reports" in washington, with the coronavirus raging across all 50 states, as children return to school and the debate over mask and vaccine mandates is sharpening the pandemic divide. the dangerous upward trend in numbers due to the delta variant, continuing with nearly 700,000 americans testing covid positive in the last week, and more than 66,000 hospitalizations. raising new concerns over whether the worst is yet to come. >> if you allow the virus to freely circulate and not try and stop it, sooner or later there is a likelihood that you will get another variant that could, i'm not saying it will, that could be more problematic than the delta. >> on the cuomo front, new york state lawmakers are meeting today for the first time to weigh their next steps against embattled governor andrew cuomo, after one of the governor's most trusted aides resigns, and an accuser tells her story. >> to me, and the other women that he did this to, it was not

normal. it was not welcomed and it was certainly not consensual. >> in washington, the senate is back in session right now. finally only hours away from a final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, after time ran out on a four-day hold-up from a single republican senator from tennessee, objecting that it isn't entirely paid for. it still faces an uncertain future in a deeply divided democratic house. also this hour, we'll have a live report from kelly cobiella in kabul as the taliban advance on the capital and i'll be joined my former defense secretary leon panetta. nbc's morgan chesky in texas and vaughn hillyard in florida. morgan, let's talk to you first. the good news about canada reopening its border to fully vaccinated americans coming, as

hospitals are bombarded with patients and that massive biker rally in sturgis, south dakota, could make things a whole lot worse. >> reporter: yeah, andrea, you're absolutely right. we know more than a half a million people expected to descend into sturgis, south dakota, as we speak. and we do know that this year they will be offering the johnson & johnson vaccine for those who are in attendance. last year, though, following that massive turnout there, it was linked to at least 600 cases of covid-19. we do know that as of this year people, while they are aware of the spread of this virus, they, of course, know that it is their choice to deal with it as they wish and masks are being made available to those who are in attendance. however, there is no mask mandate, per se, at that event. in the meantime here in texas, the main concern is the dwindling supply of intensive care units. we know that right now, within

the austin area, there are six beds available for a population that exceeds 2 million. up to the north in the metroplex, including dallas and ft. worth, there are about 75 beds for a population that touches 8 million. that is why doctors are so incredibly concerned, if the numbers continue to go up from the delta variant, they are simply going to run out of room. we have already heard one instance of an 11 month old infant stricken with covid, taken to a pediatric ward, turned away because they didn't have any room there. houston having one of the largest medical centers in the country. this little girl had to be flown by helicopter to another hospital 150 miles away in temple, texas, before she could get treated for covid-19. so as it stands right now, texas in a bad spot, and we know that texas governor greg abbott has made it clear he trusts texans to do the right thing when it comes to spreading of the

covid-19 and prohibited local leaders from being able to enact a mask mandate. in austin they're encouraging everyone to mask up, avoid big gatherings and stay home if you can. andrea? >> i just want to point out, i saw an interview with the mother of that little girl. she was 11 months old. an 11 month old baby taken 150 miles away from her mother, who would not visit her while she was in the hospital for more than a week and is still recovering. these individual cases are just terrible, morgan. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. and unfortunately those kinds of stories will only become more prevalent if these numbers don't start to taper off. and, unfortunately, they are rising very similarly to the way they did last summer. and one of the key things that really has health care staff concerned is the fact that this time last year they were able to

contract and bring more nurses and more physicians on staff to handle the surge. this year, that is not being made available through the state. andrea? >> vaughn joins us now. morgan, thank you very much for the texas situation. vaughn hillyard, you're in florida. another governor going against all recommendations from the national government. millions of children back in school, their parents debating the need for mask mandates to prevent delta transmission in the classrooms. >> reporter: yeah, andrea, governor desantis of florida is one of seven governors that has imposed here a ban on school districts from requiring students to wear masks. you've got south carolina, iowa, texas, arizona, here in florida, again, seven states that are barring their schools from mandating students wear masks. but let's take into account a couple of the facts that we do know, and that is that across the country the number of cases

