possible. they want to be as transparent as possible. that's the process they hope to take. wolf? >> ryan nobles reporting from capitol hill, we'll watch it unfold together with you. thank you very much. and to our viewers, thanks for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." follow me on twitter and instagram. tweet the show. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, kamala harris tells democrats they're in the fight of their lifetime. in the state of texas tonight, could be proving her right. and pfizer admits it's seeing waning immunity from its vaccine, the company looking for emergency authorization for a third dose to be administered as soon as six month afc the second. an "outfront" exclusive. new documents warning the surfside garage and entransportation had zero years of remaining life yet. let's go "outfront."

and good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, the fight of our lifetime. well, that's what kamala harris says it is, as she slams the growing number of laws that democrats say will seriously restrict voting rights in america. >> these laws create obstacle upon obstacle. these laws make it harder for you to vote. because they don't want you to vote. and so i will say again, your vote matters. your voice matters. this is the fight of our lifetime. >> well, right now, ground zero for the fight over voting rights is the state of texas. there are protests tonight outside the state capitol where a special session is under way. republicans there proposing legislation that critics say would suppress voting. by banning drive-through voting, putting new restrictions on

mail-in voting and granting new powers to poll watchers. the original bill had measures taken out. it was blocked by democrats, who walked out of the state's capitol, leaving republicans without the minimum number of lawmakers to even vote on the bill. the texas governor greg abbott claims it's all about election integrity. of course, the only reason this is happening right now is because of president's claims of a rigged election. the bills are designed to strike out at nonexistent fraud. here's the now former republican texas secretary of state. >> despite the challenges presented by covid-19, this election was a resounding success. >> and texas is not the only state where republicans insist election integrity is under attack. take pennsylvania. republican state lawmaker doug

mastriano is now trying to conduct the same kind of audit that's still -- they're still doing it out in maricopa county, arizona. why? >> the vast majority of the people in pennsylvania have serious doubts about the integrity of our election. >> of course, they have doubts because you tell them to have doubts. but in a letter to philadelphia's city commissioner, he writes -- of course, that argument doesn't add up, because the only reason there isn't trust is because people are telling people that it wasn't fair. and in philadelphia and pennsylvania, you end one the same situation you in arizona.

one drew president trump's ire when he said things like this. >> there have been all these allegations of massive or widespread voter fraud. and if that's the case, they should at least be able to site a single case of it in any of the state and federal lawsuits filed in pennsylvania. and as of yet, there have been none. >> none. not a single case of it. the pennsylvania circus that we're seeing right now is coming on the heels of that audit in arizona. the audit run by a company that calls itself cyber ninjas. the board of supervisors has condemned the audit, and i want to note four of the five members of that board are republican. the board writing, it's time to end this, for the good of the senate, for the good of the country, and for the good of the democratic institutions that define us as americans.

these lies about the election integrity, these audits are dangerous. because some people believe them. trump supporters believe they will lead to trump being reinstated. >> are you disappointed when trump lost the election? >> i was disappointed in the lack of truth and the election fraud that came out. >> do you think there's a possibility -- >> that trump could obtain the electoral slate of arizona? yes, i think that's a possibility. if that happens, could it happen to georgia? possibly. possibly. >> in the context here is nationwide. 17 states passed laws that make it harder for americans to vote, according to the brennan center. and there are dozens of similar bills moving through state legislatures coast to coast.

kaitlan collins begins our coverage at the white house, where the president and vice president just wrapped up a meeting about voting rights. obviously, there's been some rhetoric today. but what about reality? is there much that they can do here? >> reporter: the civil rights leader walked out of this meeting with the president and vice president saying they want to see a lot of action on behalf of the white house. this is a meeting they say joe biden called and it went 40 minutes longer than scheduled. and one message you heard from each member who met with joe biden and kamala harris is legis legislation. that is what they want the white house pushing for. they believe that, not litigation, is what will be -- what restores the vote and protects voting rights. so that's a response to a lot of the lawsuits you see to states like texas and others trying to change the election laws. and the white house has been asked about this, as well. they said joe biden would love to sign legislation, but given he has nothing on his desk right now, they believe he can use the powers of the federal government

