late today, president biden vowed to complete the withdrawal mission and to strike back at isis peter alexander is at the white house. >> reporter: tonight, just five days before president biden's deadline to end america's longest war, the commander in chief addressing what is now one of the deadliest days for u.s. troops in the entire 20-year conflict. >> these american service members who gave their lives -- it's an overused word, but it's totally appropriate here -- were heroes. heroes who had been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others. >> reporter: the president tonight blaming the carnage on the terror group isis-k that he warned about for days. >> we have been made aware by our intelligence community that the isis-k, an archenemy to the taliban, has been planning a complex set of attacks on united states personnel and others. >> reporter: and saying this about whether he will stick with his august 31st timeline to get all american forces out. >> we will not be deterred by terrorists we will not let them stop our mission we will continue the evacuation >> rep

peter alexander is at the white house. >> reporter: rushing back to washington as dramatic, indelible images emerge of panic and chaos in kabul, president biden tonight defiant and without regret >> i stand squarely behind my decision. >> reporter: the president acknowledging he was wrong about how swiftly afghanistan would fall >> the truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. >> reporter: just last month, he dismissed a quick taliban takeover >> the likelihood there is going to be a taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. >> reporter: while the president did not explain the u.s.'s responsibility for the current chaos, he put blame on afghan soldiers for giving up >> american troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves >> reporter: focusing on the long-term justification for the u.s. exit, not the deteriorating crisis on the ground. >> the buck stops with me i'm deeply saddened by the facts we now face. >> reporter: still, critics are accusin

peter alexander, nbc news >> our thanks to you, peter. in a moment, the big headline on covid. the new travel restrictions proposed for unvaccinated americans. >>> back now with the covid surge in america sparking dramatic moves overseas the eu today recommending a ban on unvaccinated americans from traveling there meanwhile, many american hospitals are facing a growing crisis with hospitalizations at their highest level since the winter kristen dahlgren reports. >> miss nancy. >> reporter: tonight hospitals being pushed to the brink, averaging 100,000 hospitalized with covid, higher than any point since last winter when the vaccine wasn't available for most in oregon, the national guard is now on hand as hospitals overflow in florida, where 93% of icu beds are now full, there were over 150,000 new cases last week, a rise of over a thousand percent since june >> if we really got the overwhelming majority of those 80 million people vaccinated, you would see a dramatic turnaround in the dynamics of the outbreak. >> reporter: in san diego, hospitals are now delaying some elective

>> reporter: haunting questions as america's longest war abruptly ends peter alexander, nbc news >> the unraveling security situation in afghanistan is particularly painful for those who have worked for women's rights in that country, including an american mother who calls kabul her second home >> do they have a passport yet >> reporter: kim motley is fighting for the future of many afghans from 6700 miles away >> and i think it's -- what's happening in afghanistan is a humanitarian nuclear bomb, and we helped light that match but we don't have to leave. we don't have to abandon afghanistan. >> reporter: motley is a mom and an american lawyer who has lived and worked in afghanistan on and off since 2008 you've spent 13 years going in and out of afghanistan. for you, this has to be somewhat personal >> it's extremely personal. >> reporter: you know these people. >> yes, i know these people and i feel a great responsibility to afghanistan. >> reporter: we first met kim motley in kabul in 2010, where she was working as a lawyer, navigating the complex afghan justice system, defending forei

lester holt will be in tomorrow i'm peter alexander. for all of us here at nbc news, have a good night. >>> right now at 6:00 a potential humanitarian crisis as the taliban takes over afghanistan. we're live in the bay area's little kabul with reaction from the local afghan community. >>> the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for joining us. we begin with developing news out of afghanistan. right now u.s. troops have nearly completed the evacuation of the embassy in kabul. a stunning turn of events following the longest war in u.s. history. earlier today smoke rose from the embassy as helicopters flew americans to the airport. we've learned first 500 are on a flight back to the u.s. but

