good evening, i'm jim sciutto. at the end of a day, in which president trump said that we, as a country, are getting the coronavirus outbreak under control. and a day before he attends another massive, mask-optional event. four months into this pan dem ir ic, this country has failed to bring it under control. a holiday weekend that one infectious disease specialist warns could be the perfect storm for a new spike in cases, on top of the one we are already seeing. first, quickly, the president's claim that all is well. >> china was way early, and

they're getting under control, just now. and europe was way early, and they're getting under control. we followed them with this terrible china virus. and we are, likewise, getting under control. >> facts don't back that up. the president says europe got the outbreak under control. and now, so are we. well, keeping them honest. only the first part of that claim is true. they did. the u.s., simply, has not. take a look. that is the u.s., there, in green. the european union, in pink. both lines, a few weeks apart. rows of almost identical rates. then you see the pink line, europe, falling. getting things under control. as for this country, gets stuck and is now climbing again, just as steeply as before. but, to be clear, not as it was at the beginning from zero. it is now shooting up from a

baseline of 25,000. and just yesterday, the nationwide daily case count topped 50,000. the data is from johns hopkins university. but you don't have to take it from them or from me. here is dr. anthony fauci. an expert with decades of experience handling pandemics and the most trusted member of the president's own coronavirus task force. speaking today with the journal of the american medical association. >> right now, if you look at the number of cases, it's quite disturbing. and we're setting records, practically, every day of new cases in the numbers that are reported. that, clearly, is not right direction. >> to dr. fauci's point, florida, today, reporting 10,109 new cases. a new daily record. and just look at the seven-day moving average of new cases in that state, over the last four weeks.

now, let's add in the european union to those numbers there. to be clear, all 446 million people. right now, florida, with a population of just 22 million, is averaging twice as many cases per day as the entire eu. it's incredible. now, let's look at texas and the eu over the same period of time. again, these are seven-day averages and skews the data. and again, those two lines tell the story. cases are rising, in fact, in 38 states here in this country. steadier falling steady or falling in just 12. press secretary liked to call what you are seeing in those numbers, in those facts, you are seeli seeing on your screen, embers. it's not only false, it's also insulting to anyone who can read the data or more so to anyone who's locket t who's lost someone to the disease. the president used those words

to gloss over the truth. >> our health experts continue to address the temporary hotspots in certain cities and counties. and we're working very hard on that. >> not embers, in that case. he said temporary hotspots. but the facts is, it's more like a wildfire. in any case, the president says it is all going great. >> we have some areas where we're putting out the flames or the fires. and that's working out well. we're working very closely with governors, and i think it's working out very well. >> sadly, that's, both, again, false. but also, a recurring them. the president seems deliberately unwilling to learn or acknowledge how outbreaks grow. and has been, from the start. >> when you have 15 people and the 15, within a couple of days, is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done. >> that was on the 26th of

february. and to the president, it was, at the time, missioned accomplished, just as it's been for week after week, and month after month. the same message, right up to today. >> we have it totally under control. it's one person coming in from china. >> we have it very well under control. we have very little problem, in this country, at this moment. >> we have it, very much, under control in this country. very interestingly, we've had no deaths. >> but the coronavirus, which is, you know, very well under control in our country. >> and everything is under control. i mean, they're very, very cool. they've done it and they've done it well. everything's really under control. it's something that we have tremendous control of. and the crisis is being handled. we are, likewise, getting under control. >> the facts, the numbers, belie that statement. we're not getting it under control. and the president, as we said,

will, once again, model yet more behavior that will make things work. he's going to mount rushmore tomorrow in south dakota, where he will join an estimated 7,500 people to watch a fireworks display. on fox, south dakota governor told laura ingram that free masks would be available. but this is key, not required. and then, she said, explicitly, and we're now quoting her, we won't be social distancing. meantime, former presidential candidate, herman kaine, who attended the president's recent no social distancing, mask-optional, indoor rally in tulsa, oklahoma. he is now in the hospital. treated for covid-19. and late today, the cdc put out a new forecast of how many lives might be lost in this country. it combines the work of two dozen independent institutions. projects nearly 148,000 fatalities by the 25th of this month. that's 20,000 more americans, over just the next three weeks. joining us now, cnn chief medical correspondent, dr.

