kyrie is part of a team. we're all part of teams. and when you're a part of a team, you submit yourself to the rules, regulations, policies, to the collective goal and mission of the team. if you step outside of that based on individual choice, you have the freedom to do so, but you're also saying you're different from the team, you're separate and apart from the team. the organizations are going to choose the organization 10 times out of 10. i hope kyrie comes to grips with the understanding this vaccine protects not only himself but his family now and into the future. the wnba, the athletes in that organization have done such a great job. 99% of their players have been vaccinated. if kyrie needs a colleague to speak to about this situation or any nba player who is hesitant needs to speak to someone, those women, i think, are outstanding resources to speak to because they have done it well and they always do it well. they're remarkable role models. >> they certainly are. after month of speculation, nba superstar lebron james finally

i'm sure the effort is ongoing. >> stephanie, what are the repercussions for kyrie irving.amount that he makes per game. but do you think that there are longer lasting repercussions for his career? >> i'm sure that there will be. when you just do the simple math, they've come out and said he'll not be paid for the home games because that was the ruling before they made this call that he was not even eligible to play. it appears they'll continue to compensate him for the road games he would have technically been eligible to participate in but the team has made the call to not allow his participation. the big picture is his contract renewal. he was supposed to be having those discussions this season about trying to negotiate another deal. he's on his four-year deal worth over $136 million. so he is in jeopardy of missing over $34 million this year, if they completely sever ties. they know he's going to likely get half of that. the other picture is endorsement deals. how will his partners feel that this is affecting their brand. >> it's going to be difficult to reconcile for s

kyrie irving's teammates are vaccinated. but kyrie irving has chosen not to get vaccinated. not. john, i'm told that kyrie irving has no plans to get vaccinated. so if that's the case there are only three routes for him this upcoming year. he's going to get half of his game checks this season, which amounts to $16 million, but he's leaving another $16 million on the table as well as potential $185 million extension. so he stands to lose about $200 million by taking this stance by not deciding to take the covid-19 vaccine, which, again, is a new york city policy and requirement for athletes to play in indoor gyms, public gyms. the nets got good news last week when the league ruled that their practice facility is a private office building, but obviously barclay center in brooklyn is not exempt from that. and so kyrie irving will either -- if he decides not to get vaccinated will sit the entire season ultimately wait for the mandate to get lifted which city hall officials have told me there is no expectation of that, or get traded. so right now kyrie irving is fighting a battle

kyrie benched. that's the new breaking message from the brooklyn nets on their search-time all-star shooting guard kyrie irving. the team is saying irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant, and in new york city that means he can't play at an indoor sporting venue until he's had at least one covid vaccine shot. let's talk about this with cnn legal analyst and dr. paul offit. >> it's ultimately going to be up to him. >> we'll work on getting that thought back in just a moment, but i want to bring in dr. paul offit along with dr. jennifer rogers. first your reaction to the nets drawing this kind of hard line. >> i think it's the right thing for the nets to do. what is most amazing about this story is how committed some people are to not getting a vaccine. i mean, because he's unwilling to get a covid vaccine, he's -- he's going to lose millions of dollars. you know, he's not being asked to get a heart transplant, just being asked to get two dose of of

>> when it comes to kyrie irving, it is always about kyrie irving. he's doing with the celtics again. it is the same kind of selfishness i've seen in his career before hand. if he was out there and wanted to be useful, he would encourage people to get vaccinated. instead, he's making it all about himself as usual. it is hard to use him as a sort of model in this conversation. there is a lot of different groups out there not getting vaccinated for a lot of different reasons. we hear about the political reasons because they are trump supporters. you mention pregnant mothers or people who have given birth are worried about the effects. mentioning not everyone has doctors to go to to give them the right information. what's also happening and we have to acknowledge this. there is an entire news network and infrastructure pushing out the message that these vaccines are dangerous. telling his viewers every single night don't get vaccinated. he works for a company that mandates these vaccines. there are people out there pushing these dangerous messages. we h

