best-family sitcoms on tv right now, that's what they're doing. >> this american family is headed to their american home. >> that is so cool. >> anne hathaway just totally stood up for this mexican. hello and welcome to our viewers here, in the united states and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. appreciate your company. coming up here on "cnn newsroom." a covid reality check in the form of new data from the u.s. centers for disease control. the jaw-dropping stats on just how important vaccines are in protecting your life. plus, japan's olympics chief insists the games are not to blame for the spike in covid cases in his country. and american gymnast simone biles withdraws from another

olympic event but there's, still, one more chance to see her compete on the big stage . the world health organization says the highly-contagious delta variant of covid-19 is now found in at least 132 countries, worldwide. and threatening to overwhelm many healthcare systems. hospitalizations across the u.s. have tripled, in the last month. a sure sign of a deepening crisis. even vaccinated americans are now being urged to wear face masks in public, again, especially where transmission rates are high. and you can see there, where they're high, it's shown in red. and florida, again, emerging as a hot spot. over the past week, the state reporting a 50% increase in new-covid cases.

we're, also, learning more about fully-vaccinated people, who then become infected. according to the latest data from the u.s. centers for disease control, the so-called breakthrough infections are exceedingly rare. out of more than 160 million americans vaccinated, so far, the cdc says about 6,200 of them contracted covid and needed hospitalization. that, clearly, is a minuscule amount. it's .004%. now, in california, where more than half of residents are fully vaccinated, the delta variant fueling an alarming rise in hospitalizations. and one icu doctor says, almost every covid patient at his hospital is unvaccinated. cnn's paul vercammen with more. >> reporter: the covid-19 numbers, still, trending up in california. more than 10,000 new cases, at last count. and more than 4,000 hospitalizations.

now, that includes mid-sized hospitals, such as this one behind me, providence, in tarzana. the director of the intensive-care unit telling me that almost everyone in his unit has been unvaccinated. he, strongly, advises everyone to get vaccinated. what he says is, when there has been a case of someone who had the vaccine and still got covid, he does not like the term breakthrough. >> for 20 years, i have taken care of patients that develop infl influenza they've been vaccinated. we don't call those breakthrough cases. i would call them expected cases and for the past five, six months when the vaccine's been available, my conversation with my patients has always been that, yes, you could still get the infection but the vaccine protects you in terms of developing severe covid. the vaccine prevents the hospitalization and the death. it's kind of, you know, a seatbelt doesn't protect you from getting into a car accident. it protects you from dying or, you know, becoming severely disabled from a car accident. >> reporter: and the director of

the icu emphasizes there is nothing patriotic, in his words, about not getting the vaccine or wearing a mask indoors. in fact, he said, just recently, a 49-year-old woman who was being treated for covid-19 with oxygen just up and left the hospital. saying the virus is fake. he says that's no way to stop the pandemic. reporting from tarzana, i'm paul vercammen. now, back to you. now, as the effort to boost vaccinations grows more urgent, some communities are using incentives to encourage people. in georgia, where less than half of residents are fully vaccinated, one metro atlanta county handing out $50 gift cards, during a vaccination drive on saturday. and it seemed to work. more than 200 people received a shot, during the event, and many said they showed up because of the money. one county leader, telling cnn's natasha chen the cost is worth it, if it means saving lives.

>> it's a low-cost way to save lives. what is the value of a human life? and i can tell you this, natasha. it's a heck of a lot more than $50. so far, we've invested, just overall, about $10,000. it's not a lot of money. we've been given $50 debit cards. the president suggested $100. now, his bank account is bigger than mine. mr. president, you want to help us out? we'll be more than delighted to do it. >> now, when the covid pandemic hit, millions of americans, suddenly, couldn't make ends meet. and became at risk of losing their homes. well, the federal government stepped in and ordered a moratorium on evictions. but in the past few hours, that moratorium expired. now, those millions of american renters could, soon, be forced out of their homes. house speaker nancy pelosi, blaming the republican party in a tweet on saturday. calling their failure to pass an