sanjay gupta. as well as william haseltine, former harvard researcher, author of "family guide to covid, questions and answers for parents, grandparents squrand children." professor, if i could begin with you. you look at this new projection by the cdc predicting 140,000 deaths by july 25th. just over three weeks away. i wonder if that factors in fears about july 4th weekend. memorial day. we are now seeing the result of that in increase in infections. what is july 4th? how does that factor in, going forward the next month? >> july 4th factors in for people who are planning to get together, without masks, without social distancing, indoors, to celebrate. it is a frightening prospect. let me just look ahead, a little bit, from where we are now. if this epidemic doesn't get under control, we're not talking about 150,000 deaths.

we're talking about a million deaths over the next year. this is deadly serious today. i can tell you, every time i hear those numbers -- every time i hear those numbers -- i wince. it hurts. i know those people. i know people who are dying. we know people who are gravely ill. and another aspect of this epidemic that people aren't focused on is the wounded. we count the dying. but in any battle, you count the wounded. and a lot more, maybe five times as many people, are injured, for the rest of their life, because of this infection. this is deadly serious, and i hope we begin -- all of us -- to exert our responsibility to take it seriously. >> sanjay, tell me your reaction to those numbers there. i mean, part of this is math, right? because, as you have more people infected and if the positivity rate, the infection rate, goes up within a larger population, that begins to grow, exponentially. do you -- when you look at where we are today and where those graphs are pointing, are you concerned about getting to a

death toll in an order of a million americans? >> well, you know, i mean, i guess one can only say we -- we hope that doesn't happen, jim. i remember talking to you about this, back in early march. and telling you that, you know, we could be at 150,000 people this year. and i remember you looking at me, thinking, wow, that's -- that's really grim. and -- and -- and here we are. right? and it's july. so if -- if the -- if the curves continue to go upward and they're steep, and they're sort of going into exponential growth. you know, this is -- this could be really, really tragic. that's what everyone's been trying to avoid. we knew this was a contagious virus. we knew that, when things started to open up, there would be more people who got infected than, otherwise, would have. but it was a question of what are we willing to tolerate? the problem is we did not do what we needed to do, so far. and we're still not. that's the thing that concerns me more than anything else. even at this point, we are still minimizing the problem, which

has been the unifying problem all along. is that we minimized it. that led to poor testing, not implementing mask rules. not, you know, shutting down too late, opening up too early. you name it. it's all because we minimized this problem. >> yeah. and -- and we have a president who won't recognize the data before him. dr. haseltine, as this virus has mutated, some researchers say it's becoming more transmissible. but not necessarily more deadly. what are we learning about the virus as -- as it exists today in this country? >> well, what we have seen is the virus, people know, that as viruses go from one place to another, they change a little bit. but what was concerning was a -- one particular mutation started to spread and took over the rest of the world. it took over china. it took over europe. and spread all throughout the united states. one of my former students of my students actually looked at

that, in great detail, and discovered that the envelope of that protein, the outside, the spike protein, is a little bit different. which makes the virus ten times more transmissible than it used to be. that helps explain why it's spreading so fast. it takes one-tenth the amount of virus it did at the beginning of this epidemic. now, you asked another part of the question. does this make it more lethal? not that we can tell. it means it gets around better. but, so far, thank god, it doesn't mean that it causes more serious disease. >> sanjay, progress. we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. but progress, in the search for a vaccine. some entering smaller trials, at this point. how hopeful are you that you do have a workable vaccine, perhaps by the end of the year, beginning of next year? the hopeful timeline that even dr. fauci has talked about. and does a changing virus mean that the vaccine would not be as effective? >> the answer to the last part

