captioning sponsored by cbs >> i'm nancy cordes in wawashington, and this week on "face the nation," overseas the taliban offensive in afghanistan enters a perilous new phase. breaking overnight, the astonishing unraveling of afghanistan. the taliban captures more territory just this morning, and they're now in the capitol city of kabul, forcing u.s. troops to race back into the country to get u.s. diplomats out. we'll get the latest on the evacuation. back home, the delta variant is causing cases to skyrocket from coast to coast, along the gulf coast some health systems are on the virge of collapse. >> hospitals are full.

everything is full. >> our people are at the brink. >> we've seen the highest number of children in our hospitals than we've seen in the entire pandemic. >> the f.d.a. approves a third vaccine dose for the people at greatest risk, but it is those who wo't get their fir dose are fng this outbreak. >> biden: everyone who is not vaccinated -- i know it is a broken radio -- get vaccinated. >> we'll talk to steve scalise about the crisis in his state. plus more than a thousand florida students are now under covid quarantine. we'll hear from rosalind osgood, the school board chief in broward county, where three educators have died from covid in the last week. and with disgraced new york governor andrew cuomo on his way out, we'll ask the lieutenant-governor, kathy hochul, how she plans to clean up the mess in albany.

and on the other side of the country, calnia governor gavin newsom faces a recall election in less than a mon'll cbs poll on t race and a lot more. all ahead on "face the nation." >> good morning. and welcome to "face the nation." we have a lot to get to this morning, including a fluid situation in afghanistan that seems to be deteriorating by the minute. more on that soon. but we want to begin with the dire covid-19 pandemic here in the united states. nationwide 77% of i.c.u. beds are now filled. hospitals in five states are at about 90% capacity. senior national correspondent mark strassmann begins our coverage in atlanta. >> this is a 40-year-old patient. he is a dad of an

11-year-old daughter. >> reporter: desperate times, desperate measures, mississippi burning with covid. >> this delta surge hit and it is raging like wildfire through the states. >> reporter: in jackson, the state's only level 1 trauma center has 114 patients with the virus. that has quadrupled in a month. this weekend, the facility opened this 30-bed field hospital, a tent inside a parking garage. >> more dire than the number of beds is the staffing. >> that's right. >> reporter: dr. luann woodward, she is the alpha leader fighting the delta variant. >> the biggest problem is staffing. i don't think there is a calgary out there to come and rescue us. we've got hospitals across the state that are making public service e: please do tour emergency room. >> reporter: across america, covid hospitalizations have

skyrocketed, up 333% in the last month. >> it is real. it is terrifying. and tragically, it is preventable. >> reporter: prevent table because roughly 90% of the sickest patients are unvaccinated, with so many soft targets, the delta variant now spreads like chicken pox. >> we're right back where we started. >> reporter: others are mask defiant. >> i don't understand why we can't be responsible for ourselves. >> reporter: and schools reopening, covid hospital patients under 18 have tripped in the last month. like this florida 15-year-old. >> i'm just happy that i'm not under that anymore. >> reporter: almost 100,000 more kids tested positive last week. dallas county, texas, has nearly 700,000 kids, but zero pediatric i.c.u. beds for any of them if they

get sick. >> if they get covid and need a bed, we don't have one. >> reporter: frustrations and tempers keep rising. here in georgia, nearly 90% of i.c.u. beds are full as covid hospitalizations keep rising and there is no end in sight. nancy? >> and some schools in georgia already going virtual. mark strassmann in atlanta, thank you so much. we want to go to president biden's chief medical advisor, dr. anthony fauci. good morning to you. >> doctor: good morning. >> you heard the numbers in mark's piece. they are horrific. i want to start with the very dire situation in the south, particularly in mississippi, where cases have risen by more than 2,000% in the past month. medical officials there say that the state's largest hospital system could fail within days. what is the federal government doing to help states like mississippi and louisiana?