extension of the legislation, quote, pure cruelty. while it is true that the gop blocked an extension on friday, democrats didn't have the votes in their own caucus to pass the bill, either. and with house members, now, gone on recess, there is little chance an extension will be passed, anytime soon. politics. the global battle to end the covid-19 pandemic is facing even more challenges, meanwhile. in china, health officials say hundreds of new cases connected to the airport have now been identified. and have spread to ten provinces, since the outbreak was reported nearly-two weeks ago. officials say the cluster was caused by the delta variant. the city has closed all of its tourist sites. it's disinfecting the airport and performing mass testing on its 9 million residents. in france, more than 200,000 people, nationwide, protested

against mandatory coronavirus health pass for entry to a wide array of public venues. it's the third weekend of demonstrations, as covid cases continue to rise across france. and the south indian state, well, it goes into lockdown this weekend. the state reporting more than 22,000 new cases, a day, for three-consecutive days last week. now, despite the current-covid vaccines being very effective against variants, experts fear that might not always be the case. new analysis by a group of british scientists indicates that, eventually, a covid variant could evade current vaccines. and while the analysis isn't peer reviewed, it is, still, alarming. scientisting writing that it is unlikely the virus will be eradicated and it is almost certain a variant will, eventually, emerge that leads to current-vaccine failure. professor andrew is a

virologist at johns hopkins bloomberg school of public health. he joins me, now, from baltimore. thanks for doing so, professor. this -- this is a fascinating issue. delta is dominating the -- the variant discussion, at the moment. what makes it so worrying? and what makes a variant dangerous? or -- or more dangerous than the previous iteration? >> well, when we look at the sequence of this virus, it has some important mutations that we think are going to affect the way the virus interacts with cells. it looks like it's going to bind more tight ly to cells. it has some mutations that might allow it to escape from some immunity that's induced by vaccination. and it, also, looks like it's approaching that works faster than other variants. so it may be, again, more efficient at getting into cells. so all that stuff, on paper, makes us think about this virus as something important. but then, on top of that, we have the epidemiological data. the -- the numbers of cases, the spread of virus, the numbers of

hospitalized patients, particularly unvaccinated people, that really is that proof that this virus is doing something different from previous variants. >> right. interesting. and -- and -- and, of course, we've seen several variants. some, of concern. some, perhaps, not as worrying. there is a lot of talk, at the moment, about the lambda -- i think i am saying that right -- variant. which the w.h.o. says is a variant of interest in nearly-30 countries, now. are you concerned about that? and are there other emerging variants, which worry you? >> there are a lot of variants that are out there. you know, it's important to note that we expect viruses, particularly viruses like coronaviruses, to mutate. and so, every time a virus mutates, it essentially is a variant. what we're looking for are those signs that the variant viruses are behaving better than the previous ones and, again, we can do that by looking at the sequences. we can do that by following the viruses. there are several that are floating around, right now, that

could be of worry. lambda is one of them. the c. 1.621 virus that hasn't been given a greek name yet is, yet, another one that's been entering in the united states and causing some cases. but really, right now, delta is the focus of almost everybody that i know of. >> in -- in -- in the broader picture, what do you make of the analysis that came out today by british academics? not peer reviewed but published by the uk government's scientific-advisory group. which says that they believe it is, in their words, almost certain that a variant will emerge that will, quote, lead to current-vaccine failure. i mean, do you -- do you worry about that? >> i -- i think we, as virologists, always worry about that. it's incredibly difficult to predict when, or how, that'll happen. you know, i think it's very clear, though, that sars-cov-2 is -- is really going to be a disease that we're going to be dealing with, from now on. we won't be able to eradicate this disease. it's spread too far.

it's too efficient at infecting humans. so eventually, we are going to have to treat this disease, kind of, like we treat measles, mumps, influenza. we'll -- we'll have vaccines. we'll, eventually, develop strong antivirals. and we will find ways to minimize the impact of this virus on human health. but we'll never be able to get rid of it. >> hope -- hopefully, it -- it can become -- and i think you said this, too -- sort of like a flu shot, every year. hopefully, that'll be -- that'll be the case. um, the -- you know, the other thing i was going to ask you, though. you know, how frustrating is it, for you, as a virologist, to know that there is a way out of this with the vaccines, and yet so many people haven't gotten one and may never get one? >> it really is incredibly frustrating because, in all sincerity, in all honesty, based on the facts, we've got vaccines against covid-19 that have proven to be safe. that have proven to be efficacious.