of the question. the mutation thing. i don't think so. i don't think it's mutated enough to -- to potentially make a vaccine more problematic. with regard to the first part of your question, jim, i'll preface by saying this. this has been a difficult story to cover, as a reporter. so much of what we've learned about the vaccine development has come in the form of press releases. ofte oftentimes, from the companies themselves. or what we call preprints, you know, things that have not actually been peer reviewed. there's only one peer-reviewed paper out of china. so that's difficult. having said that, i am optimistic. and that's, in part, because i talk to these researchers on a regular basis. i understand where they are with their trials. we won't know until we actually have a vaccine. and there's obviously been diseases and infections for which we've never developed vaccines, such as hiv. but i think you heard frances collins come out today. head of the nih. and basically say, we're going to have this by the end of the

year. i was surprised they're being that sort of dogmatic. dr. fauci saying the same thing. so certainly, you have to weigh that into the optimism. i'm optimistic but i'd like to see the data. i'm still surprised we haven't seen a lot of data around this. >> sanjay, professor haseltine, good to have you both on tonight. sobering. sobering commentary but good to have folks who know what they are talking about. thanks very much. next, a closer look at how this is hitting hospitals and more, as well, from dr. fauci. his answer when asked whether he thinks we are winning or losing this battle. also, the politics of a president who would rather fight a war on behalf of statues of dead people. some of them, traitors against their own country. than real, live americans. david axelrod, maggie haberman. they'll join us tonight on "360."

welcome back.

what the president, today, called temporary hotspots, the cdc's new forecast tonight says are contributing to a projected death toll of nearly 148,000 americans in just a matter of weeks. by the 25th of this month, in fact. we'll be joined shortly once again by our medical and public health professionals. but a closer look at how this is unfolding at the ground level at the states and hospitals that are now really getting hammered by this outbreak. here is cnn's jason carroll. >> just today, florida had hit a record high. 10,000 positive new cases in the state. tonight, this message from coronavirus task force member, dr. deborah birx, to all young floridians. >> we're asking anyone under 40 that, if you were in a gathering, please, go and get tested. please, wear a mask. >> in texas, governor greg abbott has issued an executive order requiring texans in counties with 20 or more

covid-19 cases, to wear face coverings in public. doctors there overwhelmed by the number of covid patients. so many, in some parts, there are wait lists for ventilators. >> i got ten calls. all of whom, young people who, otherwise, would be excellent candidates. they're so sick that if they don't get put on, don't get that support, they're probably going to die. i have three beds. >> at least 23 states have changed or paused reopening plans due to spikes in covid cases. the nation's top disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, told the bbc some states may have reopened too soon. >> in the united states, even in the most strict lockdown, only about 50% of the country locked down. that allowed the perpetuation of the outbreak that we never did get under very good control. >> another top u.s. health official testified before the house today, and said the increase in numbers across the country is due to new cases, not new testing.

>> there is no question that the more testing you get, the more you will uncover. but we do believe this is a real increase in cases, because the percent positivities are going up. so, this is real increases in cases. >> for now, new jersey is continuing some of its reopening efforts. casinos open their doors today. dr. fauci was, bluntly, asked today if the u.s. is winning the war against coronavirus. >> you've been losing this battle, haven't you, recently? >> admittedly, yes, we have. we cannot give up because it appears that we're losing the battle. >> jason carroll joins us now. jason, one of the more alarming stories. what are known as, quote, covid parties, unquote. tell us what they are because they sound insane. >> yeah. i mean, it's really disturbing. i mean, you look at what happened in rockland county, just an hour outside of new york city. where investigators are looking into a cluster of covid cases

linked to a party. tu t tuscaloosa, alabama. what happens if you go there, you get a cash prize if you can prove you were the first person to contract the virus after going to the party. so, what's very clear throughout all of this is that, despite all the messaging that's out there showing just how deadly, just how dangerous this virus is. even with young people, it's just -- that message is just not getting across, like it needs to be. >> and we have stories on this broadcast and others about young people hospitalized, in dire condition. folks, if you're listening at home, don't go to those parties. jason carroll, thanks very much. back now with us, dr. sanjay gupta. professor william haseltine. you know, sanjay, interesting here because you -- even with the president being intransigent, right, on this problem. you are hearing slightly different messaging coming from

