good morning to our viewers in the united states and all around the world, it has tuesday, august 31st. i'm john berman here with chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins. good to see you. >> thanks for having me. it's nice to be here in person. >> a lot going on today. brianna is off.

president biden will address the country this afternoon about the end of america's longest war. this photo shows the last american service member to leave afghanistan. in all, 123,000 people were taken out of the country. 123,000 in about two and a half weeks. an unprecedented evacuation mission. he said the u.s. would stay to get them out. the u.s. did not stay. there are thousands of afghan allies in the country still as well. this morning, the taliban is celebrating the u.s. withdrawal. we have this new video which shows taliban fighters exploring a hangar. some military equipment was removed from afghanistan. other items disabled. >> in the meantime, more than a billion homes and businesses in the southeast, a million homes and businesses in the southeast are without power this morning

after hurricane ida, and that could last for weeks. on top of the catastrophic damage, severe flooding and the lack of electricity comes with scorching heat. temperatures in louisiana and mississippi could hit 103 degrees today. at least two deaths have been reported. the louisiana national guard rescued nearly 350 people on monday who were trapped by flood waters. but we begin with the end of the 20-year war in afghanistan. cnn's clarissa ward joins us now. the president is expected to address the nation later this afternoon about what is the situation on the ground in kabul, and defend his decision not to extend that deadline past august 31st. what do we know, and what are you hearing? >> reporter: first let me explain where i'm at. i'm here on the pakistani border with afghanistan, and you can

see behind me if that truck isn't in the way, the white flag of the taliban. that is the flag flying here at this border crossing. there are taliban fighters just a few yards away from me and as many people are now trying to leave afghanistan, border crossings like this are starting to clog up. what we're seeing at this one, though, is that the pakistanis are saying you cannot come in. we cannot cope with the flow of more refugees. according to the u.n., some 1.4 million afghan refugees already live here in pakistan. and so this border is basically closed to afghans. that hasn't stopped them lining up. there's a large group of them. some of them very sick. they're desperately hoping for medical attention. the pakistanis have been providing some dispensation on that front. really, this is just a window into what afghanistan's new

future is, with the u.s. evacuation complete, and a lot of insecurity on the ground in terms of stability, in terms of violence, in terms of the economic situation, many people are now on the move, and they're looking for different ways to try to get out of the country as they fear that it will no longer be possible through the kabul airport. >> so clarissa, first of all, i'm very curious about what you're hearing the situation is or the feeling is inside afghanistan, particularly the capital city of kabul. look, the sun has risen on afghanistan for the first time in 20 years with no u.s. troops in country but i'm also curious about what you just said about the border there, because if the u.s. is gone and if the flights have stopped out of the kabul airport, which they have, the overground border crossings are the only way for people to get out. if pakistan is not letting people across, that effectively

means there's no way out. >> that's what the u.n. is really concerned about. you have 3 1/2 million people by their estimate who have been displaced from their homes inside afghanistan due to the violence, and if we now see a real deterioration in the economic situation as many people fear, i mean, in kabul today, long lines and very tense scenes outside of almost every bank because afghans are running to the bank, and they're trying to take all of their money out. they don't feel secure about this situation. they want to make sure that they have all of their finances in order, and that they can start looking into, if they need to, moving. again, as you said, a lot of people now choosing to move via land borders to uzbekistan, to pakistan, to iran, but many of these neighboring countries are just saying hold on a second, we can't cope with this, and that's why there are so many companies that now have a vested interest

in trying to make the situation inside afghanistan work. and you asked about what the vibe s what the mood is in kabul. we have been speaking to people there, the day started with jubilation, there was celebratory gunfire late into the night, but now the hard work begins, even for the taliban, now the real graft starts which learning how to govern a country. which by the way, even 20 years ago, they never had a firm grip on how to do that. and how to secure the country. it's difficult because isis-k fighters have essentially melted into the taliban, making it almost impossible for the taliban to distinguish between who is isis and who is the taliban. so make no mistake, john, they have a lot of hard work to do, and there are plenty of people among them, according to the