>> when it comes to kyrie irving, it is always about kyrie irving.lown up. he did it with the cavaliers when he didn't want to be second fiddle with lebron james. with the celtics he's doing it again. it is the same kind of selfishness i've seen in his career before hand. if he was out there and wanted to be useful, he would encourage people to get vaccinated. or encourage people to do a great thing. instead, he's making it all about himself as usual. look, it's hard to use him as a model in this conversation. her article was useful because it points out there's lots of groups that aren't getting vaccinated for different reasons. we hear about the political reasons because they are trump supporters or whatever it may be. but lots of people aren't sure about the vaccine. she mentioned pretty good mothers or people who have just given birth are worried about the affects of getting vaccinated and not everyone has a doctor in this country to give them the right information. unfortunately, what's also happening, and i think we have to acknowledge this, is

what is going on can kyrie irving? >> this is not a political thing.s about my life and what i'm choosing to do. >>> good morning. it's saturday, october 16th. >> i'm lindsey reiser. >> i'm kendis gibson. we're at world headquarters in new york. space is cool. as we found out about an hour ago. >> we have big blue origin space news this week. this happened about 5:30 this morning eastern time. a lucy probe being beamed up into space near jupiter. >> okay. so what this is, it started its 4 billion mile journey that will take 12 years. while many networks are showing you this, the beginning, we have the exclusive on what exactly -- actual video on lucy and what it will do. here it is. >> don't sell what you can't deliver. >> it's going to visit some eight asteroids while previous probes just visited one. lucy will visit eight asteroids over the next 12 years. things that are considered prehistoric treasures. we'll see how the universe started. that's what happened within the last half hour. >> love it. >> cool to watch. >>> from tel aviv to chicago, we'r

kyrie irving was not falling in line with that plan. so the team made their move. now the move is up to irving. >> all right, coy wire for us. thank you. >> wow, i feel like $17 million would be an inducement, but you know, that's me. >>> let's get more on the texas governor, greg abbott's ban on vaccine mandates. let's bring in steve adler, the mayor of austin. thank you so much for being here. as we know, governor abbott has now issued this order banning vaccine mandates, even for private businesses throughout texas. how much confusion is this causing since it's in direct contradiction to president biden's plan? >> it's causing, alisyn, a lot of confusion. and it also seems to be inconsistent not only with the federal orders coming from the president but this is texas. i mean, this is a pro-business state, and for us to be telling businesses in their own businesses what they can or can't do in order to be able to protect their employees and their customers, just doesn't seem to be keeping with the freedoms and liberties that we talk about here in texas. i think i

we enter kyrie irving, another person elite. the nba has elite opportunity to get yourself the vaccine if you want it. they get tested. they get everything. he's refusing to do it. he's now got people who are trying to say oh, no, no, no he's upholding a huge principle. he's being principled. this is a puff piece in the athletic. no, he thinks it's a principle people shouldn't lose jobs and they're claiming it's not about him being anti vax. we have an expert ben collins that does this for a living and says that is exactly what anti-vaxxers say. i'm not anti science. i'm not anti vax. i believe in a principle. your thoughts on that? >> i first, you know, the house republican party has staffers, many of whom are 25 to 35 years old. those young staffers are aware of the twitter and other forms of the social media and that's why you see people like ted cruz standing with the kyrie irvings. six months ago, there is no way in the world you're standing with kyrie irving as he rocks black lives matter t-shirts on the court. there is a

he was talking about kyrie irving.telligent enough to make good decisions on a day to day basis to be given the information, clearly at his level he has to make a decision for himself and his team and goes on to say as part of that team, they want to fashion themselves to be a championship organization being vaccinated and making sure that everyone, everyone in the organization is vaccinated and he should follow suit. the best thing he said is, i think the word here is team. he is part of the team. we are all part of teams. you submit yourself to the rules, the regulations, the

you know, kyrie made his decision what he wanted to do.. i want our whole team together. i want us to be at full strength. 134 sometimes it don't work out that way. it will workout for both parties. >> kyrie could still earn as much as $19 million without stepping foot on the court this season. since he's not vaccinated, kyrie can't play home games in new york, but he could have played the road games. and it's the nets' decision to keep him out until he can play full time. so they're going to owe him roughly half of his salary, even though he's not going to end up playing. laura, that could all get resolved in three different ways. kyrie gets vaccinated which is unlikely at this point. the regulations change in new york. or the nets trade him. kyrie could play for another team. >> others who have been resistant have changed their tune. maybe we need sanjay gupta to go talk to them. talk some sense into them. andy, i want to get back to the giants and the dodgers for a second here. you say no chance that was a swing. i have no opinion in th

