ll that's left of our perfect family is, the two of us. we can't let that go. bull market somewhere. market somewhere i promise to find it right her covid warnings ring loud from the cdc the director today saying delta respiratory virus we know. i'm shepard smith. this i is the most infeinnfectious respiratory high obvious we know i'm shepard smith. this is the news on cnbc do we need covid booster shots >> the delta variant is spreading with inefficiency. >> the cdc meets to discuss the variant. violent crime crackdown. the doj creates a few strike force to target gun traffickers. what cities could see a direct

impact covid travel ban, lawmakers and the airlines pushing hard to lift international flying restrictions. >> it's been a source of frustration for many of us. >> reporter: the race to reduce carbon emissions. >> this means about 926 a year globally, we emit 40 billion ton. the massive passport backlog, disaster death toll rises in china. and another country pulls out of the olympics. >> live from cnbc. cnbc. the facts, the truth, the news with shepard smith >> good the facts, the truth, "the news with shepard smith." >> good evening, covid delta is spreading rapidly, some hospitals are now full today a sobering assessment from the cdc that we'll hear shortly. tonight, the debate over masking up is once again front and centerw discussion whether to

urge vaccinated "the washington post" reporting the top white house officials are now discussion whether to urge vaccinated americans to wear masks in more settings. the cdc director says the agency is not changing its guidance at least not now she did stop short of ruling it out in the future. this afternoon, reporters asked president biden about the possibility. >> we follow the science it's happening now there is all the major scientific operations in this country in a 25-person group we put together are looking at all the possibilities of what's happening now. >> well, at the local level, governors and mayors are taking different approaches some are following the cdc guidelines, others are bringing back mandates or issuing advisories in arkansas, for example, democratic lawmakers are calling on republicans to lift the state ban on mask requirements on capitol hill, politico reports the chief physician there is considering reimposing a mask recommendation for people

inside the capitol like everything else with the pandemic, it's complicated but one thing is crystal clear, the delta variant is surging i areas with low vaccination rates especially the cdc director backed a warning, we are not out of the wood just yet. >> the delta variant is morectis resp ans degre aggressive and much more transmissible than previousl circulating strains. it is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses we know of and i have seen in my 20-area career. >> one of the new infection, a study reaffirms two doses of pfizer vaccine offers strong protect against covid delta. for some american, questions remain today a cdc panel meet to see if people that have compromised immune systems need booster shots. we have dr. asish jha with us.

we have meg tirrell as well. millions have to worry about whether they're protected against covid who have had organ transplants, cancer treatments or living with hiv where do they stand? >> yeah, shepp, the cdc says 2.7% of marine adults are immunocompromised. they are more likely to get severely ill and less likely to produce anti-body. the advisory committee discussed additional doses for this group. something already recommended in israel and france. studies show a third dose of mrna, moderna an pfizer helpedrd them reduc some boost their response. the committee says the fda has to recommend additional doses before they recommend them doctors acknowledging many are already seeking out these shots with multiple members noting the issue is running away from us.

members of the public also weighing in, one who had a kidney transplant 19 years ago said he made no anti-bodies after two shots of the pfizer vaccine. he begged the committee to allow people like him to get a third dose >> hundreds of us lie to pharmacies and immunization sites about our previous vaccinations, trying to get an extra unauthorized dose. i know that's what i'll be doing if additional doses are not sanctioned and we long for a fuller life. >> the cdc noting full fda approval of the vaccines is oneu way this issue could be solved then doctors can make recommendation, even if third doses weren't specifically authorized yet the committee did not discuss boosters more broadly for the millions of americans that got the single j&j shot.

