this morning in afghanistan, emergency flights are continuing to ferry americans and others out of kabul and away from the taliban. this as president biden is coming under even more pressure to step up and quell the dire situation. ne, to haiti where tropical storm grace has hampered rescue efforts and the death toll nears 2,000 covid cases on the rise including a positive test for texas' governor. plus, why a booster will be recommended at eight months. america is in the midst of

the third largest boom in history. and then the future of work. how companies have been forced to adjust in the wake of the pandemic, and even evermore demanding from their employees "early today" is starting right now. good morning to you. i'm phillip mena >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera this morning a race to aid afghan allies. up to 15,000 passport-carrying americans remain in the country. over 15,000 people including u.s. nationals were included yesterday. a grim discovery, a body was found in the landing gear of a military plane and speaking publicly for the first time, former president donald trump called the chaos humiliating. >> it's a terrible time for our country. i don't think in all of the years our country has ever been so humiliated. i don't know would you call it a military defeat or a psychological defeat there's never been anything like what's happened here >> the pentagonsaid some 4,000

u.s. troops would be at the airport in kabul helping with evacuation efforts amid the race to get americans and afghans out of afghanistan, the biden administration is defending its handling of the withdrawal jay, good morning. the administration is facing growing criticism this morning >> yeah, good morning. they absolutely are. and, look, the president back at the white house this morning, he and his senior staff at this point defending their actions and what's going on in afghanistan right now and blaming the ongoing chaos at least in part on the trump white house. >> the previous administration drew down from 15,000 troops to 2,500 troops and even at 15,000, the af began government forces were losing ground what has unfolded over the past month has proven decisively that it would've taken a significant american troop presence multiple times greater than what

president biden was handed to stop a taliban onslaught we would have taken casualties >> biden put us in this position he should've gotten the civilians out first, then he should've taken the military we have billions of dollars of brand new equipment. take the equipment out and then take the soldiers out. and frankly, i said take the soldiers out, but before you leave, blow up all the forts because we built these forts that are being now used by the enemy. >> mr. trump there referring to what the white house yesterday conceded as billions of dollars in state-of-the-art military equipment including black hawk helicopters that are now in the hands of the taliban >> and america's longest war overseen by foreign administrations. jay, thanks. the situation in afghanistan hits very close to home for some people in the u.s. a woman in kansas who has family in that country has dedicated her life to helping refugees in her

community. reporter emma james with an affiliate spoke with her >> reporter: the gunshots and screams are difficult for maria to process >> just sitting there helpless as the international community stains in american history unfolding right now. and in some ways, we're watching evil prevail >> reporter: she was born in iran and moved to kansas city eight years ago. her nonprofit serves refugee and immigrant youth. she expects an increase in afghan refugees to kansas city soon after the taliban took control, her biggest worry is about the progress and advancement for women and young girls over the last 20 years. >> hope was passed down to these young girls that they could become one day, that they could just have the basic human rights that is right now being stripped

away from them >> reporter: she wants the men and women who served in afghanistan to know their work wasn't in vain >> i think that their presence and their sacrifices stirred the hearts of afghan people, that they saw a difference, they saw a taste of democracy, and i think that there are going to afghans who are going to rise up and fight to hold onto that democracy. >> reporter: she hopes people understand this isn't the end of the story of afghanistan >> afghanistan has fallen today, but i don't believe that afghanistan has fallen >> and our thanks to emma james for that report. the coronavirus continues to wage a fierce battle in the united states. it's now surpassed 37 million infections since the pandemic began. the latest numbers confirmed by nbc news also found that there have been more than 620,000 deaths if you plan on traveling you have have to continue wearing masks on buses, trains and flights through next year.

this as the white house may soon recommend covid booster shots for all americans. >> reporter: as covid cases continue to spread across the country, sources tell nbc news, federal healthexperts are expec soon recommend covid booster shots for most americans the plan would be for people who have already received the second dose of the pfizer or moderna booster shots eight months later. >> we're dealing with an illness that mankind has never seen before, and we're trying to figure it out as we move forward. >> reporter: moving forward in a separate program, third doses are already being administered to immunocompromised americans following last week's fda authorization. >> there was no hesitation >> why weren't you hesitating? >> because i trust science >> reporter: while the highly contagious delta variant surges,

