i'm wolf blitzer "the situation room."cnnsitroom. erin burnett "outfront" starts now. >>> "outfront" next, we will hunt you down. those are the words from president biden as he vows to take on any terrorist that threats the united states now that the afghan war is officially over. >>> the growing mystery in louisiana. the state desperate for food and water and could be weeks before power is restored. >>> republican lawmaker warning of bloodshed as he pushes false and dangerous claims about america's election. let's go "outfront". >>> and good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight president

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta, and you're in "the situation room." >> and we begin with the breaking news, the pentagon just announcing that some 3,000 u.s. troops will be deployed to the afghan capital within 48 hours to help americans leave as taliban forces seize more territory. we're covering all angles of the story with cnn chief international correspondent clarissa ward on the ground in kabul and cnn seen for white house correspondent phil mattingly over at the white house but first let's start with cnn pentagon correspondent orrin liebman. the situation in afghanistan is clearly deteriorating rapidly. what have you learned about the mission for these 3,000 u.s. troops? >> the taliban has swept and gained control of 12 provincial capitals with an advance that clearly has momentum as they move forward here. the u.s. is sending in 3,000 additional troops specifically to hamid karzai international airport. that is the international gateway to kabul to secure the airport and to assist in the evacu

a few minutes wolf blitzer will take over for a special edition of "the situation room."one of the strongest hurricanes in louisiana history, one of the strongest anywhere in the united states coming ashore between grand isle and coke degree. mostly marshland. as you get inland, there will be residents experiencing 100-plus-mile-per-hour winds. another advisory coming in from the national advisory center. wolf blitzer takes over our coverage now. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. this is a special edition of "the situation room." breaking news on two fronts. hurricane ida expected to make

i'm wolf blitzer "the situation room." follow me or tweet the show @cnn sitcom.cuomo stepping down while defending his behavior towards women and despite the resignation, the governor's legal troubles may not be over. >>> plus, president biden has deep concerns about students returning to the classroom before they can get vaccinated. nearly 94,000 kids testing positive for covid in the past week. >>> chicago a city in crisis. one police officer killed, another critically injured in a shooting as the force reportedly turns its back on the mayor. let's go wit"outfront". >>> a stunni f

i'm wolf blitzer.ou're in "the situation room." ♪ >>> the breaking news this hour, president biden speaking out just a little while ago about the resignation of new york's governor, saying he respects andrew cuomo's decision to step down amid a sexual harassment scandal and the resulting impeachment probe. cnn national correspondent brynn gingras is working this story for us. brynn, cuomo says his resignation will take effect in two weeks. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, wolf. two weeks from today new york will have its first female governor in kathy hochul. she actually got a heads up about the governor's resignation right before he made his remarks, and then the two spoke to each other afterwards. as for the governor, he is back here at the governor's mansion in albany after he made the sometimes emotional remarks, and he said he doesn't want to be a distraction for the people of new york. that prompting swift reaction from lawmakers at every level of government, and some of the women who accused hi

i'm wolf blitzer.ou're in "the situation room." all right. let's get straight to our white house, our chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins. kaitlan, covid is front and center for president biden as the country now faces a new surge of cases. >> yeah, wolf. and the white house is making a concerted effort to try to correct the messaging after the cdc fark sparked a lot of confusion last week when they issued that new mask guidance for fully vaccinated americans. and now this week the white house has filled president biden's schedule with events related to the pandemic as they are stressing the effectiveness of vaccines given, they say, that right now 90 million americans who are eligible to get vaccinated still haven't done so. with the delta variant fueling outbreaks nationwide, president biden is hitting a key vaccine goal tonight almost one month late. >> i would say it's a significant step that we have hit 70%. >> reporter: 70% of adults in the u.s. have now received at least one shot, a