he says there is no reason people need it of any source shep >> thank you, meg. >> dr. ashish jha, doctor, here we are again, covid cases spiking, covid cases pushed to their limits some overflowing does this end with mask mandates or is there a better solution? >> shep, thanks for having me back we don't need a federal mask mandate. we certainly don't feed a federal lockdown here's the issue what we are seeing is surges of infections in communities with low vaccination rates. we are seeing little bumps in cases like vermont and massachusetts that have high vaccination rates. they're fine, their hospitals are fine they are not likely to get overwhelmed.l feed to do is i think what you will need to do is localized policy and will you have to find some ways of both increasing vaccinations and controlling the virus until more people get the shot. >> you know cdc and dr. fauci

said today they're not advising a booster shot for those with j&j. a whole lot of doctorscy they are recommending it to their patients how do you see this? is it another example of the government being behind or is this something else here >> there are examples of the government being behind, i think for instance the fda is taking way too long to approve these vaccines i don't understand what's going on there the j&j booster thing is a little bit different the data on this largely leans toward people not needing a booster. that's how i read the evidence and you know, look, we will have more data coming in the next few weeks. what i have been recommending to friends, family, colleagues, who have been vaccinated with the j&j, hold tight, we'll have more data i don't think we need more boosters for the j&j based on the information we have now. >> you heard from dr. scott gottlieb is predicting it could

peak in august and early september. yet, i keep hearing for more than a year, this is a winter virus. it does better when it's cold and less humid what is your thinking on a time line, if that is even possible >> it's hard to predict. it is a winter virus as i said, it does do better but this version of the virus, the delta variant, is so incredibly contagious that it's happy to infect people and run at any time of the year. if this were winter, this would be even worse than we are seeing right now so thank goodness it's happening in summer or large parts of the countries, where we can be largely outside, i don't know when it will peak it might peak in september we are far away, we are doing 40,000 cases a day it will go substantially higher before it peaks. >> my doctor gave me a crude way to understand this and said, you know how sometimes you are speaking really loud at a game or something and spit comes out

of your mouth and falls to the ground that's the previous virus. the delta version is more like blowing smoke out of your mouth. it floats all over the room. how would you describe it? >> yeah, that's a really -- i like that analogy. i like that in terms of blowing smoke out of your mouth. if you think about it, you walkl into a room and somebody has been smoking, you will smell that the truth is you can't smell the delta virus. this is why it's so contagious this is why being indoors, if are you unvaccinated, it's so incredibly ricky from risky. you can be 6-feet away from anybody else, if they are infected with the delta, your risk of getting infected is quite high. >> i'm worried about the next few weeks not because of things i knows, fought beca i'm really worried >> i think people are underestimating how bad this will get we are in for a very bad august, probably a tough september before this turns around the best way to turn this around

is to get people vaccinated. >> dr. ashish jha, thank you the white house taking on crime in america president biden's attorney general replenishes money going to a fund for crime victim, including those of sexual assault and abuse. the president says they're not getting the help they need >> the fund is being depleted. that meant dramatic cuts in the funding it could provide for victims and for organizations to support these victims. >> meantime, the president's attorney general traveled to chicago to launch five gun trafficking strike forces across major u.s. cities where violence and crime is spiking nbc correspondent pete williams is here with us. pete >> well, every year, atf agents trace nearly 500,000 firearms. that's how many are recovered from crime scenes. so this is an issue intended to

deal with one of the pipelines for crime guns criminals get their guns in several ways they steal them. sometimes they buy them from legitimate dealers if they're not qualified, they buy it from somebody who doesn't have to have a background check. this is aimed at straw purchases. that's when someone who is legally entitled to buy a gun makes the purchase for someone else that's illegal it's hard to prosecute there is no gun trafficking statute. so what prosecutors have to do is charge somebody with lying on the federal form to buy a gun. those cases tend to not havey a much jury appeal so garland has ordered a new emphasis on investigating and prosecuting these straw purchase cases this isn't a case of surging more federal man power into these communities. instead, it's an effort to leverage and redirect the existing staff to focus on these cases. now, admittedly, this will not make a huge difference, crime comes from many sources. but the justice department says the tv ads may take a bite out

of crime or if you prefer, put a kink in the pipeline that traffics t guns into the high crime areas shep >> pete, thanks so much. our conversation continues after a 60-second break in philadelphia homicides are way up but what about the people left behind inside the rising demand for grief counseling in 1992, he negotiated a truce between two gangs. his work is far from over. we'll hear from him next the cuban government issuing sanction this month.is n our president is now warning this is just beginning

more now on our continuing series crime in america.