folks in the administration. acknowledging the increase in cases is not just about increased testing. he's talking about positivity going up, which is a fact. and even the president, now, saying he doesn't oppose masks, at least. do you see the slightest move of recognition there from the white house and the administration on the scope of this problem right now? >> yes. and i think that you're seeing some of that. for example, in texas. with the governor talking about now, you know, mandating the masks as well. i think, jim, the thing about it is i think you could predict, at this point, even in florida they'll come around at some point. i think it's become a question of what's it going to take? how much are they willing to tolerate, before they go ahead and do what everybody knows needs to be done? that's the thing. masks. increase testing. i mean, just come right out and say that indoor settings, where

a lot of people cluster together, close together for long durations, that can't happen right now. not with the way numbers are going. and this is -- this is based on real data and based on success of these strategies in other countries. again, jim, you and i have talked about this. but in south korea -- and there's plenty of examples around the world -- south korea never even went into a lockdown, and yet, they've had fewer than 300 people who died. why? because they employed the strategies that we are trying to get people to employ in this country. >> and as a result, they limited the economic damage. that's a thing that gets lost in this sometimes. professor haseltine, talking about focus on young people. dr. deborah birx said she's requested all florida residents, 40 and under, who have been to a gathering in the last four weeks, to get tested. tell us about the focus now, the concern, about young people, more getting infected and being a nexus for spreading this infection. >> well, thank you for the question. recent data has shown that the most avid superspreaders are young people and children. we used to think that wasn't

true. but, now, people have done the studies. so young people are the majority of the superspreaders. they can infect very large numbers of people. the second thing to know is, recent studies have shown that, even though somebody may feel entirely well. if you do a chest x-ray, up to 60% have ground-glass opacities in their lungs. that means they're not very well. i talked a little bit before about the wounded. there may be long-term health consequences. a little bit like smoking when you're young, you get it when you're older. these people are not immune. not only are a lot of them getting sick and filling up the hospital, as we heard earlier in the program tonight. but they are inflicting long-term damage, as well as infecting their friends, their families, and the whole society. this is not healthy for our country. >> quite a warning. important to hear. thanks, again, to you both. professor haseltine. sanjay gupta.

we appreciate you coming on tonight. >> thanks. >> you're welcome. thank you. >> up next this hour, why the pandemic does not seem to interest president trump. but pushing culture war button certainly does. we're going to speak about absent leadership, confederate monuments, as well, with david axelrod and "the new york times" maggie haberman. that's next.

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learn more at xfinity.com/education. well, president trump has shown no interest in addressing the rising case numbers and hospitalizations from the pandemic. in fact, he's deliberately played them down. one area that does appear to interest him is pushing cultural

divisions, to attempt to woo voters. today, he harped, again, on protestors and monuments. tweeting a video about, quote, how lawlessness has been allowed to prevail. comes just days after he threatened to hold up a must-pass defense authorization bill that would, among other things, rename military installations, which had been named after confederate generals. weeks ago, he called these bases, quote, part of a great american heritage. according to three people familiar with his comments, trump has brushed off efforts to address historic racial inequality as something, quote, his people, unquote, won't care about. listen to those words, they're important. joining us now, former advisor to president obama david axelrod. and cnn political analyst, maggie haberman. maggie, you have covered this president for some time. you've covered of the white house. clearly, he wants to leave the outbreak behind him, even as the numbers rise. is there anyone in that building who is telling him, honestly,

directly, that he can't do that? >> there are many people who are telling him that, honestly, jim. i think what has become clear to people, or should have by now, is this president wants to govern a certain way and he wants to run his re-election effort a certain way. and that does not relate to talking about the coronavirus, unless it's about describing his administration's response, in glowing terms. that just don't comport with reality, certainly, for the first many weeks as the pandemic was growing. the president wants to have culture wars. he wants to fight on -- on white grievance. and he wants to have a discussion around race, that he thinks appeals to his base of supporters. and he has resisted all suggestions that he do it a different way. >> david, those words, his people, right? i mean, they're very revealing. president trump is, often, almost all the time, very transparent, right, in what he is trying to do and who he's speaking to. let's say -- you've run a lot of campaigns -- let's say you're his campaign advisor here.