state department, one to 200 americans, and countless other afghans who are fearful for their lives and worrying about what this new era will bring with it. john, kaitlan. >> and yesterday we heard from general frank mckenzie who runs central command. he was talking about the difficulty facing the taliban, including how they led thousands of isis-k prisoners out of those prisons when they were going around and taking over parts of afghanistan. we did hear from pakistan's foreign minister earlier, he says he does think the taliban is going to announce the formation of a government in the coming days now that the withdrawal from the u.s. has happened. what do you think that's going to look like. is there any chance they're cohesive enough to form that government, and what is that going to look like? >> reporter: so it's a really good question, kaitlan. there is a huge amount of pressure on the taliban right now to form a transitional government that is inclusive and

that is full tech knocrats, whi is full of people who know what it means and what it takes to run a country, and i have spoken to officials in pakistan who privately concede that they're concerned about this, that they want this to be an absolute priority for the taliban because the taliban does not know how to run a modern education system. the taliban does not know how to run hydro dams, these are the things that require people with experience and expertise. the one thing that people are hopeful about is that because the taliban is at least putting on a more pragmatic show these days, and because they want to be accepted by the international community, and because they want access to desperately needed financial aid, they're hopeful that they are going to take a more conciliatory approach to governing and to ruling, and that they will be more open to power sharing and to having a

more inclusive government, but the proof will be in the pudding. it's supposed to be announced in the coming days. let's see what they come up with. >> right now the world is watching, although only really watching because there isn't much the rest of the world can actually do directly, and i know that there's some 40 million people inside afghanistan are watching and waiting as well. clarissa, it's amazing to have you there. we're going to come back to you because what happens at that border is crucial to afghanistan in the next few days, and also crucial to the some hundred to 200 americans who are still trapped in the country. kaitlan, normally we have to go to you because you're on the lawn at the white house. this time i just have to look to my left. president biden speaking this afternoon. what is it, this is the third or fourth time we have heard him in two weeks with a direct address about afghanistan. what is the white house addressing with this. >> defending the big picture, the withdrawal from afghanistan, this is what they think americans wanted to see, and

there is polling that does reflect that. i think the questions that face them now is how of course this was executed and how this went down and the fact that there are still americans left in afghanistan who according to the state department want to love, and one thing that i was thinking about yesterday when we were thinking about the secretary of state speaking, listening to the head of central command speaking is a promise that president biden had made, in his own words, one that he decided to make back a few weeks ago when he did an interview with abc news? >> we're going to do everything in our power to get all americans out and our allies out. the commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone that should come out, and that's objective. that's what we're doing now, that's the path we're on. if there's american citizens left, we're going to stay until we get them all out. >> people push back saying the u.s. government warned people time and time again since april to leave afghanistan. there are people who want to

leave. i think that's something the president wants to discuss in his remarks. >> that's pretty unambiguous, if there are american citizens who want to get out, the united states will not leave. the u.s. is gone, and there are still american citizens who want to get out. >> every single u.s. troop member has left afghanistan now as of that deadline, as of one minute before that deadline hit in kabul, which is notable in and of itself. also questions about not extending the deadline. he is expected to defend the decision. >> is there unanimity in the white house about the president's message something one of the things i'm struck by is he's not movable on the policy or how he addresses the policy. he hasn't modulated. some people may say it's better, he made a promise, he's sticking to it. others say he has to adapt to the situation there. is there unanimity about this? >> i think they back his decision. i think the white house realizes this isn't been a well executed

or perfectly handled exit from afghanistan. they have seen the issues. they were very shaken after those 13 u.s. service members were killed and it was a very somber day in the west bing. i do think they stand by of course the original point but there are obviously questions about how it went down. >> i have to look over here to get some answers. up next, we're going to talk about a million homes and businesses are now without power in louisiana, and the big issue is that it could stay that way for weeks after hurricane ida tore through the state bringing catastrophic damage and flooding. there you see those homes, those businesses, just water all over the place, of course and in a place that no one wanted to see that again in new orleans. cnn's nadia romero is live in new orleans with more. what are you seeing now that we can see the damage and assess this, and what are officials telling you about what they expect the next few days to look like. >> reporter: good morning,