and for some reason, we're not being able to really get to that level of vaccination, in this country -- um, and in many places around the globe -- that would really help us knock down this virus, to a level that would make it really something that we can control, easily. it's -- it's a multifaceted problem, i understand that. but at the end of the day, the simple message is these vaccines work. these vaccines are safe. and we could be in a very different place, right now, if we moved the vaccination rate up to 75, 80% of the population in the u.s. >> and -- and real quick, the -- the world, as well. i mean, the whole lesson is that variants thrive where there is spread. and -- and widespread spread. and we're not even seeing africa -- i don't think they were at 2% of -- of -- of vaccination levels. how worried are you about the -- the slow space of vaccinating the world where other variants can come? >> this is an incredibly

important point. you know, viruses mutate, at a set rate. couple of mutations, every time it replicates in a person. if you allow these viruses to replicate, unchecked, you're just going to increase the likelihood that a mutation is going to emerge. and then, a mutation can occur anywhere in the world. we have seen that with the alpha variant. we've seen that with the delta variant. these mutations occur anywhere, and then can spread globally because of transport. we have to think about this pandemic, at a global level. and utilize these vaccines everywhere. because the next variant could emerge anywhere in the world. and as we've seen, before, it can spread relatively quickly around the globe. >> professor, thank you so much. really appreciate your insights and your expertise on this. >> my pleasure. thank you for having me. israel is kicking off what its prime minister calls a pioneering move when it comes to covid vaccinations.

the nation rolling out booster shots for some of its residents, who are over 60, and are already fully vaccinated. few countries have started offering booster shots, yet. and israel's rollout might affect decision makers in other nations. hadas gold joins me now from jerusalem with more on that. i know the president was first in line for a booster, the other day. how -- how is it going to work? and what are israelis saying about the whole notion of boosters? >> so, michael, as of right now, any israeli over the age of 60 who received their second dose of that vaccine, more than five months ago, is, at this moment, eligible for that third-booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine. prime minister naftali bennett made the announcement to the country last week saying that they made this decision based on the evidence. they say data shows that the vaccine efficacy may be anwanin over time. especially, when you consider this population, which is already more vulnerable to coronavirus, finished their two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. for many of them here in israel,

the early part of the year. so now, they will be eligible for that third-booster shot. now, in speaking with the israelis, just a handful of them. there isn't that sort of mad rush that we saw, especially at the end of last year, at the beginning of this year for people in israel to get the vaccine but many, many are planning to do so. and actually, the overall-vaccine uptake for this population, according to the israeli health ministry, is quite high. something like 88% in the 60 and 69 age range have received both doses of the vaccine. so there is an expectation here that a lot of them will go out and get the vaccine. and israeli media is actually, already, reporting that just for today tens of thousands of vaccine appointments have, already, been made. and according to israeli media, there is a goal that something, like, 1.5 million of these doses will be administered just within the first ten days and as you noted, israeli president isaac herzog was the first one to get this shot. all part of this effort to get this population out there to get

this booster shot. michael. >> and -- and hadas, what are the chances rising-case numbers in israel could lead to more restrictions? i mean, even lockdowns? >> well, there have been rising-case numbers, for several days now. there have been more than 2,000 positive cases, per day. and for the first time, today, more than 200 people are listed as in critical condition in hospital. but the prime minister said, specifically, that part of the reason of this third-booster shot campaign is trying to prevent the lockdowns. to try to keep the economy and the education system open because, as of right now, things are relatively open within israel, itself. restaurants are open. gyms are open. hotels are open. but there is the worry that, if these cases continue to rise and if these vaccinations are not taken up, that it could lead to another lockdown but that is something the prime minister has specifically said they are trying to avoid. >> hadas, thanks. hadas gold there in jerusalem for us. and we shall take a quick break here on the program. when we come back, day nine of the tokyo olympics.

