now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts, for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? tide pods ultra oxi one ups the cleaning power of liquid. for all-day, all-night protection. can it one up whatever they're doing? for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi. breaking as we come on the air, new numbers in from pfizer on a booster shot as it relates to the delta variant. we're talking about the new data coming in as we speak with our medical expert breaking it down. also breaking the uk opening its borders announcing within just the last 15 minutes the americans who were vaccinated will be welcomed in once again. we'll tell you just when that's going to go into effect,

straight ahead. all as nbc news has learned a decision is expected really any time on sweeping new protocols for federal workers. the president "strongly considering" requiring the vaccine or else strict testing for all government employees, plus the cdc with an about-face, vaxed and masked in certain places. and the politics of the pandemic taking center stage. republican governors and lawmakers from coast to coast pushing back saying not in my state and not legal. we'll give you the reality check on both claims and correspondents standing by. on capitol hill the january 6th committee already planning their next hearing. well' talk about when that will be and who will be there as the justice department moves not to defend a republican congressman in a riot related lawsuit. senator elizabeth warren to talk about it and the fragile infrastructure deal and the push to cancel student debt. i'm hallie jackson in washington

with mike memoli at the white house, gabe gutierrez in atlanta, morgan chesky live in dallas and also joined by dr. nahib bedelia. good morning to all of you. doctor, we'd like to start with our reporting team but this morning start with you and pfizer is putting out new data finding that a third dose of its vaccine effectively a booster shot can provide more protection against the delta variant, up to five times in younger people, 11 times in older people, compared to after two doses. i think you've had a chance to look through this, which has not been peer reviewed and data not published. talk about your takeaway here. >> hallie, i think that we do have to wait for the full data. this came out with the earnings and press release. the devil is in the details to the go a sense. what we've seen is when you look at the public health england data or the data here is that people who are immunocompromised, 65, you're seeing slightly higher rates of

breakthrough with delta. the data is stronger in people immunocompromised in the already existing data that's out there that is peer reviewed and actually the cdc is considering a potential third dose for immunocompromised. for those in other categories, people over 65, i think we really will have to see a bit more. i think the concern is that if you're seeing -- you're protected against hospitalizations and death but if you're seeing slightly higher breakthroughs in people who are 65, could this be a group that it would more strong data could potentially benefit from a dose. that's where i see this going. >> okay, we're talking about vaccines. mem, let me bring you in on this. the white house is thinking about vaccines, too. you have more and more places rolling out mandates including the va, the first federal agency to do so, california, new york city, the mayo clinic for example. president biden considering one for all federal workers. talk through what you're hearing from sources about that and when we might expect any

announcement. >> reporter: when you talk to this white house, when you talk to the administration more broadly, what you get is a serious reluctance to talk about mandates especially from the federal level. as you just laid out the decision so far about requirements is primarily one that's coming from local and state officials. the masking guidance we heard from the cdc is just that, guidance, not requirements. but what the president does have control over is a federal civil january workforce that numbers depending on what estimates you look at more than 2 million individuals so that's what's under control of the president, and what administration officials are telegraphing is that a conversation internally is about what potential requirements could be imposed on the federal workforce to get vaccinated or to at the very least be subject to very stringent testing requirements in order to ensure that they do not pose a health threat to their colleagues. the federal workforce interacts with so much of the general public as well. but safe to say, hallie, this conversation at the white house is engaging in at the end of july is not where they wanted this conversation to be at the

start of july when the president was in the south lawn, talking about a moment of joy, about being closer than ever to vanquishing the virus. the president today traveling to pennsylvania hoping to talk about his infrastructure agenda but the delta variant, new data this administration is looking about the transmissibility, vaccinated individuals are likely to be able to spread this at a higher rate than the alpha variant is really one that is certainly complicating this administration's agenda. >> mike, i want to highlight something you're talking about here. as you're on the air your colleagues are reporting based on sources this announcement is expected to come during scheduled remarks tomorrow afternoon as i know you know and it details according to the sources talking with geoff bennett, mike alba, what you laid out here, what that would look like. mike, can we be real for a second? requirement, right, that language, mandate, that language. is this not a matter of semantics at this point? is some of this clearly the optics and the messaging on the part of the white house as to