here is peter alexander. >> reporter: those images of desperate afghans clinging to american planes, the chaos as the taliban quickly recaptured the country has been unbearable for keely quinlan. >> it feels like the rug was pulled out from underneath a lot of us, and i am struggling, honestly, to come to terms with it. >> reporter: that war altered the course of her life her father, chief warrant officer john quinlan was killed in 2011 when the chinook helicopter he was piloting crashed in southern afghanistan keely was just 10. to this day she remembers when the doorbell rang at the tennessee home where she still lives. >> i peeked through the side glass panes and just saw two pairs of shiny dress shoes, military issue i just remember like falling to the floor >> reporter: you knew? >> i knew. it was like a lightning strike. >> reporter: quinlan was a towering figure in life, and now in keely's memories. >> he was 6'4", goofy as all get-out, the fun parent sorry, mom. >> reporter: like the halloween he showed up at her elementary school dressed as miss new jersey in curlers and pan

peter alexander with the latest from the white house. >> reporter: with a desperate rush to leave before the august 31st deadline, the biden administration tonight estimates 1,500 americans are still stranded in afghanistan. secretary of state antony blinken saying 6,000 were there when the country fell to the taliban. 4,500 have been evacuated since. and the u.s. has made contact with at least 500 of those still there. >> for the remaining roughly 1,000 contacts that we had who may be americans seeking to leave afghanistan, we're aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day. >> reporter: the new figure's a steep drop from the administration's original estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 americans. blinken making this pledge. >> there is no deadline on our work to help any remaining american citizens who decide they want to leave to do so along with the many afghans who have stood by us over these many years. >> reporter: but this response when we asked president biden what he'll do if americans are still in afghanistan after the 31st sir, what will you do if americans are still there

peter alexander, atia abawi, my friend to courtney kubi, thanks so much for starting us off.up, power play, a world super power prepared to work for the taliban and what that might mean for washington. >> he oversaw the raid that killed bin laden and former cia director leon panetta is calling the fall of kabul president biden's bay of pigs. leon panetta joints me after the break. stay with us. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. ing 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. get ready. it's time for the savings event of the year. the homeandautobundle xtravafestasaveathon! at this homeandautobundle xtravafestasaveathon, there's no telling what we might bundle! homeandautobundle xtravafestasaveathon! bundle cars, trucks, colonials, bungalows, and that weird hut your uncle lives in. so strike up the homeandautobundle xtravafestasaveathon band for the deal that started forever ago

richard engel, courtney kube, peter alexander, and general mccaffrey. as the chaotic situation in afghanistan deteriorates, big questions of how and where the system failed and where the u.s. got caught off guard about the country's rapid collapse to taliban rule. this as we're seeing images of people desperate to leave the country, climbing onto planes like this one in the hopes of getting on board. joining me is peter baker, chief white house correspondent for "the new york times," who is the first american journalist in american after 9/11, and john brannen, former director of the cia and obama administration. director brannen, was there an intelligence failure here, military intelligence? does it appear that the biden administration was caught off guard? were they listening and was the president determined to follow his game plan of withdrawing? >> well, they clearly were caught off guard by the events over the last 72 hours and the resurgence of u.s. military forces into the airport to secure the evacuation of our military and civilian personnel. t

nbc correspondent courtney kube and nbc correspondent peter alexander.is the security situation on the ground? >> so the security situation has improved. it has improved for the people on the base, the taliban have pushed out their perimeter. they are now set up with checkpoints and hundreds of yards from the entrance of the airport. the way they're doing it however is quite brutal. there is a recent video that we've verified showing several taliban fighters whipping people who they approach, pushing them back, very, very aggressive and anyone who tries to get to the airport, but that, in a way, is what the u.s. has asked for. they are asking for crowd control and the taliban only has apparently one speed to operate when it comes to crowd control and that is firing in the air or pushing people or whipping people. they are doing that now. there are not crowds getting to the airport gates or not the same kind of crowds, or in a city of 6 million people they will always be able to find some way. that is right at the airport. it's also increasingly difficult