kaitlan, and we have to wait for daylight to look around and see what's around us because we're still without power, and that power has been out for day two, potentially day three for some people here in new orleans. we have about 25,000 workers from power companies all over the country. 32 states and d.c. who are here right now. they have a big task at hand, restoring power for 32 million people. perhaps, kaitlan, the worst of it is in laplace, louisiana, where 350 people had to be rescued from rising flood waters. across louisiana, destruction and devastation in the wake of hurricane ida, but it's still far too dangerous for many to assess just how much damage is done here. more than a million louisianans are still in the dark. >> we have no electricity. we have very little to no telecommunications. we have low water pressure, so

we don't have clean drinking water. we're surviving now but it's going to be a rough time. we don't want our citizens to come back. >> reporter: the entire city of new orleans is also without power. the mayor urging residents who evacuated to stay away until it's safe to return. >> where we have sources of power, it's generators only, and so it does speak to the need for fuel. >> reporter: people waiting in lines for hours at some gas stations looking to fill the tanks of their generators, and cars. the deadly category 4 storm slamming into louisiana midday sunday with roaring winds up to 150 miles per hour and heavy flooding leaving many neighborhoods under water. debris filling the streets and falling trees destroying many homes and businesses. >> we saw the tree swaying back and forth, and then about five minutes later, the whole thing snapped and fell over there on the house. >> reporter: this coast guard video shows the damage in grand isle, louisiana, from above, and in laplace, louisiana, boats are

the only way to navigate some of its water filled roads. >> we have been through all the storms and they expected it to come and be bad. we didn't expect it get this close to laplace. it wasn't supposed to be that close. i'm not going to take that chance again. >> reporter: urgent search and rescue efforts are underway. >> i don't want to mislead anyone. robust search and rescue is happening right now and i fully expect the death count to go up during the day. >> reporter: governors activating 5,300 national guard troops to help. >> we worked hard across southeast louisiana, we rescued 348 people. 48 pets, and we were able to get those folks to safety. >> reporter: president joe biden pledging to help louisiana and other states severely impacted by the hurricane. >> we're going to stand with you and the people of the gulf as long as it takes for you to recover. >> reporter: so once the storm ends, the danger isn't over. in mississippi, a highway was washed away by flood waters.

two people died and about a dozen others were injured, and in louisiana, we have learned of a man who was killed piby an alligator when he was walking through flood waters. think of this, 32 million people in the gulf coast under a heat advisory and it's so dangerous because it's so hot here in the gulf coast. there's no ac. people are operating with no hot water and that could continue for weeks. kaitlan. >> that's probably the reason you're seeing officials like the mayor of new orleans saying if you evacuated do not come home yet. we are not ready to welcome people coming back. nadia, as the sun comes up, let us know what you're seeing and what officials on the ground are saying. thank you for your reporting. next, hundreds of university students and staff remain trapped in afghanistan this morning. we'll talk with the school's president about the desperate effort to get them out. plus, bringing in portable morgues as the governor punishes school districts for defying his

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this morning, hundreds of students, relatives and staff from the american university of afghanistan are stuck in the country and trying to get out. according to "the new york times," the group from the university tried to get out on sunday on buses to the kabul airport, but after hours of waiting for clearance, they were notified that the airport gates were a security threat, and their evacuations were called off. joining me now is the president of the american university of afghanistan, ian bickford who we should note was able to get out of afghanistan days before that. thank you so much for being with us. tell us what happened on sunday when students and faculty tried to get out? >> good morning, and thank you.

well, first, i should say sunday was the last day of a two-week long effort to help our students relocate from afghanistan to safe sites where they can continue their learning without fear. sunday was, we thought, our best hope. we organized a convoy of more than a dozen buses. something like 500 students, close to 600 students, family, staff, faculty boarded those buses with the sincere hope that they would be given permission to enter the airport, board flights, and begin their journey to a better life. in the course of the day, it became clear that not only would the airport gates not close, we should not receive permission to enter the airport but the security threat increased dramatically and it was the best thing for us to ask our students to return home and stay safe. >> how many? what are the numbers you're talking about this morning in terms of people who want to leave, and can you explain