the brooklyn that's of decided kyrie, irving won't play or practice with the team. and so he's vaccinated against covet 19 she to kind of virus restrictions in new york, the nets players must have had at least one jap to be allowed to play their home games. having was clear to train at the home facility as it's considered a private building, and he is eligible for some away games for the naz on irving fully involved. so until he gets the job all rules in neil change, he isn't allowed. take part in any team activities. cypher martinez for now joined vie and be able at cost at brandon robinson and washington. brandon, thank you for joining us. can i just 1st get your reaction to this decision? thank you for having me. i was really surprised with everything going on in new york city as well as just the nuts and their quest to potentially when a championship of those. and i spoke with simply feel as though they want to be on one accord and carry irving has not been vaccinated having one shot or both. and they don't really want to part time player there g m. so mark saw

i feel like kyrie is brave. i think he's a brave guy. and i think it's impressive because he's a rich guy. i think we can say, he makes $400,000 a game, i think i saw, that's true? for $400,000, i would take the anthrax vaccine. i really would. i know lebron -- stefan curry got the johnson & johnson? they're saying it's just as effective as having one of those circular band aids. so -- >> gutfeld: good to see you, jamie? >> good to see you. >> gutfeld: so much talent. such an empty space. emily, don't you feel this debate could be settled if we got rid of lawyers in the media? from the room? >> hey. i was just going to -- the media and a lawyer. >> i was going to say i shouldn't now, you don't deserve it. i think a disclaimer in the beginning passes legal muster, just saying. kyrie said it best, what would you do if you were told there would be exemptions, exceptions, alternatives. look at andrew wiggins from the warriors who applied for a religious exemption and was denied. we were told that covid negative tests would suffice for the at

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i feel like kyrie is brave. i think he's a brave guy. and i think it's impressive because he's a rich guy. i think we can say, he makes $400,000 a game, i think i saw, that's true? for $400,000, i would take the anthrax vaccine. i really would. i know lebron -- stefan curry got the johnson & johnson? they're saying it's just as effective as having one of those circular band aids. so -- >> gutfeld: good to see you, jamie? >> good to see you. >> gutfeld: so much talent. such an empty space. emily, don't you feel this debate could be settled if we got rid of lawyers in the media? from the room? >> hey. i was just going to -- the media and a lawyer. >> i was going to say i shouldn't now, you don't deserve it. i think a disclaimer in the beginning passes legal muster, just saying. kyrie said it best, what would you do if you were told there would be exemptions, exceptions, alternatives. look at andrew wiggins from the warriors who applied for a religious exemption and was denied. we were told that covid negative tests would suffice for the at

kyrie says he is standing his ground against his own team. >> what would you do?n you were promised he would have exemptions or would not be forced to get the vaccine? i'm staying grounded in what i believe in. it's as simple as that. it's not about being anti-vaccine, or being on one side or the other. it's just about being true to what feels good for me. i chose to be on vaccinated, and that was my choice. i ask you to respect that choice. >> katie: he's also making an argument that the goalpost moved on him, so the season started and they changed the rules, now there is a mandate. >> greg: he made his decision with the best intentions. every step is dictated by lawyers who are operating with the ominous threat of everything. the media has turned this into a left-right thing, and suddenly he becomes a sacrificial lamb. you got to go back to how disconnected our actions are from risk. it does not matter that an unvaccinated child has the same risk of a vaccinated middle-aged person. a lean athlete has a different risk than -- the key risk factors are age and weig

. >>> coming up, time out for nba star kyrie irving. why his vaccination status is barring him from all games. >>> and a rare sight -- britain's queen elizabeth is seen walking with a stick in public. this is the "cbs morning news." i looked on ancestry and just started digging and found some really cool stuff... it was just a lot of fun. just to talk to my parents about it and to send it to my grandparents and be like, hey this person we're all related to look at this crazy stuff they did in arizona 100 years ago. it actually gives you a picture of their life, so you get to feel like you're walking the same path they did. ♪ ♪ you're walking the same path they did. when they're sick, they get comfortable anywhere and spread germs everywhere. nothing kills more viruses, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect. my dermatologist was raving about pure retinol. it's amazing. revitalift night serum with pure retinol from l'oreal. our most potent retinol. in a clinical test