>> doctor: well, if you go out to the immediate, we're sending surge teams to help with the actual implementation of the immediate response. that's fema, that's c.d.c. people, that's people from the assistant secretary for preparedness and response. they're help setting up to provide some treatment, lilike monoclonal antibodies to help with the immediate situation. you know, nancy, as we discussed many, many times, all of this is entirely predictable, and yet on the other hand, entirely preventable. we've got to get people vaccinated. we have about 90 million people who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not vaccinated. and that is very highly concentrated in the southern states, including mississippi and other states, in which you have, compared to the general average of vaccinations in

the country, an undervaccinated group. and those are the people in whom the outbreak with a highly, highly transmissible delta variant is spreading. and it is really tragic because we're seeing a lot of people get seriously ill. and as you've shown, the hospitalizations are on the brink of actually overrunning the hospitals, particularly in intensive care units. >> we're seeing some encouraging numbers when it comes to vaccinations from these gulf states. the rates of vaccination tripling and even quadrupling over the past couple of weeks. i know we're very focused on the south, but you're looking at the data from across the country. what's coming next? >> doctor: well, what's coming next is that we are going to have to continue to get people vaccinated so that right now even in states in which you have a good, relative proportion of people vaccinated, you have to get the overwhelming proportion of people vaccinated. but you also have to do

mitigation. and that gets to the controversial issue of mask-wearing, and the mandating of things, mandating of vaccines, for example, for teachers and people in the personnel in the schools. but also in situations as uncomfortable as we know and as controversial as we know it is for mask-wearing, particularly in schools -- you've just got to realize we're dealing with a public health crisis. the more you get fin infections you get, the greater the virus has the opportunity to mutate. right now we are fortunate that the vaccines we have are quite good against the delta variant, particularly with regard to preventing severe disease with hospitalizations and deaths. we're certainly getting what we call breakthrough infections, which means a person who is vaccinated may get infected and may

actually even spread the virus, but in general those people are not the ones getting seriously ill and dying. it is the unvaccinated that are doing that. so we have a lot of tasks. we have got to do mitigation, and put aside all of these issues of concern about liberties and personal liberties and realize we have a common enemy, and that common enemy is the virus. and we really have to all pull together to get on top of this, otherwise we're going to continue to suffer, as we're seeing right now. >> you know, you brought up the efficacy of the vaccines. i want to ask you about this new study out of minnesota that suggested that the moderna vaccine is actually more affective against the delta variant than the pfizer vaccine. does this study indicate that if and when people do have to get booster shots, they should go ahead and get a moderna shot, even if they got pfizer the first time around? >> doctor: no, nancy, not at all because that study, first of all, is a

pre-print study. it hasn't been fully peer reviewed. i don't doubt what they're seeing, but there are a lot of confounding variables in there, when one was started, the relative amount of people in that cohort that is delta versus alpha. right now if we get boosters -- you know, we're talking about boosters, and we already implemented boosters for the immune-compromised. we want to make sure we get people, if possible, to get the boost from the original vaccine that they had. but, remember, the original dose of the moderna is about three times what the dose of a pfizer is. you may have a difference in diewciin en durability -- hopefully the actual approval comes very soon.

>> you mentioned boosters for the immunocompromised, how soon will people be able to get those boosters. and there is some talk about your administration looking ahead and giving boosters to people in nursing homes or health care settings in the fall. what can you tell us about that? >> doctor: nancy, there are two issues there. and you did quite right to separate the two, because the issue with the immune compromised, people on chemotherapy, peopleare immunosuppressive, they can get their boost literally right now. what we're planning for and looking ahead, even though we are not saying that other people who are not immune compromised, be the elderly, or people who the nare not elderly, they made

to get a booster shot. we're looking on a daily and weekly basis in cohorts not only in the united states but in other countries, to determine if, when, and to whom we should be giving this. so if it turns out as the data comes in, we see we do need to give an additional dose to people in nursing homes, actually, or people who are elderly, we will be absolutely prepared to do that very quickly. >> got it. we'll be watching for that. dr. anthony fauci, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> doctor: thank you for having me. >> and "face the nation." will be back in one minute. stay with us. we see that in your smile, your style, we see that spark in every great deed to every fulfilled need we see it in your heart from coast to coast, we see flickers of hope thank you for sharing your spark.

[speaking in sign language] [speaking in sign language] >> we want to turn now to afghanistan, where the security situation is getting worse by the hour as the u.s. eased up its withdrawal, and the taliban moved into the capitol city. "the associated press" is now reporting that the afghanistan president, ashraf ghani, has left the country.