what they want the federal workforce to do? >> reporter: well the difference as the white house officials lay this out is they're not saying you have to get the vaccine. that would be a mandate. they're giving you the option that if you choose not to get the vaccine, there is a different set of obligations that you will face. >> you go through the testing. >> that's where they get into the discussion about mandates, versus a requirement. it is, sounds like certainly a semantic discussion but one with significant impact politically as we know. the serious hostility, in fact part of the discussion that's happening behind closed doors is, is a vaccination mandate contrary to what the goal of the administration is to get people vaccinated. there's evidence and polling data that suggests a mandate leads to people being reluctant to get this. >> sure. >> reporter: they're grappling to get to the ultimate goal, vaccinations are key, what they're trying to promote. >> so we've talked about vaccines. we talked about what people need

to do on that front or the white house. also the federal government wants people to do about masks and this new guidance that the cdc is putting out and for better or worse, some people confused, upset, cheering. talk through the mask guidance from the cdc and how this plays out. >> hi there, hallie. well yes, the cdc is facing some backlash for what critics sees is a reversal on this mask guidance, just two months ago the cdc saying that americans who were fully vaccinated did not need to wear a mask indoors. yesterday there came updated guidance the cdc director saying that that's because of the science has changed essentially according to new data the cdc found vaccinated americans and while it is rare vaccinated americans contract covid, when they do, they carry higher levels of the virus because of the delta variant, and that

increases their risk of infecting others. this morning, on "morning joe" dr. fauci defended the cdc's decision. take a listen. >> something has changed, and what has changed is the virus. the cdc hasn't changed. the cdc hasn't really flip-flopped at all. now we are dealing with a delta variant, which is really quite a lot more transmissible. >> reporter: the cdc director says that she realizes that this new guidance may be unwelcome news to many americans. she says that this weighs heavily on her and this is something that public health officials did not come to lightly, but the cdc also recommending that students that k through 12 students wear masks in schools and very controversial in many school districts across the country, here in atlanta, atlanta public schools has mandated masks indoors and some parents we've

spoken with say they don't believe in this decision and certainly very controversial as more and more schools open up this fall, hallie. >> gabe, you talked about what you described as some of the backlash of the mask mandates. morgan, what's happening in washington as we have this conversation with the four of you, our colleagues on capitol hill are saying they've been talking with house speaker pelosi because there are now masking that is going to be happening on capitol hill as well, right, the house, the senate, bringing back some of that guidance. speaker pelosi told our team that hey that's the purview of the capital position. she was asked about kevin mccarthy saying it's against the science. speaker pelosi responded according to our team "he's such a moron." this is sort of the political backdrop to this and morgan the resistance to some of the new guidelines is on full display in texas, a state as you know that is actually banned mask mandates, including in schools, a handful of other

republican-led states have done the same and the governor there says he is not going to back down regardless of these new guidelines, right? >> reporter: texas governor greg abbott making it clear his stance remains the same as it has over the past several months not only ending that mask mandate but banning future mandates as it relates to covid and the numbers really speak for themselves. of all the statistics flying around here, as the delta variant spreads through the south and here in texas this state has seen hospitalizations grad are quadruple over the past month, numerous metropolitan areas, houston, dallas, the city of austin raise their covid threat levels going forward and with this new recommendation from the cdc, one group in particular in this state, that is highly concerned, is that of the texas state teachers association, about 50,000 members strong. i had a chance to speak with them yesterday. has there been any dialogue