i'm wolf blitzernd you're in "the situation room." >>> let's get straight to the white house right now. our senior white house correspondent phil mattingly is joining us. phil, the current covid surge here in the united states fueled by the very aggressive delta variant is overshadowing the country's economic recovery. >> wolf, that's right. the president got the type of jobs report that he said makes clear what he has put into place economically is working. and yet it just makes even more clear how much is at stake as the delta variant spreads throughout the country. >> america can beat the delta variant. tonight, despite a blowout jobs report, no victory lap for president biden. >> my message today is not one of celebration. it's one to remind us we got a lot of hard work left to be done. >> reporter: a clear recognition of the looming danger of the delta variant has enveloped the nation. biden touting the economic progress underscored by the 943,000 jobs added in july, and the unemployment rate tha

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." ♪ >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> and we begin with the breaking news. very serious breaking news from the fda and covid booster shots for some americans are now on the way. cnn's chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins is joining us right now. kaitlan, tell our viewers what you're learning. this is significant. >> reporter: this is what we're learning, wolf, that we are expecting the fda to come out in the next 48 hours or so, though, that timing could slide, and announce that they are authorizing what is commonly known as booster shots for people who are immunocompromised and therefore more susceptible to variants of covid-19, variants like the delta variant that we have seen really overtake the u.s. in recent months. this is significant because we knew they had been working on this behind the scenes, having growing concerns about the efficacy of these vaccines, how long they last, how effective they are for people who have, of course, were

we continue our coverage with wolf blitzer in "the situation room." i'm see you tomorrow. ♪ >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer with our breaking news coverage of the crisis in afghanistan. tonight the united states is ramping up fran sick evacuation efforts. many people are struggling to reach the kabul airport amid chaos and a tall ban crack down on opponents. the state department says 6,000 people are at the airport awaiting flights right now with 20 planes expected to leave tonight. this as the white house is struggling to contain the fall-out from president biden's denial of any mistakes in the exit from afghanistan. cnn now learning that u.s. diplomats wrote an internal memo last night warning of a potential catastrophe in afghanistan. this hour i will get reaction from the president, the deputy national security adviser. he's standing by live. our experts are standing by as we cover this breaking story. we begin with cnn national security respondent over at th

i'm wolf blitzer.ou're in "the situation room." ♪ >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following breaking news from the epicenter of the latest covid surge. we're talking about florida now seeing record numbers of new cases. despite that, the governor ron desantis is fighting to ban masks in schools and that fight is escalating very dramatically tonight. our national correspondent natasha chen is in orlando for us. natasha, so, update our viewers on the latest. >> reporter: right, wolf, we have a statement from governor ron desantis' office explaining that after he had already threatened to withhold funding from school districts that have mask mandates, now he's threatening to withhold the salaries of superintendents and school board members, school officials in these districts where masks are required. and the statement goes on to explain that they want to nar narrowly tailor this consequence to the decisionmakers, the people in charge of creating these rules for the students in those districts. an

i'm wolf blitzer. "the situation room."roops to withdrawal from afghanistan up to 1500 americans are still in afghanistan. this as warnings about an isis attack at the airport are growing. one state allowing vaccine skepticism to flourish sending out recruitment flyers to nurses saying no need to be vaccinated in order to work. plus, he's a former nfl star backed by trump but a 2008 interview with our dr. sanjay gupta shows why some in the republican party are not should on

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." tonight the united states is working to accelerate the desperate evacuation from taliban controlled afghanistan. the white house says 11,000 americans are still on the ground there amid urgent concerns for their safety. this as the taliban is trying to calm global fears about their takeover of the country, promising afghanistan won't become a haven for terror and that the country will uphold women's rights. that pr campaign is met with lots of skepticism. here the white house is struggling to contain the fall-out of the collapse on president biden's watch. one white house official privately admits, and i'm quoting now, our confidence is being questioned. our correspondents are covering it all from the white house to the pentagon to the afghan capital. let's go to our chief correspondent clarissa ward. she's joining us from kabul. there are thousands and thousands of americans and afghans. they are hoping to flee the country but are so fearful of being attacked by taliban fighters on t

i'm wolf blitzer "the situation room."president biden and defensive saying it was not a failure and insisting there was no way to leave the country without chaos ensuing. why didn't he tell that to the american people before kabul fell? >>> plus, we have more breaking news, the president saying u.s. troops could stay in afghanistan past the august 31st deadline and the biden administration announcing plans to start rolling out covid booster shots next month. dr. row shell walensky, the cdc director is