cbs news foreign correspondent roxana saberi filed this report in kabul before rushing to the airport to get out. >> reporter: good morning. over the past few hours, the taliban have reached the gates of the capitol. some eye witnesses say they have even seen the p'in today negotiations have been taking place at the presidential palace, not far from here, over the transfer of power to the taliban. this comes as the insurgents have seized city after city in afghanistan in just over a week. in a statement, the taliban spokesman said the group will not enter the city by force, and pledged it won't take revenge on anyone. but panicked residents have swarmed the streets of the capitol, with some racing to leave. we've spoken to many afghans in the past few days, who have been fearing for the taliban's survival. some fled from the countryside to the capitol, seeking safety from the taliban. they told us about loved ones killed by the

insurgents, and said they're worried about losing basic freedoms under a return to taliban rule. for now the capitol appears mostly quiet, but once u.s. troops finish evacuating american troops from the embassy here, all bets are off. nancy? >> roxana saberi in kabul, thank you. senior foreign correspondent charlie d'agata is also monitoring the latest developments from london. >> reporter: good morning, nancy. when i was last in afghanistan, just last month, the government had control of most of the country and all of the provincial capitals, but even that taliban militants were on the rampage, excel rating their offensive, until finally reaching the capitol itself today. with the shocking speed of the unstoppable taliban offensive, it soon became clear that the takeover of kabul itself was inevitable. it gathered pace as the militant group overran

major cities, often without afghanistan forces even putting up a fight. the afghanistan military, around 350,000, trained and funded by america and its allies, surrendered or fled in the fti. about the only thing capable of stopping the taliban: u.s. airstrikes were all but removed from the battlefield. when we were last on theo3 front lines a few weeks ago, the militants were focusing on smaller, regional cities. it was thought then that they would hold off launching an all-out offensive until all u.s. forces were out by august 31st. but then the provincial capitols began falling. kunduz, a strategic city to the north. the taliban blasted their way, raised their flag and declared victory. the taliban was advancing at stunning speed. and whatever morale was left among afghanistan forces was collapsing.

tens of thousands fled the fighting, with many seeking refuge in kabul. the fall of gozni, to the south of the capitol, choked off the major highway leading to the south, further isolating the city. en iapid succession, the country's three largest cities were overrun. kandahar to the south, mazar-e-sharif to the north, and harat to the west. even the most dire intelligence predictions from washington warned that kabul could fall within one to three months. that was just one week ago. a senior u.s. source tells cbs news the taliban have captured the former u.s. air base in baghram. the consequences of leaving the afghanistan military to face the fight alone will resonate far beyond afghanistan itself. the taliban have made it clear from the beginning their aim was a full takeover of the country. while many predicted it

was inevitable, few thought it could happen this quickly. what is harder to predict now: how the taliban intend to impose their rule over the citizens of afghanistan. nancy? ha dgata, thank you. na'll be right back with aon stay with us. imbruvica is the #1 prescribed oral therapy for cll, and it's proven to help people live longer. imbruvica is not chemotherapy. imbruvica can cause serious side effects, which may lead to death. bleeding problems are common and may increase with blood thinners. serious infections with symptoms like fevers, chills, weakness or confusion and severe decrease in blood counts can happen. heart rhythm problems and heart failure may occur especially in people with increased risk of heart disease, infection, or past heart rhythm problems. new or worsening high blood pressure, new cancers, and tumor lysis that can result in kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, and seizure can occur. diarrhea commonly occurs.

drink plenty of fluids. tell your doctor if you have signs of bleeding, infection, heart problems, persistent diarrhea or any other side effects. i am living with cll and living proof that imbruvica is right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. (judith) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? don't you just ride the wave? (judith) no - we actively manage client portfolios based on our forward-looking views of the market. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right? (judith) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money? only when your clients make more money? (judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. serena: it's my 3:10 no-exit-in-sight migraine medicine. it's ubrelvy. for anytime, anywhere migraine strikes, without worrying if it's too late, or where i am. one dose can quickly stop my migraine in its tracks within two hours.

unlike older medicines, ubrelvy is a pill that directly blocks cgrp protein, believed to be a cause of migraine. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. most common side effects were nausea and tiredness. k ublvy. ne medice. most common side effects were nausea and tiredness. anwe congressman steve scalise of lo louisiana, who is the house republican whip. congressman, welcome. thanks for being here. >> good to be with you, nancy. thanks. >> nancy: you and your house colleagues just received a briefing from the secretaries of state and defense. what did they tell you? and are you confident that all u.s. diplomats are going to be able to get out of afghanistan safely? >> well, during the call you actually had events still continuing to unfold. in realtime. we were seeing things in

social media that they weren't really talking about in the call. it is a dire situation when you see the united states embassy being evacuated. you just had president biden a few days ago seeing they wouldn't evacuate the embassy. it was president biden's saigon moment. it was very predictable. mny got this devastatingly wrong, and i think a lot of questions will be asked later about why just weeks ago they were saying something completely different from what we're seeing on the ground in afghanistan. >> nancy: last week the president said he did not expect that the taliban would be able to retake all of the country. he said this weekend one more year or five more years of u.s. military presence would not have made a difference if the afghanistan military cannot, or will not, hold its own country. white house officials are essentially arguing it was president trump who set this in motion when he agreed to withdraw u.s.