our chief white house correspondent peter alexander at the white house, courtney kube at the pentagon and david ignatius. peter, i am curious what the white house thinks the president, he may have something to say, i'm not sure whether the public is still listening now on afghanistan but what does the president hope to accomplish with his remarks today? >> reporter: we're hearing from his press secretary, jen psaki, previewing remarks to take place the next couple of hours, saying he will thank those military commanders and service members for helping successfully evacuate more than 124,000 americans and afghan allies to safety over the course of the last several weeks, volunteers and veterans for efforts they put into the process as well. he'll detail his decision to epidemic the war and some tough decisions he had to make in the course of the last seven months to get to this point. just yesterday in a statement, we heard him note it was unanimous decision of u.s. military leaders, that the president stick to the august 31st date. the president saying that was the best solution to he

peter alexander, nbc news. >> re-entering data that employees could enter themselves?why i get up in the morning! i have a secret method for remembering all my hr passwords. my boss doesn't remember approving my time off. let's just... find that email. the old way of doing business slows everyone down. with paycom, employees enter and manage their own hr data in one easy-to-use software. visit paycom.com for a free demo. the last thing before we go. in the popular vacation areas surrounding lake tahoe, thousands of people are evacuating the southern and western shores after the caldor fire quickly intensified overnight, fueled by dry and windy conditions. many evacuates from south lake tahoe spent much of today in standstill traffic on highway 50, as they tried to flee east toward nevada. the caldor fire has already burned more than 177,000 acres, and tonight, it's only 14% contained. so we'll photos capture parts of this fire in flames, surrounded by a smoky orange sky. forecasters say the region will remain for this critical fire weather until at least mid week. ahea

. >> i want to bring in nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander. kube who covers the pentagon for us, and ronald newman, former u.s. ambassador to afghanistan and president of the american academy of diplomacy as well as peter baker, chief white house correspondent for "new york times." peter alexander, start with you. we are hearing from the president this morning about the situation we are watching unfold at the kabul airport and extensive interview. what stood out? >> reporter: a series of headlines, most importantly on the ground as richard reported, the president's commitment to saying he is leaving no american behind, that u.s. troops would stay there beyond the president's self imposed august 31st end of month deadline to get troops out. he would not make the same commitment for tens of thousands of afghan allies and their families that are there. obviously the challenge still exists now to try to get these americans and afghans, many scattered throughout the country, the defense secretary yesterday saying he was not going to be leaving, tro

state blinken will give a detailed report on that tomorrow we begin our coverage tonight with peter alexander reporter: facing pressure from foreign allies and allies here at home president biden saying the u.s. remains on pace to finish by august 31st. as you noted, he also added this crucial caveat, that he asked the pentagon and state department for contingency plans if needed and completion by the end of the month is very much dependant on this continued coordination with the taliban, most notably access to the airport. the president warned he has been briefed about the threat of a terror attack there. >> every day we're on the ground is another day we know that isis-k is seeking to target the airport. >> reporter: the president's announcement follows a secret meeting on monday in afghanistan between the cia and a top taliban leader the taliban said they will accept no extensions beyond august 31st or, in their words, there would be consequences. tonight some top democrats among the president's own members of his party arguing it is unlikely the u.s. will be able to get all americans and