to work on this in the moment. you saw kamala harris saying today, voting campaign that they're doing that on the ground kind of effort you have seen so many voting rights experts talk about. but also they really do want to see some kind of legislation and see the president use his voice here to call for that. and so you have seen joe biden say he plans to speak on voting rights, even go on the road to talk about it. so far this is a speech that's not materialized. he's not traveled since he made those comments in recent days. the white house hasn't laid anything out. one of the biggest messages besides we want legislation that was coming from the civil rights leaders is they want the president to use his voice here, because they say essentially their backs are against the wall and they need him to intervene, they believe. >> kaitlan, thank you very much. and on that report, i want to go to congressman colin allred of texas. so i appreciate your time. good to have you back.

in texas, you know, as i noted there in the introduction, republicans have removed two of the most controversial provisions from the bill. and i didn't say what those were. limits on sunday early voting hours, and language that would have made it easier for courts to overturn election results. so those things have been removed. so these move the needle at all for you on this bill? >> well, i think it shows that when the public found out about some of the really egregious provisions in that bill, some of them that have not been discussed in the house or the senate, and they were slipped in, kind of in the dark of night by maybe outside groups. we still don't know who provided some of that language. when folks found out about it, the pushback was so strong they had to remove that. some of the stuff still in there is really dangerous. they make it harder to vote by mail. that could impact more people than the sunday early morning

voting part could. and allowing poll watchers to intimidate voters in polling places is concerning to me. banning our county officials a vote by mail application to eligible voters, banning it saying you can't do that, these are problematic, still. >> so last time we spoke, congressman, one of the things you single out at the time was the reduced voting hours prov provision. that was something you thought was the most egregious thing in the bill. and now a state representative said that change was an error. here's what he told npr just the other day. >> that was not intended to be reduced. i think there was a, you know, call it a mistake. what should have been 11 was printed up as 1. >> no doubt you know the details here. was that just a good-faith mistake? >> no. this was debated on the senate floor at about 3:00 a.m.

i was still watching when one of my state senators who represents dallas was talking and saying what you're doing here is going to impact african-american voters trying to vote after church. and the sponsor of the bill was saying, well, poll workers want to go to church, too. that's why we're changing the time. this was no typo, this was intentional. and it was -- it's ridiculous, of course. when people found out, they realized how ridiculous it was. so that's why they pulled it. now you're seeing all of this nonsense about typos and things like that. but we have to remember that we had a successful election, as you said, in the state of texas. we had a record turnout. republicans still won. it was closer than they would like it to be, but they still won, and now, with no rational at all, they're trying to make it more difficult to vote, in the state that's the hardest to vote in the country. >> pretty incredible charges to say, you know, that someone says it was a typo but it was about typo. i guess it's just a reflection

of where things are right now in this country. congressman, joe biden and harris met with civil rights leaders in washington. you heard kaitlan collins report. the meeting went 40 minutes long eer than expected. the vice president gave a speech about voting rights, as well. >> regardless of who you are, where you live, what party you belong to, your vote matters. your vote is your power. and so i say don't let anybody ever take your power from you. don't let anybody take your power from you, especially the power of your voice. we will not let anyone take away our power, and that's why we are all here together today. we're not going to let that happen. >> so congressman, obviously she's the point person leading this up for the white house, the voting rights issue. you know, she can give a speech.

my question for you, though, is there anything tangible that the white house could do to practically do that would stop or halt what's happening in states like yours? >> well, i agree that we can't just hit here and agoize. we have to organize. and to make sure the people know where they're trying to make it so much more difficult for them vote. we have seen it before, erin, in georgia and houston, texas, when you mess with voters and you tell them we're trying to stop you from voting, that they will come out and try to prove you wrong, that's going to be something we have to do. but as somebody who has led voter protection efforts here if texas, and has been through that fight of trying to help voters actually vote with some of these ridiculous laws that we have on the books here, i know there's not enough organizing you can do to overcome some of these things. there will be voters who will be disenfranchised who would not have necessarily been if these laws hadn't been passed. that's why we need federal

