a historic flight. Billionaire Richard Branson reaching the edge of space in a Test Flight aboard Virgin Galactic Space Ship, hoping to send tourists there next. And unrest in cuba. Thousands of protesters take to the streets in the biggest antigovernment demonstrations the country has seen in decades. But we have to start this morning with growing concerns about covid19. Yes, this is is not gone. A new increase in hospitalizations and cases blamed on rapidly spreading Delta Variant. Seven Day Average for new infections up 16 nationwide, and hospitalizations have jumped more than 8 . In Los Angeles alone, Health Officials reporting an alarming 165 surge in cases over the last week. In 14 states, less than 40 of residents are fully vaccinated, with alabama, mississippi, arkansas ranking lowest. Representatives from pfizer are set to brief the top Health Officials about what they say is the need for a booster shot, specifically targ