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. >>> a life-saving surprise caught on camera peter alexander spoke with a man set to receive the kidneyalong with the donor peter, good morning. >> frances, this is a powerful story about a selfless act, and one man's gratitude after learning that he was going to receive the kidney donation he desperately needs. kerry kimble had a surprise. she snuck into the backyard of an extended family member and waited >> oh, my god! >> reporter: this is the moment bob scarborough learned kerry is going to save his life >> oh, my god! i love you >> reporter: bob, a new hampshire retiree, has battled kidney disease since his 20s how hard has it been for you dealing with this kidney disease? >> it's been very hard i take 12 pills in the morning and 5 at night >> reporter: last year, doctors told him he needed a donor fast. >> i'm about to tell bob i'm his kidney donor i just said, well, i'll get tested no doubt in my mind whatsoever >> reporter: in simple terms for you, this was a no brainer >> it was, and it still is >> reporter: she wanted a big reveal to know announce she would be his donor >> rep

pace of evacuation flights is picking up, but will it be quick enough as the clock winds down peter alexander has late details. >> reporter: tonight with the frantic rush to evacuate stranded americans and desperate afghans and despite please from g-7 allies to stay longer, president biden is sticking with his self-imposed august 31st deadline for u.s. forces to leave afghanistan. >> we are currently on pace to finish by august 31st. the sooner we can finish, the better. >> reporter: it follows a secret meeting monday in afghanistan betwee cia director william burns and a top taliban leader who previously spent eight years in prison after being arrested by the cia. after the meeting the taliban declares the u.s. must leave by the end of the month as promised, threatening consequences if not. the president today saying he's asked for contingency plans to stay longer if needed, but that he's worried about a terror attack there. >> i'm also mindful of the increasing risk that i have been briefed on every day we're on the ground is another day we know that isis-k is seeking to target the airport.

peter alexander is at the white house. >> reporter: tonight 24 hours after the deadliest assault on u.s. troops in recent decade, president biden's national security team giving him the dire warning, another terror attack in kabul is likely, but saying they're taking steps to protect u.s. troops there the president was told the next few days of the mission will be the most dangerous period to date, today meeting with the israeli prime minister, president biden mourning lives lost, but standing by his operation. >> the mission there being performed is dangerous and is now come with significant loss of american personnel, but it is a worthy mission >> reporter: after thursday's deadly attack, the execution of that mission under withering criticism is sparking new backlash, including the reliance on the taliban for security of the u.s. troops at the airport. >> if we're trusting them to screen people to get to the airport, how did the suicide bomber get through the taliban screening point? we need to hold the taliban accountable for it as well. >> reporter: he was among those killed in the

we will hunt you down and make you pay. >> peter alexander reporting there. you heard the president say the evacuation mission will continue despite yesterday's attack and this morning it does continue. the state department says at least 500 americans were air lifted out of the country yesterday and 1,000 remain. since the taliban entered kabul on august 14th, officials say more than 5,000 americans and roughly 100,000 people have been evacuated in total. of the u.s. citizens still there, the state department says it has been in contact with most if not all of them. politico also reporting the u.s. officials gave the taliban a list of american and afghan names to evacuate in hopes of expediting the process. this, as you can imagine, has prompted outrage from defense officials one telling politico, they just put all those afghans on a kill list. let's bring in josh letterman at the white house, correspondent courtney kube and correspondent matt bradley at ramstein air base in germany, the destination for almost all evacuation flights out of afghanistan. >> i w

president biden i to respond with force to the terrorists behs chief white hou correspondent peter alexander is covering that part of the story. peter, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. president biden says he is outraged and heartbroken by the deadly attack. the white house calling thursday the worst day of his presidency. still, for the commander in chief, it has only reinforced his resolve for the u.s. to leave afghanistan by his august 31st deadline. president biden vowing revenge against those who carrie against those who carried out one of the deadliest attacks in america's longest war. >> we will not forgive we will not forget we will hunt you down and make you pay. >> reporter: the president condemning the terror group isis-k for thursday's bombing, a nightmare scenario he had warned about for days, and honoring the service members who lost their lives in kabul as the backbone of america >> it's an over-used word, but it's totally appropriate they were heros, heros who had been engaged in the dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others. >> reporter: president