legislation for the right to protect the vote. we need to make this a priority. we passed hr-1 in the house and we will pass a voting rights act later this fall. we have to have some protections in place before the next election, or i am very, very concerned that it's not going to be a free and fair one. >> all right. congressman, i appreciate your time. thank you so much. >> thank you so much, erin. thanks for covering this. >> all right. i want to go to the former assistant district attorney for new york and author of "how bill barr broke the code" was released this week. so you hear what the congressman is saying. you think something tangible must be done. he's talking about the risks he sees. but yet the white house and congress as of yet have not been able to do anything on voting rights. nothing significant. lots of talk and rhetoric, but no ability to put something

specific on the table. is there anything the feds can do other than talk? >> so erin, as kaitlan said, there's only two ways for democrats or anyone who wants open and fair elections to fight back, and that's legislation or litigation. legislation does not appear to be particularly promising, as the representative just pointed out. there doesn't seem to be much of a chance of this federal legislation getting through the senate. which leaves litigation, lawsuits, the courts. now, doj has been aggressive. they challenged a restrictive voter law in georgia, and that's i believe all of these restrictive state laws in texas and elsewhere will be challenged by somebody. but that's the only avenue left to challenge these laws. >> so the doj, does the case that the doj is bringing have merit, do you think? >> it does have merit, but it's going to be an uphill climb. the last two major voting rights decisions we have seen from the

u.s. supreme court have scaled back and restricted the scope of the voting rights act, including the case we saw just last week. the argument the doj makes is interesting. they argue these new laws cropping up are really pretexts, and they're based on the big lie. the argument is, where was the need for these laws in 2018, 2016, on back? now that this big lie is taking hold, you're seeing opportunistic politicians pass these new laws restricting voter rights. that's the argument. but the federal courts are not in sync with that. >> all right. elie, thank you very much. next, the breaking news. pfizer saying it's seeing waning immunity from its vaccine, and now recommending a third booster shot. we have the details after that. plus an "outfront" exclusive. new documents revealing by so many repairs were not done right

before that catastrophic disaster in surfside, florida. and britney spears' father detailing why he and family members are now receiving death threats.

♪all by yourself.♪ you look a little lost. i can't find my hotel. oh. oh! ♪ this is not normal. no. ♪ so? ♪ right? go with us and find millions of flexible options, all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with. we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started.

because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪ ♪ i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... ...me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there for her. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for people with crohn's disease. the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. and many achieved remission that can last. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection.

be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. ♪ (judith) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? don't you just ride the wave? (judith) no - we actively manage client portfolios based on our forward-looking views of the market. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right? (judith) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money? only when your clients make more money? (judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. all right. breaking news. cnn is learning that pfizer is saying that its vaccine effectiveness is waning, and they plan to file for emergency authorization now for a third booster dose, which they say

could be administered as soon as six months after the second dose. now, that news came at the end of the day. but already, worries about the delta variant, which is causing this concern, had caused the markets, which had been reaching all-time highs of 18% since prepandemic, to tumble over fears about the delta variant and what it could mean. dr. jonathan ryenert advised the white house and dr. phillip kaiser is the local health authority in galveston county. i want to ask you, doctor, it's concerning for people to hear that pfizer is admitting its immunity is waning, and that they're filing for a third booster shot next month for emergency authorization for that. how do they get these boosters to people in time and how are we

going to get people to get them so soon? this is not what the system prepared for. you're not going to get an email saying here is your appointment the way you did for the other dose. >> yeah. first of all, what i would like to stress is that what pfizer has said is that the efficacy of their vaccine for preventing serious illness and death still remains extraordinarily high. i think a lot of their recent push for a booster comes out of the recent israeli data suggesting the efficacy for preventing either asymptom mattek or symptom mattek infection dropped to 64%. but other data has come out of the united kingdom where the efficacy was 88%, scotland, 79%. canada, 87%. so while the efficacy against infection seems to be lower against the original type, which was 95% in the original clinical