in philadelphia, a gunman shot and killed two teenage boys and injured a third. that were just sitting in a car outside a pre-school the shooting happened yesterday afternoon a half mile from where a man and pregnant woman died in another shooting the night before city leaders are calling on the mayor to declare a city-wide emergency over the rise in gun violence so far he's held out and says it's not a solution and will not make a difference.d will not philly is on track to have the deadliest record the police have reported 312 homicides since the first of the year the city hasn't had 300 homicides this time of 84. up 34% from last year, more than 70% from the year before as local officials work to find solution, leaders from a support system say they are near a breaking point on the city's looming grief counselor crisis here's danny freeman. >> reporter: philadelphia's brett williams has known

violence his whole life. >> i lost my father when i was 11 20 years later, 2016, i lost my older brother. >> reporter: he didn't receive mental health help after his father killed, after his brother died, he found organizations that changed his life. >> the day after my brother i was on the line for 45 minutes. >> reporter: a non-profit offers grief counseling to victims of violence williams is now the chair of its board. with surging violence on philly streets, he says the resource that once helped him now needs help. >> we're looking at record numbers for drowning >> reporter: williams says the demand for their services is outpacing the number of people they can serve the size of the wait list for grief counseling has grown 600% and fears the weight can lead and fears the wait can lead to more boyhood shed.

>> that's what happens when you don't have those resources the cycle turns into a cycle of violence >> it has led into the most dramatic career of a lifetime. >> reporter: at an events supporting mothers whose children have been killed by gun violence, her son was killed 20 years ago. the suffering has never gone away >> there's not enough people out here to help us what we are going through. >> we are deeply committed. >> reporter: the police commissioner says she is taken aback by the lack of counsellors. >> it's disheartening, but there are a lot of providers out here. hopefully, everyone will step up in the ways they have. >> reporter: in june the city decided to budget $155 million to violence prevention city council member feels grief counseling should get some of that funding >> grief counseling and trauma services are very important in breaking the cycle of violence as the saying goes, hurt people hurt people. stops, they need tmoney is

crucial because if the violence stops, they need to hire more counselors >> you feel empowered. you see the progress happen. you start to liven up. that's how i feel about grief counselling. >> reporter: the mayor called it a crucial tool to help folks and stop the cycles of violence. i should say that gentleman from pete the piece says it's all contagious one family members reaches out for help, other family members will reap out. that's a good thing, but that means more demand. philly is stretched thin shep >> thank you so much. community-base executive director of the community-based public safety collective back in the 1990s, he negotiated a truce between the bloods and the crypts and since then she consulted for multiple cities in community violence situation thank you so much. so many cities face an increase in violence now. how can the community be

harnessed to help? >> well, you know, as the organizer/activist for the past 30 years doing community safet work in public communities, we've developed a body of work we used to call street outreach and gang intervention. but the practitioners got together in march and reformed we call it community-based public safety because there is comprehensive system which is complimentary strategy to policing in communities. it involves outreach and victim's advocacy all working together with programs like the hospital prevention program and the recovery center. all of these agencies are working together so this is a way that residents can better engage the public safety process because we must move public safety out of the frame that law enforcement is the single point of contact for safety in our community.

but that we also have officers to reduce violence in crime over the long term. >> what about data there is so much of it it's so hard t community-based complementary strategies that work with our officers to reduce violence in crime over the long term. >> what about data there is so much of it it's so hard to corral how can it help? >> our work has been driven and informed by data right. we have evidence-based results as well as community support there has been anecdotal work that really has lifted up these community-based public safety initiatives that are operating in close to 200 citiescities violence, global advance peace the national network for safe communities. the hospital-based violence intervention program training institute, all these organizations are working in multiple cities across the country with evidence-based results, that show that they work so i think it's really in our best interest as a country to invest more deeply into these strategies

>> keep up the great work. thank you for your time. our crime in america series continues on monday with ready chicago. it's a program that identifies people at risk for a life of violence and it gives them a different path at the website on your screen, you can find all of our crime in america stories. speaker pelosi is pushing forward with the investigation of the capitol insurrection without any of the gop picks or the partisan drama, the possible replacements to fill those empty slots. plus a massive outage on some of the websites we know the companies affected and the source of the problem.

