and good evening. from launch site one near van horn, texas, where tomorrow morning, amazon founder, and now executive chair, jeff bezos, his brother mark, an 82-year-old aviation pioneer and a teenager. very lucky teenager, will be rocketed into space. we are going to have more on the flight, and what it might mean for the future of space exploration and bezos's company, blue origin, later in the program tonight. we begin, though, with breaking news. fresh evidence that, for all the progress we have made, for all the hardship we have endured, we still have not, yet, fully come to grips with covid and what it can do. that is what the virus is

telling us. and as you can see, the virus doesn't lie. certainly, not about the threat it still presents to life, as we all, once, knew it. late today, the state department issued a do-not-travel advisory for americans thinking about visiting the united kingdom after the cdc raised its covid-risk assessment of it to the highest-possible level. the news came after a punishing day on wall street. investors sending the dow industrials off a 700-point cliff, frightened at how quickly the delta variant has swept the country, and what it might do to the economic recovery. the realization was sudden but the evidence has been building for days and weeks because, as i said, the virus doesn't lie about what it can do to people, who have chosen not to get vaccinated, as far too many americans have. cases are up, on average, 66% from last week. 145%, from two weeks ago. the number of people in hospitals is, also, rising, sharply. especially, where the vaccination rate is low. at university of florida health in jacksonville, they have more covid patients, now, than at

their peak in january. that's how brutal the delta variant has been there. and cruel. cnn's leyla santiago spoke with one woman currently hospitalized. >> reporter: can you tell me what you're experiencing in terms of your symptoms and how you feel? >> well, before i came in, i felt like i was about to die. >> reporter: what would you tell someone who's not vaccinated right now? >> get vaccinated. soon as possible. >> reporter: uh-huh. >> as soon as i get out of here, get well, i'm going to get vaccinated. >> reporter: what has been the -- the worst part about this? >> the worst part? >> yes, ma'am. >> not being able to breathe. >> let's remember, nobody who is hospitalized in the hospital, struggling to breathe, should be there. everybody can get the vaccine, in this country.

it is a great blessing. this should not be happening, at all. the number of people getting the vaccine is, now, averaging half a million, a day. now, remember, when that number was 2 million or -- or more. still, about half the country need to get a vaccine. over the last several days, canada surpassed the u.s., in the percentage of population vaccinated, even after a far-slower start. they got a slower start than we did. they, now, have more. a higher percentage of people vaccinated. one reason in canada, across the political spectrum on the need for it because the virus does not lie about its indifference to political division. except, perhaps, as an unexpected bonus. >> i mean, political differences are totally understandable and a natural part of the process, in any country. but when it comes to a public-health issue, in which you're in the middle of a deadly pandemic, and the common enemy is the virus. it just doesn't make any sense

to -- to, essentially, disregard or -- or don't pay attention to what's obvious. 99.5% of all the deaths, due to covid-19 in this country, are among unvaccinated people. and 0.5% are among vaccinated people. that's a public-health issue. that's not political. that's not ideological. it's a public-health issue. >> let's just remember, little children cannot get vaccinated. so, if you have chosen not to get vaccinated, you have a potential of threatening little kids throughout this country. sadly, though, enter the former president, who recently weighed in with a statement, which we're not reading here because it's, both, ridiculous and s irresponsible. that directly connects vaccine resistance to doubts about the 2020 election. the virus won't lie about that, either. and sadly, soon, we will all know what it thinks. joining us, now, is dr. vivek

murthy. surgeon general of the united states. dr. murthy, thanks so much for being with us. as you probably know, former-fda commissioner, scott gottlieb, told cbs that because the delta variant is so contagious, if you live in an area, where there's low-vaccination rate and a high-infection rate, and you are vulnerable, you should consider wearing n95 masks, even if you are vaccinated. do you agree with that? >> well, anderson, it's certainly the case that this delta variant, that we are seeing, is the most transmissible version of covid-19 we've seen, to date. and it is absolutely the case that, if you are unvaccinated, that you are at great risk, right now. and you should take measures, if you are unvaccinated, like masking, distancing, avoiding indoor gatherings. you know, as troubling as this news is, anderson, about this delta variant and it spreading so quickly in various pockets of the united states. we shouldn't lose sight of the good news here, which is over the last few months, we have, according to independent research, saved millions of people from hospitalization and