japan recording more, new coronavirus cases than ever. we'll talk about what's behind the jump. also, u.s. gymnastics star, simone biles, considering her next steps in the olympics. and she's made one decision. we'll have it, when we come back. at philadelphia, we know what makes the perfect schmear of cream cheese. you need only the freshest milk and cream. that one! and the world's best, and possibly only, schmelier. philadelphia. schmear perfection. there's an america we build and one we explore. one that been paved and one that's fever wild. but freedom means you don't have to choose just o adventure. you get both. introducing the wildly civilized all-new 3-row jeep grand cherokee l

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it is day nine of the tokyo olympics. and we're learning that simone biles will be sitting out another event. u.s. gymnastics say that she's withdrawn from the floor-exercise final, on monday. and is considering whether or not to compete in the beam event. meanwhile, in today's competitions, ten -- tennis is wrapping up and we will be seeing plenty of athletic-field events. and all of this coming, though, as japan is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases. on saturday, the country recording more than 12,000 new infections. that is the highest single-day increase since the pandemic began. joining me, now, blake essig is in tokyo. and cnn's sports andy scholes is

here in atlanta. let's go to you, andy. bring us up to date on simone biles. there is one event left but we don't know what she is going to do. >> that's right, michael. after she decided not to do the individual all around and then she opted out of the vault and the bars, biles has now pulled out of the floor exercise final, as well. due to mental health. now, biles says she's been dealing with a case of the twisties. which is a word gymnasts use to describe a mental block they can't shake, which causes them to get lost in the air while doing moves they've done, thousands and thousands of times. now, usa gymnastics made the announcement on twitter saying, simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor, and will make a decision on beam later this week. either way, we're all behind you, simone. biles came into the tokyo games as the face for team usa with the hopes of winning six gold medals. the only event left for her, now, would be that beam final on tuesday. and, michael, if the timeline says the same, we should find out whether or not she is going

to compete in that sometime tomorrow. >> yeah. yeah. and, andy, swimming wrapped up on sunday. american swimming phenom, caeleb dressel, i think i just read a quote from him saying it's not about the medals. >> i tell you what, dressel has certainly etched his name in the record books and will be remembered for a long time for this performance in tokyo. went out with a bang. dressel just been incredible for team usa this entire olympics and he is heading home after getting gold in all three of his solo events and two more in the relays for five, total. and on sunday, dressel, first, swimming in the 50-meter freestyle. the 24-year-old winning gold with an olympic-record time in that event. dressel later said that that was his warmup for the men's 4-by-100 medley relay. he swam the butterfly leg. helped the u.s. set a world record to wrap up the swimming events there, in tokyo. the u.s. men have never lost the 4 by 100 medley relay. they have won it all 15 times and after going three for three in his solo races, dressel, he becomes only the third man to win gold in three-individual

swimming events at one olympics joining michael phelps and mark spitz. >> i think the u.s. has been dominant, for so many years. and for me to have my -- my little stamp on the sport, of course, it's special. i don't want to take anything away from michael. i don't want to take anything away from -- from mark. you know? and, of course, i'm happy with how i did here. it's not my goal to beat anybody, in particular. it's about achieving what i feel like my potential is. >> yeah. dress -- dressel, humble there but definitely going to be a swimming legend, for years to come now. and american bobby fink. meanwhile, he continued to be a huge surprise for team usa at these games. he captured gold in a 1500 meter free style sunday. the 21-year-old from florida, the first american to win the men's 1,500 meter free since 1984. fink was relatively unknown before the u.s. trials but now he is going to go home with two gold medals. and australia's emma mckeon will

have quite the homecoming, as well. she made history winning her sixth and seventh medals in tokyo on wednesday. the seven medals are most ever in a single olympics by a female swimmer. she won the 50 meter freestyle in olympic-record time. and then, less than an hour later, she got her historic-seventh medal when she took the butterfly leg and helped the aussies win the 4-by-100 medley relay. also, with olympic-record time. and australia added another gold as logan martin won the first-ever bmx freestyle competition. the aussies up to 13 gold, in fourth place right now. china, in front, with 22 gold. usa, in second, with 19. but you look at that medal count there, you know, michael. australia just has a population of a little more than 25 million, and they're up there, you know, with the big dogs haning in, in fourth place. >> i was going to say, you said australia in fourth place with little sound of surprise in your voice. why -- what are you -- >> just saying they have a fraction of the population of the other countries.

