our home state, virginia we'll go back to scott cohn for a look at how this year's rankings may shakethe state's politics there's a governor's race going on down there. >>> further ahead, the powerhouse road trip we'll take a look at the housing market in six cities across six weeks starting right now, today, in new york. we will be right back. >>> welcome back i'm rahel solomon and here is your cnbc news update at this hour americans continue to get back out on the road more and more. total miles driven rose to 274 billion in may that's a 29% rise from may of last year. the biggest gains came in the northeast. now south gulf states from texas to kentucky posted the smallest increases. >>> and in iraq the death toll from a fire in a covid ward has risen to 92. the prime minister has ordered the arrest of the hospital's director, the city civil defense chief and the director of the province where the hospital is located. >>> and tennis star roger federer says that he will not play in the olympics federer says that he is withdrawing because of a knee injury and that he is, quote, greatl

it is fascinating the way in which remote work is affecting your top states list that's scott cohn.ck, the ceo live from mesqretis ua in a moment >>> welcome back astra, an aerospace company, sending satellites, not people into space, is debuting on the nasdaq today the company is listing at a $2 billion valuation via spac and joining us now with our own morgan brennan is astra founder and ceo chris kemp chris, great to have you the business of space as we look into the future, fascinating because of the potential that we're seeing now in reusability and i guess frequency of launches, that is going to allow a different kind of economics. tell us first what astra adds to that. >> there is a trillion dollar space economy developing and hundreds of companies the past few years have been formed. many will join astra on public markets in the months ahead and trying to go to different places in space on different schedules. and having a small system where we can frequently launch from anywhere on earth to anywhere in space is the really only way they're going to be able to develop, innova

i don't know if you see scott cohn over there, but this certainly can't hurt >> yeah, so in terms of mexico, this is spaceport america behind me. it was the first fully designed, full purpose, completely focused on space project i believe in the world. and it was a nearly $250 million project that was funded by taxpayers here in the state of new mexico, a huge multiyear bet going back to 2005 on space tourism. i will tell you i spoke to the governor of mexico yesterday, michelle lujan grisham and she says she sees this as a major pillar of economic growth, something like billions of dollars for new mexico in the coming years that being said, this is just one spaceport. virgin galactic is looking to roll out a major fleet of spaceships and have spaceports all over the world to do these fliegts much more regularly. all that takes money >> i know. absolutely a lot of capital morgan brennan following this flight for us. let's bring unanin holding price target at $41 or just about that the stock is down 10% in the past month it still more than doubled over the past year. ron, it's good to

scott cohn is live to share the rules and another hint >> reporter: hey, kelly.st people have actually figured out from the vegetation behind me where i am we're photographing it very carefully this year. we'll tell you more about our annual top state study which is back in a big and interesting way this year and we will havetory one of our patented diabolical hits. >>> welcome back, everybody. cnbc's top states for business study is back this year with some new criteria but those same old diabolical hints, even tyler and i don't know where scott cohn is. let's bring him in with more scott? >> reporter: kelly, we started this back in 2007 and it started with a sort of innocent conversation in the cnbc newsroom just asking about why companieschose to do business in one state over another. and what we realized there's a ton of data about all of the states we can use to rank them we separated that data into ten different categories that are common among the way the states sell themselves and we weight those categories based on how the states are selling themselves t

for business right now, we will recap the hints to see if you can figure it out before revealed scott cohnnown usa. walk us through the clues one more time, scott >> that's what we're here for, becky. drive you nuts we narrow it down. there is water in this state so, we will give you the order of business. next hour on "squawk box" we will reveal the runners up states five, four, three and two. then in the 8:00 hour, we will reveal the top state for business we will talk to the state's governor and see where your state stacks up. all this from the top state. we gave you the patented diabolical hints let's look at them to give you something to think about over the next couple hours. the hints are turn, turn, turn break a leg. talking turkey mic drop and one and done. where am i guess away we will let you know the top state at 8:00 a.m. eastern guys. >> will you give us hints if we guess it i heard so many good guesses on twitter from the turn, turn, turn one people said turn, turn, turn could be the indianapolis speedway somebody said it could be the speedway in pennsylvania which has three