between your group as the school season approaches and the office of governor greg abbott. there has not been and here is what the president of that organization had to say regarding this ongoing threat. take a listen. >> i think the governor is attacking our public schools. for this whole pandemic our schools, our students, our educators have not been part of the plan for safety, and we don't understand why it's just unbelievable to us that we have to beg for safety in our schools. >> reporter: we have reached out to the office of texas governor greg abbott who said in part "governor abbott has been clear that the time for government mandating of masks is over. now is the time for personal responsibility. every texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a mask or have their children wear masks." as we approach this upcoming school season, that president of the organization went on to tell me hallie, there are teachers

here and texas that are leaving the profession entirely, because they don't feel like they have enough resources in play to keep themselves safe when school resumes. >> doctor, you've been listening to the conversation with mike and gabe and morgan and the other piece of breaking news coming on the air likely of interest to people itching to get out and travel again and that is the uk is announcing august 2nd, vaccinated americans will be allowed into the country. i'd love your professional sense here, given where we are in the u.s., the uk is in a different place. if you think this makes sense or if you have any concerns about the door opening like this. >> you'll see more and more countries opening up with a vaccination requirement. i think that we're going through a surge globally, 25% increase

in cases in deaths globally. it's premanure but if countries open you're more likely to see vaccine requirements. can i state going back to the cdc guidance, it's so important. i'd rather have a public health body that is humble and changes with the science and the science here is that we're seeing a delta variant a thousand times more virus and first diagnosis and the fact in vaccinated people that virus is higher. i'd rather see one that changes with the science and what sticks to political expediency and we need to change that, our politicians need to change and respond to that because we're not on the other side. the only other way to vaccinate more people if we want to bring transmission levels down. >> dr. bhadelia, thank you. great reporting from all of you, gabe, mike and morgan. we're going live overseas with more on the uk news coming out just this morning.

capitol his house speaker pelosi set to speak about an hour from now, longer than that, after that incredibly emotional testimony at the first hearing of the committee investigating the capitol riot. we are live on the hill with what to expect next. plus, what the justice department just announced overnight that leaves one congressman legally vulnerable for what he said and did at that january 6th trump rally. new this morning how president biden is doing something today to try to improve cybersecurity related to the nation's infrastructure, just out. we're talking about it. -i'm down. -yes, please. [ chuckles ] don't get me wrong, i love my rv, but insuring it is such a hassle. same with my boat. the insurance bills are through the roof. -[ sighs ] -be cool. i wish i could group my insurance stuff. -[ coughs ] bundle. -the house, the car, the rv. like a cluster. an insurance cluster. -woosah. -[ chuckles ] -i doubt that exists. -it's a bundle! it's a bundle, and it saves you money! hi. i'm flo from progressive,

and i couldn't help but overhear... super fun beach day, everybody. hey, i just got a text from my sister. and i couldn't help but overhear... you remember rick, her neighbor? sure, he's the 76-year-old guy who still runs marathons, right? sadly, not anymore. wow. so sudden. um, we're not about to have the "we need life insurance" conversation again, are we? no, we're having the "we're getting coverage so we don't have to worry about it" conversation. so you're calling about the $9.95 a month plan -from colonial penn? -i am. we put it off long enough. we are getting that $9.95 plan, today. (jonathan) is it time for you to call about the $9.95 plan? i'm jonathan from colonial penn life insurance company. sometimes we just need a reminder not to take today for granted. if you're age 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance starting at just $9.95 a month. there are no health questions so you can't be turned down for any health reason.

the $9.95 plan is colonial penn's number one most popular whole life plan. options start at just $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day. your rate can never go up. it's locked in for life. call today for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner, so call now. (soft music) ♪ hello, colonial penn?

pretty taxing. i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. and, uh, i found cerebral. cerebral is an app that combines medication management and behavioral care all in one nice package. i signed up, i got the video call, i got the pills shipped to me. normal therapy costs about three times as much as cerebral. getting this type of care online, it really is a life saver. join today for just