trial, the -- i think pfizer really is reacting to this real-world israeli data. again, that showed an efficacy of 93% for preventing serious illness. most of us thought at some point we would need boosters. and now pfizer is moving towards that. they're going to submit an eoa in august for that. not a big surprise, and this shouldn't cause the markets to crash. >> so dr. kaiser, you are experiencing the effects of delta variant firsthand in galveston county. since we talked, you have more people infected. i know it's more than 125 at that church camp outbreak. i know that now it's up to ten of the people who were positive were fully vaccinated. that was only six when we spoke the other day. how much does it concern you, doctor, to see that number rising? >> well, it is worrisome. you know, we don't know how well

this virus can evade the turnlt -- the current immunity people have. we have vaccinated probably 200,000 people in our county and had 100 breakthroughs. now we have an example of an exposure of 450 people, and we have ten breakthroughs already. so i'm a little worried about that proportion. that coupled with the data we're seeing from israel does give one pause and concern as to how well the vaccine is going to hold against this variant if it keeps going. >> i understand some of the breakthrough cases in your county are symptomatic. anything more that you can tell us? >> these about all we know. some are symptomatic, some are not. family members had been vaccinated and they got tested because their family members came down as positive. no one has been hospitalized or

sick enough to have to receive any antibodies as an outpatient, so that's all good news. so in many ways it's consistent with data we know about it. a lot of it is the glass half empty or half full at this point. we don't know the answer to that. but it is a little worrisome. i wouldn't have expected ten people out of so few -- you know, out of 125 people having been vaccinated. >> you know, doctor, when you look at this in the broader context, there's still a third of the population in the united states that hasn't got an single dose. the biden administration says it's not their role to get people vaccinated. instead they said this. >> please get vaccinated now. >> please know if you are not vaccinated, you remain susceptible. >> please get vaccinated. ly it will protect you. >> given where things are going, is it time to move on from

saying please to mandating? >> i do think it's time to start mandating vaccines. and i think that the private industry and private organizations will do that. at gw university where i work start thing fall, you can't be on campus unless you're fully vaccinated. we're at part of the pandemic now where the problem in this country is that 150 million americans are not vaccinated. half of that number is less than 18 years of age. but let's look at the adults. 75 million adults have chosen not to get vaccinated. that choice has consequences. now, we can't force you to take a jab in the arm. but there are many jobs perhaps that can prevent you from working if you decide not to get vaccinated. so i think we need to be more proactive and we will see industry take the lead in this. >> i appreciate you both. i thank you.

>> my pleasure. next, we have an "outfront" exclusive report. here's what you're going the see. we have gotten new documents from more than a year before the florida condo collapse, and they detail urgent need to major repairs for the garage and entrance, urgent, didn't happen. joe biden announcing an end to the u.s. war in afghanistan. the taliban is making significant gains. is it a decision biden will regret? it's dry. there's no dry time. makes us wonder why we booked fifteen second ad slots. ♪ ♪ i dont hydrate like everyone else.

because i'm not everyone else. they drink what they're told to drink. i drink what helps me rehydrate and recover: pedialyte® sport. because it works. and so do i... ♪ ♪ hydration beyond the hype. not everybody wants the same thing. that's why i go with liberty mutual — they customize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ you need an ecolab scientific clean here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps

operating rooms stay clean now helps the places you go too. look for the ecolab science certified seal. not all 5g networks are created equal. it's clear to see. t-mobile is the leader in 5g. t-mobile. america's largest, fastest, most reliable 5g network. [relaxed summer themed music playing] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ summer is a state of mind, you can visit anytime. savor your summer with lincoln.

[ "me and you" by barry louis polisar ] ♪ me and you just singing on the train ♪ ♪ me and you listening to the rain ♪ ♪ me and you we are the same ♪ ♪ me and you have all the fame we need ♪ ♪ indeed, you and me are we ♪ ♪ me and you singing in the park ♪ ♪ me and you, we're waiting for the dark ♪

breaking news. the confirmed death toll after the condo collapse in surfside, florida, reaching 64 tonight. it is expected to rise to the 140 lives lost, still missing. making it one of the deadliest mass casualty events in the united states since 9/11. the question remains, how? how did it happen? and why? well, tonight, we have obtained new and exclusive documents "outfront." and they warn in detail that the condo's garage and entryway needed much repairs, and that the condo association didn't have anywhere near the money to do any of it. we're "outfront" now with this exclusive report.