hundreds of thousands of people from covid-related deaths because of the vaccination effort. so, while we are seeing spread, what we are not seeing -- >> sir, i get -- i get that. but -- but -- but there is half the country, who are vaccinated. and i'm one of them and i have a small child. and i want to know, do i need to wear a mask? because a whole bunch of my fellow americans are choosing not to get vaccinated and if i get infected, am i going to pass it on to my child? and i haven't been able to get a straight answer, on whether or not i'm a danger to my own child, if i get infected. so, should i wear a mask? >> so, anderson, i'm glad you asked. you and i are in this same boat. i have two small children, as well. they're 3 and 4. they are too young to get vaccinated. and i am worried about their health, too. so here is how i am thinking about it. you know, i know that if you are fully vaccinated, like you and i are, our risk of, both, getting sick and transmitting it to our children is low. but if you are in a area where there's a lot of infection, or if you are worried about that

risk of transmission, then a ma child, even though the lrisk is low. given that i live in an area where there is a lot of virus being transmitted, i want to be extra cautious. so that's what i do and that's what all parents can do is take that extra ten. step. and i think with covid spreading with this delta variant, it bears being cautious because this is being transmitted at a far higher rate than other versions of covid-19. >> yeah. and such an important point. i mean, it's -- it's very easy to get this. it's easier to get the delta variant, than it is the other forms of covid-19, as far as i understand. just on -- on the children aspect, again, i mean, for anybody who's chosen not to get a vaccine, they are choosing to endanger children who cannot get vaccinated if they come in contact with children. if children come in contact with them. do we know, yet, if a child

gets -- you know, a young child who can't get vaccinated gets the delta variant. are they -- i mean, i've heard, in mississippi, i saw a doctor saying that there were ten children in the icu. are children -- is it, still, the case that children bounce back, quickly, from covid-19? or do we not know, long term, with the delta variant? >> well, we are still learning about how kids do with the delta variant. but, anderson, here's what we do know. there is a myth out there that kids are -- young kids, in particular, are untouched and unaffected by covid-19. that is not true. children, by and large, do much, much better than adults do, and especially older adults. much lower rate of hospitalization and death. but with that said, we've had millions of children who have had covid. tens of thousands who have been hospitalized. we've had hundreds who have died from covid-19. and with this more-transmissible variant, we have got to be cautious to protect our kids. you said it exactly right.

our kids who cannot get vaccinated. they depend on us being vaccinated to protect them from the spread of the virus. we are their shields. and so, even -- even if you don't want to do it for yourself, consider getting vaccinated to protect the children in your community. they are depending on us. >> dr. fauci said, this past weekend, that he thinks vaccines for children under the age of 12 won't be approved, until, what he said was, quote, well into the winter, towards the end of this year. considering what we are seeing now with the delta variant, is that acceptable to you? >> well, anderson, some of this is driven by the trials, themselves. and so, when a company completes its clinical trials and submits them to the food and drug administration for evaluation. then, the fda can start its process. but to date, to be clear, there has not been data submitted from a company for kids under 12. for an emergency-use authorization or -- or for approval. so as soon as that comes in, the

fda will evaluate it, expeditiously. and i can tell you that the fda is prioritizing the, you know, covid-related decisions. it recognizes we're in the middle of a terrible pandemic. so hopefully, those trials will get done, soon. you can't -- the trials depend on how many people get infected. they -- you have to wait for these cases to develop. you can't rush those. but as soon as the data comes in, i can guarantee you, the fda will process it quickly. >> dr. walensky has said that, if you receive the johnson & johnson vaccine, which as everyone knows, is one shot. and you want to now get the pfizer or moderna vaccine, you should consider participating in a study. how would a person do that? i mean, and is -- shouldn't there be some easier way to get a second type of vaccine? or would you recommend that people get a second type of vaccine? >> it's a common question that -- that people are asking, if they had the j&j vaccine, do they need a booster? and that is something that we are trying to look at and study, right now. there's not clear data, yet, that points to the need for a booster, if you had j&j.