you know, per capita, they are doing quite well. >> we love the swimming for sure, that's' for sure. that is very true. andy, great stuff. thanks so much, andy scholes there. let's turn now to blake essig in tokyo, where he's been throughout. i wanted to ask you about the -- the covid-case surge there. i mean, positivity rates approaching 20%. must be hugely concerning. >> yeah, look, michael. here in tokyo, and across japan, cases are increasing and spreading, faster than ever, before. to put that into perspective, just this past week, japan recorded a record-high case count, nationwide, three times. and here in tokyo, a new benchmark was set, four times. now, cases have been rising inside the olympic bubble. cases have remained relatively low. and earlier today, tokyo 2020 officials made it a point to come out and say that the olympics is not behind the recent surge in cases. denying that the games have created a flow of people. now, sure, no fans are in the stands. but as you walk the streets of tokyo and attend various-olympic

events, it's clear that, that's not exactly true. now, this is what it looked like on the streets lining the triathlon-mixed relay on saturday. thousands of people, shoulder to should, lining the route to catch a glimpse of some olympic action. of course, they are not supposed to be there. outside the national stadium, hundreds of people are constantly streaming in and out just for the chance to take a picture next to the olympic rings. for many, this is as close as they are going to get to the olympics. and despite the state of emergency, some people are willing to risk it just for the chance to have that olympic moment. take a listen. >> translator: i have been watching the olympic competitions on tv from home because the events in tokyo can't have spectators. but i really wanted to get a feel for the olympic spirit. so, i came here. my friends were, also, posting photos on instagram of themselves by the olympic rings. so, i wanted to take some, too. >> now, michael, clearly, you know, health and safety remains a concern. and that's not going to change.

but i was at the bmx freestyle event today and even though the -- the stands were empty, hundreds of meters away, hundreds of fans were lining this bridge just for the chance to catch a glimpse of the action taking place. i imagine, they only saw a sliver. but again, just puts into perspective what people are willing to do to see and experience these olympic games. >> yeah. and -- and -- and you and i e-mail a lot before the shows to get a sense of what you are up to. and i kept saying to you, are you going to go see an event? are you going to see event? you're like, no, no, no, no chance. you finally got to a stadium. you saw a couple of things. my question for you is what was it like to be there in these huge stadiums with virtually no spectators, a few, but not many? >> yeah, you know, michael, look. you and i have, both, covered the olympics in the past and experienced that olympic atmosphere, firsthand. it really is special. i think you can agree with that. but this time around, it was completely different, honestly. experiencing these olympic games has been surreal, especially having the chance to actually go

to some events. now, i went and watched some track and field the other night and it's held in the national stadium, 68,000 people. but there were only several-hundred people scattered around inside the stadium. we sat in the front row. dead center. nobody around us. we had the best seats in the house that money cannot buy, given the fact that no spectators are allowed. and it's something that i will, truly, never forget. but that being said, it was, also, hard to overlook the empty seats. they played music, almost the entire time, to help mask the silence. occasionally, when it did stop, you were left with the sense, the reality, that things are very different. this is not the typical-olympic experience. you know, nobody wanted this. absolutely surreal. i'm glad i was able to experience it. hope that, if i ever do cover the olympics again, that it's different next time given, you know, some fans in the stands to feel that buzz and excitement that, typically, accompanies the event. >> yeah.

yeah. i have covered a couple and i have never seen what you saw. so, unique experience for you. yeah. blake, good to see you. i'm glad you did get into to see something so that's good. blake essig there, in tokyo. appreciate it. #. now, australia has more protests against covid lockdowns in sydney at least for now. next up, a police show of force dissuades demonstrators from hitting the streets. we'll be right back. [sfx: radio] welcome to allstate. ♪ [band plays] ♪ a place where everyone lives life well-protected. ♪ and even when ththings go a bit wrong, we've got your back. here, things work the way you wish they would. and better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. what's on the horizon? the answers lie beyond the roads we know. we recognize that energy demand is growing,