our peter alexander is on that story for us, good morning >> reporter: savannah, good morning. in a new interview president biden promises the u.s. will do everything in its power to get all americans and afghan allies out, that he's willing to keep u.s. troops there past his self-imposed end of the month deadline if needed but not making that same commitment for the tens of thousands of afghans who helped the u.s after promising the withdrawal would be safe and orderly, the president says a u.s. exit without chaos was never going to be possible. inside the airport, evacuations by the u.s. military accelerates. president biden vowing no american will be left behind even if u.s. troops must remain his august 31st withdrawal deadline >> if there are american citizens there, we'll get them out. >> reporter: the u.s. is relying on the taliban to allow americans scatter throughout afghanistan to get to kabul airport without being attacked or arrested. the state department saying -- the u.s. government cannot ensure safe passage. and lloyd austin acknowledging the u.s. can't rescue t

state anthony blinken will give a detailed report on that tomorrow we begin our coverage with peter alexander. >> facing pressure from foreign allies and allies at home, president biden announcing that key headline, no change in the timeline saying the u.s. remain owes pace to finish by august 31st he also noted this crucial caveat that he has asked the pentagon and state department for contingency plans if needed and completion by tend of the month is very much continued on this coordination with the taliban, including most notably access to the airport. but the president warned he has been briefed about the threat of a terror attack there. >> every day we're on the ground is another day we know that isis is seeking to target the airport. >> the president's announcement follows a secret meeting between burns and a taliban leader tonight, some top democrats arguing it will be unlikely to get all americans and afghans out within just seven days many republicans slamming the president for the chaotic withdraw >> he will have blood on his hands. people are going to die and they're going to be le

playfully responding to a very important question from nbc's peter alexander. >> sir, what will you dos are still there after the deadline? no? >> you will be the first person i'll call. >> meanwhile, in a statement to fox news tonight, the bipartisan problem solvers caucus is urging the administration to "reconsider its timeline and provide a clear plan to congress that will result in the completion of our shared national objectives," that is to say to get americans, or afghan partners, and others out of the country safely, even if it means going past that august 31st deadline, shannon feared >> shannon: so, kevin, the administration has been under pressure to specifically identify the number of americans we know who are still there in afghanistan. state department today forced to clear up some of the mixed messaging we are getting. what can you tell us? >> mixed indeed. after telling us for days they did not know the actual numbers of americans still afghanistan from a northern number making it out on flights, today didn't bin administration finally offered a variety of numbers, fran

earlier today, our own peter alexander as press secretary jen psaki about tuesday's deadline to have all u.s. troops out of afghanistan. >> in terms of -- four plus days are way from the august 31st deadline, is the white house commitment at this point that all americans who want to leave afghanistan will be able to leave before that date? >> that is what we are focused on, committed, to and working. on >> our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in doha tonight where he continues to follow events in kabul. >> while hundreds of americans have evacuated cavill in the last 24 hours, if you're an afghan trying to get to the airport, now the block is -- the path as. blocked the u.s. is saying that they are corrupt -- killed at least 13 american service members, most of them marines while they were doing pat downs of evacuees. among them, navy corman maxed and soviet from ohio whose sister descriptor baby brother as beautiful, intelligence, beats to the sound of his own. drum 20 year old marine david lee espinosa born in texas, the mayor of his hometown today calling him a fallen

peter alexander asked press secretary about the deadline to have all troops out of afghanistan. >> so it is clear for americans right now, four plus days away from the august 31st deadline, is the white house commitment is that all americans who wanted to leave afghanistan will be able to leave before that date? >> that is what we are focused on, committed and and working toward. >> continuing to follow events in kabul. >> reporter: hundreds have been evacuateded in the last 24 hours, if you are an afghan, trying to get to the airport now, the path is blocked. 9d u.s. military says it is cooperating security with the ta ban closely. more needed now more than ever, after the suicide bombing killed 13 american service member, most marine, doing pat-downs of evacees. >> among them, max. and esspinos athe mayor calling him a fallen hero. marine, expecting a baby in just a few weeks. lance corporal, and corpal lopez from southern california. and a marine from missouri. more than 150 afghans were killed. and kabul's main hospital, a butcher's bill was poifted and -- posted outside. >> muham