i know, some people have spoken with their doctors about getting that additional dose. and certainly, people are free to make that decision with -- with their doctor and to get that if their -- if that's what they want. but right now, until we have the data available, anderson, that says immunity is insufficient with one dose and that it is significantly boosted with a second dose, it's difficult to make an official recommendation that everyone who got j&j get a booster. >> yesterday, i heard you said that 99.5% of the people who are dying from covid, right now, are unvaccinated. i mean, if that doesn't convince people to get vaccinated, i -- i'm not sure what will, if it's not even, you know, if you don't care about possibly infecting children. just the idea that all these people who are dying, virtually all of them, are people who have not been vaccinated. one of the things i have just taken away from our conversation is cause with a couple things you have said, you know, we don't have all the data yet on that. and i think obviously, you are a man of science and it's good that you are upfront about that. but to me, what i take away from

that is that there is, still, a lot we don't know. we think we understand this virus. we think it's past us. it seems like there is a lot we don't know and we need to continue to be humble, in the face of this, in the face of what we don't know. >> anderson, that's exactly right. if you look at the last year and a half, there have been multiple times where we have been fooled by covid-19. when cases went down, and we thought we were in the clear. and then, cases went up, again. this is a tricky virus. it has fooled us, on more than one occasion. and i think that means that we've got to be humble about how we approach this. it means that we shouldn't let down our guard, until cases not only come down, but stay down. and right now, cases are actually going up. cases are going up, hospitalizations are going up. death rates are ticking up. again, this is primarily happening among the unvaccinated. but recognizing that delta is new and we are still learning more about it. it bears being cautious. so if you are out there, and you have got kids at home or you're

immunocompromised and you are thinking, hmm, should i be more cautious and put my mask on when i am going to indoor spaces? i would strongly consider that. if you're a locality that's seeing cases a rise around you and you're thinking should i put additional-mitigation measures in place, like masking? i would say, yes, you should strongly consider that because this is not the time to let down our guard. >> and just finally, what's your message to healthcare workers? many, you know, who are still exhausted from this past year and a half, two years. as cases are going in the wrong direction, again, what's your message to them? >> anderson, this is heartbreaking. and these healthcare workers are my friends. they're my colleagues. they are my family members. both, literally and figuratively. and i am heartbroken to see, just how hard they are working, how exhausted they are. how many of them are suffering with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, as a result of the stress that they have endured during this pandemic.

what they are doing, anderson, is so many of them are pleading with the public to, please, get vaccinated. but yet, time and time again, when they see those calls go unheeded and they see hospitals filling up, again, it's very -- it's disheartening. and not only is it bad for now, anderson, when we need our doctors and nurses and our healthcare workers to take care of those who have covid. but think about after covid when we need those same healthcare professionals to be there to take care of all the other conditions and need s that we have as a country. if they burn out, if they drop out of the workforce, it will be bad for them, it will be worse for us. and we will be worse off as a country. so, so many reasons to get vaccinated for your health, to protect our children, to rescue our health workers from the difficult situation they're in. and the good news is we are blessed with multiple vaccines that are highly effective and very safe. >> dr. murthy, i really do appreciate your time and your p expertise. thank you very much. >> thanks very much, anderson. take care. >> quick -- a quick reminder. join us wednesday night. president joe biden joins don

lemon for an exclusive cnn presidential town hall. again, that's wednesday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. i will be on right afterward at 9:00 for analysis of the president's kmentds. next up for us tonight. more breaking news. the long-awaited republican members of the select committee investigating the insurrection have been named. and how eager some, themselves, were to actually overturn the election. and later, with jeff bezos and company getting ready for liftoff. we will talk about tomorrow's lunch, which is going to happen just right over my shoulder. that, about a mile or two, that way. we will speak with someone else who has recently gone to space to find out what the folks, tomorrow, can expect. what makes new salonpas arthritis gel so good for arthritis pain? salonpas contains the most prescribed topical pain relief ingredient. it's clinically proven, reduces inflammation and comes in original prescription strength. salonpas. it's good medicine. keeping your oyster business growing has you swamped. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed match your job criteria.