$30 at getcerebral.com. new from capitol hill this morning, after that emotional first hearing that you watched during our special coverage right here on this hour yesterday, the january 6th committee, the chairman of that panel confirmed on our air this morning that members may cut their summer recess short to keep up their work. watch. >> we'll have a meeting before

we break for the august recess, but in reality, i think you know we'll be back doing that recess doing our work because we have to get to the bottom of it. our democracy depends on it. >> nbc's leigh ann caldwell is on capitol hill. we expect to hear from speak e pelosi next hour. i imagine she gets questions from you and colleagues in the press corps where democrats plan to go from here next. >> she sure will, hallie. while we know they're going to continue their work and perhaps even come back in their august break for another hearing perhaps, we don't know specifically what topic they're going to tackle next or what direction they're going to head. we do know that representative cheney, one of the two republicans on that committee, says that she wants to know what happened every minute at the white house on january 6th, so we can be sure that the white house and the former president is going to be a focus, and last night on fox news, jim jordan

was asked if he spoke with the former president on january 6th, something that was rumored but was not confirmed. he said that he did. so liz cheney said jim jordan will likely be a material witness so that is likely to play into that. i asked a community aide if that is a factor. they said they don't have comment on that admission just yet but we should watch. now, there are going to be a lot of trouble between republicans and democrats, most republicans anyway, who still fundamentally disagree with what the select committee is doing and the fact that they're investigating. let's listen to how it devolved last night at an unrelated rules committee hearing between representative raskin and representative clyde. >> the whole country and lots of people online believed your statement that it was a normal tourist visit. >> that is not my statement. as you said, as you quoted and then you just misquoted. >> clarify us right now for america. >> i just clarified it for you.

>> i'm asking you the people who attacked officer hodges -- >> reporter: representative clyde maintains there were tourists in the capitol on january 6th, so that is how the posture is going to remain on behalf of republicans. we'll see how this develops, hallie. >> leigh ann, thank you. other january 6 related news in a legal setback for alabama congressman mo brooks. the justice department is essentially saying congressman, you are on your own. a new filing the doj says brooks, a trump ally, was not acting in his official capacity when he spoke at that rally before the insurrection, featuring the then president and therefore he was not shielded from a lawsuit that claims he helped incite the riot when he said this -- >> today is the day american patriots start taking down names and kicking ass! >> nbc news justice correspondent pete williams is

following this one for us. talk about what's behind the decision from the doj and what is the significance as it relates to that lawsuit against not just congressman brooks but defendants like former president trump, donald trump, jr., rudy giuliani and so on. >> okay, so that's the easy part, because this applies only to federal officials, so rudy giuliani and donald trump, jr., don't count. they're also sued in this. this federal law says you can't sue somebody, a government official if they're acting within their official capacity, and that was the question here, and the justice department said the answer to that question on congressman mo brooks is no. that this was a campaign event. let me quote from the government filing, it says it's no part of the business of the united states to pick sides among candidates in federal elections. the conduct at issue here thus is not the kind a member of congress holds office to perform. you might well ask, how is it a campaign event when the campaign was over? we already had the election. and the answer the justice department says is that it was funded by the trump campaign in

groups that support his candidacy, that it was to advocate that he should be declared the winner of the presidential election, and that brooks himself took about the 2022 and 2024 elections, and in any event, even if it wasn't a campaign event, the justice department says it's not part of the official duties of a member of congress to advocate an attack on the capitol. for all those reasons, they say, he still is subject to this lawsuit. now, that leaves the question of president trump. his lawyers have argued slightly different. they didn't try to invoke this federal law. they just said as president, he's basically immune from civil lawsuits. they could later come and ask the justice department also to declare him under the west westphal act, but it seems by this logic that wouldn't prevail. >> pete williams, thank you. coming up on the show senator elizabeth warren who the january 6th committee should subpoena. and breaking overnight,

simone biles dropping out from another big olympic competition, talking about that, the pressure, what it means, all of it, later on. (realtor) the previous owners left in a hurry, so the house comes with everything you see. follow me. ♪ (realtor) so, any questions? (wife) we'll take it! (realtor) great. (vo) it will haunt your senses. the heart-pounding audi suv family. get exceptional offers at your local audi dealer.