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."onight president biden is vowing the united states will complete its mission in afghanistan despite urgent warnings that another deadly terror attack may be imminent. a terror attack is likely as the operation enters what they are calling the most dangerous period just ahead of the u.s. withdrawal deadline this coming tuesday. this as the death toll is arising from yesterday's bombing outside the kabul airport. 13 u.s. troops and at least 170 afghans and civilians are dead, killed by an isis-k suicide attacker. the day after the carnage, airport crowds are smaller but desperate to get out of taliban control, afghanistan as the evacuations continue with time running out. we're covering it all with our correspondents, analysts and guests in the region here in the united states. first let's go to kaitlyn collins. the biden administration is making it abundantly clear that the terror threat is ongoing, very specific and credible. >> reporter: yeah, wolf. they're warning these last few days

i am wolf blitzer. this is a special edition of "the situation room."ng breaking news on hurricane ida. the storm is set to intensify soon, expected to make landfall in louisiana as a powerful category four hurricane tomorrow. national weather service is warning the storm could make some places in southeast louisiana uninhabitable for weeks or even months. look at this. any video into cnn shows backed up traffic out of the new orleans area on a major highway, talking interstate 10. folks are trying to get out as quickly as they can. people listened to urgent warnings, are rushing to get out of the storm's path. we hope they make it. the mayor of new orleans is expected to hold a briefing in just a few minutes. we will have live coverage of that briefing once it begins. our team of reporters is covering the storm from all angles. allison chinchar is standing by at the cnn weather center. begin with nadia ra mira and jason carroll in new orleans for us. jason, first to you. are people you are talking to leaving new orleans or trying to hunker down and sta

wolf blitzer right next door in "the situation room."ng news. >>> welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in the situation room with breaking news on the evacuation from afghanistan. the biden administration just provided the most detailed assessment yet on the race to get americans out. the secretary of state says 1500 u.s. citizens may still need evacuating. at least 4,500 americans have been airlifted out over the past 11 day

i'm wolf blitzer. this is a special edition of "the situation room." breaking news on two fronts. hurricane ida expected to make landfall as a strong category 4 storm in the next hour or so. the national hurricane center is reporting catastrophic storm surge and hurricane-force winds moving onshore right now. >>> also happening right now, president biden is at dover air force base where he'll attend the dignified transfer for the 13 american servicemen and women killed in kabul on thursday. we'll bring you those moments when they happen. stand by for that. >>> also this morning, the pentagon says a u.s. drone strike took out a suspected isis-k car bomb which was targeting kabul's airport. full reporting on that as well. we have a team of reporters standing by, first of all, in louisiana, ready to take you inside the storm as it makes landfall in the next hour or so. let's get right to cnn meteorologist chad myers. where is the storm now and what's the latest projection? when can we expect landfall along the louisiana coast? >> sure. we call landfall when the center of the eye cros

i'm wolf blitzer "the situation room." now. >>> "outfront" next the breaking news a key revelation from a top prosecutor who suddenly quit his post saying he left because trump wanted to fire him. "the new york times" reported trump wanted him gone because he wouldn't back the big lie. plus, tonight, breaking news the fda expected to authorize a vaccine booster shot for americans with compromised immune systems within the next 48 hours. and arrest warrants out for 51 texas democrats who fled the state. remember that? to block that controversial voting bill? i'll talk to a state representative facing arrest