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the committee to conduct the critical investigation into the january 6th riot and capitol insurrection is embroiled in partisan drama the members met today, five people short house minority leader kevin mccarthy pulled his five gop picks yesterday after house speaker rejected two of them today speaker pelosi says she'sh moving full steam ahead with or without mccarthy's support >> it's my responsibility as speaker of the house to make sure we get to the truth on this and we will not let their antics stand in the way of that >> firing back, mccarthy doubled down on his criticism that as he puts it pelosi's playing politics with the committee's investigation. >> it doesn't matter today what

she does with that committee, because it's not going to change the outcome of what it seems like a pre-determined or already-written report and at the same time that she played politics with us for six month, the senate acted the fbi has investigatedy ever >> worth noting, nearly every democrat and 35 republican house members voted for an independent bipartisan commission back in may only to have that bill die in the senate when the gop staged its first filibuster of the term to block it so the only republicans remain on that senate select committee now is the wyoming congresswoman liz cheney nbc sawhill kapor is here now. nbc sahil kapur is here now. we know pelosi is planning to put in other republican, one name everybody is talking about, kensinger. >> we don't know the antics. pelosi kept that opened. she simply said, we will see now there are a couple things to consider here.

the first is the text of the resolution that created this committee. does she have the authority to appoint someone without consultation with kevin mccarthy that's the word being used is it a consultation if he didn't suggest this person and talk to her. there are two other peoplee is committee already. the second is adam created, one liz cheney who is on the committee already the second is adam kinzinger, the republican congressman from illinois who has been an outspoken critic of donald trump and kevin mccarthy's handling of the commission that is the obvious prospect if there was one to be appointed. speaker pelosi did appear to the cameras with benny thompson, the chair of this committee. they have warm words for kinzinger. thompson called him a fine person, a level-headed person who could be a good prospect for this committee one way or another, the committee is going to have its

first meeting next tuesday, first hearing i should say next tuesday. they will hear from dc metropolitan and the one republican liz cheney are a quorum the speaker emphasized that today and made clear the committee is going to do its work regardless of whether it includes any other appointees. shep >> sahil kapur, thank you. sucking carbon out of the atmosphere an environmentally friendly idea that is suddenly big business and it's raising the chances of a strange-looking vacuum farm moving to a field near you the american comeback. meet a business owner in des moines that opened the doors to a new comedy club three months before the pandemic hit. and the athletes are practicing final preps under way. the olympics set to begin. as one country reverses its decision to pull out of the

competition, we're off to tokyo as we approach the bottom of the hour and the top of the news on cnbc

major internet websites grinding to a halt that's what's topping cnbc on the money on the money delta, amazon, oracle, some websites down for about an hour. the widespread outage linked to

akamai, a content distribution network. the company reports a software update triggered the bug they fixed the issue and everything is back to normal new signs the real estate market may be cooling off, for the first time in four months. sales of pre-owned homes went up, up 1.4% in june. that's according to national association of realtors. the organization of chief economists due to high home prices and softening demand, the market may have turned a corner on its low inventory problemando and mercedes-benz ready to go all electric by 2030. with some conditions it reports it will only sell electric cars where mark market conditions allow.e to they will spend more than $47

billion this decade to electrify its luxury lineup. on wall street, the dow up 25, s&p up 9, the nasdaq up 53 up 53 i'm shepard smith on cnbc. it's the bottom of the hour. time for the top of the news get the shot or risk forfeiting the game. the new nfl policy aimed at getting players fascinated passport emergency >> a four-month wait has people fed up olympics are hours away from the opening ceremony the african nation of guinea is reversing course and will participate in the games after all. they said earlier they would not participate because of covid concerns the games will begin just as tokyo hits a six-month high in cases.