do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of life insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth.

visit conventrydirect.com to find out if you policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep.

this morning, back here in washington we're learning president biden is set to make moves on cyber security by directing certain federal agencies to basically create performance goals for the company's involved in critical infrastructure and wants the companies to voluntarily join forces to protect themselves against cyber attacks, given the number of ransomware hacks against american businesses. peter alexander is at the white house for us. a big warning from the president. do you think it will end up moving the needle that's obviously the white house's hope? >> reporter: no doubt, fundamentally that's the challenge they're facing right now. the biden administration has been considering creating mandatory standards. for now this effort is focused on developing goals for those companies to voluntarily step up to try to harden their infrastructure against possible cyber attacks. this summer as americans have witnessed we've seen a dramatic rise in disruptive even costly cyber attacks, largely coming from foreign adversaries and a lot of the cases cyber criminals in countries like russia.

the white house has cast this as a top national security threat. the president emphasizing the urgency for action on this issue. just yesterday remarks delivered in front of america's intelligence community. this new memo just out today now sends these new directions to the department of homeland security, to the commerce department, focusing specifically on their cyber wings to work with other agencies to set these goals, just last week, the tsa they said new cyber security requirements to pipeline operators, you remember that ransomware attack that badly impacted the gas industry, colonial pipeline, earlier this summer. a lot of discussion right now even in this broadcast about mandates as it relates to masks. the white house, the administration understands there is stiff resistance to mandating business groups take any actions, but in the words of the senior administration official, the current posture is woefully insufficient. hallie? >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. i bring in senator elizabeth warren, democrat from massachusetts.

good morning and thank you for being back on the show. >> good morning. good to be with you. >> we have 400 headlines to talk about. let me start with your quick reaction to some of the stuff president biden is about to announce, cyber security, protecting critical infrastructure. is there more congress can do in your view? >> look, let's start with the fact that's trying to move and move quickly. so i support what the president is doing. i think it is good to get every business focused on what they can start doing right now. but that's not the final step. it's the first step. i think it's important we have ongoing discussions in congress about what we can do to protect ourselves. cyber security is an important part of our national security, and we really need to put our shoulder to the wheel much harder on that. >> we talk about sort of infrastructure broadly here, speaking of that as you know, in perpetual infrastructure week, still no deal on that front yet. your colleague, senator mark warner leading negotiations for

the democrats seemed optimistic. here is what he said to punch bowl. >> last week i said we were this far apart, then this far apart. this last night we're this far apart. without an infrastructure deal, everything gets exponentially harder. >> our reporting is they're still trying to hammer things out coming to climate and environmental justice. based on what you are hearing, senator, from everything that you heard from your colleagues, do you believe that there are 50 votes for this bipartisan package right now? >> right now, they haven't reached a deal and that's what it means. it's like saying do you believe the bridge is long enough if the two pieces haven't come together yet. >> okay. >> that's where they are. they keep describing it as closer and closer and closer, but recognize they've been at this for a long time and the republicans just stepped in for example on sunday and wanted to take a water bill that had long

passed the senate by 89-2 and renegotiate that. let me just say, here's what i am looking for when we talk about infrastructure. it's not just the parts that are being negotiated in this bipartisan group. we need to make investments in universal child care and universal pre-k. we want mamas and daddies to be able to go to work. by golly, yes, they need roads and bridges, yes, they need transit, and they need access to child care. we want to increase productivity in this country. then make the investment in universal child care the way other nations do. that's how we create opportunity for mamas and daddies and in the long run, it's how we create opportunity for all of our babies and all of the people who work in this area as well. >> there are some of your colleagues though, senator, who believe, talking about things in large part that would be included under this $3.5 trillion bill, the reconciliation piece.