they were chanting, we stand with kyrie.ors were here in support of the nets' star point guard, kyrie irving, who is refusing to get the covid-19 vaccine. in fact, he hasn't played in any of the three games, so far, this season. here's what some of the protestors had to say. >> i support kyrie because it is a personal choice. if kyrie wants to do that, it's -- it's his body, his choice. selfishly, do i want him with the brooklyn nets? of course, as well as millions of other fans. he's good for the nba. he's got a lot of talent and brings a lot to the table. obviously, they look like they miss him. but at the end of the day, it's more than basketball. >> so for his home games, kyrie irving is prevented from playing on the court here inside the arena because of a new york city vaccine mandate requiring that those inside have to have at least one vaccine. as far as the wider policy, the nets have their own policy which is basically saying, listen, kyrie, if you don't participate in most of the games, you can't practice or play

one player in the nba, kyrie irving, has gotten a lot of attention.lay -- the nets decided he will not play. he addressed why. >> i don't believe that i'm retiring. don't believe i'm going to give up this game for a vaccine mandate. this is not a political thing here. this is not about the nba. it's not about any organization. it's about my life and what i'm choosing to do. >> cool, right? you make a decision. there are repercussions for said decision. unfortunately, everything is political in this day and age. what's your sense? 95% of players are vaccinated. kyrie irving is the front page of every story for two weeks. where does that leave us? >> there's a power in the sports world. also in the cultural world and political world to speaking out and saying, i'm going to resist a government mandate or company mandate, even if it seems like kyrie and other people are essentially putting their own personal interests above community interests. there's this idea that you can stand out and say, i'm going to fight back and be the outcast or the person leadi

kyrie irving no longer playing or practicing.now actually has the time to do his own research, though we have no idea what that even looks like. what has the reaction been to the nets making this decision? >> i think the fans are outraged at kyrie irving that he's not going to play. the nets are one of the best teams in the league and have a real good shot at the championship and a better shot with him. on another level, more important than basketball, there's a lot of concern about the message that this sends to particularly minority communities. basketball players are of course huge role models. there was a big push early on in in the vaccination process to get nba players vaccinated and they are now up to 95% with irving and a few others the notable exceptions. and there have been people like michael jordan, lebron james, kareem abdul-jabbar who have said they are vaccinated. in the case of abdul-jabbar saying it's irresponsible for athletes not to do this because so many people in minority communities where the vaccination ra

i'm sure — to speak for kyrie irving. i'm sure that _ to speak for kyrie irving.address his feelings and what the path may be for him. the fourth _ what the path may be for him. the fourth seed is knocked out of the indian wells open, 6—1. the 27—year—old but her spot. elsewhere, yelena asked of ancor had another win in the strict sense. medvedev playing soon. in major league baseball, a comprehensive 10—one win over chicago, claiming divisional series for the astros. they won advancing their fifth straight champion series, next they will face the red sox. you can get all the latest sports news on our website. all the latest sports news on ourwebsite. from me all the latest sports news on our website. from me and the rest of the team, that is the sports news. todayis today is the big name for william shatner, later today he will go where very few have been before — space! the 90—year—old will become the oldest person ever to fly into orbit when he forms part of a crew aboard the rocket. 0ur correspondent has been following his preparations. iam going i am going up

i heard your conversation in relation to kyrie irving.thing. misinformation and disinformation. >> informationally challenged. >> yeah. >> look, and i don't want to -- look. i respect kyrie irving, what he does or what have you. >> why? >> i respect what he does -- >> you mean he's a basketball player. >> one

which has kyrie irving of the brooklyn nets in a fix.ie is not vaccinated, and if he doesn't get the shot, he will not be allowed to participate in any of his team's home games, because it would violate new york city's health and safety code. so home games for kyrie really will be home games. he will be at home for those games. and there's a financial penalty, too. if he doesn't play, he doesn't get paid, which means he would lose about $380,000 per game. which adds up to more than $15 million this season. which is nuts. these vaccines have been given to hundreds of millions of people. they are as safe as any life-saving medicine could ever be. but kyrie claims he's been doing his own research, which was a puzzling position for former nba coach and current espn analyst, jeff van gundy, to wrap his head around. >> just in general, you know the one that drives me wn research." i would like someone to answer this question -- what does that look like? you doing your own research? or you doing studies yourself? are you in the lab on a nightly