has more than doubled over just the last two weeks. we also know that masks help stop the spread of the coronavirus. we also know that children under the age of 12, those very kids that are going to be entering schools in arizona, florida and georgia this week, those kids under 12, they still cannot get vaccinated and the fda does not expect to be able to approve a safe vaccine for kids for at least several more months. so that is why when you're looking here at florida, you're talking to teachers, parents who are concerned about what this school year looks like. this has come to a head, actually, over in nearby arkansas where a judge on friday stopped a ban from taking place. school districts there are now able to require students to wear masks. this is a challenging time for parents, one, a gentleman, anthony demarco i talked to just yesterday, who is not going to be sending his son to school. he has a pacemaker and heart

defects and he does not feel comfortable sending him into a situation where he's around unvaccinated, unmasked students. >> vaughn hillyard in florida, thank you so much. joining us know, dr. patel, primary care physician and a former policy director in the obama administration, and infectious disease expert and professor at florida international university. let's focus on schools and child safety. here's what dr. fauci said to chuck on "meet the press" on sunday. >> all you need to do is do a survey of the pediatric hospitals throughout the country and you're seeing a considerable number of young people who are not only infected, but are seriously ill. the numbers compared to the elderly are less, but that's a false comparison. these kids are getting sick. we've really got to make sure we protect them. >> and, doctor, in florida there are more than 23,000 cases that we know so far. >> the number of cases in

florida, compared to that in the rest of the united states, is about threefold more, the number of hospitalizations is about threefold more than in the united states as a whole. and our hospitals in miami-dade are somewhere between 100% and 160% capacity. this is also affecting urgent care centers and childrens' hospitals and it's overwhelming our staff and impacting the care of victims and also impacting all of health care because, number one, it requires so many extra staff and so much extra materials and resources, and they're lost from use in other diseases. >> and dr. patel, the "washington post" is pointing out today that more than 93% of new infections at the end of july were from the delta variant. this comes as we're waiting for full fda approval of vaccines,

still waiting. maybe it will be by the end of the month according to just what dr. fauci said, maybe still september? might that have an impact, freeing up more companies and organizations to mandate vaccines? >> yeah, andrea, that's right. and dr. fauci alluded to it and you've also seen the teachers union express support. so you're seeing, i think, more movement before and certainly after approval, and it's because of what you said. not just 93% of infections for covid due to the delta variant, but just the fact that we're toppling 100,000 cases, as the doctor said, we've got children. and i have to remind people that children under the age of 12 don't have as many of the treatment access that we've been talking about, the monoclonal antibodies, remdesivir, a number of things we can use in patients, we don't have as much of that. we just try to give supportive care to those patients.

and that's why making this even more dire is the fact that once a child is hospitalized, this is not necessarily an assumption that everything is available to that patient, both in terms of staffing and in terms of treatment. >> and, doctor, what we're hearing also from the fda is that there may be a speed-up on approval for that booster shot for fully vaccinated immunocompromised americans. what are you hearing about that? >> yes, that's absolutely true. and i'm on a number of panels that works with that, because i do also work on the vaccinations. i will say that we have to be very concerned about this because, among the vaccine breakthroughs are mainly individuals that have underlying conditions that make it more challenging for them to make the appropriate long-lasting times of b and t cells, from medications they're on, et

cetera. so we're hospitalizing some individuals who are fully vaccinated, but they have these underlying conditions that a booster shot would really make a big difference for them. >> and dr. patel, i want to circle back to the sturgis bike rally because last year the entire upper midwest had the effects of sturgis, not from them being outdoors on bikes, so much as them going from hotels and restaurants and then back to their home states. dr. fauci expressed that concern on sunday. >> i'm very concerned, chuck, that we're going to see another surge related to that rally. i mean, to me, it's understandable that people want to do the kinds of things they want to do. they want their freedom to do that. but there comes a time when you're dealing with a public health crisis that could involve you, your family, and everyone

else, that something supercedes the need to do what you want to do. >> it's the argument between personal freedom, so-called freedom, and community responsibility. >> andrea, this is something i've heard a lot about, the sturgis rally and even fourth of july events where people were even outdoors for most of the time. the white house even held one. and i think that what we've learned, not only does this delta variant pose a different set of risks than we would have anticipated, but in general we're trying, as you said, to kind of protect the public. and i'll be honest, i think it's another one of our failures in public health communication. we're not doing a great job of explaining how one individual can have an impact on the community. people are getting a little more comfortable with it, but unfortunately the politics is making that message get even more muddled, because, you know, taking away someone's ability to go to a rally where they could