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♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ there is more breaking news tonight. house minority leader kevin mccarthy, tonight, named his picks for the select committee on the january-6th attack on the capitol. no surprise, some of his choices wanted the same outcome. though, certainly, by different means, as the rioters did. they wanted to overturn election results. in fact, they voted to. one even boasted about it. troy nells tweeting in january,

quote, i am proudly announcing i will object to the counting of electoral votes in disputed states tomorrow. you sent me to congress to fight for president trump and election integrity, and that's exactly what i am doing. more now on all this from cnn's ryan nobles tonight at the capitol. so, ryan, three of the five selections voted against certifying the election. congressman jim jordan, actually, participated in a so-called stop-the-steal rally two days after the election. i also want to play, just for our viewers, something he said about the results. >> i don't know how you can ever convince me that president trump didn't actually win this thing. based on all the things you see. >> i mean, isn't that exactly what drove the insurrection? >> well, there is a pretty compelling body of evidence that says just that, anderson. and that is part of what this select committee's task is to do is to connect those dots to figure out what went wrong here on january 6th? and then, come up with solutions to prevent it from ever happening, in the future. and that's why there was a lot

of concern about the picks that kevin mccarthy was going to make to this panel. and jim jordan's name, certainly, jumps off the page as someone who has been a consistent and loyal defender of the former president, despite his inaccurate rhetoric about the 2020 election. and the fact that he continues to peddle those lies. in fact, listen to what jordan said was at the top of his mind about his appointment to this committee, when we caught up with him this afternoon. #. >> know what this is about. this is about going after president trump. you know? i mean, the democrats. they don't want to talk about anything else. they got to talk about this. >> so, he is talking about president trump. he is worried this is going to be a committee that only is trying to go after president trump, and nothing else. so it shows you his mindset, going into this process, anderson. >> speaker pelosi has the ability to veto any of -- of these picks. is there any reason to think she will? >> so, that is the open question

here, tonight. and we talked to three or four different members, the democratic members, of the select committee. and each one of them said, to be clear, these are not the official names, yet, because speaker pelosi has that veto power and her office told me, tonight, that she is reviewing those picks, right now. that she is not officially confirmed that they will be a part of the panel. but, anderson, it's important to point out that the way that kevin mccarthy played this, releasing the names to the public, first. getting them out there, for them to be debated. it would be very difficult for her to veto one of these picks. republicans could turn that into a whole-political talking point. they could raise money on it. if someone like jeff -- jim jordan is removed from this committee. so, i'd be very surprised if she takes that step but it is, still, an option that she has at her disposal. anderson. >> ryan nobles, appreciate it. thanks. want to go next to cnn's chief white house correspondent, kaitlan collins. kaitlan, does the white house have any expectation that, you know, that speaker pelosi's going to try to eliminate any of

these republicans chosen by kevin mccarthy? >> i think it remains to be seen, for them, as well. given pelosi's team was saying she just saw the names tonight, as ryan was just noting, when they were put out by mccarthy's office after he confirmed those names. and so, we have asked the white house, before, if they thought republicans could act in good faith on this committee. and they said that the president did believe that they could. but they never said whether or not they believed the republicans who voted to overturn the results of the election could actually act in good faith on this committee investigating what happened on january 6th. and of course, as ryan just noted, that is several names that is on this list of members who did that. and not even just that. several of them, also, remember, signed on to that texas lawsuit that wanted to invalidate the votes of millions of voters in several states, which, of course, it was blocked by the supreme court. but that's kind of the group that the white house is now going to be facing and going to be questioned about on whether or not they believe they are the right people for this job. and so, house speaker pelosi can veto these choices, if she wants to. it remains to be seen, if she will. but so far, the white house has