senator manchin says the bipartisan thing doesn't get worked out, everything everything else falls by the wayside. everything else falls apart. is he right? >> look, we are having those discussions right now. i recognize it takes all 50 of us on the democratic side to move anything forward. right now we live in a world that even when you're trying to make investments in things that to me ought to be a no brainer, like child care, we can't pick up a single republican to come with us. we have to get all the democrats in, everybody talks about what they want to see in the deal. at the end of the day, nobody's going to have exactly the infrastructure package they would have written by themselves. that's what the legislative process is all about. >> okay. >> but as i see it right now, democrats are all rowing in the same direction. we are trying to move this country to a place where we have

the infrastructure, roads, bridges and child care and home and community-based care and expanded medicare where we can count on the fact that everybody can participate in this economy, everybody has a chance to build a strong economic future. >> a couple of important topics to ask you about, as well as student loan debt which is something you want to talk about. we kaechl on came on the air the president tomorrow will look at federal workers get the vaccine or else get tested regularly. do you think that goes far enough? do you believe it requires all federal workers to be vaccinated and make it a mandate? >> i support the direction the president is going. i believe all employers have a right to create safe workplaces, save for the people who come work there and safe for the

businesses that are open for the customers who come in the front door. i think that employers should be free to require vaccinations, if necessary to require masks. we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and employers are an important part of this process. i think they ought to be a position where they can require vaccinations for everyone who works there, and if they want for everyone who walks in the front door. >> let me ask you at the january 6th committee hearing that we covered here on this broadcast yesterday that we are still talking about this morning, jim jordan was on fox news late yesterday and acknowledged in questioning from bret baier he spoke with the president january 6th. do you believe congressman jordan should be brought to the committee to answer questions? >> look, i know the committee is thinking through this question and many other questions who they want to bring in. >> who do you want to see?

>> what matters here, this is why we have a committee. they are deciding where they want to use their subpoena power, and right now, they have established a very credible first step in their investigation, by calling in the police officers who were on the front lines, our capitol police, to describe what it was like. this beats back a lot of the misinformation about how oh, it was just a walk in the park, they were just visitors, they were invited in. they really describe the life and death battle that was going on, and how our democracy for hours hung in the balance, while insurrectionists tried to take over the capitol and stop the functioning of our government. if this committee wants to start using subpoenas to bring people in, they are the ones designing right now the investigation and

i have a lot of confidence based on first steps on where they'll go. >> we're just about out of time. you and i talked before about student loan debt. senator schumer is out this morning with an op-ed asking the president to extend the payment pause on student loans and wants use on this.el the president has been reluctant to take this step, this cancellation when asked about it. have you gotten, senator, recently any assurances from the white house that this might actually be under consideration from the president? >> i am not going to talk about private conversations, but i will say -- >> i wish you would. >> -- the same thing in public -- i know but i'll say the same thing in public that i say in private. we need to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt, that would free up about 35 million americans from having any student loan debt at all. it would be the single best way that the president of the united states could help close the black/white wealth gap for people with student loan debt.

it's about racial justice. it's about economic justice. it's about building a strong future going forward. he could do this today. >> private conversations aside, are you optimistic or do you still see this as an uphill challenge? >> i am optimistic. i'm optimistic for exactly the reason i gave, and that is, it is the right thing to do, and i believe joe biden will recognize that. >> senator elizabeth warren thank you for your time and being on this morning making news with us on "msnbc reports." appreciate it. new this morning, we are live overseas in the country that just decided to let vaxed americans visit. that's next. and you need it here. and here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean is now helping the places you go every day too.