actually get sick and die is now being equated with some sort of kind of violation of their freedoms. and it's quite the opposite. we want everyone to be alive to exercise any of their political freedoms, and that's what's at stake here. so i also want people to be cautious because we're going to be opening schools, some have already opened. texas schools opened today, as you've already covered. this is going to be a really interesting time period to understand more about how we can keep those environments safe, masks and distance, et cetera. and if we don't, we could see a worsening, similar to what dr. fauci is referencing with sturgis. >> exactly. denver and las vegas, i think, also reopening schools today. thank you so much, dr. kavita patel. thanks to both of you. senators back on the floor at this hour ready to vote on that vice president infrastructure bill, finally. what has made the cut and what is its future in the divided democratic house?

this is "andrew mitchell reports." you're watching msnbc. ever slept like this before. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. what is even in this? clinically-studied plant based ingredients passion flower, valerian root, and hops. new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep. what happens when we welcome change? we can make emergency medicine possible at 40,000 feet. instead of burning our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron.

we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change. that delicious omelet was microwaved? get outta here. everybody's a skeptic. paper money. it's the future! get outta here. i'm leaving with my gold. it's not crazy. help me, mother. it's an omelet. just crack an egg. you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you.

i'm on it. sounds like a plan. it's taken a lot to get to this moment. i'm on it. ♪ grew up at midnight - the maccabees ♪ dreams are on the line. you got this. refresh... it all, comes down, to this. ♪♪

the senate is about to have its final debate. here is chuck schumer. american families and efforts to reverse climate change. in order to achieve such an ambitious legislative effort, i laid out two clear goals for this summer work period, pass the bipartisan bill and a budget resolution to set up the second track of our process before we leave for august recess. many folks called that two-track process unrealistic, many others said it's unachievable on such a short timeline and in such a slow moving chamber. but we have managed to steer two trains at the same time. there have been some bumps, there have been some delays, but

the senate is on track to finish both tracks. earlier this summer, i suggested the two-track strategy to president biden and speaker pelosi. we all agreed it was the best way to move forward and we are working in concert to make it happen. this morning, senate democrats unveiled -- >> the senators hoped they would get to the final vote on the bill when they came in for a rare weekend session, but those hopes were thwarted by freshman senator bill hagerty who held up the work for four days, pushing back their timeline to today. joining me is capitol hill correspondent, leigh ann caldwell and peter baker. i know you've had endless hours waiting with basically nothing happening because of bill haggerty from tennessee. but now we're about to get to final debate and a vote. >> reporter: that's right, andrea. this first track that senator schumer just mentioned regarding

the bipartisan infrastructure bill, well, that train is about to reach its destination in the senate, regardless of the fact that senator bill haggerty slowed down this process for several days. he wasn't able to stop it, but just make it painfully longer. the senate could vote on final passage as early as 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. well, actually, i should back up. they could vote as early as today if senator haggerty and others allow them to do so, but time runs out on the clock at 4:00 a.m. tuesday morning when they can vote on this final passage. if they have an agreement, it could actually be in the daylight hours tomorrow as well. immediately after, they are going to move to this $3.5 trillion resolution, which is the first step in their reconciliation process to get their human infrastructure needs done, that the democrats really want. but what you can be clear is the

bipartisan infrastructure bill is going to pass and it's going to pass with a significant number of republicans, 19 republicans voted for a key procedural vote late last night and that vote could mimic final passage. so this will be a big bipartisan win in the senate, andrea. >> and, peter baker, i'm going to talk about this holdup and senator haggerty in a moment. but let's talk about the republicans who voted for the bipartisan bill, including senator cornyn from texas. it seems to indicate a slight shift away from donald trump's hold, at least on the senate. >> reporter: that's right, in the last few days former president trump has been issuing increasingly furious messages, badgering republicans for even thinking about going along with this deal, saying it was basically, in effect, a cave-in to democrats and another example of mitch mcconnell, his least favorite republican, or one of his least favorite republicans