nbc's scott cohn is joining us from san francisco. to turn away potential customers if they can't prove they've been vaxed or that they have a negative covid test. >> reporter: i think they're more concerned, alex, with protecting their existing customers and their staff, like at this irish public in san francisco's mission district. it is really become a very difficult issue for them. so this policy now by the san francisco bar owners alliance, that's 300 establishments. it is a voluntary policy so we're not sure how many have taken this up. but the idea is, yes, to get in you have to show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test that's less than 72 hours old. the president of the alliance says it is not just about safety. there are practical considerations. >> we started being really, really alarmed by the number of vaccinated people that were showing up positive with covid and it has real-world implications for us beyond the health issues for our customers and workers, but also there's a labor shortage in san francisco. if you

msnbc's scott cohn joins us live now. california, it feels like, just reopened. how are people reacting to this recommendation? isn't it enough to be vaccinated? >> reporter: not necessarily. that's what they're saying in l.a. county. california just reopened on the 15th, so two weeks ago. i have a mask on in santa clara county, san jose, because i'm in a vaccination clinic where everyone is required to be masked. the l.a. thing is just a recommendation and it hasn't been statewide. this vaccination clinic, i think it's a good sign, perhaps, that they are seeing some traffic here today. nonetheless, in a state that has done very well with vaccinations and in a county where about 75% of the population is fully vaccinated, they still have seen 56 cases involving that delta variant. and california, which has done better than the nation as a whole on vaccinations, is among the states where it is most prevalent, according to cdc data that was posted earlier this week. california with about 8.5%, the most prevalent in missouri where it's nearly 30% of the cases. bottom

for more on the wildfires, let's go to nbc's scott cohn. 's not good, joshua. as you said, 70 wildfires going on right now and let's remember, this is july. the peak of fire season is normally a couple of months away, but we're seeing moisture levels that we don't normally see this early in the season. so that has a lot of people concerned. fires are burning in washington, oregon, california, nevada. they did get a little bit of relief in the southwest with monsoons, but the issue with that is, forecasters say they're likely to trigger thunderstorms in this part of the world, in northern california. thunderstorms mean lightning. lightning and all of this dry vegetation, that's a bad combination. >> lightning is not accompanied by a bunch of rain, called dry lightning, as the potential to spark anything. right now, pretty much anywhere across the inner mountain west from california to the great basin, which is your nevada/utah area, up through the northern rockies. >> reporter: that's heath hockenberry. he's in charge of the fire weather prog

perfect it will give us a sense where things are in this new competitive landscape., live shep >> scott cohnomewhere tonight. >>> did you catch richard branson pulling ahead in the space race that's not all technically, the video feed was a mess we have the video and sound of what was happening when that feed crapped out and details of branson's major announcement. >>> plus, a former astronaut on what's up next in the mission to put more people into orbit memorable as eating as turkey hill chocolate chip cookie dough creamy premium ice cream and chasing fireflies. don't worry about me. i'm fine. you can't beat turkey hill memories. >>> if we do this, just imagine what you can do. >> the virgin galactic founder richard branson as he and five others briefly achieved weightlessness yesterday aboard virgin galactic's unity 22 with that branson won the billionaire space race, at least for now, but everyone back on earth missed that seminal moment in private spaceflight because the live stream of the launch malfunctioned. viewers were late to the party the stream didn't show the actual takeoff als

scott, thanks for your great work our scott cohn. >>> as the labor shortage continues, employers areincentives. what workers really want, next. >>> you can catch the show any time anywhere. listen to and follow "the exchange" podcast today. icy hot. ice works fast. heat makes it last. feel the power of contrast therapy, so you can rise from pain. this isn't just a walk up the stairs. when you have an irregular heartbeat, it's more. feel the power of contrast therapy, it's dignity. the freedom to go where you want, knowing your doctor can watch over your heart. ♪♪ that building you're trying to sell, - you should ten-x it. - ten-x it? ten-x is the world's largest online commercial real estate exchange. you can close with more certainty. and twice as fast. if i could, i'd ten-x everything. like a coffee run... or fedora shopping. talk to your broker. ten-x does the same thing, - but with buildings. - so no more waiting. sfx: ding! see how easy...? don't just sell it. ten-x it. (vo) conventional thinking doesn't disrupt the status quo. which is why t-mobile for business uses unconventio