exactly why they want to get out? >> thank you for that. we have been attempting to move 1,200 students, faculty, staff out of afghanistan. the numbers of our total community are much greater. many of them also would like to leave afghanistan, and the reason is clear. the american university of afghanistan represents the brightest light of the american engagement in the country. we were the target of a brutal, deadly attack in 2016. the future of our students, our faculty in the country, our staff in the country remains unclear. we done know the level of persecution, but it's very important that they're able to continue their studies so that they can bring their ambition, their optimism and their hope for afghanistan back home, perhaps in the distant future, but still they're very hopeful that their country will resume some level of free and fair civil society. >> there was some confusion based on some "new york times" reporting about whether or not the taliban was given a list of

some kind of a roster of famous of students or faculty or people associated with the university. what do you know for sure about this? >> look, i know very little for sure about how the entry into the airport worked. nobody outside really does. it's very simple confusion. no fault. the fact is our buses never even approached the point of the taliban check point and so there's no reason to believe that any list of names, passport numbers or other identifying information was passed to the taliban. however, you know, i am aware of speculation about how this might work. it simply wasn't the case for us. >> any direct threats to your students who are still there? >> yes, absolutely. many report anything from harassing behavior, entering homes by the taliban, asking who's there, what they do, including whether they're students at the american

university of afghanistan. some have received calls from people adopting fraudulent identities, claiming to be representatives of the university asking for identifying information. and others have received direct threats to life and safety. >> i got to let you go here, but any promises of assistance from the u.s. government at this point? >> well, we're working on it. we're hopeful, and we believe that if the u.s. government recognizes that the american university of afghanistan is the legacy of the american engagement there, they will do the right thing and help us to continue to get our students to safety. thank you. >> ian bickford, president of the american university in afghanistan, thanks for being with us this morning. >> thank you very much. florida governor ron desantis, punishing schools in florida that have required students to wear masks. even as portable morgues are brought in to handle the overflow of coronavirus deaths. plus, are florida residents beginning to turn on republican

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my blood pressure is borderline. garlique healthy blood pressure formula helps maintain healthy blood pressure with a custom blend of ingredients. i'm taking charge, with garlique. florida schools are now being punished for requiring mask wearing. the state's department of education is now withholding funds from some counties where wearing a mask is mandatory, which is in defiance of republican governor ron desantis's ban. this comes as 14 portable morgues have been brought in to help the state with a quote unprecedented number of covid-19 deaths. leyla santiago is live in miami. we know that florida is seeing some of the highest case rates in the nation right now. some of the highest numbers that we have seen, of course, even before vaccinations were widespread in the u.s. what are you hearing from officials on the ground, about their level of concern right

now? >> reporter: listen, kaitlan, where we are right now, jackson memorial, one of the larger health systems in south florida, they have refrigerated freight trucks on stand by as a way to prepare for possible over capacity at morgues, so that really paints the picture as to what they're dealing with inside these hospital walls, and it is that concern of hospitalizations and deaths that is driving a lot of school districts, a dozen now to move forward with these mandatory mask mandates as the school year begins here in florida. and that said, you're still hearing from the department of education that announced yesterday they are moving forward with holding the salary amount for school board members that are moving forward with these mask mandates that don't allow for any kind of parental opt out, something that goes

against the governor's orders. i want you to listen to part of the statement that we received from education commissioner richa richard cochran, simply said, elected officials cannot pick and choose what laws they want to follow. and that's what he said yesterday. this comes after last week we reported that a florida judge ruled that that ban on mask mandates will not stay. essentially saying that the governor does not have the authority to implement such a blanket mandate on the school saying that they can't have these mask mandates even though they're moving forward with them. and i got to tell you, kaitlan, we have been watching these school board meetings and they are becoming very tense, very contentious, i'm hearing from school board members that are receiving threats. they are having heightened security at these board

meetings, and much of it is showing that divide. the political divide that some see as political, others see as something very personal and a health crisis that is really escalating to a different level. i mean, heightened security threats, fights, having to be broken out in some cases. really showing how divided parents are on this issue of masks. >> yeah, and it's sad to see political leaders using this, of course, and it's just dividing communities, something you never thought you would see at a school board meeting. parents shoving one another, yelling at one another about these new rules that people believe are just trying to keep their children safe. . layla, thank you for joining us this morning, and keeping us updated on all of that. we will stay in touch with you on what's happening in florida. how are these controversial decisions from republican governor ron desantis, how are they affecting his poll numbers? for that, we go to one man for