not being a strong enough leader. most of the republicans are voting against it, but you're right, the fact that nearly 20 republicans are going along at this point is an indicator, of course, that near not listening to president trump, that they have other factors in mind. among them, they have constituents who want bridges and roads and constituents who want broadband and other things in the bill. and there's a desire to show that the government can work, the bipartisan is still alive has president biden has talked about, even if they don't get everything they want. these republicans won't go for the second part and they'll have an opportunity to raise their objections to president biden's agenda. but on this one where they can take some wins home for their own constituents, they're choosing their states over the pressure they're getting from president trump. >> and of course there is anger at senator haggerty from tennessee who had hired a lot of former trump staffers and is voting against the interest of tennessee, where there's a significant bridge that would

benefit from the bipartisan bill. now it goes on, peter, to the house, where moderates and progressives are divided because, as leigh ann has been reporting all weekend, there are a lot of progressives in the house who don't think that the reconciliation package is big enough as it goes, and they don't like the timing. >> well, we've spent so many months just talking about the senate, but of course, you're right, we still have to go through a whole other house to get it to the president's desk and the house is only slightly more democratic control in terms of the numbers than the senate. they've only got a margin of a handful of votes. now, you're right, the issue there seems to be as much as anything the left in the democratic party being -- you know, using this to pressure president biden and the leadership to do more. disappointed that they haven't seen more ambition, in their view, on a number of key issues. but speaker pelosi has shown time and time again that no matter how many big issues like this come to the floor, they

manages to pull together her caucus when the counting actually starts. almost nobody up there who is a better vote counter right now than nancy pelosi. they won't get this to the floor unless she knows she has the votes and we presume she'll be able to find a way to get it to pass. but it's not guaranteed. >> not guaranteed because, as we've been reporting all of this out, the caucus is more progressive than the democratic base, and what you've seen in some of the recent elections that have been held is that democratic moderates seem to be holding sway in some of the governors' races we're seeing, the primaries, for instance, in virginia and elsewhere. but the progressives have a firm grip, especially on the democratic caucus. so this could be a real battle for pelosi going forward. but you're right, she's been an incredible dealmaker and manager of her caucus in the past. leigh ann caldwell, peter baker, thanks to both of you.

new york lawmakers discussing impeachment as one top aide resigns and an accuser speaks out. this is "andrew mitchell reports." msnbc. and now get netflix on us. it's all included with 2 lines for only $70 bucks! only at t-mobile. >> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple loves camping adventures and their suv is always there with them. so when their windshield got a chip, they wanted it fixed fast. they drove to safelite autoglass for a guaranteed, same-day, in-shop repair. we repaired the chip before it could crack. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust, when you need it most. ♪ pop rock music ♪ >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ (upbeat music) - [narrator] this is kate. she always wanted her smile to shine. now, she uses a capful of therabreath healthy smile oral rinse

to give her the healthy, sparkly smile she always wanted. (crowd cheering) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. this past year has felt like a long, long norwegian winter. therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. but eventually, with spring comes rebirth. everything begins anew. and many of us realize a fundamental human need to connect with other like-minded people. welcome back to the world. viking. exploring the world in comfort... once again. alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice

and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain!

a major step against governor andrew cuomo today in the new york state assembly as its judiciary committee huddles with lawyers to discuss potential impeachment proceedings. even as the governor's inner circle begins to crumble. the latest fallout, the

resignation of top aide melissa derosa, at his side during months of pandemic appearances, quitting under fire for aiding his cover-up of sexual harassment accusations, according to the investigation report. derosa says she's stepping aside after an emotionally and mentally trying two years. one of cuomo's accusers describes her interactions with the governor to cbs. >> these were not hugs that he would give his mother or, you know, his brother. these were hugs with the intention of getting some personal sexual satisfaction out of. and then there was at one point a hug and then, when he went to kiss me on the cheek, he quickly turned his head and he kissed me on the lips. >> joining us now, nbc's kathy park in albany. governor cuomo disputes these allegations and denies any wrongdoing, but the state's

democratic lawmakers are moving forward. there are some ripple effects within some major national advocacy groups. >> reporter: andrea, good afternoon. yeah, that is absolutely right. i'll start with some breaking news that probably just came in in the past hour or so. roberta kaplan, a prominent u.s. attorney submitted a letter of resignation, amid growing criticism with her close ties to governor cuomo, and i will just read an excerpt of that letter. i cannot offer the degree of transparency about my firm's matters now being demanded since that would be contrary to my responsibilities as a lawyer. and just a couple of days ago the attorney general came report came out and was released to the public. it shows that investigators referenced kaplan for reviewing a disparaging op-ed that essentially attacked one of governor cuomo's accusers. so that was something that was