>> reporter: tonight, a new report obtained by "outfront," an independent review of champlain tower south's budget. the review, done just over a year before the building collapsed, wasn't a good one. the 99-page report underscores the building's anemic financial reserves, combined with the need for structural repairs. the review included a visual inspection of the building incorporated with an engineering analysis done prior to the report. it shows several components of the building had zero years of remaining useful life, including the entrance deck and garage, where some experts said concrete sprawling may have contributed to the collapse. news like this for the families of those who haven't been recovered not easy to hear. >> i don't understand how that happens, with a building that collects so much maintenance fees every year, over 40 years, how does that even happen? >> reporter: also significantly

detailed in the report was the fact that the facade and balconies of the building had concrete deterioration, and if left untreated, small problems can develop into major issues over a relatively short amount of time. >> amount of deterioration we saw made me wonder how much of that was visible 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago? >> reporter: the ceo of association reserves, which prepared the budget report for the condo association, says a gap in funds is not unheard of. >> three out of ten associations across the country are in a weak financial state with respect to reserves. >> reporter: the champlain south association was projected to have $607,000 in resevens as of january 2021. association reserves recommends the stockpile of $10.3 million to account for necessary repairs. just 6.9% of the funds it should have had. he says that he believed his

company's report was a wakeup call for the condo board, spurring the assessment residents were give in april of this year totalling $15 million. >> my mom would be yelling at the top of her lungs to make sure that anybody that was responsible for this is held accountable. >> reporter: a spokesperson for the champlain tower south condo association did not provide comment about the budget report. but attorney peter sax specializes in condo law in florida. >> buildings need to be maintained on a regular basis. they need to be checked, fixed, and brought up to standard that's best done over the course of time in a planned out manner, with funds on hand. >> so amazing, leila, from your report when he says 5, 10 years ago, things could have been done that would have prevented this horrific event. i know you're learning new details about how the condo association, when they realized

they had this massive shortage, struggled to obtain loans. what have you learned? >> reporter: right. records show that two lendors actually denied them, citing that they were too high a risk, in part because of the low funds in the reserves. eventually, the association did get a $12 million loan for repairs in march of this year. but the bottom line, it can't come without complication because at least in part of those reserves. >> leyla, thank you very much. next, joe biden defending his decision to end the u.s. war in afghanistan. >> i will not send another generation of americans to war in afghanistan. >> plus, tennis superstar naomi osaka, like you have not heard her before, opening up about her mental health, telling the world it's okay to not be okay.

the time is now. to stop talking. to start doing. time to create clean energy jobs. it's time to inspire, to hire, to build. and to lead. it's time to shine. and to move. time to punch the clock, roll up our sleeves and get to work to fight climate change. our president put forward a plan to create clean energy jobs in big cities, small towns, and everywhere in between. now it's time for congress to get it done. managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it. you may think you're doing all you can to manage type 2 diabetes and heart disease

but could your medication do more to lower your heart risk? jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and jardiance lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction, and don't take it if you're on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it with jardiance. we are committed to making jardiance available and affordable. with our savings card, eligible patients pay as little as $10. we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new

way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana.

tonight, joe biden on defense, explaining his decision to swiftly end the afghanistan war, despite major gains

recently by the taliban. >> nearly 20 years of experience has shown us that the current security situation only confirms that just one more year fighting in afghanistan is not a solution. but a recipe for being there indefinitely. i will not send another generation of americans to war in afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome. >> u.s. troops have been making a hasty exit, deserting the massive bagram air base, with one official saying looters had on the removed by afghan troops. he says the military mission will end august 31, concluding a two-decade war, which 2200 u.s. troops lost their lives. the cost of that war, $2 trillion, conservatively. "outfront" now, a senior fellow at the council on foreign relation and a columnist for "the washington post." so max, i just want to start