the answer. cnn data reporter, harry enten. his numbers have sagged a little bit, but not so far. >> yeah, i mean, these numbers are really not that bad in a state like florida. look at this, his job approval, 47%, not exactly great, but last year during election time, look at that, that same 47%. how about the ballot test, should he be reelected in 2022. 48% say yes. that beats the 45% who say no. these are not bad polling numbers for the governor of florida. >> and what's truly interesting is when you ask florida voters about desantis and what he has done on covid, they're not happy. >> no, they're not. i mean, look at this, requirements in florida schools, should everyone wear a mask. 60% of florida voters support this. should teachers get vaccinated. 60% of florida voters support this. you see one thing on covid, the florida voters may not like ron desantis, but in his overall numbers, he's holding steady. >> the covid situation and ron

desantis might be decoupled and not correlated. >> that's exactly right. look back at last year's election cycle and, look how trump did in 2020 versus 2016, in the top 25 counties with the most covid deaths, trump actually gained. he gained. where he lost was in the counties with the fewest covid deaths, and that's how joe biden when he won in the suburban areas, what we generally see is yeah, you want to make this direct correlation, but we're not seeing covid deaths in a county or state are not necessarily correlated with how a republican candidate or incumbent does. >> how is ron desantis doing in florida. >> the job approval rating, ron desantis, 47%, not great, but not bad. president joe biden, down at 40%. ron desantis is benefitting from

the comparison. >> and biden's numbers are going down in florida. >> down in florida, and nationally as well. this is nationally over the last few months, 54% back in june. 54% in may, july, 52, august, 51, and right now just 47% of voters nationally approve of the job joe biden is doing. >> afghanistan which is so much in the news now, there's a tendency to say there might be trouble in afghanistan, that might be driving the numbers. broadly speaking, americans like the overall policy, and i will note, i mean, they're waking up today to a different world. the first time in the last 20 years there haven't been u.s. troops there. >> i think we got how voters feel about joe biden on afghanistan, versus how they feel about troop withdrawal. look at this, just 35% approve of that. approve of the idea of withdrawing the troops, 63%. they may not like the way he's doing his job in afghanistan, but they like what he's doing, and we'll see obviously in the weeks and months to come,

whether or not this number starts looking more like this number as we sort of look back in the rear view mirror. >> it's interesting, why joe biden and the white house lean into this issue, reminding people that what happened here is the decision to withdraw all the u.s. troops, and now they're gone. that's what he wants to talk about and the american people seem to at least like that part of it. >> that's exactly right. this number was much higher a month ago, it may be much higher a month from now. >> harry enten, thank you very much. >> president biden will address the nation today. how will he frame this historic moment? and plus, former president trump who arguably helped seal the fate of what has happened with the u.s.'s involvement in afghanistan is now floating the idea of reinvading to retrieve military equipment that was left behind. >> and republican congressman madison is suggesting there could be bloodshed over future elections while implying wrongly

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address the nation later today as he struggles to deal with a series of crises that are affecting the country. u.s. forces have now left afghanistan leaving it under the control of the taliban, hospitals are struggling to cope under the strain of the pandemic caused by those who are not vaccinated and the southeast is dealing with the after math of a record breaking hurricane. joining us now is cnn political analyst, and washington correspondent for the "new york times" maggie haberman. on afghanistan and what we are seeing, i think we should just step back and look at this moment and what it means for the u.s. given they spent 20 years there, spent trillions of dollars, obviously and

unfortunately lost thousands of lives of soldiers and people on the ground. and now here it is, they have left and the taliban is back in control, more powerful than they were 20 years ago. what does this mean, how do you think americans are taking all of this ? >> i think we don't know, honestly. i think americans over time have become so disinterested, angry, upset. there were some who in the first year were feeling that way. the motions aftemotions after s 11th were so raw, and the country was united in a way it has not been in a long time, people were willing to go along with what the mission was then. it evolved into something very different. on the one hand, there are people who, you know, are very happy that the u.s. is gone, that is, i think, the majority that you will see in polls. on the other, there's a concern about the vacuum this creates in terms of potential terrorism, and terrorist threats, accumulating either both overseas and within the u.s.