the city reported 2,000, the most since mid-january meantime, the first lady, dr. jill biden landed in tokyo to lead the delegation she is set to attend the opening ceremony which is set 12 hours from now in tokyo, we have tom llamas tom, covid or not, these games are officially kicking off tonight your time? >> reporter: that is so right. it will be a new experience for americans. they'll be watching the show, watching shep, smith on cnbc they will go to sleep and see the opening ceremony twice in the morning and in prime time. savannah guthrie and mike tirico will be anchoring this coverage. there is a little drama. the director of the opening ceremony has been fired frome me controversial comments he made about the holocaust. he and the olympic committee apologized this happened before a massive global vent as you mentioned,

dr. jill biden will be there and 200 athletes we are so looking forward to the opening ceremony this happening as that covid cloud looms large over the tokyo games. infects are rising here in the city of tokyo. even in the athletes village there is a strange case being looked at, a possible cluster case the czech republic is investigating its own delegation five members tested positive, including three athletesooking a private charte what they're looking at is a private charter flag from prague to tokyo they're trying to see if it spread on that flight and if covid protocols were not followed on the way to tokyo those members are all in isolation. we got our first look at team usa's gymnastics team, simone biles and the whole team warming up in the ariake stadium shep, i was there a few days ago. it is an incredible facility watching our women perform was pretty incredible.

this was just a warm up, shep, and i know you are a fan of sports looks like they were re you can see how they are all ready to perform they were hitting every routine. they were basically warming up it looks like they were ready to perform already. they all looked in very good shape. they're our best chance at a gold medal simone biles, we call her the g.o.a.t., because she, is on twitter she has her on hashtag, you get a goat with a gold medal. very very good, back over to you. >> so fun to watch them all. thanks, tom. ahead on the news, the nbc sports reporter jimmy roberts live from tokyo with the opening ceremony just hours away well, more americans are betting on themselves and starting their own small businesses in iowa, the secretary of state's office reports new business filings jumped things% 36% from last year it's not just because the pandemic forced stores to close. in fact, the number of new

business there is has been steadily increasing over the past five years. now they're growing at a record clip tonight our american comeback series takes us to des moines. we spoke with three entrepreneurs there, whose businesses were struggling mightily, early in the pandemic. now they're turning things around and finding creative new ways to stay afloat. cnbc's andrea day with their story of an american comeback. >> the one word that best describes the last year is bananas. >> for me it's optimism. >> for me -- dimension. making a comeback. >> everything i worked for >> three small businesses are making a comeback. >> everything i worked for was nothing. >> the beginning of covid and amy's event planning business was disappearing >> i had to figure out what i had to do. >> reporter: her plan, creating gift boxes for businesses. >> that people can use to supplement their virtual events, to engage their audience a little more. >> reporter: and to send to employees working remotely

>> people are trying to retain their good talent, they're using this to show gratitude and appreciation i felt in my gut it was going to be something i ran with it. >> reporter: and her gut was right. >> the first three months, it was a thousand, just under $100,000 in revenue. it's proven to be a way more profitable business model than the event planning >> reporter: from gifts, the comedy club open for business three months before covid changed everything. e covid change >> we had 17 sold out shows and suddenly our doors were shut >> reporter: his mission keep his comediennes working. >> we started doing shows online people hired us to bring office people together on a zoom call and do standup comedy >> reporter: he says city and state grants helped pay the rent now the staged lights are back on >> people are excited to be out. they're happy to be laughing

again. >> reporter: nearby is joe tripp's restaurant harbinger. here it's dine-in only so when covid first hit. >> business flatlined right away it was terrifying. especially being a new father. >> reporter: but instead of giving up, joe doubled down. investing in new equipment to make a fried chicken dish he had never done before to go. >> we 86'ed everything and switched over to our korean fried chicken concept. >> his gamble paid off >> we sold out the first night. >> reporter: customers are back dining in, with a full menu. >> it saved our restaurant. >> reporter: saving harbinger and helping joe open another restaurant during covid. >> i couldn't be happier. >> reporter: out of the chaos, major life lesson. >> the biggest lesson is people matter. >> the biggest lesson i learned is to be agile >> things work out if you do it for right reasons. >> for us the future looks exciting.