with, look, it's a sudden withdrawal. you have the taliban gaining ground. biden was a proponent of the war at its zwrs outwset, but he did on the mission when obama wanted to do that troop surge. here we are, looking at this taliban surge. do you think he'll regret this decision? >> i hope not, but he very well may. i think there's a good reason why even previous presidents i including president obama, were frustrated with the continuing war in afghanistan. they didn't pull out because they were afraid of the risks of doing so. we saw that in iraq where we pulled out in 2011 and you saw the rise of i.csis, so therefor you had troops coming back into iraq. so we're seeing something like

that unfold already, you're seeing district after district falling to the taliban. and you're seeing a collapse of some of the afghan security forces creating a worrisome scenario where, once again, i think you have to imagine there could be images like in south vietnam in 1975, the u.s. evacuating from a besieged capital. >> sometimes it's like you can pretend something isn't happening, until you're not able to pretend anymore. we all know what happened with afghanistan when that happened. biden's also on the defense, max, again when it comes to russia. cyber attack happening last week, another one, right? this one was against a software vendor that is now compromised up to 1500 businesses. fifth major cyber attack against the united states by actors tied to russia. and this one crosses a line that biden set during his summit with vladamir putin. here he is, setting the line. >> i pointed out to him, we have

significant cyber capability, and he knows it. he doesn't know exactly what it is, but it's significant. and if, in fact, they violate these basic norms, we will respond cyber, he knows. >> max, is it time for biden to back up those words with action? >> clearly. i mean, you just saw one of the largest ransomware attacks ever hitting more than a thousand companies, and this is something that apparently was emanating from russian soil. it's just not credible to imagine that the russian state is not aware of what's being done from its own soil, because this is after all a dictatorship, and they are in control of their own territory. so yeah, it's clearly one thing to lay out the red line. but that doesn't mean much unless you can back it up. i think what you're seeing now, both putin, as well as with saudi arabia, as well as the government of iran, as well as the government of beijing,

governments all over the world are testing biden. they want to see what is he made of? is he willing to back up his threats? is he willing to deliver on his red lines? and clearly in the case of russia, he needs to do that. he needs to strike back to make them pay a price for allowing these kinds of cyber attacks from their soil. >> and you know, you mentioned russia. i can make the same question here with saudi arabia. now the most senior national security officials in the biden administration are rolling out the red carpet for the saudi arabian defense minister, who is the brother of the crown defense, who murdered journalist jamal khashoggi. before he was president, biden was a withering critic of this. here is what he said. >> >> khashoggi was murdered and dismembered. i would make it very clear we are not going to, in fact, sell

more weapons to them. we were going to, in fact, pay the price and make them the pariah that they are. there's very little social redeeming value in the present government in saudi arabia. they have to be held accountable. >> i mean, max, here's the problem, not treating them like a pariah, little social redeeming value of the government, but that's the government the biden administration is doing business with. i understand the difference between governing and campaigning, but does it portray weakness? >> i think that's a legitimate concern. he can't entirely cut off saudi ar arabia. i was sympathetic what he did earlier in his administration where he sanctioned a number of saudi officials, but to not go after mds himself, because it was be unprecedented to sang shun the head of a state.

but it's another thing to entertain mds' brother. this just is unseemly, and it looks weak. i think this is an example where he's going too far in the direction of diplomacy and not drawing enough of a red line with the saudis here. >> max, i appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. and next, the next victim of the delta variant, the summer olympics, now zero fans. that's what tokyo announced today amid a nationwide state of emergency. plus, britney spears' father revealing death threats he says he's receiving following the legal control of britney's life. s remove the 30% of makeup ordinary cleansers can leave behind. your skin will thank you. neutrogena®. for people with skin.