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welcome back to our viewers here, in the united states and all around the world. appreciate your company. i'm michael holmes. you are watching "cnn newsroom." now, the world health

organization says the delta variant has now spread to at least 132 countries. and because of it, many places are bringing back lockdowns, of some measure. and other restrictions. cnn's phil black with our report. >> reporter: the tdelta variant. three words repeated in almost every language, in almost every country in the world. more than a year and a half after the novel coronavirus was, first, detected in china, there's an alarming, new outbreak in the country. spreading, rapidly, china is returning to its strict methods of containment. mass testing. and locking down infected areas to try to extinguish the latest outbreak. this restrictive approach has been successful in china. but in other places, around the world, rumblings over coronavirus measures are spilling out into the streets. like, in france, which is instituting mandatory vaccinations for health workers and health passes to enter bars and restaurants.

>> translator: i'm sick of the freedom-killing measures of this government. and for me, the health pass is one measure too many. >> reporter: there have been similar protests across europe. a bitter divide in the united states over getting vaccinated. and growing resentment in parts of australia over lockdowns. # but despite recent protests, the australian government says restrictions will continue, where required. brisbane is the latest city, along with other areas in the state of queensland to undergo a snap lockdown. some people are stocking up, before staying home. >> it's very unfortunate we are all in this sort of situation. but i guess, you know, we don't want to end up like new south wales. so act hard, fast, now, and hopefully we don't see that happen here. >> reporter: emphasizing that vaccines are the best way out. the world health organization warns the world is at risk of losing its hard-won gains against the virus. a backsliding that's evident in countries that were, once, relatively successful in curbing covid-19.

thailand and malaysia are experiencing surges of disease. and on saturday, reported record-high daily-neinfection numbers. india was, slowly, recovering from being a previous epicenter of the virus. it's now imposing new lockdowns in some states where cases are, once again, rising. and experts warn, another wave could hit, soon. if vaccinations don't pick up pace. the highly-transmissible delta variant has changed the world's understanding of the pandemic. leaving countries scrambling to adapt to this far-more forbidable formidable version of the virus. phil black, cnn, essex, england. >> and cnn's steven jiang is in china following a covid outbreak connected to the airport. what's the latest on the numbers and the level of concern? >> well, michael, the latest number was on saturday, the

government recorded 78 new locally transmitted cases. this obviously pales in comparison to what we are seeing in many parts of the world but here in china, they hadn't seen this level of infection for months. and this spread of this cluster is really showing no sign of abating with new cases being reported throughout the day and now impacting people from all walks of life. not just the airport staff, originally. but also, airline crews and also tourists and doctors and nurses. so that's why we are seeing the government doing not only the usual playbook of multiple rounds of mass testing and extensive tracing. but also, increasingly, local authorities have reimposed more draconian measures we hadn't seen for a long time. here in beijing, they have locked down for than 40,000 residents for just two confirmed cases. and by all accounts, around the -- the country, we are now having millions of residents, again, confined to their homes as the government has designated more than 80 so-called high and medium-risk areas. now, all of this, of course, is happening in the middle of the

peak-summer travel season, as well. so, we are starting to see many very popular tourist attractions and airports being shut down with local officials now warning or at least advising local residents not to leave town. all of this, potentially, translating into billions of dollars of lost revenues. and presenting the central leadership here with that dilemma, again, which is how to strike a balance between containing this virus and growing the economy? and so far, we are not seeing any sign that they are going to change their current approach. which is zero tolerance towards locally-transmitted cases. so, michael, do expect to see more lockdowns and a sharp drop in domestic travel here. michael. >> all right, stephen, thanks. steven jiang there in beijing for us. quick break here on the program. when we come back, the first group of afghan translators are now, safely, on american soil. but, thousands, tens of thousands, wait in fear, pleading to get out of the country. is there a lack of urgency by the u.s.? many say yes. we'll discuss, after the break.