i respect kyri for this. that's how you know he's doing it on principles, willing to lose money because of what he believes. there are some anti-vaxxers who are doing it out of spite, hate fauci and biden, but if you offered them $380,000, they would be snorting that vaccine all day. fauci! funny how quick the nets were to suspend him. any other team would have begged kyri. this takes away all your leverage. what are you doing going do if t play, rely on kevin durant and james harding two of the greatest scorers of all time? yeah. damn! i didn't think of that. now, what's crazy about this is that the vaccine hesitaters are saying there hasn't been enough time with the vaccines, that's why they don't want to get them. but it's already been so long that people who got vaccinated early are now getting booster shots. yeah, unvaccinated people are getting lapped right now. and you would think that would motivate them to try to catch up but apparently it is making them more hesitant. >> according to a kaiser survey

similar with kyrie irving in brooklyn. that's to me the strangest thing about this. we're all about the team but say, yeah, that's okay, just don't play the home games and bail out on your teams. i don't want to overstate it too much. there are 95% of nba players are vaccinated. i would feel very fortunate and happy to walk around the world and know 95% of the people around me are vaccinated because i don't know that. >> it's a very important point. we're going to dig into that in a second. christina, let's talk about lebron for a moment. he's been so outspoken, his voice so powerful, so respected. is he trying to have it both ways by saying i'll be a leader on some issues but not on this one because it's so personal? >> i think so. we know lebron james spends over $2 million a year on his body, your nutritionist and trainers and things. this is a brotherhood. i think he's cautious about stepping on other people's toes. however, if you talk to any medical professional, they will tell you that 99% of the people in the hospital right now intubated and fighting for thei

how big of a deal is this kyrie irving cannot play in home games? irving can miss hannigan a total of43 games in the regular season, all of their home games and games against the new york knicks. "the washington post" reports it could cost him more than $16 million in fines how quickly do you think the nba wants this whole thing with kyrie to be wrapped up >> there's no question for everyone involved, the quicker this is resolved, the better but obviously, there's no resolution right now. >> reporter: one of the most vocal players against getting vaccinated has been andrew wiggins. like irving, the golden state warrior would have missed every home game. he said he felt forced to take the shot. >> came down to getting the vaccination or don't play basketball. >> reporter: lebron james recently confirming he has been vaccinated but held back from advising others. >> i don't feel like for me personally i should get involved in what other people should do for their bodies and their lovelihood it would be like me talking about somebody, if they should ta

kyrie irving is not the modern-day muhammad ali. and disproportionately on people who look like kyrie irving. muhammad ali, on the other hand, took a political stance as a conscientious objector to the vietnam war, saying he refused to go to war and shoot my brother or some darker people or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful america. ali risked going to prison because of his stance. prison. here's the other thing. muhammad ali supported vaccines. even doing a psa encouraging them for new yorkers in 1978. >> the law says if your kids don't have their shots for dangerous diseases like mumps, measles and polio they aren't getting in the school. the law also says they must go to school. so you have no choice. get your kids their shots. >> so no, kyrie irving is the literal opposite of muhammad ali. he is a person who once said the world is flat. and who is now being used as a pawn for the alt right and maga army like ted cruz, who's praising him for his incredible courage but who called colin kaepernick a rich spoiled a

somewhat kyrie irving out of new york. some think he is crazy for this decision.e stands for what he believes in. brent: i wonder what his doctor -- it has -- it is hard to imagine his doctor has told him it is a good decision to stay unvaccinated. what about other professional leagues around the world? >> we can talk about england's premier league. it attracts millions and millions. a lot of those players are refusing to be vaccinated. some teams, the local government and the premier league themselves had this promotion to encourage more players to be vaccinated. some believe their bodies are strong enough. others oppose and support the vaccination. a liverpool player said 99% of his team is vaccinated. he can't understand why people are not. the clock is taking for kyrie irving. brent: that is exactly right. thank you. the u.s. gymnastics olympic committee is defending its handling of the sex abuse cases surrounding former team dr. larry nasser. several top gymnasts who suffered sexual abuse are calling for the u.s. committee to be dissolved. simone biles among