detailed in this report, which led to the outcry and then came today's resignation. time's up also issued a statement in the wake of the letter that came down from their former leader. it reads, in part, our staff does incredible work and contributes to change every day, so we are counting on our sisters and allies not to lose sight of the broader work and let a man's treachery be overshadowed in any way. we do not ask for a pass. we ask for perspective. there are certainly a lot of headlines that are unfolding. you have the judiciary committee meeting to begin the impeachment proceedings and you mentioned the top aide, melissa derosa, overnight breaking news, she stepped down as well. she released a statement saying that she valued her time, her ten years serving the state, but there was no mention of the governor. and she is also accused in that explosive ag report for

discrediting at least one of the accusers. but it is certainly an interesting turn of events, a shocking turn of events, as the walls seem to be caving in on the governor. we know he is in albany. he hasn't made any remarks ever since the prerecorded statement that he made last week, ever since that ag report came out. and of course a lot happening today and we'll let you know if we hear from him, andrea. >> whether we hear from derosa in sort of more transparent ways. she doesn't mention the sexual harassment issue or any of this in her fare well statement. here is just part of what maureen dowd wrote. she says in part the 165-page report, in which derosa is mentioned 187 times makes sure that she enforced a culture of secrecy, loyalty, fear and

retaliation. andrew cuomo couldn't get a handle on his ego. now comes a mudslide that may wash away him, his brother's reputation, the careers of derosa and company, and his family's legacy. so that's a devastating column from maureen dowd. kathy park, i think you've got a lot breaking there in albany today. thank you so much for your report. meanwhile, total chaos in afghanistan. five major afghan cities back in taliban control. the speed of the taliban advance prompting a call from the state department for all american civilians to get out. a live report from kabul in a moment. plus, former defense secretary and cia director leon panetta on why many afghans are not fighting back. this is "andrew mitchell reports" on msnbc. and now get netflix on us. it's all included with 2 lines for only $70 bucks! only at t-mobile.

mm. [ clicks tongue ] i don't know. i think they look good, man. mm, smooth.

uh, they are a little tight. like, too tight? might just need to break 'em in a little bit. you don't want 'em too loose. for those who were born to ride there's progressive. with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. think i'm gonna wear these home. -excellent choice. start your day with crest 3d white and from mochaccinos to merlot, with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. your smile will always be brilliant. crest 3d white brilliance. 100% stain removal, 24 hour stain resistance to lock in your whitest smile. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america.

trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier

and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. gains throughout afghanistan, seizing five capitals as the

state department accuses security forces of giving up without a fight. the u.s. is providing some air support, but little else after most u.s. troops left the country, sending a clear signal that america's 20-year war in afghanistan is over. nbc's kelly cobiella is in kabul, afghanistan. tell us what's the latest on the ground. >> reporter: well, andrea, there is fighting tonight again the afghan forces and the taliban in the north, the west, and the south. you may have heard just in the past 24 hours, the taliban took control of the city of kunduz, a city of just under 300,000 people north of kabul, about 200 miles north. now, the afghan government says afghan forces are still contesting that, that they're going into the city and fighting sort of door to door in the nighttime, trying to take back that city. families in the meantime are fleeing these areas, not just in the north, but also in the west and south. they are fleeing sometimes with

just the clothes on their back, trying in some cases to reach the relative calm of kabul. and there are also tens of thousands of people here in the capital city who are desperately trying to leave the country. many of them applying for those special immigrant visas. we spoke to one man, a former interpreter for the navy seals who worked for them for five years. he told us that he's frustrated by the process, he doesn't understand much of it, and he's losing hope. take a listen. >> we are not safe, we are about to get killed. the taliban will about to kill us. i saved many americans' life. right now they left me behind for the taliban to kill me. >> reporter: and he fears not just for himself, but particularly for his three young sons, and his wife, all with him in kabul. and andrea, today we heard from unicef that this renewed fighting is already taking quite a toll on children.