troops completely by may 1st. so was all of this inevitable? >> no. in fact, you're seeing a lot of finger pointing and blaming. there used to be the saying that the buck stops here on the president's desk, and he wants to blame everybody else. president trump had an agreement in place that were conditions-based. and those conditions were not met. many of the conditions were that the taliban wouldn't undertake the cities. president biden didn't follow through on the conditions that were in place. he let them come and run rough shot. they are burning documents at the embassy and trying to get everybody out, instead of following through on the commitments that were made. this sends a more concerning message to our allies around the world and to our enemies around the world who are watching this. china is very involved in what is happening right now in afghanistan. as are other adversaries. and so they're seeing just

how easy it was to overtake these areas where the president really said it wouldn't happen and it did happen. so it is an epic failure on president biden's foreign policy. he needs to take ownership of this and take other s e this doesn't happen again. he was either widely misled by his own intelligence, or he was misleading the american people deliberately. but he said very different things just days ago than what we're seeing happen on the ground. he has to take ownership of that. >> nancy: congressman, i want to switch gears and switch to the very serious covid situation in your state. your chief health officer in louisiana said: "if we don't peak within a week or two, it is going to be a catastrophic situation for hospitals." what's your biggest concern right now, congressman? >> clearly the hospitals having overloaded capacity are the biggest concern. just like a year ago new

orleans seemed to be the epicenter when things got really bad in the very beginning of the pandemic last year. we're seeing that break out again with the delta variant. it is a very widespread disease. we're seeing it in louisiana, and steps are being taken. and hopefully we get to a peak and start seeing it subside. but it is a concern, and i know the governor is taking action at the state level, and we're giving them all of the help they need. >> nancy: you got vaccinated last month. you're urginging louisiana residents to do the same. you're so well-known in louisiana. do you wish now you would have gone ahead and gotten vaccinated sooner to send that message and set that example. >> you still probably have two-thirds of our state unvaccinated. what we need to be doing is encourage people to get vaccinated. not trying to shame people who are unvaccinated.

i had antibodies, so i ultimately made the decision once i saw the delta variant picking up, i thought it was important to get vaccinated. i have high confidence in this vaccination, i think it is safe and effective. we ought to be giving people information, encouraging people to go talk to their doctors, because there is real hesitancy out there. and we ought to be confronting that, not trying to divide people based on who is vaccinated and who is unvaccinated. >> nancy: your governor, john belle, has reinstated an indoor mask mandate. i know in the past you've been skeptical of the mandates, but what is your view now, now that louisiana is at its peak? is it safe to issue a mandate? >> i don't want mandates at the federal level. i said those conversations need to be had at the state and local levels. you can look at

los angeles, california, one of the worst outbreaks in the country, they've had a mask mandate for a long time. but we need to be focusing on getting more people to get vaccinated. one of the real areas of hesitancy we're seeing that is a real problem, is that people are saying it is not f.d.a. approved. and yet we're 200 days into president biden's administration. he still hasn't appointed a head of the f.d.a -- and that's a failure on president biden's part. >> nancy: thank you thank you so much for joining us. i have to leave it there. and we'll be right back. ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds.

in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription.

we finally found the perfect house. yeah, we couldn't believe the deal we got. just lucky i guess. (sfx: airplane flying overhead) we're a little closer to the airport than we thought... (sfx: airplane grounded outside the house) at least geico makes bundling our home and car insurance easy. saving us so much money. -hi. -how was your flight? -good. -good. morning, ted. for bundling made easy, go to geico.com. >> nancy: we'll be right back with a lot more "face the nation." stay with us. w

york. w >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. a lot of news to get to today. america's nearly two decade long involvement in afghanistan is coming to an abrupt and chaotic end. today taliban fighters took control of the capital kabul. president ashraf ghani suddenly fled the country, then this. taliban fighters were seen rolling up the afghan flag inside the presidential palace. and tonight president biden is deploying another thousand troops to kabul. they're part of a 6000 strong contingent to help evacuate americans. and take a look at this. u.s. helicopters have been flying betwe t