peter alexander asked him 48 hours ago about americans left behind and you made a callous joke. then this happened. what do you make of that, of the death, the loss of life. >> knocking on wood isn't a great strategy for making sure people don't die in combat. his inability to read the room, the situation, his inability to speak to the american people or our enemies in a way that conveys strength and resolve is heartbreaking. i mean, i'm a united states marine. i served eight years in the united states marine corps. i don't want to be partisan when it comes to defense. that's not a partisan issue. i don't know if anyone is more than hillary clinton and lindsey graham. this isn't about what president trump should have done or could have done. this is about the president joe biden not doing what most of us see fit to keep our people safe and to get our people home. listen, we can debate about the withdrawal. we can debate about if we should have let the taliban go into afghanistan again for the third time and make life horrible for people, for women and children. but that falls un

i want to bring in experts, peter alexander, shaquille booster, and dr. vin gupta. tell us about the plan for boosters, peter? >> reporter: let's walk you through it. you laid it out well. they are expected to recommend most people eligible for covid vaccinations should get booster shots eight months after a second dose. importantly, that would only apply to those folks with a two shot pfizer and moderna regimen. could be into effect middle of september with expectation that nursing home residents, older americans, health care workers would be the first ones eligible. they were the ones first vaccinated last winter. all of this against a backdrop of the delta variant and its surge across large parts of the country. last week as we saw the fda change the emergency use authorizations for moderna and pfizer vaccines to let those immuno compromised get third doses, assist patients whose systems haven't mounted the same immune response against the virus. >> vin, these boosters are only for those that got pfizer or moderna. what about people that got johnson & johnson vac

moments ago at the start of the cabinet meeting at the white house we told you about, our own peter alexandermericans were still in afghanistan after the withdrawal deadline and it was hard for us to hear, but according to the white house team, the white house told peter, you'll be the first person i call. >>> so now, out of kabul, more reports have emerged with the conditions that await them, in transit hubs like qatar, there is a nightmare scenario, cramped quarters, and not enough beds and more people are arrive big the hour, and so far, more than 82,000 people have been evacuated since kabul fell, ap pentagon officials say that 10,000 more people are waiting at the airport. now, when they are airlifted, the evacuees are sent to temporary holding areas, and the three main holding areas are qatar, bahrain, and in germany where evacuees are being held. the community there is overdrive to help the folks fleeing for their safety in trying to make the conditions as comfortable as possible as they await what comes next. joining us from germany is nbc news correspondent matt bradley. what can you

in the taliban-controlled islamic emirate of afghanistan is a question left largely unanswered peter alexander at the white house now. tens of thousands of poeople, peter. >> reporter: yeah, shep. that's the key question this administration has yet to answer the of state tony blinken today vowing the u.s. is going to use every diplomatic tool at its disposal with allies around the world to make sure those who want to get out of afghanistan after the 31st are still able to do so. he promised there is no deadline for the effort, but clearly the u.s.'s options shrink dramatically in less than a week president biden, he didn't answer that question when i posed it to him earlier today. the u.s., as you know already, rely on the taliban to allow safe passage to the airport for those trying to get out now. and today we heard more stories of the taliban blocking afghans trying to leave. meanwhile, top republicans are blasting the president for not extending this deadline to get more people out, saying that he's letting the taliban call the shots here and tonight there is sharp criticism of the adminis