been incredibly deferential to house speaker pelosi on what this panel is going to look like. there was the rumor, of course, that she was going to put a republican, herself, on the committee. there were questions about how this would work with liz cheney and, you know, her relationship, obviously, with jim jordans which not a good one. and so, president biden has said, previously, he wants this to be an independent investigation. he want its to be fair. i think the question for the white house, if house speaker pelosi does not veto these members, is going to be whether or not he believes people, like jim jordan and others who voted to overturn the results of his election, can do that. >> yeah. kaitlan collins, appreciate it, from the white house. more on the capitol rite just ahead. the first rioter found guilty of a felony was sentenced today. two former officials for the justice department join us to discuss what his prison sentence means for the hundreds of others, who have been charged. (struggling vehicle sounds) think premium can't be capable? think again. ♪ (energetic music) ♪ ♪ ♪

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the first person convicted of a felony in the capitol riots was sentenced today. a decision, that could influence the fate of hundreds of other rioters, who have been charged. paul hodgkin's, is his name. he pleaded guilty last month to obstructing congressional proceedings. spent about 15 minutes inside the senate chamber wearing a t-shirt and carrying a flag proclaiming loyalty to the former president. prosecutors had wanted an 18-month prison sentence, the federal judge gave him just eight plus a $2,000 fine. the judge said hodgkin's caused real damage to the country but

was not involved in any violence and issued a sin vcere apology. want to get perspective now from andrew mccabe, and laura coates, former federal prosecutor, and cnn legal analyst. so, andrew, the fact that the sentence in the case was significantly below the guidelines of one to two years, what does that tell you? >> you know, it's got to be a really concerning sign for prosecutors and agents working the rest of these cases, anderson. because it's -- there is no doubt that this sentence will have an impact on other cases that judge moss sentences. but also, other cases that other judges review. be -- there's a -- there's a strong desire, within the federal bench, to sentence similar defendants to similar punishment. it makes perfect sense. so, this case, in some very important ways, could set a benchmark that other defendants, who are charged with similar conduct, could -- could use to kind of expect what sort of sentence they can expect a judge to give them. >> laura, i mean, this particular defendant. he said, in court, he was

remorseful. but then, his attorney, according to our reporting, made a kind of rambling 30-minute presentation. he quoted abraham lincoln, japanese internment, decried cancel culture and argued rioters weren't quote/unquote real terrorists. how does department of justice deal with -- with that? i mean, do you think it could be a sign of things to come, in other cases? >> i think it is. the idea of throwing together all these different talking points. these hot-button issues. trying to string along enough statements that will get the -- have a provocative notion here. but being a provocateur is not going to make the -- the judge actually try to see it the way of your client. and here, as andrew talked about, this is a benchmark. remember, what the judge also said. that because this person pled guilty, early. because this person was nonviolent, and showed some remorse. those were the factors that could determine other cases in the future. so if you have somebody who was engaged in violent behavior, who was not demonstrating remorse.

who was using his attorney as a mouthpiece, that is actually along with what that person is saying, this might actually serve to be a problem for the client. but yes. the prosecutors have to know now that they are going to have to distinguish between what happened, overall. and making everybody a poster child of what happened. and making sure that what they're actually asking for, for a particular punishment, is about this, particular person's conduct. this judge made it very clear that, while the whole issue was a problem. why the entire insurrection jeopardizes democracy. what this, particular person did was in line with this particular sentence. so, they are going to have to be very careful about this going forward. >> andrew, one of the prosecutors said that the sentence they were seeking, one and a half years, would quote send a loud and clear message to other would-be rioters that if and when they are caught, they will be held accountable. people who might be contemplating a sequel to january 6th will stand down and there won't be a next time. obviously, they did not get the sentence they want. do you think this will be a

deterrent? or an encouragement for people to confess early? >> you know, anderson, i'm not sure that an individual sentence has that much of a deterrent effect on a large -- you know, a potential group of people, in the future, who might consider similar action. i think, as we've already discussed, and laura pointed out, i think this sentence could have an impact on the decisions that other-current defendants make, as to whether or not they should plead guilty or -- or try their chances at trial. but i'm not really convinced that one sentence would turn a future, potential mob of rioters away from enacting what they are doing. and the opposite is also true. right? you could make the same argument that a strong sentence could inspire more people to revolt. to be angry about that. and could actually cause problems. so it's -- it's a very inexact science to try to determine these what actually deters criminal activity. >> laura, i -- i'm wondering, just if, for those who did actually, you know, are proven