is there any evidence that there is an audience for this, right? the denial works, even as the virus spreads? >> you know, i think, jim, that his -- his desire -- and this has been true from the beginning -- was to try and make the campaign about something else. and yes, he's -- he's a cultural warrior, and that's a big part of it. the other was the economy. and one of the reasons he was in such denial for six weeks, at the beginning of this crisis, was he didn't want anything that would disrupt economic progress. because that was what he was going to run on. and that was the same reason that he walked away from this battle in the middle, and said now it's time to reopen. where, you know, we're experiencing the impact of that. of those decisions, by governors, across the nation who are following his lead. now, but he, still, seems to want to deny. at a time when the country really needs two things. they need determination, and they -- they need someone who's going to be president, to the

entire country. and that -- neither of those things are strengths of -- of donald trump. so, you know, i think that he is digging a hole for himself, politically, here. because, as said from the beginning, you cannot spin a pandemic. and yet, he seems to think that he can dictate the terms of the debate here. >> yeah. he's, certainly, still trying. you know, it's notable, maggie haberman, to see texas governor greg abbott change, not only on facing up to the numbers in his state as the infections grow but, also, on the response. and mandating masks and making the point that -- that he's doing that because you need that kind of mitigation effort, in order to get the economy going. and that's what experts have said from the beginning. and, frankly, you look at other countries. they got that. again, i always ask you this. is someone in the white house saying, sir, if you want your economy back, you've got to take care of the outbreak first? it's a prerequisite for this. >> there are some people who are

saying that. it is not the overwhelming majority of people. when it comes to masks, in particular, though, there are people who are telling him that masks need to be mandated. that he needs to do more to try to encourage people to do it. you have seen the politics around this change. conservative news hosts have been talking about mask wearing. and i think some of them are hoping that will have an impact on the president's opinion. but, to your point, jim, there is no way to separate the virus from the economy. go hand in hand. and that has been the issue with trying to turn these into two separate issues the entire time. and as you said, we are seeing the impact of that now. >> david, the president -- >> if i -- >> please. please. >> i think that is such an important point because the president's assumption is that people will credit him for the economy before the virus. they will understand that the virus created the economic problem and that it's temporary. and that he is the one, based on his performance before the virus, who can rebuild the economy.

but what isn't in that equation is the recognition that the reason we're in this economic mess is, in part, because of the tactics that he employed. or the -- the denial that consumed him, before the -- you know, in the early part of the virus. and now, in the latter part of the virus. and it's really going to his competence, which is not a place where he wants to be going into his -- into his re-election. >> yeah. and listen. when people are dying or someone you know, someone in your circle, et cetera. it's impossible for people to miss, of course, the very real effects of this. maggie, tomorrow, the president, he's going to mt. rushmore. you know, setting a lot of negative examples, right? the governor there saying there will be no social distancing, for example, at this event. he's had to back off a rally, for instance, in alabama. he didn't have a good turnout in tulsa, here. but heck, we're four months from

election. is he going to sort of bulldoze forward with the trump-style rally plan, as he tries to win re-election? >> that is not -- he might, eventually. but that is, certainly, not the plan for the month of july. campaign advisers, this morning, met. and set what was described me to as a pretty aggressive schedule at least for his white house duties. but as we know, for every election year in particular, they sort of blend into one. that does not call for large-scale rallies, indoor rallies like we saw in tulsa. there might be some in smaller settings, partially outdoor settings, at some point this month. but officials are very, very scalded by what happened in tulsa. >> notable. notable there. maybe a little scared about their jobs. maggie haberman, david axelrod, good to have both of you. thanks so much. >> just ahead, more at what we touched on at the top of the hour. why europe is beating the virus,

and it is, and the u.s. is not. and the one chart that explains why the eu is banning american travellers, now.