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thank you so much, scott cohn. the latest on the olympic medal count and where the u.s. stands. stay with us. stands. stay with us wright brothers? more like, yeah right, brothers! get outta here! it's not crazy. it's a scramble. just crack an egg. charlie's my little sidekick when it comes to projects around the house.it's a scramble. but, she disappears on me. i can't see everything she gets into, that's why i trust tide hygienic clean. it gets between fibers to remove visible and invisible dirt. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. verizon launched the first 5g network and now we want to be the first to give everyone the joy of 5g, by giving every customer a new 5g phone. old customers. new customers new 5g phones when you trade in your old ones. upgrade your phone. upgrade your network. >>> now to the latest from the tokyo olympics with an update on the medal count. it shows the u.s. and china each with 46 medals. the russian olympic committee, japan and britain rounding out the top five. an update on

scott cohn for us. thank you. >>> i want to bring in dr.the brooking institution. good to see you once again. thank you for joining us on this saturday afternoon. i want you to react from what we heard from ben gupta talking about the triple whammy situation. low vaccination rates, he talks about that, the rise of variants and, of course, the cold and dry temperatures, the season in which the south is dealing with. you have another doctor from the south from the state of alabama telling nbc news essentially when we see lower vaccine uptake in places that roll back restrictions and variants like delta spreading, that is exactly what we infectious disease doctors worry about. >> yeah, that's right, yasmin. i'll actually kind of double down and add a fourth factor. that's return to school. about a quarter of new cases are in children who are unvaccinated. they can be 18 or younger. we know we can get a vaccine for 12 to 18, but we've talked about about how that is not a very popular option for many children. so there are children driving these

. >>> the most wonderful time of year to be scott cohn.eal cnbc's top states for business he joins us in the next hour with the first of one of his many diabolical hints. we're looking forward to playing the guessing game. we're right back after this. >> announcer: executive edge is sponsored by at&t business our people and network will help keep you connected let's take care of business. l m something different. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this... your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee... yeah i should've just led with that... with at&t business... you can pick the best plan for each employee and only pay for the features they need. tailor made or one size fits all? made to order or ready to go? with a hybrid, you don't have to choose. that's why insurers are going hybrid with ibm. with watson on a hybrid cloud they can use ai to help predict client needs and get th

scott cohn joins us from the port of virginia in norfolk with that part of our story scott? a top state in each category let's see how that shakes out our top states honor roll for 2021, in cost of doing of business, our most important category, it is oklahoma, which has the lowest electric rates in the country. in infrastructure, which this year includes, broadband and electric reliability, illinois is on top. for life, health and inclusion, it is vermont with the highest covid vaccination rate america's top workforce is texas, people are coming there in droves, particularly educated workers. idaho has the best economy including america's hottest housing market for business friendliness, that's legal system and regulatory climate, it is south dakota access to capital, no state comes close to california. and california also is on top for technology and innovation. massachusetts is number one for education. virginia, where i am is a close second and the lowest cost of living is in mississippi interestingly, virginia, america's top state for business overall, did not come out

scott cohn, thank you. >>> in europe, it's a different type of weather, flooding devastating across germanyso much debris behind you, i can't even believe it. >> reporter: this is all that remains in western germany. the floodwaters rose here. they buried parts of the track. in other places, they ripped the ground out from underneath the railway lines, and cars looking like they just dropped from the heavens. fortunately this warrior cause we're, but down the like heinz, police were looking at cars just like them, searching for bodies. hundreds are still unaccounted for. different authorities have different numbers. i would compare this to the situation after the surfside condominium collapse. officials are trying to figure out who was actually at home. now, angela merkel, the german chancellor was here earlier today. she want there are barely words in the german language to describe the devastation. she position said the countries of the world need to move much faster to com bad client change, to try to prevent extreme weather. merkel is stepping down in a few weeks' time, at the end of a