27 children killed just in the last 72 hours of fighting alone. more than 100 injured. andrea? >> kelly cobiella, thank you. please stay safe. joining us now, leon panetta who served as the defense director. secretary panetta, thank you for being with us. the u.s. over the weekend, the state department saying basically that the afghan government has to do more, that they were giving up without a fight. now kelly is reporting there has been some fighting overnight, the last 24 hours. the afghan security forces are far more supported, 300,000 troops, air force, special forces and heavy equipment. the state department wrote we are committed to supporting those forces well into the future. why do you think, mr. secretary, that they're not fighting back?

>> well, there's no question that the situation is deteriorating rapidly. we've got five capitals that have fallen in three days, three fell on sunday alone. so it's obvious that the afghans are not putting up the kind of fight that is essential here. they have got to be able to stop the taliban momentum at some point. and if they don't, i think there is a real danger that afghanistan could be lost to the taliban within a number of weeks. >> and that would mean that kabul has fallen, or under threat of falling. we're trying to protect the embassy by protecting the airport, which is the only escape for the rest of the state department employees and other civilians who are there.

but that would be the collapse. >> it's absolutely essential that the afghan forces have to be able to protect kabul. and if that doesn't happen, then it is over. but the best you can hope for now is that the government can at least achieve some kind of stalemate with the taliban, in other words, be able to hold the line. and if they can do that, if they can show that strength, then i think there's a chance that you can stop some of this momentum, that the taliban are obviously moving forward with. but that really does require that the afghan military has to show up, has to put up a strong fight. i hope the u.s. can provide some assistance in that fight, because it's absolutely

essential that we not allow the taliban to take over afghanistan. that becomes a real national security threat to the united states, because, make no mistake, they will make it a safe haven for al qaeda and for terrorism. >> and one of the enormous ironies here is that with the collapse of the capital over the weekend, 200 afghans have fled to iran and the agency is calling on iran to keep its border open and to give what help it can to 200, adding to maybe 1 million afghans who have fled to iran in the last year. >> we're looking at a disaster here in two areas. one, the fundamental mission that the united states went to far in afghanistan with was to make sure that it would not be a

safe haven for terrorists to attack our country. we're on the brink of losing that capability now. and, secondly, we're looking at a potential humanitarian disaster. i don't trust the taliban. i never have. and it's clear that they've been now conducting atrocities on those who helped serve with the united states to protect afghanistan and they're also going to undermine the rights that women have fought for in afghanistan. this is going to become a humanitarian disaster. >> now, the former ambassador to afghanistan, veteran diplomat who you know well, ryan crocker, said on sunday this is an indelable stain on president biden's presidency. acknowledging that president biden inherited this withdraw decision from president trump, but did they underestimate the speed of the taliban advance and

did they accelerate the withdraw this summer? >> well, i think there's no question that president biden has taken the right position for the united states as a world leader and said that the united states is back as a world leader, and when it comes to afghanistan, the president also stated that as we were withdrawing our forces that we would not allow afghanistan to again become a safe haven for terrorists. i think the president has got to show that we are not going to allow the taliban to totally take over afghanistan without putting up a fight. and that will be a test for this administration. >> can we still put up a fight, given how many troops we've withdrawn and our air assets?

>> well, you've raised the question of the moment, which is whether or not it's too late. >> exactly. >> but i don't think it's too late. i think the fact is that the united states is a strong military power, we can provide some air support, we can provide some assistance to their military, we can provide counterterrorism operations, all of that was part of the president's announcement. we cannot just simply sit back and allow the taliban a total victory here. mark my words, if we do, just as we had to do in iraq when isis was almost capturing baghdad, we'll have to go back in in order to protect our national security interests. and that would be the wrong way, to have to go at this point. >> plain truths from the former

defense secretary and cia director, leon panetta. thank you for being with us today. co red for humanity, the dire report about climate change. the evidence is playing out in california and oregon every day. latest on the devastating fires and the details from that report. this is "andrew mitchell reports" on msnbc. e media for 4. i've been taking prevagen on a regular basis for at least eight years. for me, the greatest benefit over the years has been that prevagen seems to help me recall things and also think more clearly. and i enthusiastically recommend prevagen. it has helped me an awful lot. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

what happens when we welcome change? we can transform our workforce overnight out of convenience, or necessity. we can explore uncharted waters, and not only make new discoveries, but get there faster, with better outcomes. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change-- meeting them where they are, and getting them where they want to be. faster. vmware. welcome change. that delicious omelet was microwaved? get outta here. everybody's a skeptic. paper money. it's the future! get outta here. i'm leaving with my gold.