seek a commitment to clean. look for the ecolab science certified seal. hey, i just got a text from my sister. you remember rick, her neighbor? sure, he's the 76-year-old guy who still runs marathons, right? sadly, not anymore. wow. so sudden. um, we're not about to have the "we need life insurance" conversation again, are we? no, we're having the "we're getting coverage so we don't have to worry about it" conversation. so you're calling about the $9.95 a month plan -from colonial penn? -i am. we put it off long enough. we are getting that $9.95 plan, today. (jonathan) is it time for you to call about the $9.95 plan? i'm jonathan from colonial penn life insurance company. sometimes we just need a reminder not to take today for granted. if you're age 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance starting at just $9.95 a month. there are no health questions so you can't be turned down

for any health reason. the $9.95 plan is colonial penn's number one most popular whole life plan. options start at just $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day. your rate can never go up. it's locked in for life. call today for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner, so call now. (soft music) ♪ hello, colonial penn?

the mask mandate speaker pelosi, any response to the backlash? do you have a response? >> that's the purview of the capitol position, to pass a mandate from him. i have nothing to say about that except we honor it. i have my mask.

>> reporter: leader mccarthy says it's against the science. >> he's such a moron. >> ha. for those of you who may be listening and not watching, that was in fact house speaker nancy pelosi as it sounded like on the audio calling republican minority leader kevin mccarthy a moron for his assertion that the new guidance on wearing mass actions at the capitol was not based on science. that's something, speaker pelosi. she's talking with nbc news as we track a lot of shifts to and reactions to covid guidelines throughout the country and around the world, not just masking guidelines but travel including, breaking news from the uk, saying the travelers from the u.s. who are fully vaxed up will soon be able to visit again without having to quarantine when they get there. ali arouzi is in london. >> reporter: that's right. boris johnson the uk program announced earlier today that he wants u.s. travelers to be able to come to the uk freely as they

did before the pandemic, and as of monday, the 2nd of august, those restrictions on quarantining will be lifted, as long as they've been double vaxed and the vaccines have been approved by the fda or the european medical agency. prior to this, that means if you were traveling in from the united states, which is an amber country, all the countries have been divided into color codes and the u.s. was an amber country, it means you have to quarantine for ten days, and obviously that put a lot of tourists off coming to the uk, if you had to stay at home or at a hotel for ten days before even starting your holiday. but now, as long as you've got the double vaccine, you can enter england before leaving the united states, you still have to do a pcr test to make sure you're negative and on your second day of arrival in england, you still have to take another pcr test to make sure you didn't contract it but otherwise, you can travel here freely. >> ali arouzi live in london,

thank you. when we get back the defending olympic all-around gold medalist simone biles will not keep her title this year. we're talking about why she is withdrawing, plus the intense pressure some of these great athletes face. that's next. you look a little lost. i can't find my hotel. oh. oh! ♪♪ this is not normal. no. ♪♪ so? ♪♪ right? go with us and find millions of flexible options, all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with.

over in tokyo, an incredible comeback by u.s. swimming champ katie ledecky winning a history-making gold medal in the first women's 1500 meter freestyle, only about an hour after her shutout from the medal podium and placed fifth in the 200 meter freestyle. go katie. her feat highlighting skill and mental mastery as athlete well-being takes center stage. you know simone biles has withdrawn from a second gymnastics event, tomorrow's all-around final to focus on mental health. no decision whether she'll compete in next week's individual individual events. usa gymnastics releasts a statement "we wholeheartedly support simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being." so much applause for biles for taking this move.