i'm wolf blitzer, and you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> we begin our coverage this hour with the very latest on the coronavirus pandemic here in the united states. nick valencia is joining us from atlanta with more. the state of florida just reported a new batch of covid data, and it is clear the situation there is extremely dire. >> reporter: wolf, florida continues to be the hot spot in this latest surge of cases with new data released by the state health department showing they recorded new cases over any seven-day period throughout this entire pandemic. today a major milestone for the country with half the total u.s. population fully vaccinated. but the grim count of covid deaths is rising fast, a 52 increase over last week's seven-day average. florida reported more covid-19 cases in the last week than any other seven-day period during the pandemic. data published friday reported 134,506 new covid-19 cases over the past week. for an average of 19,215 cases each day. one unvaccinated virginia man reminding people to get the shot before it's too late. >> i'm

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." ♪ >>> we begin our coverage this hour with breaking news just coming into the "the situation room." the secretary of defense lloyd austin is expected to take a major step toward mandating covid vaccination for all active duty u.s. military troops. our chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins is joining us right now. kaitlan, what can you tell us? >> reporter: wolf, cnn is now learning that defense secretary austin is expected to seek authorization to make these coronavirus vaccines mandatory for all active duty troops. a defense official told my colleague barbara starr who broke this news that that decision could come as soon as this week. and the defense secretary is leaning towards mandating these vaccines for active duty troops. of course, wolf, if he does decide to make that decision, make that recommendation, he could go to president biden for a presidential waiver so then they could actually put this mandate into effect for these active dut

i'm wolf blitzer here in the situation room.orrow, sunday, with another special edition of "the situation room" tomorrow from noon to 3:00 p.m. eastern. you can always follow me on twitter and inst instagram @wolfblitzer and tweet cnn at @cnnsitroom. jim acosta picks up our special coverage right after this. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! 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®

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." accelerate the desperate evacuation from taliban controlled afghanistan. the white house says 11,000 americans are still on the ground there amid urgent concerns for their safety. this as the taliban is trying to calm global fears about their takeover of the country, promising afghanistan won't become a haven for terror and that the

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." follow me on twitter and instagram, tweet the show. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, an internal state memo in july called for urgent action in afghanistan. was that warning ignored? plus, three fully vaccinated senators testing positive for covid tonight in unrelated cases. but what does it tell us how common breakthrough cases are, and the need for boosters now? and florida governor ron desantis giving more medical advice to parents. let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. in for erin burnett. diplomats warned in july they believed the country could rapidly deteriorate and they feared a catastrophe after u.s. troops pull out at the end of august. and tonight, there is chaos and dysfunction in afghanistan, as the u.s. struggles to get tens of thousands of people out of the country. officials today saying over the past five days, just 7,000 people have been flown to safety. these are some we are showing you of the lucky ones. the afghans able to board a flight. but they represent jus

. >>> i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you've been listening and watching president biden making an important statement as he took questions over at the white house. he's now publicly calling on the new york governor andrew cuomo to resign after the state attorney general's damning report finding cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. the president also outlying what he calls encouraging signs of increased covid vaccinations and renewed his appeal for the unvaccinated to finally go ahead and do the right thing and get their shots. let's go straight to the white house right now. our senior white house correspondent phil mattingly is joining us. phil, the president made it abundantly clear what he thinks new york's democratic governor andrew cuomo needs to do. >> wolf, was blunt, it was a single word. andrew cuomo who has been more on an island than ever before after that damning 160-page plus report from the new york attorney general has now los