i think we just don't know what it means. in the short-term it means that biden did do something he said he was going to do. he did something he said for years he believed should be done, and to the extent that his predecessor, former president trump kicked the can down the road and left it for biden, he did deal with that. it's been a messy few weeks. i think we have to see what happens with americans that remain there, with other afghans who have been relocated or who want to relocate. we'll see. >> there are no u.s. troops in afghanistan this morning. >> it's stunning, and this is the first time we can say that in 20 years. >> that's a long time. it is a really long time, so i think to an extent, what you said at the beginning, it's hard to know what this means. i mean, you can hardly remember a time when there weren't u.s. troops in afghanistan. did the united states win or lose afghanistan? i mean, in a way, ech tven that

loaded question. >> it is, it argues what was the goal to begin with. people have a hard time articulating that. it's hard to see what the wins were. the wins were in the long-term keeping at bay terrorism, trying to keep at bay threats to the u.s., but in terms of what the u.s. actually gained long-term, it's not clear what that is. i think we should know just in terms of the vacuum there, and i don't mean to keep going back to the former president, but some of what we have seen of the amassing in terror threats in the region has happened because of moves that the former president made because of troop withdrawals around the rengion. how much the general public that is so tired and beaten down by covid, by the resurgent pandemic, how much they're concerned about what happens overseas, i don't know we know that. >> you brought up the former president, who wanted to withdraw all u.s. troops from

afghanistan and couldn't or didn't on his own. >> he chose not to. >> he chose not to. he said he was going to, and he didn't. he is now criticizing joe biden for following through on what president trump promised he would do. he's also saying what he would do now, i think he's saying he would reinvade. all equipment should be demanded to return to the united states. every penny of the $85 billion. if it's not handed back, we should go in with military force and get it or bomb the hell out of it, go in and get it, and again, this is not just a guy with a laptop in mar-a-lago, this is a guy as of this morning is the front runner for the republican nomination, could be the next president. is he promising to reinvade? >> i don't think he's promising anything. two things, the temptation is to dismiss and say we shouldn't pay attention to donald trump. there's certainly a school of political thought who argues that. he is the front runner for the

nomination. a lot of aides believe he's going to run again. not all of them, but i don't think it makes things go away if you don't pay attention to them in that respect, number one. but number two, he is issuing this vague policy statement that frankly he issued as a candidate and president. and he manages to come down on both sides of the issue. this was done poorly, the withdrawal should have been done better, and i'm going to go back in and bomb the hell out of them, used other expletives over time. i don't see this as prescriptive, i would do the opposite of what joe biden did, even if i can't articulate what this is. >> the way he has been talking about how this has been executed and what's going forward, there's questions about how he would have handled this, with the refugees, and the special immigrant visa applicants, and a former adviser to pence saying they whittled that program down. the biden administration said that played a role in why they were so slow to do it. i want to ask you, the house

select committee that is investigating january 6th and what happened has asked telecommunications companies to preserve their records of republican allies of the presidents who were on capitol hill that day, and former president trump himself. what signal does this give you about the direction they are headed. do you think this is going to be fru fruitful in any way of the conversations that he was having, you know, while holed up in the oval office that day with lawmakers who are on capitol hill, witnessing this. >> i think the former president doesn't text, so i mean, he gets texts and reads them. he doesn't really send them. the concern is there are going to be texts among lawmakers or his own aides talking about what he himself said or was doing in that moment. that is the concern there. what i think the committee is doing more broadly is trying to figure out whether there was at minimum a delay in trying to, you know, deal with the threat of what was happening at the capitol, and also whether there was something more coordinated and organized and there has been this question as we have seen all along, a reuters report a