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welcome back. the taliban are making more territorial gains all across afghanistan. as the u.s. troop withdrawal nears completion. let's show you a map here, and you can see there, marked in red, the huge swaths of land that the insurgent group now controls. the speed, with which the taliban has expanded is causing a lot of concerns that major population centers could fall. the pentagon says, about 95% of american forces have, already, left the country. meanwhile, the first group of afghan translators that worked alongside american troops are now on u.s. soil. about 200 afghans, made up of special immigrant visa applicants and their families arrived at ft. lee in virginia on friday. n now, this initial group is part of 700 afghan interpreters set to arrive in the u.s., in the

coming weeks. but that number is just a fraction of the roughly-20,000 afghan nationals, plus their families, who are in the special immigrant visa pipeline. that's around 80,000 people, in all. only about half of those are in -- and about half of those are in the very beginning stages of the process. matt zeller is a truman national security project fellow. he also served in the u.s. army, and deployed to afghanistan. he is the founder of no one left behind, a nonprofit dedicated to helping these interpreters navigate the u.s.-visa process and set up their new lives here, in the u.s. matt, good to see you, once again, on this issue. we -- we've been talking about this, literally, for years, you and i. some translators and their families have a i rrived and ths great but how frustrating is it that tsit's taken this long? and more importantly, that there

are literally tens of thousands of others who have not been processed and are still under threat? >> you know, michael, um, i'm glad that the war has ended. it -- it probably should have ended a long time ago. but how we end it is now what matters, most. and thus far, we have been ending it in shame. like, we -- we left our largest airfield with our longest-wartime partner ever and how did we leave it? left in the middle of the night. we turned off the power, without telling them. and we most fundamentally left every single one of these wartime allies behind. we just took our troops home. we, merely weeks ago, had all of the people and personnel and equipment in place to save them. but we cadidn't use it and that what is so tragic about all of this. so, look, i am beyond thankful that the president and his team have, finally, taken it seriously. are doing their best to save as many people as they can. and that they have begun this pipeline. but i fear, it might be too little, too late. >> i was just going to ask you that. given what we have seen in terms of the frustrating lack of

urgency of, frankly, disgraceful slow walk of bureaucracy. given the increasing-taliban control of the country. do you realistically think many of those 80,000 or so other translators and family members will, actually, get out? >> i -- that's my biggest fear. so the association of wartime allies pulled the -- the interpreter population and what they learned was about half of them live outside of kabul. it's about 44,000 people is what we've learned. you know, there -- if they are in places like helmin, which as we are speaking, might be falling to the taliban. there is an ongoing battle, as we're talking right now. um, if they are in places like kandahar, harat, again, ongoing battles at the periphery, some places inside the cities, i don't know how those people get to kabul. and thus far, you know, they can't make the travel, themselves. the taliban control the roads. there aren't commercial-air flights and the afghan army is a

little busy losing to the taliban. so unless we go and get them, i don't see how they make it to the one airfield we decided which is the only place they can get to safety. >> it's incredible. this has really been a failure of planning, failure of government. how much of a kick in the guts is it to americans who served with these people, who such as yourself, literally, had their lives saved by translators and others? >> you know, these guys stood shoulder to shoulder, men and women. you know, they stood shoulder to shoulder with us. in the most arduous and difficult of circumstances and they did it over and over, again. i was fortunate. when my tour of duty was over, i got to go home. they went on to the next unit and the next mission. over and over and over, again. and we made a promise. we looked them in the eye. people, like me, looked these people in the eye and we said, we'd be there for you in your moment of need. and now, we're failing to keep that. it is the most brutal of betrayals. it feels like we have forsaken an oath.