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." this is cnn breaking news. >> we begin with the breaking news on florida's governor now seeking to actually punish school officials who defy his mask mandate order. cnn's senior national correspondent is joining us right now. ed, florida governor ron desantis is taking the fight over masks in schools to a whole new level tonight. what is the latest? >> well, the governor there in florida is threatening to take away the salary of superintendents and school board members who insist on requiring students to wear masks now when schools go back to session. this is a dramatic move by the florida governor. they are just a week after the state is reporting its worst week ever in the number of new coronavirus cases. there are two counties in florida who are already defying the governor's orders, so we will have to wait and see how this plays out here in the coming days. and we're now starting to see the same thing here in texas, wolf, where governor greg abbott for weeks has been saying there

i'm wolf blitzer. this is a special edition of "the situation room."a category 4 storm with 150-mile-an-hour winds. we're just now starting to see some incredible pictures. intense winds in grand isle. clearly the worst is yet to come. the national hurricane center is reporting already catastrophic storm surge, very damaging winds are moving onshore across the gulf coast. let's get straight to cnn meteorologist chad myers. chad, 150-mile-an-hour winds. just six more miles per hour this would be a category 5 storm. >> right. you can't really separate 150 from 160 or 157 except that there's obviously more extensive damage the higher the number goes. it's log rhythmic. taking a 75-mile-per-hour storm, compared to what we have here, 150-mile-per-hour storm, that seems like it's two times greater. no. actually it's 256 times more powerful when it comes to doing damage because it's not a linear extrapolation, it's a log rhythmic extrapolation. port fourchon got the center of the eye, but the problem would be grand isle. grand isle got the right side of the e

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room" with breaking news on the crisis in afghanistan.he pentagon now says evacuation flights are underway again after a backlog that grounded planes for hours. president biden is now promising and i'm quoting him now, any american who wants to come home, we will get you home. he says he's making the same commitment to evacuate afghan allies of the united states. in his most extensive comments yet, the president seemed less defensive as he addressed the danger and the chaos since the taliban takeover. tonight there is new confirmation that americans in afghanistan have been beaten by the taliban. the defense secretary lloyd austin sharing that information with u.s. lawmakers. cnn crews have also witnessed taliban violence escalating in the afghan capital, making a desperate situation worse by the hour. our correspondents and analysts are standing by covering every angle of this breaking story. first, let's go to jeremy diamond over at the white house. je jeremy, the president made very specific promises today about the evacuation. >> that

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room" can breaking news.awal from afghanistan, declaring america's longest war is now over. the day after the last u.s. military flights left the country, the president is now calling the evacuation operation an extraordinary success, disagreeing wi

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room" with breaking news.roops may stay in afghanistan until all americans are out of the country, even if it's past the august 31st deadline for withdrawal. the president speaking out in a new interview claiming there was no way for u.s. troops to leave the country without chaos ensuing. and he i

wolf blitzer is off tonight. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we are covering the crisis in afghanistan from every angle in the capital of kabal and here in the u.s. we begin with barbara star. barbara, what are you learning about this new deployment of about 3,000 troops? obviously a lot to explain over there at the pentagon. >> good evening, jim. this is exactly what president biden did not want to have to do, but he is sending u.s. troops back into afghanistan even as he's still trying to withdraw the troops that were there. now about 3,000 u.s. troops, army, marines, some air force will go into afghanistan to help secure the capital of kabal to help withdraw u.s. diplomats from the embassy. they're trying to get the number of americans down to the bare minimum there because of the unfolding violence, the deteriorating security situation as the taliban continue on the march. many of these troops already in locations in kuwait and saudi arabia. also, there will be an elite unit from the 82nd airborne here in the united states that will go to the region on standby. some 3,000 additiona

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."te the frantic evacuation from afghanistan within the next eight days. the taliban is drawing a red line demanding all must withdraw by the august 31st deadline. president biden has left the door open for extending the mission. but the time -- time is running out for that as well. a u.s. defense

i'm wolf blitzer. this is a special edition of the "situation room." we're following two breaking stories right now. a race of evacuations on both sides of the globe. in afghanistan right now, it's down to only three days, three days as the u.s. mission to get americans and afghan allies safely out of kabul enters, and i'm quoting u.s. officials right now, the most dangerous period. we're standing by for a live pentagon briefing. >>> and along the gulf coast of the united states right now, it is just a matter of hours as hurricane ida barrelling toward shore. the storm taking a very similar track as katrina did exactly 16 years ago, threatening to make landfall tomorrow in louisiana as a category 4 hurricane. >> this will be a life-altering storm for those who aren't prepared and ready to take what ida is going to throw at us. >> we're covering this storm from all ankgles. on the ground in new orleans, but let's begin with allison chinchar at the cnn weather center. allison, what is the latest forecast? we're so, so concerned. >> we should be, really,