earlier today, joe biden slammed president trump for his handling of the pandemic. and as evidence, he cited the eu ban against travelers from the u.s. it's no question why the eu would place such a ban on americans. just look at this chart we showed you at the top of the program. the u.s. and the eu, they followed a very similar trajectory until march. when the number of new cases in the eu, they came down. the u.s., going in the opposite direction. way up, sharply. more than 47,000 cases, just today, in the u.s., versus less than 10,000 in all of eu. it has a bigger population, by the way, by 100 million people. joining me now, thomas, vice president of growth at online educational platform hero. the way he synthesized vast amounts of data into compelling charts that really explain how

this is all going down. thomas, so good to have you here. that europe to u.s. connection is very telling. tell us what they did right, that the u.s. did not do. and sadly, is not doing right now. >> well, there's a couple of things. first, they had italy that was a dramatic example of what happens if you don't control the virus. and so, all the countries around were, also, having very heavy outbursts. and they really, really took this seriously, except for the united king cdom. and then, sweden, also, took it a different way. but most the european union was very serious about this, very heavy lockdowns, everywhere, until it was controlled. and only then, did they reopen. that's the first thing. the second thing that was very different is that we consider the united states as one country compared to each one of the countries of the european union. that's not the right way to think about it. because the united states decided not to make decisions,

at the federal level. and so, the better comparison is actually every country in the united -- in the european union, with every state of the united states. and then, you can see a real pattern emerge. for example, states like hawaii, vermont, or new hampshire, have done substantially better job. european-level job. whereas, arizona, for example, has 50 times more cases than hawaii. >> well, one point you make, specific to the approach, is that the eu banned travel between countries. very quickly. and they enforced that ban. you've had some talk, here, of, you know, required quarantine. new york is now talking from states that have high rates. for a while, florida was saying we're not going to let new yorkers come down here. but the fact is, that was not enforced. are you saying to really get this under control in the u.s., you have to ban travel within states, and enforce it, somehow? >> that's right. that's the key, i think, that is unlocked when thinking about the states as countries. you have that in europe.

and then, you can really be very thoughtful about not letting people in from outside. but also, inside of the country. there's countries very centralized, like france. or very decentralized, like spain or germany. and all of them shut down travel inside of the country. and, here, in the united states, where shy to do even that. hawaii and alaska not only did it but enforced it. but outside of that, very, very little. we're talking about the tri-states doing that now. but it's not enforced. it's recommended. if you are coming from florida, are you really going to wait for two weeks in an apartment before you can go out in new york? >> no. no. it's just not happening. the u.s., frankly, lacks a national policy, right? there are no national directives, for instance, on masks. and you hear state leaders, local leaders. many begging for that, right? but the president, clearly, not going to do it. he is going to leave it up to states. based on the data you're looking at, does that work? can a country get a handle on it with the sort of piecemeal

strategy of everybody handling it a different way, at different speeds? >> there is no country that decided not to manage the coronavirus, at the highest level. there's not. so really need to think in terms of who is the most sovereign here? and that's the one making decisions. if california, if hawaii, are forced to behave like countries, then, they need to behave like countries. and if they want to keep their -- in the case of vermont and new hampshire, for example, keep their low prevalence. they need to behave like they were countries. they cannot let cases from other states infecting all the hard work that they've done. >> final question before you go. i'm just curious. how is the world looking at the u.s., right now, as the cases continue to go up? i mean, really, the only other countries in that category are brazil and russia. whereas, countries like south korea, you know, the eu, have gotten this under control. is the u.s. an example to anybody right now?

>> the u.s. is adding one wuhan a day. there were, in total, 50,000 cases in wuhan. that's what we're having every day, now, in the united states. that's giving you a sense of what the rest of the world thinks about the united states. brazil has a lot of cases, obviously. russia is not telling everything. mexico is not doing really well. so there's a lot of countries that are not doing really well and don't take this very seriously. there's other countries, like india, that's trying very, very hard. and yet, unfortunately, cases there are going up. the united states is the only country, very developed country, with a lot of money, that is not up to what all the other developed countries have been able to do. >> well, that's a sobering assessment. but facts back it up. thomas, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> still to come this hour. a movie tribute to the real-life u.s. heroes of war, based on the

best-seller by our colleague and good friend jake tapper. he is going to join us, just ahead.