>> the business will continue to grow >> i will keep taking it to the sky. >> and talk about taking off, amy's now done more than 3,000wn boxes. most of them going to employees working at home. that itself to keep them all on board, some of the favorites, the mocktail and barbecue kit. >> thanks so much, andrea. other countries letting americans back in. but the u.s. is not really reciprocating. the pressure on the white house to change course now growing tonight what the top airline ceo told our phil lebeau long lines for days and people frustrated to the point of tears a backlog causing a passport crisis we got word airstrikes on the taliban, details on that straight ahead details on that stig aad - that moment you walk in the office and people are wearing the same gear, you feel a sense of connectedness and belonging right away.

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the u.s. carrying out 11th-hour airstrikes in afghanistan with just more than a month until all troops leave the pentagon reports it launched half a dozen airstrikes against the taliban targets during the last 30 days two overnight in kandahar, those strike targeted stolen military vehicles and equipment threatening the afghan military. just yesterday, general mark milley admitted the taliban had strategic momentum in their push to retake the country. the death toll rising in central china after devastating floods 33 people confirmed dead the city of zheng zhou badly damaged. this is video of a hospital in a neighboring town where staff report water, electricity and gas have all been shut off and they don't have any more food.

across the region, 3 million people have been affected. some rescued by bulldozers the meteorologists are warning the rain is likely to intensify in coming days, moving to the north and west scientists say climate change has made these extreme weather events more intense and more frequent and one culprit, greenhouse gas emissions. according to a new forecast from the international agency, carbon dioxide is set to rising levels. equaling or surpassing the record set just a few years ago. goals set by the paris climate agreement nearly out of reach. but there is new technology that could help us get there. continuing her series of reports from the rising risk on climate change, here's cnbc's diana olick. >> reporter: just outside zurich, switzerland, more than a dozen massive fans are fast at work cleaning the air of carbon

dioxide. it is the leading edge of what could become the largest industry aimed at saving the planet >> what's behind me is a drop in the bucket this moves about 900 tons of co2 per year globally we emit 40 billion ton. >> reporter: but the bucket is getting bigger quickly climates as well as governments seek to monumentally expand what is called direct carbon capture. here's how it works. it's a box with a huge fan on one end and a filter inside that only attracts carbon dioxide the fan sucks the air through the filter once the filter is saturated, the box is closed. it is heated to 100 degrees s ae celsius and pure carbon dioxide is released and collected. climbworks is one of a few companies doing the capture.

it installed the system in 2017, by 2020 raised $100 million from the likes of audi, microsoft and stripe and is building a larger plant in iceland >> it has to become a trillion dollar market. those are the investments that they see are the long-term >> reporter: he likens it to electric vehicles, solar panels and wind farms now the state of california is working on using carbon capture to reach its aggressive goal of carbon neutrality. >> we have to try to proceed there is no choice we have to sequester carbon at a high rate >> reporter: ken alex is with project climate at uc berkeley carbon capture technology has been around for a while, he notes, but was considered too expensive. >> the price has already come down dramatically and as it scales up, i think it's fought viable opportunity. >> reporter: alex says the world

not unrealistic to think this is a viable opportunity >> reporter: alex says the world needs about 50,000 carbon capture plants by 2050, which would cost about $10 trillion. a colossal investment, no question, beyond saving the planet the captured carbon dioxide can be used to make fuel, plastic and even bubbles climbworks sells some of the co2 to coca-cola ironically oil producers like chevron are investing heavily because it can be used to release trapped oil underground. >> in order to stick within the safe levels of global warming, we have to expand this this is not a question of can we it's a question of we have to. >> it's a new industry and it's just getting its feet wet. i think the possibilities are quite substantial. >> reporter: carbon removal also offers a new opportunity for the carbon credit market right now companies can get credit for avoided emissions or lower emissions. but in a net zero, they have not