you need an ecolab scientific clean here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean now helps the places you go too. look for the ecolab science certified seal. at novartis, our goal is to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you're taking cosentyx and your insurance or coverage changes or you need help paying cosentyx connect is here to help. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. call us or visit us online. we're here for you. i was drowning in student loan debt. then i discovered sofi. lower interest rate. my principal is going down. sofi is a place where you can start to tackle those money goals today. ♪

living with metastatic breast cancer means being relentless. because every day matters. and having more of them is possible with verzenio. the only one of its kind proven to help you live significantly longer when taken with fulvestrant, regardless of menopause. verzenio + fulvestrant is for hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after hormone therapy. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. at the first sign, call your doctor, start an anti-diarrheal, and drink fluids. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. life-threatening lung inflammation can occur. tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pain. serious liver problems can happen. symptoms include fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising. blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are nursing, pregnant, or plan to be. every day matters. and i want more of them. ask your doctor about verzenio.

my auntie called me. she said uncle's had a heart attack. i needed him to be here. your heart isn't just yours. protect it with bayer aspirin. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. oh! are you using liberty mutual's coverage customizer tool? so you only pay for what you need. sorry? limu, you're an animal! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ it's okay to not be okay. that's a quote from naomi osaka

who's speaking out in a new essay for "time." calling for athletes being able to take personal days for mental breaks. she writes in part, quote, i do hope that people can relate and understand it's okay to not be okay and it's okay to talk about it. there are people who can help and there is usually light at the end of the tunnel. michael phelps told me by speaking up i may have saved a life. if that's true, then it was all worth it. christine brennan is outfront, she's the sports columnist covering the olympics in tokyo, her 19th straight. so, christine, i want to talk about the tokyo olympics but first naomi osaka. she's the number two ranked tennis player in the world, the first asian to be ranked number one. f four-time grand slam champion. how different is it for her to

open up like this? >> it's really in keeping what we've seen the last few years, this breakout star, so articulate, so smart, so interesting. i think a lot of the viewers might remember the mask that she wore with the names of the victims of police brutality one day at the u.s. open. a remarkable young person. a great young leader and a role model on the court and off. and so to me this is no surprise at all that we are seeing her once again talk about these issues that she's made such headline news over the last few months. in fact has created a movement, i think you could make a case michael phelps started this. there's other athletes that have been involved in the conversation about mental health. such an important conversation for our time. naomi osaka has really taken it and run with it. as i said, i do believe she gets credit for making this now a movement. >> she has also, as you point out, not shied away from

politically sensitive topics. you talk about the mask with the names of the victims at the u.s. open. i want to read another sentence. she writes the world is as divided as i can remember in my short 23 years. issues that are so obvious to me at face value like wearing a mask in a pandemic or kneeling to show support for anti-racism are ferociously contested. i mean wow. so when i said i needed to miss french open press conferences to take care of myself mentally, i should have been prepared for what unfolded. christine, it's interesting, she's tying a lot of things together, obviously. masks is a scientific reality. kneeling during the national anthem is something that people have passionately different views about. it seems as if she's putting these things, though, for her in the same category. >> yeah, and in talking about the press conference. obviously i'm a journalist and i rely on press conferences. of course naomi also does. all tennis players do.

so she has every right to say it. if it's her reality and something she cares about, of course she can say it. but these athletes do like to have press conferences so they don't have to individually speak with us one on one, that would take all day. but i think her point is well taken. i would point out, erin, at the olympic swimming trials a few weeks ago, simone manuel, the olympic gold medalist, came to the press conference to talk about dealing with depression, anxiety, overtraining syndrome. then she made the olympic team and will be representing the united states in tokyo so she used the press conference as a platform to talk about the issues. we all asked her questions. we were kind. we thanked her for coming in and talking to us. and she probably helped some young -- she said that, she's heard from young swimmers and others who have said thank you for speaking out so there's that side of it too. >> christine, as i said, you've covered many, many olympics and

part of it is the excitement of who's in the room. now all of a sudden because of the delta variant there isn't going to be anyone except the people competing. there's not going to be fans. what is an olympics without fans going to be like as you cover it? >> it's going to be a tv show, erin. that's what it is. they can hold it on a sound stage. make no mistake, this is about the money, this is about the international olympic committee and tokyo organizers trying to recoup some of the millions an billions of dollars because of the last year's pandemic and all the issues involved with these games. it's going to be very different and i think it's going to look different on television. for me as a journalist being there, i can't wait in the sense of i wish it weren't so, that we were not in a pandemic. but in terms of the news and what it will look like and how different it will be. it's a shame it cannot be that wonderful celebration of coming out of the pandemic but instead we're still, of course, in the midst of it and it's really