we're looking at a situation now with kyrie irving and the nba where he wants to step up in the past be a voice. you're using it in the wrong position now. we need this vaccine, we all lived through this for the past year and a half going on two years now. follow the science. all of these terms like free thinking or i need to do more research, what exactly does that mean? what can google do in your 20 minute search that is going to make you smarter than scientists and doctors who have done this for years? so you can be that voice, getting people to get their shots, but, no, you have this flawed stance that you feel like your rights are being taken away when getting shots to go to school, to go to work, to go to college and universities, and something we have been doing for decades. and in terms for dave chappelle, yes, you know, people do agree with him and feel like he should be able to say what he wants to because, you know, that's what comedy has always been. but just because comedy has always been that, that doesn't mean it has to continue to be that. we all have to grow and evol

and kyrie went to school in america.o go to grade school, he had to be inoculated against rubella, measles, polio and a couple of other things. and chickenpox, i forgot that. so if he's not aware of that and doesn't understand that he's already been vaccinated, he's way behind in terms of knowledge and understanding of what the problem is. >> let me ask you about something else. some star players who have been vaccinated like lebron james. took him a while to get around to getting vaccinated. of course there was a lot of coverage about that, but some of these folks have declined to publicly advocate the vaccine for others in the way that you're doing right now, kareem. are you disappointed in some of those players and do you think it's fair to demand more of him than other players because he has that bigger platform? does he need to take on a leadership role in this do you think? >> i think lebron has the discretion to take on issues that he feels are important. for lebron and his family, they're vaccinated. he's not mak

young kids, especially, look up to kyrie. and -- and are trying to model their lives after his.es. and his stance on this is, you know, it -- it -- it's backwards. and he has to understand that. he has to be a good teammate. what he is doing is making him a bad teammate. it is making him someone who doesn't care about the other guys. if you -- if you bring the covid virus into an environment where people get sick, some people could get sick and die. so, you know, we -- we have to recognize that and act accordingly like we have some sense. >> well said, indeed. kareem abdul-jabbar, as usual, thank you so much for joining us. thanks for all you're doing. >> no problem, wolf, nice talking to you. >>> and to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in the situation room. you can always follow me on twitter and instagram @wolf blitzer. tweet the show at cnn sit room. and the situation room is also available as a podcast. look for us on cnn.com/audio or wherever you get your podcasts. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> outfront next, breaking news. the f

no real proof that kyrie irving's health is in jeopardy if he does not take the vaccine.ears old, in great physical condition, his chances of being damaged by covid are merely -- it is the, same as being struck bybe lightning, it's just not going to happen to him, but he is being forced, and he is being forced to bow out and being forced to end willing to be a voice for all these other americans and force a conversation that needs to happen because no one else is standing up for these people, and dave chappelle has, hold on, as a black man, and as someone with traditional male values, i don't know if dave is a christian or muslim or whatever, but he hasn't male energy. he is being forced into the closet aboutwh his beliefs. again, thosent of us with traditional male energy, male values, christian values, we are having to conceal who we are in this modern american culture, and it is good to see dave chappelle pushed back, and so i think we are starting to see in a lot of entertaining -- we saw with nicki minaj, hey, with the vaccine, hey, this isn't fair, but it is critica

so home games for kyrie really will be home games.ll be at home for those games. [ laughter ] and there's a financial penalty, too. if he doesn't play, he doesn't get fade. he makes like $380,000 per game. that would add up to more than $15 million this season. he would not earn. which is nuts. these vaccines have been given to hundreds of millions of people. they are as safe as any life-saving medicine could ever be. but kyrie claims he's been doing his own research, which was a puzzling position for former nba coach and current espn analyst jeff van gundy to wrap his head around. >> just in general, you know the one that drives me crazy? >> what's that? >> "i'm doing my own research." i would like someone to answer this question. what does that look like? you doing your own research. are you doing studies yourself? are you in the lab on a nightly basis? what are you doing? i don't understand what that means. "i'm doing my own research." >> jimmy: by the way, kyrie irving -- [ applause ] well done, jeff. but i think it's important to