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." tonight the pentagon says it's pushing limits to complete the frantic evacuation from afghanistan within the next eight days. the taliban is drawing a red line demanding all must withdraw by the august 31st deadline. president biden has left the door open for extending the mission. but the time -- time is running out for that as well. a u.s. defense official sells cnn that if -- if the administration wants u.s. troops to stay longer, it must make that decision by tomorrow. we're also following a huge first in the pandemic. the fda now giving full and final approval to pfizer's covid-19 vaccine. president biden is now urging holdouts who were waiting for this milestone to get their shots and get their shots immediately. standing by as we cover these major stories first. let's go to our pentagon correspondent. i know there are lines on the line in afghanistan right now and the clock is clearly ticking. >> wolf, tomorrow is not just one week until the end of the month, the self-imposed d

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room" with breaking news on the crisis in afghanistan.klog that grounded planes for hours. president biden is now promising and i'm quoting him now, any american who wants to come

i'm wolf blitzer "the situation room." you can always follow me on twitter and instagram @wolf blitzer. tweet the show @cnnsitroom. erin burnett "outfront" starts now. >>> "outfront" next, we will hunt you down. those are the words from president biden as he vows to take on any terrorist that threats the united states now that the afghan war is officially over. >>> the growing mystery in louisiana. the state desperate for food and water and could be weeks before power is restored. >>> republican lawmaker warning of bloodshed as he pushes false and dangerous claims about america's election. let's go "outfront". >>> and good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight president biden with a message for isis america is not done with you yet. president biden vowing to maintain america's fight against terror as he forcefully defended his decision to end the war on afghanistan. >> let me say clearly to those who wish america harm, to those who engage in terrorism against us or our allies, know this, the united states will neve

i'm wolf blitzer, and you're in "the situation room."tes as the cdc announces more than 100,000 new covid cases in a single day. all of this as top health officials inside the biden administration are scrambling for data on the delta variant. the cdc revealed today that information on deaths and hospitalizations is incomplete. it's still unclear whether the new strain, the delta strain poses a greater threat to fully vaccinated americans. i'll interview the cdc director. she is standing by live. but first let's go to our senior white house correspondent phil mattingly for the late, breaking developments. phil, how is the biden administration responding to this devastating new wave of covid? >> reporter: wolf, for all of the different elements the federal government is trying to bring to bear to deal with this surge in cases, white house officials are unequivocal. there is one that matters more than any other. getting shots into arms. they had seen some progress, particularly in some of the lowest vaccinated states. but it is one of those

i'm wolf blitzer "the situation room." you can always follow me on twitter and instagram or tweet us @cnn sitroom. erin burnett out front starts now. >>> "outfront" next the breaking news a key revelation from a top prosecutor who suddenly quit his post saying he left because trump wanted to fire him. "the new york times" reported trump wanted him gone because he wouldn't back the big lie. plus, tonight, breaking news the fda expected to authorize a vaccine booster shot for americans with compromised immune systems within the next 48 hours. and arrest warrants out for 51 texas democrats who fled the state. remember that? to block that controversial voting bill? i'll talk to a state representative facing arrest tonight. let's go "outfront". >>> and good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight damming test former prosecutor that wouldn't back trump's big lie according today "new york times" reporting tonight. you may not know his name but his story is important and tonight, he is providing a key piece of evidence in pr