communities and cities are also taking steps to slow the spread. new york city is requiring proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and many entertainment venues >> do you have your cards with you or negative tests? similar measures in new orleans. in dallas at the band's request, the price of admission to monday night's maroon 5 concert required proof of vaccination or a negative covid test. dansen man, nbc news turning now to haiti where the death toll continues to soar after saturday's earthquake. more than 1,900 lives have been lost, and the number of injured climbed to 10,000. tropical storm grace hit the island unicef estimates that more than 1.2 million people have been impacted and half of them are children opening statements in the long-awaited trial of singer r. kelly begin today. kelly is facing multiple counts including racketeering and sexual exploitation of children. the charges involve six women

and girls. he denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. this is the second time kelly has been prosecuted. he was acquitted on child pornography charges in 2008. california's dixie fire has grown to nearly 627,000 acres in size, and is blazing toward the foothills of the sierra nevada it is threatening cities the caldorf fire has grown and pg&e has begun public power safety shutoffs amid fire concerns, affecting about 51,000 customers in northern california i got a chance to see it firsthand in the lake tahoe area, a hundred miles away, just could not see the beautiful views because of these fires, specifically the dixie fire. nbc meteorologist janessa webb is joining us. janessa, good morning. >> yeah, you know, for the

pacific northwest we do have med some monsoonal moisture, but it's not headed to the coastal areas. i do want to talk about fred that continues to dump just a ton of rain just coming in for the higher elevations the mountains areas boone to asheville, north carolina, 9 inches of rain this is devastating flooding in that area causing landslides now, this storm system will continue to make its way to the north. and that's why we have glad flash watches posed for eight states across the northeast. 24 million people going to be impacted this afternoon all the way into thursday. so the system will continue to lift it's new york city to the philadelphia area. i'm really concerned about going into tonight you're going to see some torrential rain making its way

across the area with tornados that will spark up later on this evening. and then that area of low pressure will push off to shore. now we do still have tropical storm grace that now has made its way into open water. and this is really going to gain some steam it will become a hurricane as we go into later this afternoon into ya ton of sunshine even foe midwest dealing with rain this afternoon. i do have some cooler temperatures that are going to help the wildfire danger across the west coast we'll talk about that coming up. >> okay, janessa, we'll hear from you then. the girl scouts are debuting a new treat. the organization said the upcoming adventure cookie

combines chocolate and caramel flavors and smooth and crispy textures the season runs january through april, but may vary depending on the region every purchase of the cookie lines helps fuel local girl scouts adventures throughout the year thin mints always tops the list. what do singles need to earn to live well in each state > planswer's up next >>us, the future of work and the new power of employees and one we explore one that's been paved and one that's forever wild but freedom means you don't have to choose just one adventure ♪ ♪ you get both. introducing the all-new 3-row jeep grand cherokee l jeep. there's only one.

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$40,000 before taxes just to survive in hawaii while the total required income in north dakota is just over $27,000 before taxes in our series the future of work, companies are struggling to retain employees in the workplace. >> reporter: it's being called the great resignation, prompted by the pandemic, millions of americans re-evaluating their lives and moving on. record numbers quit their jobs in may and june. clare left her consulting job for more work flexibility and time with her kids >> reporter: from a family life balance perspective we can make different decisions. >> reporter: a staggering 10.1 million job openings. soaring home prices have made it activity for this software company to attract employees so it's now offering onsite

daycare, a cafeteria, fitness programs, physical therapists, and most importantly flexible working options. >> we're seeing employees that really when they are outside of work they don't want to be at work so we are seeing a pretty significant shift in that where work is something that we do but it's not the only thing we do anymore and their lives really do matter. >> reporter: that change of mindset is forcing companies big and small to change their return-to-work approach, even as a new study finds employees are seeking new jobs right now >> different kinds of schedules, but of course in the end what many people care about is their compensation higher wages, bonuses. >> reporter: a pandemic-forced power shift, employees gaining the upper hand and making lifestyle demands with employers hoping to keep them happy. how serious are employees about wanting to change? one recent survey found that 65%

would take a 5% pay cut or more if they could work remotely, completely from home, and 62% said it is vitally important for them to get a new work/life balance before they return to the office frances, back to you >> tom, thank you so much. and that's what it's about, quality of life and the priorities we've seen the shift and reporting day to day on some of these maijor companies saying yu can stay home. >> it's healthy for your mind, your body and your family. when we come back, cnbc's steve sedgwick will be here to break down the troubling new trenfohod r me prices. plus, a sweet new treat coming to mcdonald's breakfast menu and you can also save up to $130 dollars per year on your energy bill. cascade platinum it's so good to see you guys. hon, out here! are we on yet?