to have committed acts of violence against law-enforcement personnel. what sort of sentences might they be facing? >> well, remember, this particular person had a potential of 20 years for obstruction, right? now, they were not charged with domestic terrorism. they didn't have that sort of notion, things like that, or more violent crimes. and so, those that actually would be charged with that. the prosecutors' case, when they would say at sentencing if this person were akin to domestic terrorism, it would have much more weight. remember, this judge was not being lenient because he didn't think anything was wrong with what was happening but because of the factors involved. now, we are talking about actually harming, not just theoretical, not just an esoteric discussion about democracy. but actually, harming, only the individuals but those sworn to protect the capitol, give a very much of a calculus for a judge to take into account here. so i think it's going to slide the other direction, in terms of the punitive -- the damages, excuse me, the punitive punishment here, as opposed to

one that says, look. we want to discourage anyone else who has ideas about maybe going forward, trying to rebel, in many ways, against our democracy. and it wasn't in a vacuum here, was it? i mean, andrew knows, full well, there is a lot of chatter about possibly having trump be reinstated. i don't know how. but by -- by august. and so, this was a way for the prosecutors to say, look, i'm going to shut down those notions. if i'm asking for 18 months of somebody, who was not violent. 15 minutes. pled early. and, in fact, was remorseful. what do you think you might have, in the future? it was a shot across the bow for future, future people, as well. >> laura coates, andrew mccabe, appreciate it. thanks. just ahead what jeff bezos and the others on tomorrow's blue origin flight can expect minute by minute when they take off and come back down. we are liven from launch site one. we'll be right back. ! ah, there's no place like panera. enjoy the cool, refreshing strawberry poppyseed salad.

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and welcome back. as i mentioned at the top of the broadcast, tomorrow morning, jeff bezos and a crew of three others will launch into space aboard a rocket from here at launch site one in texas. actual launchpad is about two or

so miles in that direction. right now, the rocket that they are going to take off on. that building you are seeing with the feather on it. that's where the rocket is being stored. they call that the barn. and the launch site is little bit farther down. farther past that. you can't see the actual site, from here. but you can certainly -- will see the rocket going off and obviously, we will have cameras a lot closer. the ride is expected to last about 11 minutes and it really is obviously a big step for future-space tourism. but it's a remarkable step in a mission, that began more than two decades ago. when jeff bezos founded blue origin. his plans for space -- for blue origin in space are much bigger than just space tourism. earlier today, bezos delivered dinner to the press and the media center. showed no signs of worry, despite the obvious dangers. >> yeah. is that your last meal? are you having steak and eggs? >> hey. did somebody say last meal? i don't think we have to put it that way. i think -- let's talk about it in a different way.

>> that's his brother, mark, behind him. and also, in the -- the cowboy hat. he also is going to be going up with bezos tomorrow morning. tom foreman has the details of what's in store for amazon's founder and his crew. >> reporter: at blue origin's air rid testing ground, the 60-foot rocket is slated to take off at 8:00 a.m. central time. >> command start. two, one. >> reporter: just as it has already in more than a dozen test flights like the one seen here. a million horse-power blast from the liquid fueled engine will start the journey. the astronauts will be strapped into a ring of futuristic space seats, about a third of the capsule is made of windows. and the rocket will steadily rotate, changing the view. riding will be their only job. >> it's an autonomous vehicle. it's been designed so that the customers, the astronauts, themselves, can experience the