we continue our coverage with wolf blitzer in "the situation room."ers here in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer with our breaking news coverage of the crisis in afghanistan. tonight the united states is ramping up fran sick evacuation efforts. many people are struggling to reach the kabul airport amid chaos and a tall ban crack down on opponents. the state department says 6,000 people are at the airport awaiting flights right now with 20 planes expected to leave tonight. this as the white house is struggling to contain the

i'm wolf blitzer. this is a special edition of the "situation room." right now, we're moments away from an update, a very important update from the pentagon on the situation in afghanistan. this just hours after the u.s. conducted a drone strike against an isis-k planner and amid the ongoing evacuations of americans and afghan allies from kabul. we'll go live to the pentagon as soon as it begins. stand by for that. we >>> we're also tracking hurricane ida. the national weather service warning the storm could hit some places in southeast louisiana and make those places uninhabitable for weeks or even months. that warning just released. hurricane ida is expected to make landfall in that state, louisiana, as a category 4 hurricane tomorrow. almost exactly to the day, 16 years after hurricane katrina landed as a category 3. our team of reporters is covering the storm from all angles. nadia and jason are on the ground for us. let's begin with allison chinchar at the cnn weather center. what is the update from the weather center? >> brand-new update, showing

wolf blitzer is off today.'m jim acosta, and you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> and we're following breaking news. u.s. troops right now heading to afghanistan as the pent gone expresses deep concern over the taliban's rapid takeover of more territory in key cities. in moments i'll speak to pentagon spokesman john kirby. but first cnn chief international correspondent clarissa ward is on the ground in kabul for us tonight. what is the latest intelligence in how quickly kabul may fall? it is very worrying right now. >> reporter: the situation is definitely highly distressing for people who are living here. it is still calm in the capital of kabul. but the prognosis is not good. nobody expects necessarily for the taliban to imminently enter the city. but the real fear at the moment, jim, is that they could quite easily surround the city. they could isolate the city. we have seen now the taliban continue this extraordinary offensive, gobbling up territory across the country, more tha

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation" with our breaking news of the crisis in afghanistan.president biden says he stands squarely behind his decision to withdraw all u.s. troops, despite afghanistan's dissent into chaos. the president acknowledging the collapse happened more quickly than expected, but he insists there was no good time to leave after nearly 20 years of

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room" on the crisis in afghanistan. the united states is on pace right now to finish operations in afghanistan one week from today after deciding not to extend the deadline to american troops to withdraw. this comes as the evacuation mission has accelerated rapidly. the president says the u.s. has helped air lift more than 70,000 people out of the country in just ten days. the president is warning that the withdrawal timetable depends on the taliban continuing to cooperate with the evacuation. there are new questions about whether that will happen. the taliban now says they will not allow afghan nationals to leave the country as thousands are still waiting for flights out. our correspondents, analysts are standing by as we uncover this breaking story. first let's go to kaitlyn collins. we heard from the president a little while ago as he sticks with his withdrawal deadline. >> reporter: yeah, wolf. he is sticking with that. that means the clock is now ticking. with just seven days left to complete this evacuation from a

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation" with our breaking news of the crisis in afghanistan. tonight president biden says he stands squarely behind his decision to withdraw all u.s. troops, despite afghanistan's dissent into chaos. the president acknowledging the collapse happened more quickly than expected, but he insists there was no good time to leave after nearly 20 years of america's longest war. president biden described scenes in kabul as gut wrenching. citizens taking desperate and dangerous measures at the airport to try to free the taliban. let's begin over at the white house. jeremy is standing by. jeremy, the president had little choice but to address the nation just a little while ago. as this crisis continues to explode on his watch. >> reporter: no doubt, wolf. from the moment that the world witnessed the stunning collapse of the u.s.-backed government in kabul, it was clear that this was a moment that president biden was going to need to explain what exactly happened and how this rushed u.s. exit ha chaotically at the airport in kabul. the president admitted h