reflecting more than it is a celebration. >> christine, thank you so much. >> thank you, erin. my pleasure. next, britney spears' father claiming he has been receiving death threats. online u.s. stocks and etfs. r and a commitment to get you the best price on every trade, which saved investors over $1.5 billion last year. that's decision tech. only from fidelity. ♪ ♪ we made usaa insurance for veterans like martin. when a hailstorm hit, he needed his insurance to get it done right, right away. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa ♪ watch the olympic games on xfinity ♪

♪ root for team usa and feel the energy ♪ ♪ 7000 plus hours of the olympics on display ♪ ♪ with xfinity you get every hour of every day ♪ ♪ different sports on different screens, ♪ ♪ you can watch it anywhere ♪ ♪ and with the voice remote ♪ ♪ you never have to leave your chair ♪ show me team usa. ♪ all of this innovation could lead to some inspiration ♪ ♪ and you might be the next one to represent our nation ♪ ♪ this summer on your tv, tablet, or any screen ♪ ♪ xfinity is here to inspire your biggest dreams ♪

tonight new court documents filed by britney spears' father complaining that he and other family members are receiving death threats after last week's stunning conservatorship hearing. now the pop star's mother is speaking out in her defense. chloe is outfront. >> reporter: britney spears on instagram posting it's, quote, my first time dancing in heels in a while. just days after making bombshell revelations in a court hearing, challenging her nearly 13-year conservatorship, run in part by her father, jamie spears. several people close to spears resigning after her recent courtroom testimony calling the conservatorship led in part by her father abusive, alleging -- >> what's up, vegas?

>> reporter: -- she was forced to perform, take lithium and stay on birth control against her will, telling judge brenda penny, quote, i wanted to take the iud out so i could start trying to have another baby. on july 2nd, the co-conservator of spears' $60 million estate, wealth management firm bessimer trust, asked to resign, citing changed circumstances. on july 5th, spears' long-time manager, larry rudolph, resigned, writing that he recently became aware that britney, quote, had been voicing her intention to officially retire and made clear he was never part of the conservatorship. but just weeks ago, the grammy award-winner didn't rule out performing again. >> will i ever take the stage again? i have no idea. i'm having fun right now. >> reporter: july 6th spears' court-appointed attorney asked the court to resign. the pop star made clear during her testimony she wants to pick her own lawyer. now her mother, lynn spears, is

backing her, filing a motion that became public this week asking the court to grant britney's wishes to choose her own attorney, stating, quote, her capacity is certainly different than it was in 2008. that's when the platinum-selling artist experienced public meltdowns. the singer's conservator of her person, jody montgomery, who handles spears' medical decisions, filed her own petition asking the judge to appoint a guard ian ad litem saying she's so disabled she cannot select her own lawyer. this is the last thing the embattled singer needs. >> the court is being asked to yet again assign a court-appointed person unknown to britney, even though we know that britney does not want to have more court-appointed individuals in her life. >> reporter: the singer's father has maintained to cnn that he has always acted in the best interests of his daughter.

>> thanks to all of you for joining us. "ac 360" starts now. good evening. there's a lot to get to tonight. in a moment we have breaking news and a startling admission from pfizer on the efficacy of its vaccine against the delta variant of the coronavirus. also ahead, senator bernie sanders on democrats' plans to protect voting rights. we begin with breaking news out of haiti and the assassination of that country's president. moments ago the country's acting prime minister just paraded out individuals they say were involved in the assassination of the former president almost two days ago. we're working to get that video in for you, including among those individuals, again according to the acting prime minister, were two americans. he also said authorities have arrested most of the attackers involved. separately officials a short while ago updated the number of suspects killed by police overnight to the number of seven. they described them as foreign