cnbc's scott cohn is in norfolk to explain it all. of presidents because so many presidents were born here it is also called the cradle of talent the state is the number two state for education when we measure the states across ten categories in competitiveness, close behind massachusetts work force a very smart, well-educated work force. this state has done well in a category, post social reckoning time the state has in the last couple of years has protected lgbtq rights and expanded voting rights at a time when other states are not doing it. all of those putting virginia over the top. >> governor ralph northam was being called to resign two years ago now he's winning points for inclusiveness. what's his story >> he said he was not going to resign, he was going to increase equity in the state. a lot of folks were skeptical about that at the time his message today when we talked to him this morning was that the ranking today proves that good business and inclusiveness are not traditionally exclusive. >> when you do the right thing for

scott cohn joins us from the undisclosed location tweet us your guesses.awk box" begins right now. >>> good morning welcome to "squawk box" here on cnbc i'm becky quick along with andrew ross sorkin and mike santoli. joe is off today >>> you saw the dow up by 126 points to close within four points

we have two reports from scott cohn and michelle grossmann. here in california. there are lots of worries of drought. we can see why. talk about what you are seeing relative to that and fire in the state. >> reporter: yeah why what is behind me is a big chunk of the water supply for silicon valley. some of those dry areas are normally under water. this particular reservoir at about 30% of capacity with a bunch of the dry season still left. in california, the governor has instituted voluntary restrictions asking people to cut back on the water usage by 15%. here in santa clarita some restrictions are mandatory because officials say the supply suzuki a whole is critically low. >> we're seeing this driest season since 1977. if you look locally in santa clarita, the heart of silicon valley, the total reservoir storage at 14% of capacity. ground water is full but really concerned that next year potentially could see sliding. >> reporter: what he means is that the ground water gets so low that the underground infrastructure begins to deteriorate and

scott cohn is in this year's top state for business, it is a mystery for now. tt? >> hey, david. we're getting ready for lunch -- maybe it is breakfast. who knows, in the top state for business we will reveal america's top state for business and all 50 states how they rank tomorrow morning on "squawk box." it is really a changing world, we have this methodology we have done every year since 2007 with the exception of last year, where we rate the states in ten categories of competitiveness for a total of 2500 points and we rate the categories based on what the states are talking about. more states will come out of this pandemic, and the economic slowdown or recession, are talking about cost of doing business that's the heaviest way to category you can hear more about our methodology which we have adapted for all of the changes going on in the world. we're now talking about things like inclusiveness, we're talking about sustainability when we talk about infrastructure, we talk now about broadband and the power grid, things that we may have taken for granted in yea

scott cohn is joining me live from san francisco with more on this. scott, good to see you.t to require this. >> reporter: this is a group called the san francisco bar owners alliance. it is 500 bar owners representing some 300 establishments like the irish public behind me. now, for some perspective, there are something like 3,000 bars in san francisco and we're hae not sure how many of the bar owners alliance are going to actually put together, or implement i should say this policy. again, the idea is that you can't come in without showing proof of vaccination or a negative covid test within the last 72 hours. of ways out of desperation. >> what really stood out from the conversations we were having is just how much frustration a with these numb nuts who are not getting vaccines by choice. in the face of incredible amount of data, in the face of every scientific professional who is not deep in the realm of youtube, right, all of the recommendations are to get a vaccine. we know the vaccinated people are much, much, much less likely to contract this. >> reporter: so they de