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."he united states will complete its mission in afghanistan despite urgent warnings that another deadly terror attack may be imminent. a terror attack is likely as the operation enters what they are calling the most dangerous period just ahead of the u.s. withdrawal deadline this coming tuesday. this as the death toll is

so that's what's blitzer, the waves on the chinese side at the moment on the relations with the taliban. i think they're still very apprehensive. they do have relations with the taliban, going back 20 years to the last time they were in government. they know who they're dealing with in that regard. they've been preparing us. your clips suggested for precisely this. eventually at the the meeting, the muller braga had with me, was the highest publicity meeting that taken place. but the fin interactions all sorts of other levels going back a long way. but i think the concern that china still has, as you partly suggested, is whether this is going to create a more permissive environment for the week of fighters in afghanistan. what the implications are going to be in the wider region, including for countries that it cares about. i think even more like pakistan and the central asian states, they're concerned about the implications for the ttp, the pakistani taliban. and so i think yes, there are economic interests that china has and it's likely to have been going on for the longer. but i thin

trump told wolf blitzer that bush -- i will say bush, cheney -- should be impeached for lying us into iraq. regarding the middle east, when hasn't it not been on fire? 6000 years ago? the pakistani isi was largely responsible for the civil war in afghanistan, and aligning themselves with and creating the taliban. the pakistanis hid and give safe harbor to osama bin laden. in pakistan there is 30,000-plus schools teaching radical brand of islam. why don't we focus on that? we give them billions of dollars . until they start reforming this system they have that produces this type of mentality in the world, we need to cut them off. host: kelly, can you give us a quick answer here? guest: i would go back to the mujahedin. we supported the mujahedin against the soviets in afghanistan. the mujahedin give life to osama bin laden. i will go back to my original point here about u.s. interventions and not seeing the consequences of them. host: we would like to thank kelley vlahos, the editorial director for the quincy institute for responsible statecraft for being with us and talking us through

and as my colleague wolf blitzer says, may his memory be a blessing. his brother was in that hospital. he and another family member is going to join me next. >>> we have a lot to talk about this evening. we're going to get into the politics, there is something very important that i have to do first. so i really need you to listen up and pay attention. last thursday i traveled to my hometown of baton rouge, louisiana, speaking with medical staff and covid-19 patients. and today i was stunned when i got the call. i learned sadly that one of the patients i met has passed away. he was 53 years old. joining me no you is jim's brother and ray's wife jerry. hello to both of you. i'm so sorey. how you are holding up? how are you doing? >> it's sad. >> yeah. >> rough. >> yeah. >> i only met him for just a little bit. and he just -- he was so kind and so adamant. about how he felt about what was happening and he wanted people to get he was starting to feel better. >> i'll tell you i didn't get to come home. i was exercising and stuff. he said he was feeling good

i'm wolf blitzer and you're in "the situation room." >>> we begin with the worsening covid crisis in the united states and increasingly urgent efforts by the biden administration to get the current surge fueled by the aggressive delta variant under control. let's go to our chief correspondent, kaitlan collins. the numbers are not good and the they could get much, much worse in the coming weeks. >> that's exactly what the hecdc is worried about. they are expected to seek authorization for mandating coronavirus vaccines for all active duty troops. that is not the case now, but it is something we're expecting in the coming days, and we'll see how much time the secretary wants to give to those troops to have them get vaccinated, given only about 60% of them right now are. wolf, this comes as there is a larger fight playing out across the united states on whether or not vaccines should be mandated. the u.s. map is turning deep red tonight as coronavirus cases skyrocket to their highest point since february. despite an abundant supply of vaccines, the u.s. is now averaging over 90,000 new

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."nding by to hear directly from the secretary of state shortly after the last u.s. military flight took off from the kabul airport. it is now august 31st in afghanistan. that is the deadline for american forces to withdraw. all u.s. troops are now out of afghanistan.