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steve, good morning. >> yeah. a very good good morning i find it quite extraordinary this survey. basically higher than the early 2000s. why is that a slightly concerning fact? because from 2006 to 2012 as our viewers will know, there was a housing price collapse they collapsed around 60% from their highest to their lows. from then onwards, pandemic aside we're now at the highest levels we've pretty much ever been as well secondly today, most in-demand part-time and flexible jobs in the u.s. according to people ready. warehouse workers, servers and restaurant hosts, personal shoppers as well, one of the most in-demand jobs out there. i've done a bit of education on this because mcdonald's is introducing a pull-apart doughnut i love donuts, but i didn't know what this was so i've got a

picture of one in front of me. you've got six local donuts on the outside. it's glazed, limited-edition, it's from the first of september. i'm totally impartial here, it does look delicious. i will certainly be trying one of those if i can get my hands on those >> all right, steve, thank you it's all psychological though. it looked like bite sized. >> you could get a bunch of, like, doughnut holes either way, a doughnut's a doughnut >> same effect janessa's tracking the fire threat out west. that's next. and the ocngshki moment that lightning struck the washington monument

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with the totally reinvented always ultra thins. this is always like never before. our shot of the day is the shocking moment lightning struck the monument moment. it damaged the electronic access system on the d.c. landmark. janessa's back with us, more on the western heat. hey, janessa >> yeah. i'm all smiles this morning because i have some positive news for the pacific northwest it's cooling off but i only can give it to you for two days before another heat wave starts to build as we go into the weekend temperatures, they are below average, still about 100 degrees for las vegas. for billings we're back to the lower 60s. a camera lost at sea reunited with its owners the heartwarming stories of the

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a vacation miracle under the waves of hawaii. a texas man was able to reunite a maryland family with their camera lost in the water from our baltimore affiliate wbal, kai reed has the story >> i was amazed at how fast it happened >> jerry found a go pro camera at the bottom of the ocean in hawaii last month, and he was desperate to find the family that he suspected wad from maryland to get the nearly six hours of precious family videos and pictures back to them. >> i feel like i'm doing everything i can because i so want them to have their memories

back >> melissa and lee back home in hartford county were getting messages and phone calls >> there's just no way this was possible >> i would say it was pretty immediate that people recognized either the story on tv or the social media post and just started blowing us up. >> the go pro camera slipped out of lee's pocket while the family was snorkeling near maui they never thought they'd see the camera or all of their pictures and videos again. >> i just had a lot of really, really great memories of such an amazing lifetime trip. i was really just sad that i would never be able to get those back >> but, fortunately, jerry was at that same snorkeling location four days later. the camera didn't work but the clues on the video were enough for him to start his search. >> if it hadn't been for you saying we're a little tired and daddy says it's because we're

from maryland, if that's not on there i don't have a clue really where to start so yay for elie and her storytelling >> thank you, mr. jerry. >> we're just overwhelmed. i was in disbelief of, you know, number one, like, just someone's ability to dive down that far. number two, to put on their detective hat and really work that hard to figure out who we were >> now lee, melissa, elie and macy in maryland, and jerry and his wife in texas have a special friendship the mortons have their memory card, and jerry got a huge shipment of crab cakes from maryland jerry also convinced go pro to replace the morton's camera. >> it just feels very much like they deserved this to get this back, to have these memories forever. and now i feel like i've got a go pro bro lee and his whole family we just wish them nothing but the best >> what a great story.

at least for that go pro there's no icloud where they can get those pictures back. so to have those memories and family friendly images and not anything kind of, you know >> you would have probably seen that story reynaldo.

right now at 4:30, california wildfires sending massive amounts of smoke into the sky. now the bad air is here in the bay area. we're tracking that unhealthy air quality that we will all be dealing with. power is still out for thousands. strong winds leading to pg&e cutting electricity for people up and down the state. when power could be turned back on. this is "today in the bay." very good wednesday morning to you. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm scott mcgrew. marcus has the day off. let's get right to that smoke. this involves all of us. >> absolutel