courtney kube is live at the pentagon, peter alexander at the white house, retired colonel jack jacobs, msnbc military analyst and medal of honor recipient. good morning to all of you. after what has been such a difficult day, courtney, threat still not over, very real. and i thought you asked the key question of general mackenzie. do we have what we need to protect ourselves. so what is the plan to keep u.s. service members safe as evacuations continue in kabul the next four days. >> and general mackenzie said he has, he believes he has what he needs at the airport right now. we heard from president biden later saying that anything that the military needs, he has been granting their request. at this point we do not anticipate additional u.s. military flowing into the airport, but as you said, chris, the evacuation mission continues. so that means that u.s. military and marines are still screening people as they come on the airport grounds. we heard from general mackenzie they screened more than 104,000 people throughout the course of the mission that began august 14th. that's a tremen

the president according to a source he spoke to peter alexander met wednesday evening in the situation room with his top national security advisers to discuss drawing down u.s. personnel and the deteriorating situation as one provincial capital after another was falling. the president had questions and picked it back up thursday morning with top advisers at 7:30 in the morning in which jake sullivan, the national security adviser as well as the defense secretary were both recommending that the president send in several thousand troops to try to make sure that they could protect the embassy, protect the airport, as well as do this orderly draw-down of u.s. personnel. president biden ultimately did sign off on that decision. so that's how we end up with these new troops who are heading to the region. the white house, they are still pushing this line that they are hoping for some type of a negotiated settlement between the taliban and the afghan government. they are pushing this notion that the taliban will not be able to enjoy any kind of international legitimacy, if they take the countr

i want to bring in peter alexander at the white house, courtney kube, who covers the pentagon, and we are joined by retired army lieutenant general douglas absolute, former u.s. permanent representative to nato. he directed afghan strategy in the bush and obama administrations. we need his expertise today. courtney, what can you tell us about the evacuation? what is happening on the afghan side and the evacuees here, where are they going? >> it's now moving. after being pretty stalled monday, flights are coming and leaving with americans and afghans, so that is a significant and positive development from where we were just 48 hours ago, steph. the numbers keep changing, about how many have gone out in the past literally every couple of hours the numbers change. so we know many americans have gotten out. the big problem as you mentioned is the bottleneck of both americans and particularly afghans getting to the airport. the u.s. military on the ground there began negotiating or talking to the taliban to allow for safe passage of americans to get to the airport. the taliban have set up

joe biden has not according to peter alexander at the whees has not talked to andrew cuomo since the report came out and importantly was calling for him toy is sign after that report came out and had been an ally and close friend, and so they were stunned. they were surprised. this was not the headline they expected today. they expected at least somewhat of a victory lap before facing a tough house vote down the road for that bipartisan infrastructure package that just within the hour passed and passed with 19 republican votes and they expected to have that victory lap today with the white house briefing and then with the president coming out later today at 1:30, and now the questions are all and the focus are the democratic scandal and andrew cuomo. >> look. it's a short -- you can look at it via the short-term news cycle and yeah. it's not good for them, but i'll tell you, andrea, this was a long-term headache and cuomo stuck it out and stayed in the fight. remember, we're talking the state of new york and redistricting comes out soon, him at the top of the ticket or even vaguely s

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joining me is nbc news chief white house correspondent, and co-anchor, peter alexander and former deputyecurity adviser, ben rhodes. we're expecting the president to have a virtual meeting with the fema officials, the fema director coming up. how is the white house responding to this latest crisis? >> reporter: that's exactly right, the president, we just learned, he had nothing on his schedule until a matter of minutes ago. we are told he will invite reporters in for this virtual briefing that's going to take place with the fema director, as well as those mayors and governors in states that have been impacted by the crisis in louisiana and mississippi and along the gulf coast right now. just to give you a sense of the confluence of intensifying crises, this weekend the president went from dover air bores where he was greeting the families of those who lost their lives, american service members who lost their lives in afghanistan, and from that went directly to fema. in that circumstance he had to deal with another crisis that is happening back at home right now. the president saying the