it's not crazy. help me, mother. it's an omelet. just crack an egg. healthy habits come in all sizes. like little walks. and, getting screened for colon cancer. that's big because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. hey, cologuard! hi. i'm noninvasive and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers, even in early stages. early stages! yep, it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. count me in! me too!

and tonight's winning numbers are 18, 18 count me in! 55, 39, 71, and 43 we won! yes! noooo... noooo... noooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and each sheet is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less. i'll hold onto that. bounty, the quicker picker upper. my auntie called me. she said uncle's had a heart attack. i needed him to be here. your heart isn't just yours. protect it with bayer aspirin. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. climb change is now

irreversible. that is what we're learning from the world's leading climate scientists today that write in a new u.n. report that it is virtually certain that irreversible change is on the way. we don't have to tell that to the people in realtime has the dixie fire ranges. steve paterson joining us. what are you seeing in greenville? >> that is exactly right. it is drungs as far as the eye can see. it is 75% of every man made structure in town. it is now an all-too common part of wild fire season. this fire has you mentioned now the second largest in wild fire history. it displaced around 30,000 people and it's still

threatening about 13,000 homes. if they can't get a handle on this quickly this could happen again on the very same fire. years ago that was unheard of. as it has continued it is becoming something all too common. you hear that now from the firefighters on the ground, the climatologists and scientists. it is the dry brush combined with the super charged temperatures. instead of wildlands into towns. as far as i can see that is what happened here. >>. >> josh, if we keep burnings so sill fuels, what do scientists tell us? >> the u.n. looked at five different scenarios which is that essentially we continue

business as usual to burn fossil fuels. we could see increases at up to 8 degrees fahrenheit. i don't have to tell you what it would be like. that's the worst case scenario. best case is not particularly rosey either. even if we were able to eliminate all greenhouse gases today, these effects are already locked in. we would still see sea levels beginning to rise. temperatures across the world to stabilize and still see increases frequency of the extreme weather events like the fire that steve is covering. . now occurring about five times more offense than they used to. and incities andrea it could be particularly acute because cities like where i'm standing

in new york city that concrete traps that heat and makes the effects take affect even faster. >> josh, it is an increasing global agreement on this. but once germany, bull jum, whooi that, the floats there as they approach the summit this october, they're thinking of raising the standards under the paris accords making it more challenging for different countries to comply, but this u.n. report indicates it may already be too late. >> too late to prevent the basic effects of climb change, but dst not too late to act to prevent even worse effects. that's where the actions come into play. the report showing if by the middle of the century we can get

to net zero emissions we can limit it to about 1.5 degrees celsius. and now you have a different degree of international consensus. 195 countries signing on to this document that says it is uni equivocal that humans are contributing. and it could be the kinds of cuts in the coming decades that could prevent the worse effects of climate change. >> briefly, steve, what is the weather forecast for california? is there any rain in sight? >> there is absolutely. a megadrought condition has been around for some time. the brush fire is a 100%

emission. if you threw 100 matches down in 100 different places every single one would start a fire. >> steve patterson, josh letterman, thank you. that does it for a very busy edition of "andrea mitchell reports." garrett haake is in for chuck todd today. e is in for chuck todd today and now get netflix on us. it's all included with 2 lines for only $70 bucks! only at t-mobile.

it's taken a lot to get to this moment. ♪ grew up at midnight - the maccabees ♪ dreams are on the line. you got this. refresh... it all, comes down, to this. ♪♪

♪ someone once told me, that i should get used to people staring. so i did. it's okay, you can stare. when you're a two-time gold medalist, it comes with the territory.

if it is monday, it is major covid deja vu. more cities are imposing mask mandates again. including some children's hospitals as some kids start go back to school raising fears that the outbreak will only get worse. plus with the president's legislative agenda on the line the senate closes it on final passage on the bill. a senator at the center of a all, and later, new developments in the cuomo investigation. they meet to lay out next steps for impeachment as the governor's top aide resigns