flight. >> reporter: over the first two minutes, their speed will literally rocket to more than 2,000 miles an hour. g-forces will intensify, until each person feels as if they weigh three-times as much as normal. but that won't last. at two minutes and 45 seconds, the booster engine will fall away. 15 seconds later, as the capsule arcs towards the highest point in the flight, the passengers will start to feel much lighter. and at four minutes, 62 miles up, they will be unbuckled. >> you will get to experience about three to four minutes of weightlessness. again, to gaze out of those big, beautiful windows. maybe, do a couple of somersaults. >> i don't know how it's going to change me but i know it's going to. and i'm excited to find out how. >> reporter: he will have to find out, fast. roughly six minutes into the flight, they will return to their seats and start falling, back, to earth. eventually, going so fast, they'll break the sound barrier, just as they did going up. they won't likely see the booster engine land, a couple of

miles from the launchpad. and once they are close enough to earth, about nine minutes after taking off, parachutes will deploy to slow their descent to 15 miles an hour. then, a retro-thrust system will fire, just before touchdown. >> really, by the time the capsule lands, it is just at about 1 or 2 miles an hour. >> reporter: it won't be anything like orbital flight or what truly-trained astronauts do but it should be quite an experience. and at the going rate of 2 and a half million dollars, per minute, it ought to be. anderson. >> tom, thanks very much. i am joined now by an executive at virgin galactic, who eight days ago flew into space. knows something of what is ahead for bezos and his crew. thanks so much for being with us. so after having a week to reflect on your experience. what -- what was it like? what does it feel like up there? >> you know, i have been asked this question so many times, and i still haven't found the right

word outside of just it's incredible. um, the experience really starts with training. um, so training with your c crew mates and everything from climb, release, boost, which actually was one of my favorite parts. the -- you know, the transition from blue sky to black. and then, of course, seeing earth. the silence of space from apogee was just life changing and really i have a renewed perception of our home planet. >> you know, people talk about that. about sort of a change in perception. bezos has spoken about that. other astronauts have. there are studies about it, which have shown that usually it's people who have spent more time in space. um, you know, for days or -- or longer on the space station. wee weeks or months. who sort of change their perspective. just the short time, the few minutes you were up there, did you feel some sort of change? or -- or new way of kind of thinking about -- about earth? >> yeah, absolutely. i mean, i -- you know, my role

on this flight was to test the researcher capabilities. so i was performing tasks but i had time to take a look out the window. and it's mesmerizing. it's just quite deafening, the colors of earth. and, you know, beyond that, nothing. and it's -- you think that that's -- literally, everything i've known, all the people i know, is just encapsulated in what i am looking at right now. and it's just -- it's -- it's mind boggling, to be honest. and i'm still speechless, to -- to a point, when i think about that view. >> obviously, with this flight is different in number aspects. the distance it goes. also, the fact that it's -- it's taking off from earth in -- in a booster in a rocket. going up at 2,300 miles an hour. um, the launch, different than the virgin galactic one. you know, there's been a lot of talk about billionaires, is this a great way to spend money in space? one of the things that interests me about blue origin, um, is not

just that it's doing potential for space tourism. of bringing paying passengers, which what virgin galactic is also going to be doing. they're really hoping, and bezos talks about this and others talk about kind of building an infrastructure for future-space exploration. and that there -- there's going to be more space exploration, there need to actually be a lot more companies, like this, which are building the infrastructure for space. how do you -- how do you see the future of space exploration? >> yeah, absolutely. i mean, there is a lot of reasons why we go into space. um, i think the thing -- the item that a lot of people think about is building that future infrastructure for living and working in space. but honestly, a lot of our customers and a lot of our researchers go up on our suborbital vehicles to look down on earth and conduct research that is better understanding what is happening on our planet and how our planet's changing.

so i think there is a lot to space travel, both, to further our exploration, our knowledge of our universe. but also, a lot of people are going up to look back down. and i think that's just a part that we -- we skip over, sometimes. we're learning more about our planet. >> do you wish you'd spent more time? i know you had work to do on the flight but do you wish you had spent more time looking out? >> absolutely. i would totally be just a customer on a future-space flight and just look out the window, the entire time. um, it's just amazing view. a lot of windows to do it from. our vehicle "unity." so, definitely, recommend that for anyone going up. find a window and -- and stick to it. >> yeah. well, good advice for the crew going up tomorrow. really, a pleasure to talk to you. congratulations. thank you. >> thank you so much. up next. with the olympics' opening on friday, an alternate member of the u.s. women's gymnastics