kyrie irving is benched over his continued refusal to get vaccinated.ate has laws that prevent it from setting foot in barclay center where the team plays. the nets say it will prevent him from being a full-time player so he won't pay at all. there say cost attached to irving's refusal. according to "the new york times," he could lose around $380,000 for every home game he misses. that's a lot of money for and you me but for irving it's about 1% of his base salary for this season. joining us from outside the barclay center in brooklyn is nbc news correspondent ron allen. ron, the nets drew this line in the sand in benching irving completely for home games. where could this go from here if he refuses to get vaccinated? >> reporter: geoff, first let me point out, across the street from a the barclay's center you see a covid testing site. up the street there's a vaccination site, no appointment necessary and there's no line there. this is a neighborhood, a community hard hit by covid and there's a big push to get everybody vaccinated. now you have the star

but at the end of the day, kyrie will make a decision unlike any other.ys he does what he likes, when he feels. >> yeah. we will see. we'll see if this is the hill he kills his career on. cari, great to see you. >> you too, brianna. >>> coming up, a soldier runs face first into a concrete block? bizarre stunts staged to impress north korea's dictator. >>> and don lemon will try that next. he is here live, ready for basic training. as someone who resembles someone else... i appreciate that liberty mutual knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. [ nautical horn blows ] i mean just because you look like someone else doesn't mean you eat off the floor, or yell at the vacuum, or need flea medication. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ when did you see the sign? when i needed to jumpstart sales. build attendance for an event. help people find their way. fastsigns designed new directional signage. and got them back on track. get started at

. >>> also this morning, the debate over vaccine mandates is raging now that the nba superstar kyrieing has been benched for refusing to get vaccinated. >>> meanwhile, the pandemic is reshaping the american workplace. new figures show people are quitting their jobs at the highest level in decades. >> but amid all of this, we can't forget about the people and their families forever changed by the virus. this man in oregon is finally home after spending 299 days in the hospital with covid. >> abc's elizabeth schulze is here with all the developments overnight starting with that big announcement from the white house. elizabeth, good morning. >> reporter: andrew, good morning. after 19 months the historic travel ban at the u.s. border will soon be lifted. this morning, a major step forward in the pandemic. the united states will re-open its borders with canada and mexico for nonessential travel next month lifting a travel ban imposed back in march 2020. foreign travelers will have to show proof of vaccination. new york senator kirsten gillibrand calling it welcome news to countless busin

and i also love kyrie. when we put it into perspective, this is really a safety issue.to shift lanes. it's more about we care about kyrie's safety. we care about the american population's safety. we have had over 700,000 people plus and counting die from this virus. and what we're trying to do is just spread the word to our fellow americans, our fellow teammates, in the environments that we're going to be in, plan in, communicating in, working in, that this is a safety issue. it's not an injury issue where you just talked about me being injured in the game and continuing to play. this is a pandemic that is not only affecting people in america but affecting people all across the world. this is affecting people in other countries, and everyone is collectively coming together to try to defeat if we want to use a team analogy, to try to defeat this virus. and we as americans, we all need to come together and try to defeat this virus for each other's safety. . >> and if you look at the data, lieu at the facts out there, there are certain demographics, certain sectors of the

>> you know, i think i would be doing the exact same thing that kyrie is doing. think and understanding what he is portraying is that the principle of people's freedom. the principle of living in this country and caring about the person next to you, whether they lose their job or not over something to me that is nuanced and not black and white issue. to me that is a hill is he willing to die on. some other americans and some other people the espn reporter who said she wouldn't sacrifice anything over principle. and so i agree with her. i agree with kyrie and i would do the same. >> will: jonathan isaac you are incredibly educated. we spent together on will cain podcast. can you learn about the role of religion in his life and how important that is to him and. it's a positive uplifting message from a unique individual. i hope you will check that out on the will cain podcast. jonathan isaac. always love talking to you, man. thank you. >> thank you so much, will. >> will: all right. also here tonight admiral bret t giroir, former task force testing czar under former

so in the event -- >> kyrie irving reverses -- >> right.ent that he reverses field and decides to get vaccinated in order to be there for his team, i don't think anybody would begrudge him. >> reporter: and we've also heard from former nba greats magic johnson, charles barkley, saying that he needs to realize that this is about helping other people, protecting others, and not necessarily himself here as well. meanwhile irving said this is a personal matter. he's asking people to not pry into it as of right now. craig? >> yeah. well, it is striking that a lot of the folks who are celebrating kyrie's decision to not get vaccinated were not celebrating him on matters of social justice nearly a year ago. doctor, we should mention you have a book out. the book is titled "take control of your cancer risk". that book out right now from dr. whytte. >>> steve bannon could face criminal prosecution after the house voted to told him in contempt of congress. what that could look like. >>> also on this friday new threats against those 17 kidnapped missi