. >> peter alexander, we'll look for your coverage ahead of the president's remarks.nk you. >>> i want to bring in democratic congressman andy kim of new jersey, member of the armed services committee. he worked in afghanistan as an adviser to generals david petraeus and john allen. good morning and thank you for being with us. >> good morning, thanks for having me. >> sure, let me start with the most urgent piece of this, this morning. you've been in touch with the state department the last few weeks about some of the more than 10,000 evacuation requests your office received. what is the update this morning? any new word you could tell us about? >> you're right. my office, we've been inundated, now hit over 11,000 evacuation requests. the ones that we've been pushing the hardest on right now are the americans that we still know there in afghanistan and it was really tough the last few days, just hearing how difficult it's been for them. many are stuck outside the airport gates for hours and now that the final planes have left, they are left with a lot of concern what

and nbc national security and military correspondent courtney kubi and weekend today co-host peter alexander, david ignatius and retired four-star army general mccaffrey. let's go to foreign chief correspondent richard engel. >> garrett, things here are looking more orderly than a couple of days ago, this is the kabul international airport and on monday this is where we saw thousands of afghans climb on to the fence, storm on to the runway and hanging on to civilian planes and u.s. military transport jets stopping the evacuation process. more troops have been brought in. more military vehicles are on display and there are fighter jets above and all day we've been watching groups of afghans escorted on to base, taken to processing centers and planes taking off in a somewhat regular schedule. a much smoother evacuation process than the absolute bedlam that we saw here a couple of days ago. but this is an island just outside of this space, the taliban controls and around the perimeter of the base itself there are afghans who are desperate to get out. afghans do not want to live under taliban ru

first, the latest on afghanistan, nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander and pentagon correspondent courtney kube. >> as you noted that number of americans just shy of 200, but the number of afghan allies likely tens of thousands and the president in a statement and we'll hear from him around 2:45 this afternoon. he said there was unanimity. there was a unanimous agreement that the u.s. should stick to that august 31st departure date, deadline date as opposed to extending it. he said among other things and the fact that the responsibility going forward now is going to be shared, it is going to be working with international partners to try to hold the taliban accountable for its commitments according to the president to help allow for the safe passage in that process. obviously, that requires a lot of belief in the taliban's desire to help and there have been aid organizations and others right now saying that the taliban is inflicting terrible pain and death among many of those who helped americans and many of those vulnerable allies who are left behind right now and th

. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with peter alexander, kristen welker and dylan dreyer. >>> welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on saturday morning. our weekend alarm clocks still work after five long weeks away from the olympics. >> this is not a virtual background. we are back in the studio. >> we were gone for the olympics. thrilled to be back right now in studio 1a. dylan and morgan radford in for kristen welker. >> thanks for having me. >> hot days in the city. we begin with the top story. the worsening situation in afghanistan. first wave of u.s. troops arrived in kabul to evacuate u.s. embassy personnel. the taliban pressing ahead capturing more cities and now closer in on the afghan capital. president biden facing pressure to do more to stop it as america's longest war comes to an abrupt end. we are covering it for you and we start with kelly cobiella on the ground in kabul. >> reporter: peter, good morning. the taliban is moving closer to the capital kabul. there are reports of heavy fighting in the city 20 miles away. the militant group moving fast tak

. >> peter alexander reporting there. let's bring in geoff bennett. good morning. >> good morning. >> help our viewers sort this out. we heard president biden is sticking to the august 31st deadline, come hell or high water. then yesterday we had the secretary of state tony blinken saying there's no deadline getting people out of the country, so which is it? >> reporter: i'll explain it this way. president biden is moving forward with withdrawing all u.s. troops by this august 31st date. what you heard from secretary blinken is he's saying if if there are afghans and even americans who remain in country after that august 31st exit deadline, he says that they will use every resource available, not just u.s. resources but even resources among u.s. allies, economic and diplomatic to try to evacuate those remaining afghans or americans. that will be extraordinarily difficult. there are more questions than answers about how that process would work, willie. but to give you one sense of alarming deterioraing situation around the airport, yesterday the state