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the tokyo olympics are set to begin on friday and covid is already affecting some u.s. athletes. who won't be able to compete. an alternate member of the women's u.s. gymnastics team kara eaker tested positive sunday according to her father. and a member of the women's three by three women's basketball also tested positive for covid-19 after coco gauff tested positive. 11,000 athletes in tokyo or schedule today arrive shortly. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta joins me new. how much already is the coronavirus in the run up to the games? >> it's affecting every aspect of it. as you might imagine. we have gone to places like natural disasters and wars and the planes are always empty when you go there, right. >> it was like that when i flew it tokyo. no one is flying here because

there is no spectators allowed. athletes will feel that as well, not having fans in the stands. then they have to get tested all the time. there is this concern about breakthrough infections. 61 infections in the village. about half roughly have been from japanese residents, about half from foreign athletes. and we haven't really started yet. so those numbers are likely to go up and then they got to go into this process of quarantining, isolating, tracing all the contacts, all the stuff we talked about. it's really all consuming, anderson. >> what do you make of what is -- actually, they have had all these cases and we seem to be learning about new athletes testing positive every day. is it surprising to you to see this? >> it's not surprising. i mean, it's very interesting. i think we will learn something here, anderson, about breakthrough infections. we have typically just said they are rare, right? let me show you what's going on with testing in the united states. the cdc now says if you have

been vaccinated unless you have symptoms you don't have to be tested. so as a result overall testing has come down close to 80%. since end of last year. we don't know what breakthrough infections are. here in the olympic village because of the olympics they are testing everybody. i got tested in 96 hours, 72 hours, tested again in when i landed, just got tested again. i am not surprised we are seeing the cases. the question is are those people going to develop symptoms. the focus has been on eliminating false/negatives. a doctor in charge of putting these protocols together, here is how he described it. >> the absolute priority is reducing false/negatives. that puts people at risk because people in the village who might be infected who don't know it. but also we don't want false/positives because that means an athlete training for seven or eight risks being excluded.

for a test that isn't genuine. so we have been trying to balance the two. the priority has been to minimize false/negatives. >> so you are not going to get it perfect, anderson, in terms of actually finding every single person who is positive at the time. but the side they are erring on is making sure to reduce false/negatives. you will have more positives here. so 61 so far. those numbers are going to go up. >> let's talk about what's going on in the u.s. and elsewhere. i understand you were watching the interview that i did with the surgeon general earlier in the program. some things stood out to you? >> i think one the big questions is going to be about masking indoors again. you brought up the situation. you are vaccinated. should you wear a mask? you know, the idea that if somebody is vaccinated they are very, very low likelihood of getting sick. that's true. low likelihood of developing a transmissable virus, that's true. we know these things. i think the delta variant is definitely changing things.

there was a study that came out last week that said that the viral load in someone who is carrying the delta variant is about 1,000 fold higher than the viral load in the original strain. even people who would have low viral load, might you still be transmissable? sort of look at the weather. you are in texas, right now, 42% vaccination rate there. cases have been going up significantly over there. you don't know who is vaccinated around you. i think we will run into a situation earlier rather than later as you point out with dr. murthy that even if you are vaccinated, if you are in a situation where there is a lot of viral transmission and low vaccination it may be time mask up again. you are seeing that in l.a. the american academy of pediatrics is saying that for students for the fall. we may see that more widely soon. >> yeah. i have been wearing my mask indoors while i'm here and certainly on the plane and airports and as you have to. sanjay, thank you very much.

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a rising prospect in the national hockey league has made an announcement that he is gay, becoming, according to the "new york times," the first player within the nhl to make such a statement. luke prokop wrote on his twitter feed, from a young age i dreamed of being an nhl player and i believe living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self to the rink. he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the nashville predators last year. he has been playing for a developmental league in calgary. we wish him the pest and applaud his courage. let's hand it over to chris. >> appreciate it. i'm chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." arnold schwarzenegger is here tonight. a republican former governor who redefined politics when he became governor in a recall