. >>> let's go to nbc's scott cohn just outside los gatos, california, where there are worries about can see behind me a big portion of the water supply for silicon valley. it is not supposed to look that way. you see there's a little finger of land kind of out in the middle of that reservoir. folks that have been around here a long time have never seen that, that's how low the levels are. it is the result, of course, of the drought that's been going on now in the second year. governor gavin newsom in california has instituted voluntary cutbacks on water use of 15%. here in santa clara county they've made some of those mandatory because they say the water levels are critically low. >> we're seeing the driest season since 1977. if you look locally in santa clara county, which is the heart of silicon valley, our total reservoir storage is just at 14% of capacity. our ground water aquifers are still full, however, we are really concerned that next year we potential could see subside ens. >> reporter: when he says subsidence he is talking about the ground water levels getting so low they

since the pandemic, which has changed everything in the battle for states for business and jobs scott cohnthe tar heel state >> reporter: this is a really common sound in north carolina's research triangle region these days the housing market is booming. building permits in raleigh up nearly 67% from a year ago, already in overdrive before word that apple is coming to town >> the company will invest more than a billion dollars and create at least 3,000 jobs >> when apple released the news that they were coming here, i think every realtor across the triangle braced themselves for impact >> reporter: realtor ashleigh. >> our office is getting calls from apple employees coming into the area >> reporter: the pandemic accelerated apple's plans. the campus is part of a $430 billion expansion, up from 350 billion announced in 2019. sources close to the talks in north carolina say talent and quality of life sealed the deal. >> they had a choice and they could have gone anywhere in the world, but they chose north carolina >> but the state had to overcome a checkered past on inclusiveness. this was

here's cnbc's scott cohn in wisconsin. >> reporter: kim mahoney loves her home 30 miles south of milwaukee >> you kind of train your eye to stop at the pine trees, and not look past. >> reporter: the mahoneys were the lone holdouts when the village of mount pleasant bought up their subdivision. >> we used to have a nice park view, lots of trees and corn fields. >> reporter: to make way for a giant manufacturing complex for foxconn, she says the price was lowball. she also had her doubts about foxconn's grandiose plans. >> it's a big i told you so, do i feel good about saying i told you so, no, not at all >> the eighth wonder of the world. >> reporter: former president trump and former wisconsin governor scott walker promised a high-tech mecca, well worth the nearly $4 billion in state and local incentives the company promised 13,000 jobs but almost immediately there were what foxconn called unanticipated market fluctuations they built the plant, including this sphere, not clear what it's for, and they are doing some light manufacturing, but instead of 13,000 jobs, it's 1,500 tops >> it was

a repeat of the top win from our last study, but inside our rankings, there's a lot of movement scott cohnats but one our rankings, a lot of movement take maryland, on you most-improved state. it actually improved in eight of our ten categories, but nowhere more so than in infrastructure we included broadband as a metric the power grid is reliable, another new metric we are looking at ilnot on infrastructure, and michigan and oklahoma, and yes, we saw plenty of movement the other way. that decline belongs to oregon, falling 13 spots, and these a case of slowing economic growth, especially international trade arizona dropping ten spots, finishing last this year for life, health and inclusion wyoming also falls kansas falls on its infrastructure, workforce and economy. you can see where your state ranks, and all of our past rankings going back to 2007. we do this every year. we're thrilled to be back. it's a huge team at cnbc and cnbc.com that puts it together i always do like to thank our senior producers here, who do so much, but there's a lot of other people behind this so we hope you tak

co-founder >>> kickoff to earnings season isn't the only big event investors will be watching tomorrow scott cohnwe will give you one more hint about where i am, the state that we will reveal tomorrow. and we'll tell you more about the challenges of doing this study in this very dynamic changing year. that's coming up on "the closing bell." that building you're trying to sell, - you should ten-x it. - ten-x it? ten-x is the world's largest online commercial real estate exchange. you can close with more certainty. and twice as fast. if i could, i'd ten-x everything. like a coffee run... or fedora shopping. talk to your broker. ten-x does the same thing, - but with buildings. - so no more waiting. sfx: ding! see how easy...? don't just sell it. ten-x it. ♪ watch the olympic games on xfinity ♪ ♪ root for team usa and feel the energy ♪ ♪ 7000 plus hours of the olympics on display ♪ ♪ with xfinity you get every hour of every day ♪ ♪ different sports on different screens, ♪ ♪ you can watch it anywhere ♪ ♪ and with the voice remote ♪ ♪ you never have to leave your chair ♪ show me team usa. ♪ all of this