>> it -- it is gut wrenching. i -- i know. and for you, very personally. real quick, because let -- let's try to end on a positive note. some of these guys are here. let's see how many more get out. is there a system set up so those who do get out have a smooth entry into american society? and we are looking at some of your video, now, of some of those arrivals. is there a system to welcome them in and settle them? >> yeah. you know, that's the one thing that there is in place. we do have what's called a refugee resettlement program. and these guys fall into their own sort of special category of it. um, so, the people who are currently at ft. lee are going through their final paperwork checks, medical processing, that they needed to do. and then, they're going to be admitted to the united states. they'll be given green cards. at that point, the charity that's been assigned their case is called catholic charities. and what they'll do is they'll help them figure out which of one of 20 cities they can pick in the united states that they get to go to that have

affiliative catholic charities in those cities. they will have rent paid for, for about 90 days so they will have their first three months sort of covered and they will be provided with some modest furnishings and a little bit of job assistance and placement. but what they are really going to need are the american people to step up for them and that's where organizations like no one left behind have come in really well. you know, the folks at the iraq and afghan veterans of america, iava, have been fundamental in helping resettle these guys. there is a lot of organizations of the country that are all sort of nonprofits and volunteer organizations that really step up and try to help them -- help them the way they helped us. sort of a reverse role now. >> i -- i hope they have a smooth entry and i know you and others will be working to make that happen. i -- i -- i share your -- well, anger, that this has started so late. and that it is inevitable that thousands of these people will not get out. and -- and may well die because of the -- the slow walk. keep at it.

we'll -- yeah, quick. real quick, matt. >> we have a podcast. it's called "wartime allies." and that's the hardest part about doing it. when we take their interviews because we are talking to them over there, live. sometimes, it feels like we're taking their last testaments and it's just -- it's -- it's hard. it's gut wrenching. >> and -- and it's a disgrace. keep up the fight, matt. we will be there with you and keep following this. matt zeller, thanks so much. >> thank you, so much. >> and we'll be right back. we are go for launch. ♪ t-minus s two minutes and counting. ♪ um, she's eating the rocket. -copy that, she's eatiting the rocket. i assume we needed that? [chomping sound] ♪ lunchables! built to be eaten. she has eaten the rocket. [girl burps] over. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your

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now of course, many people wanted japan to cancel the olympics. now that they're under way, the country's olympians are lifting people's spirits with a bit of a gold rush going on. a record 17 gold medals. a surfing medal is pretty special. cnn sat down with its newly minted owner, kenoa igarashi. >> when you see stuff like this, how does this make you feel? >> oh, wow. wow. >> you know, you're in -- >> speechless.

>> -- many ways the face of these games. at the airport, i saw your insta story, you're on bags at the gift shop. what kind of added weight did that bring and how did you manage it during these games? >> you have a wholly that's depending -- not depending but expecting a medal. obviously the pressure of wanting to do good for my parents and to be able to show the medal, being able to celebrate something after so much hype around it for so long, it would be the biggest nightmare if i, you know, came out of the olympic village with nothing in my hands. i mean, it sounds so self ir, but this is my life and i have a lot of passion for this. being able to walk out with a medal, being able to walk out not just with a medal, but being able to represent the people that are close to me, i felt like it was a mission accomplished. >> japan is absolutely crushing it at these games. >> yeah. >> and you know this has been a very difficult time for the people of this beautiful place. how does sport impact the society?

>> well, to be honest, i really didn't realize the impact sport has on a country until this week. you know, from the opening ceremony to just social media, just seeing how much a sport can bring together, not just the country, but the whole world. i mean, seriously, i had a special moment just by myself in the olympic village the other day. just walking around. everyone just, you know -- everyone's so friendly. so many different sports and countries. hey what do you do? how are you doing? how's training? how is your event? then, hey, let's go have a coffee, let's go have lunch. and sport unifies, just brings everyone together. and like you said, in a time like this with the pandemic that everyone's gone through, it isn't easy for anyone.

and to celebrate sport and to bring everyone together through the sport, you know, to each other, we did this. we've overcome one of the biggest challenges that we've ever gone through. not just as an athlete, but as a human. you know, that's why i think this olympic tradition has been so special. that's why i feel like, especially in japan, the japanese athletes, in a way, we're kind of in the front line. we're the first people in the ceremony. just leading the other countries saying, hey, let's do this, let's represent our sports, let's represent our country, let represent the world. and i think that was a really strong message that has happened and is going on in this olympics. >> great performance. that was cnn sports coy wire and surfer igarashi. thanks for spending part of your day with me. i'm michael holmes. follow me on instagram and twitter. robyn curnow with more news in

just a moment.

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