welcome back. let's check in with chris to see what he is working on for cuomo primetime of course at the top of the hour, chris, my friend, what do you got? >> you are the historian between us for sure. i do ask people to watch the top of the show because i'm giving a little food for thought about the notion that the answers to the questions that ail us right now are found right in the pledge that we celebrate this weekend with our independence holiday weekend. i ask people to watch that. we also then have the former cdc director tom freden to give us the good, bad, and ugly of the current state in play. there is good and there is bad and there is ugly. we'll go through that. also we have the attorney for mary trump on the show tonight. i'm dying to know what they don't want us to know.

we'll see what the attorney will tell us. we're also going to talk to mayor lightfoot right before independence day obviously mayor of chicago. how are they working to keep things calm on this celebration weekend? how does she explain the crime and death in her city? >> all good questions. i love that you're looking at history for positive lessons. a lot of talk about history right now. thanks, chris. we'll see you in a few minutes. up next this hour, cnn's jake tapper is going to join us to talk about the best seller that's come to life on the big screen, a powerful story.

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given the headlines lately there is of course new attention on the war in afghanistan but my colleague, cnn's jake tapper, has always been focused on it. on friday the film "the outpost" will be available on demand as well as in select theaters, based on jake's best selling book "the outpost, untold story of american valor." if you haven't read it or seen the story the movie tells the real life story of combat outpost keating one of the bloodiest battles of the war. >> everyone's worried about the new ceo. >> okay. how so? >> he doesn't know what he's doing. he's scared. it's obvious. he doesn't leave unless it is to take a -- i carry his piss every other day to the burn pit.

>> take a seat. take a seat, carter. come on. you ever heard of captain bostick or colonel fenti? >> no, sir. >> they're two who lost their lives. this commander as 37-year-old captain who has seen a whole lot of death in iraq before he got here. he's probably seen more firefights than you've seen in the movies. >> jake tapper joins us now. jake, listen. i read the book. i look forward to seeing the film. it is a powerful story, a sad story of the lives lost. i've seen you comment on this before. it is very personal to the family of course. i'm curious. you worked with them. you've had contact with them. how did they receive this going out on the screen? >> well, we had a special screening last october, which

was the ten year anniversary of the big battle of october 3rd, 2009. and we invited a number of veterans and the troops and the gold star families, everybody who had a loved one whose death is depicted in the film. to be honest it was nerve-racking. the movie has gotten really good reviews this week but the director and i were most worried about the reviews and the criticism from the gold star families and the troops who served there. to a person, they thought the movie honored their loved one. we were really nervous because first of all how do you recreate such a story in a film. second of all, to see your loved one who is no longer with you depicted. third of all, to see their death depicted would be harrowing but they all understood the sentiment. yes, it is a sad story in some ways, jim, but also an historic story of a bunch of men who facing incredible odds band together and push back an enemy. >> no question.

the heroism there is inspiring. the timing of this of course at a time when there is renewed focus and probably overdue to some degree of course on the ongoing war in afghanistan. for folks at home, who may not have been paying attention, in recent years what will they learn from the movie about this war? >> well, i think they'll see depictions of what it is that a lot of our troops over there have been doing in terms of trying to win over afghans, trying to win over individual towns and villages, convince them to not join the insurgency, to convince them to join with the u.s. and the afghan government for electric plants and schools and things that could help them, you and others who cover the military know is called coin or counterinsurgency. what it actually means, nation building, hearts and minds. you see that depicted in the film and ultimately you see how difficult a job it is to do such

a thing in these very remote and dangerous outposts. >> no question. and at a time we're talking about withdrawing those forces and ending the war. i know you put a lot of heart, blood, sweat, and tears into this. thanks for coming on tonight. again, it's called "the outpost." jake tapper, thanks so much. the news continues of course. i'll hand it over to my colleague chris cuomo. "primetime" starts right now. >> thank you, jim. have a great weekend with your family. welcome to "primetime." i wish you all a safe celebration as we honor our fight for freedom in the best country of the world. the fourth could not arrive at a better moment in this country. the good news is the questions that paralyze us now are not new. and in fact the inspiration for the proper response to all that ails us is found in the pledge that introduces the significance of the 4th of july. we pledge allegiance to the flag it begins of course. even our symbol's colors have