just lower but remove carbon, now they can buy credits from companies like climbworks. that's why names like microsoft, who not only want to achieve net zero, but remove by 2030 are buying in to this big time shep >> diana, thank you. the white house is cracking down on cuban officials for what they're calling serious human rights abuses during those pro-democracy demonstrations there. the administration slapping sanctions on the heads of the military and a division of the cuban government president biden says they were behind the violent crackdowns against the protesters thousands of cubans took to the streets this month calling for an end to the country's dictatorship the government responded quickly and aggressively, beating and arresting protesters some have just disappeared president biden says this is just the beginning there is growing pressure on biden to ease travel restrictions other companies are allowing

americans in, but the u.s., in many cases, hasn't returned the favor. so far 29 countries in red are banned from entering the u.s. citizens or unless they spend 14 days in arrival not on the list. biden said his team was reviewing the band and would provide an answer in the coming days seven days later, still nothing. cnbc's phil lebeau is in dallas this morning you spoke with several airlines, i guess they are very curious when the rules will change >> they are careful not to be too critical they are clearly frustrated. here are the ceos of three of the largest airlines in the u.s. talking about the need for to us to allow europeans to come over here >> it does seem the data and science are clear. we have similar vaccination rates, case rates, similar variants

we're not going to prevent the delta variant from coming to the borders. it's already here. >> it's a source of frustration. we have been lobbying and given the science of the safety of travel at vaccination rates. foh the white house is not ready to release and open the borders yet. >> we're ready when it makes sense, we're all ready are fly as europeans are ready to fly. we'll be patient about that. >> reporter: they have a lot of patience, but that patience is wearing thin, shep euro is a key part of the airlines gaining back profitability. >> that's clear. what is the white house going to base this decision on? >> reporter: well, there is a covid-19 interagency task force which basically is taking in the information from a number of different agencies we reached out to the white house today, they gave us the same answer we have heard time and again, you've heard time and again. it's going to be based on science. right now the science does not

say it's time to open up >> you've mentioned covid delta. are the airlines concerned >> reporter: not yet they're keep a close eye on it they are not seeing the delta variant impacting bookings, people canceling trips if you see shutdowns in regions around the country, then you might see people canceling their trips. if that doesn't happen, at least the leisure travel will be on. >> if you need a passport for your travel, get in line more than 2 million applications are held up because of the pandemic according to state department that includes new passports and renewals current wait time anywhere from three-to-four months when it normally takes six-to-eight fos weeks. a house bill introduced to fix the problem focuses on staffing shortages at the state department it requires the agency to reduce

processing time to six-to-eight weeks, where normal applications in two-to-three weeks for expedited ones as cnbc learned, that's a delay many travelers cannot afford. >> reporter: a line of anxious travelers waits outside the passport services office in manhattan. some with just hours to go before an international trip >> traveling to ghana, dominican republic. >> reporter: when are you scheduled to go? >> tomorrow. >> reporter: the rush of people booking vacations along with still staffing restrictions at the department of state has bogged down the system but for some taking a trip right now is not a luxury, it's a necessity. this woman's mother died of covid in january in ecuador. her father has been hospitalized. >> she has been calling for weeks, nobody answers. >> it's creating huge issue indt districts like mine, frankly all across the country. >> reporter: he says constituents are flooding his office with phone calls, some even crossing state lines for help

>> i had a constituent drive from jersey up to vermont, told they would have a slot there for a -- to get an emergency passport they get there, they're told, i'm sorry, we actually can'tives handle giving you a passport. >> reporter: those emergency appointments are hard to come by applicants say they've stayed up all night or called the hot line >> they throw one ticket in the air online figuratively. like everyone is running for it. the website, you are screwed >> reporter: some have had luck calling a state senator or member of congress. >> over the last six weeks, we've had 300 people we have been able to assist. >> reporter: the new york congresswoman says that should be a last resort. >> that's to the the way it >> that's not the way it should be the system needs to work where the u.s. citizen can go through the application process and just get their passport. >> reporter: a state department official says the agency is surging staff as a result of the