"stand with kyrie." you know you're on the wrong side when white power santa claus is backing you up. kyrie irving famously said he wasn't sure the world was round. he's been following and liking posts from a conspiracy theorist who claims the vaccine is part of a scheme to connect black people to a master computer as part of a satanic plan. does satan really need a computer? he worked without one for a really long time. it's a shame for the fans in brooklyn who were expecting to have this great team. instead they're 1-2. but i think i have an idea for how they could make everyone happy. >> now it's kyrie irving. irving lets it fly. he's got it. kyrie irving! >> jimmy: nike could make a lot of money selling those. speaking of satanic plans, facebook is gearing up for another bad week after more than 10,000 pages of internal documents were leaked to the press. "the facebook papers," which is what they're being called, provide an unprecedented view into how executives at the social media giant weigh trade-

kyrie irving has been barred from playing or practicing with the team until he's fully vaccinated. and tonight, news on the staggering toll on law enforcement officers. 62% of deaths in the line of duty last year were from covid. we're also tracking the timeline this week for potential news on boosters for millions. when the fda could decide. marcus moore tonight from dallas. >> reporter: tonight, a new salvo in the war over vaccine mandates. texas governor greg abbott issuing an executive order banning all state entities, including businesses, from requiring a vaccine from anyone who objects based on a “religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from covid-19." but texas-based southwest and american airlines saying they will not comply with the governor's order, instead sticking with the federal requirement. >> this is a government mandate. it's a presidential order. and we're doing our best to comply with that. >> reporter: as law enforcement also works to get its rank and file vaccinated across the country, new data showing covid's toll among officers. 62

espn reports if kyrie irving misses every game this season, he would lose up to $17 million. irving says he's not mad at the nets >> it's about choosing what's best for you you think i really want to lose money? you think i really want to give up on my dream to go after a championship you think i really just want to give up my job >> kyrie irving asked people to respect his decision t remain unvaccinated. he says he has no plan to retire he still hopes to return and play for the nets. >>> do you play madden at all? you won't see jon gruden on there because he just got booted from the digital sidelines days after he stepped down as the coach of the las vegas raiders ea sports announced today the disgraced coach will be removed from the popular nfl video game franchise. jon gruden resigned after his racist, homophobic, and misogynistic emails surfaced ea sports said the change will happen in a software update in the near future. the raiders on madden to get a question is generic coach. >> new legislation on capitol hill the bipartisan bill and how it would stop big tech from ga

at stake, roughly $380,000 a game. >> kyrie has made it clear that he has a choice in this matter.nd it's ultimately going to be up to him what he decides. >> reporter: and tonight, a critical decision just days away for the 84 million americans who got moderna and johnson & johnson. an fda panel could authorize those booster shots by friday, with the cdc deciding who will get them as early as the end of next week. many older americans are eager for that green light. >> once they're approved and i can get it, then i definitely will. i'll be 74, and at my age i certainly don't want to end up in a hospital on a ventilator. >> reporter: and david, in documents released ahead of that key fda meeting, moderna argues that a half-dose is enough for a booster. they say their studies show the half-dose restores antibodies to the high levels after the initial shot. david? >> we'll await word. >>> there's news coming in this hour after a deadly shooting in memphis. police and the fbi on the scene at this hour. authorities say at least two postal employees were shot and killed. the fbi says th

those words have been used to apply to kyrie on other issues.n, you're right. willie, kyrie is difficult, he's demanding, he's different, but now he's dangerous. >> yeah. >> this is a big difference between telling the boston celtics fans when he was a member of the boston celtics i'm with you forever, i love it here. and three weeks later negotiating with the nets for a new deal. there's a difference between that and what he's doing now. it's a danger -- gene is absolutely correct. this is dangerous. >> gene, there have been some people who have said, look, it's the nba. he can get tested every single day, get tested three times a day if they want to. they have unlimited resources. so if he says principally as a stand i'm not going to take the vaccine. i don't trust it, whatever his argument is, but he got tested every day, why couldn't he join the team? what do you make of that? >> well, i asked that same question, why can't he join the team? as mike barnicle said, he sends a dangerous message to people in a country that has too low vaccinatio