some backlash, the viral tweet "simone biles won nationals with broken toes in both feet, worlds with a kidney stone and has carried the burden of being a face of sexual assault survivors as a national institution failed to support them. half of y'all yelling about toughness can't handle wearing a mask in face sexual assault survivors. good morning, that went around the world. you have been following the reaction to simone. >> that tweet was meant to respond to some of the ridiculous questions of her 24-year-old woman. she has overcome all kinds of physical ailments, but also so many mental things as well and it is good that usag is offering

her support right now. they certainly didn't when she and countless others were being abused. >> we can only be our authentic self if we take care of our mental and physical health at the same time. this shows what she wants to do moving forward. >> she speaks to her hopes and goals for herself, and frankly for her that weighs really heavy. she is not just an athlete. not just one of the best in the world, she is also a black woman athlete, right? she is supposed to be a moses. i wonder your thoughts on this? >> that is absolutely right. she is so good on this. it has been talked about a lot,

also, the pressure on black women to be 100% perfect all of the time. she is carrying the weight of an entire country on her shoulders and probably an entire support. i think as fans, as media, we have a lot of conversations about what athletes owe us and what they don't owe us is putting themselves at risk for our entertainment. that just can't happy any more. >> do you think given what we saw. naomi osaka said the same thing, i need to hold some boundaries here. >> i feel like we had it before, and we had it throughout sports media. i think we're at a point of reckoning. but at the same time for all of

the talk that we had about mental health, people still reverted back to the old tropes of her taking her mental health seriously. >> 40 minutes from now house speaker nancy pelosi set to answer questions from that micro phone. we'll have that coming up. coming up, what happened overnight that has republicans questioning how much sway donald trump really has over their party ahead of the midterms. r t party ahead of the midterms. wha. hot dog or... chicken? only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ if you're 55 and up, t-mobile has plans built just for you.

switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. and now get netflix on us. it's all included with 2 lines for only $70 bucks! only at t-mobile. a pool floatie is like whooping cough, it's not just for kids. whooping cough is highly contagious for people of any age. and it can cause violent uncontrollable coughing fits. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination because it's not just for kids. ♪ ♪ when technology is easier to use... ♪ barriers don't stand a chance. ♪

that's why we'll stop at nothing to deliver our technology as-a-service. ♪ millions of vulnerable americans tstruggle to get reliable transportationice. that's why i to their medicastarted medhaul. entrepreneurs of color like me,d so i can realize my vision and give everything i've got to my company, and my community. i got you. for the love of people. for the love of community. for the love of progress. citi.

mission control, we are go for launch. ♪♪ t-minus two minutes and counting. ♪♪ um, she's eating the rocket. -copy that, she's eating the rocket.

i assume we needed that? [chomping sound] ♪♪ lunchables! built to be eaten. she has eaten the rocket. [girl burps] over. silence this morning from former president trump. ssan wright was beat for a spot in congress. yes, it was a special election in late july in the middle of summer on a tuesday. turnout was not gang busters. but it was viewed as a test of influence. what coyou think this says or does not say about the former

president's pull in the gop. >> you have democrats and independents also voting in this contest. so what i think it tells is while the former president has a lot of influence, but maybe some of that is overstated. particularly when you don't have a lot of power left. you can no longer sign legislation into law and one of the big par powers after office he had is i can make and break you if you get my encoursement or not. and this case the person who did not end up getting it ended up win winning this race. >> what do you think they might frak this? do you see it changing much or no? >> i don't think it is changing

much. if you are george p bush that did not get the endorsement you might say hey, i still have a chance. and it is also important to note our nbc poll found that half supporters are trump supporters, half are party supporters. so to me that looks like a little more breathing room. >> mark murray, live for us there in washington. thank you for your analysis and insight. thank you for watching this hour. find us on twitter and we'll have more for you tomorrow. i'll be on assignment but you will be in very capable hands. good morning, i'm jose

diaz bilart. president biden goes to pennsylvania this hour. american manufacturing and good paying jobs for workers. we're also learning he plans to take new actions on vaccinations. on thursday he is expected to announce a federal vaccine requirement. if they say no he will have to submit to rigorous testing. frankly the pandemic news we're getting is ominous. the cases on tuesday were higher than a year ago on the same day. and by nbc's count nebraska has seen a two-week increase in cases of nearly 2700%. if that isn't enough, we're also watching kyl for you this morning. speaker pe loi si