issues and hopes to have the staff back up to 97% by the middle of august shep, that won't solve the problem, but it will alleviate some of the backlog. >> of course, like everything these days, scammers are in the middle of all this >> state department says third party people are rapidly booking them and selling them. to put a those can be fraudulent.departm charge a fee now only last minute scheduling system was temporarily shutdown to put a stop to it it was preventing people from making legitimate appointments the state department does not charge a fee now only way to get one is to get on the phone and call. >> look at that passport expiration don't make a plan, thank you, valerie. the nfl threw out a few more incentives to get a vaccine. failure to do so will cost teams on and off the field the quest for gold set to sugin. but two of america's top teams are facing pressure after some surprising losses.

calls for concern? nbc sports jimmy roberts with us live from tokyo next

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news from the nfl today, they're incentivizing players to get vaccinated financially warning teams if they have a covid outbreak, they could have to forfeit a game and players on both teams will not get paid that week. goodell says they don't plan to add an extra week for games that can't be rescheduled so far, more than half of the teams vaccination rates are higher than 80% among players. opening ceremony of the tokyo olympic games just hours away now and all eyes turn to the athletes in their push for gold nbc sports jimmy roberts is now live from tokyo. jimmy got our first look at the gymnastics team and the g.o.a.t. simone bible, they already had a

covid scare. how is that affecting them how do you see this. >> reporter: well, shepp, you put your finger on it. she's the g.o.a.t. for me as somebody who covered sports my whole life i look at her as a generational talent she's kind of like tiger woods or michael phelps or michael jordan take your pick she hasn't lost an all around competition in eight years we're here at the olympic games. think about this, she has won 25 world championship medals. many of them gold. she won four golds four years ago, five years ago i should say in rio and she's made, can make it five for five this time around. the only one denied last time was the beam she's the favorite in all of them it's the same with tiger woods, if you have an opportunity to watch somebody like this perform. you definitely should.

they don't come around >> the women's soccer was a soccer shocker what do you see the going? >> reporter: the precedent of the occupation losing its first game and going on to have a good soccer tournament. they lost their first game and went on to have gold megan rapinoe said candidly the loss to sweden they basically got their ass kicked i don't know if i can say that. >> you did >> reporter: they beat them in rio on penalty kicks i don't think it was unexpected in terms of the type of challenge they were going to face they didn't play well. their attitude is they will move on but they're an extraordinary team and certainly one of the big draws here in tokyo. >> no doubt. then there is men's basketball what a head scratcher. i don't get it how do you see this? >> reporter: yeah, listen, they have won 15 gold medals in the

18 tournaments they played in the united states over the course of time and i do think to a large degree it has to do with just kind of playing down or up a level of your competition. the united states is clearly the world leader when it comes to elite basketball but as we've seen in the nba over time, you know, there are some great stars coming from many, many places across the globe. you don't have to look any further than last week the nba champion milwaukee bucks and leading player of the nba finals from greece giannis. it's not entirely expected the team last lost a game in 2004 at the olympic games to argentina in the semis so i wouldn't sleep on the u.s. team i think they need to get motivated. >> jimmy roberts, live from tokyo. cannot wait.

hours away, opening ceremonies tomorrow morning on "today" on nbc. starting monday night right here cnbc 40 seconds on the race to the finish tokyo olympics, so far ten athletes tested positive for the virus. the cdc says the agency is not changing the mask guidelines even as covid cases continue to rise. and the attorney general launching strike forces to cut down on gun trafficking in some of america's largest cities. now you know the news, on this july the 22nd, 2021. i'm shepard smith. follow us on the 'gram and twitter @thenewsatcnbc or on our podcast on your favorite podcast platforms.

it is 5:00 a.m. at cnbc. here is your top five at 5:00. stocks prepare to wrap up what's been a whirlwind week as the indices look to extend their winning streak to four in a row. on the forefront of investors' minds is the delta variant. the main drivers behind the country's case surge. a flurry of tech in focus this morning twitter shares takeoff on the company's fastest revenue growth in seven years.