couple of weeks ago or days ago, they all meld together, suggesting that the fbi had not come up with evidence that there was some concerted attack. i think that's where they're going with this. >> i want to read your book in a few months to read about conversations that members of congress have had repeatedly with the former president. madison cawthorn, i don't know that he was talking to president trump then, but madison cawthorn has said some pretty crazy stuff, including when he was with supporters in north carolina, he basically, i don't know if he threatened bloodshed, he said, if our election system continues to be rigged, which it's not, continues to be stolen, which it wasn't, ten it's going to lead to one place, and that's bloodshed, he said, and i will tell you, as much as i'm willing to defend our liberty at no cost, there's nothing i would dread doing more than having to pick up arms against a fellow american. >> there's a perfect distillation of the political discourse that donald trump injected into the broader

conversation and the broader discussion among americans, which is i'm going to put something out there. i'm not saying that i'm doing this. other people might do this, and i just, i really hope that doesn't happen. that's what cawthorn is doing. it is not responsible language. it is not responsible for a member of congress. it is not responsible for a president to say things like this. he is not explicitly saying, yes, i will do this, but he walks pretty close to the line. >> startling to hear that from a sitting member of congress. >> yes, this is the new type of conversation and discussion and acceptable commentary in certain quarters in our politics. >> and you're very right that it's very much in trump fashion of saying if this happened, even though the first part of that statement is wrong, the election was not stolen, wasn't rigged. >> right. he is positing something out there based on something that isn't true, and saying i can't help it if people behave this way. i sure hope it doesn't happen. i was missing the condemnation

of that behavior. >> games with hypotheticals not fun after january 6th. >> exactly. >> maggie, great to see you. thanks for coming in. a stark trend of anti-vaccine conservatives dying of covid. plus, we're live on the ground in louisiana where millions of people could be without power for weeks as it is getting hotter and hotter as the sun comes up. ♪ ♪ oh, focaccia! ah, there's no place like panera. enjoy the toasty, saucy chipotle chicken avocado melt on freshly baked bread. panera. order on the app today. i booked our hotel on kayak. it's flexible if we need to cancel. cancel. i haven't left the house in a year. nothing will stop me from vacation. no canceling. flexible cancellation. kayak. search one and done.

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gig-speed broadband network. and just doubled the capacity here. how do things look on your end? -perfect! because we're building a better network every single day. less than 24 hours since the last u.s. military plane left afghanistan, there are still big questions about what will happen to those afghan translators who worked with american troops in the last two decades but were unable to make it to the airport to escape. joining me now is spencer sullivan, a u.s. army veteran who served in afghanistan and

spencer's former afghan translator who fled the country in 2017 amid death threats from the taliban. obviously both of you have a lot of experience with what so many people have questions about right now. spencer, i want to start with you on what this means now that two decades of the u.s. involvement in afghanistan is over, not a single u.s. troop is still on the ground, according to the pentagon. what does this feel like for you, and what were your thoughts yesterday as you watched this? >> thank you for having me, kaitlan. i'm feeling what a lot of veterans are feeling in the moment, which is simply grief and mourning. we have been watching over the course of the summer the taliban make gains across the country. everyone in the veteran community thought about the people they had left behind there. you know, for many people, the war in afghanistan was a far flung geopolitical strategic level event but for those of us

who were there, it was intensely personal. the reason we're speaking this morning is because of one of those relationships i had, my friend with ablohach, what i'm feeling is sadness for the people we left behind. >> that's been a big question for those who did not make it on flights for the u.s. or allies out of there. have you heard from anyone who's on the ground that is still there, and what are the questions that remain about that? >> i have heard from a few. the messages don't stop. the war isn't over. i'm getting messages of the brother of my former translator who was murder instead 2017, he's begging me to save him and help his life, and there's nothing i can do for him. the taliban are going door to door in the major cities, looking for evidence of people who worked for nato, u.s. forces

or the former democratically elected afghan government, and carrying out executions across the country. beyond that, they're killing family members of people who worked for nato or u.s. forces. there's a tremendous amount of fear and uncertainty amongst the population right now. >> and you were a translator for the u.s. in afghanistan for two years. if you talk to any veteran as spencer was saying, it's a critically important role for the u.s. while they were there, and so what has it been like for you watching this evacuation and seeing the desperation of people who wanted to leave and a lot of them who could not? >> thank you very much to invite me. yeah, i couldn't believe that when i watch coalition forces, especially u.s. forces leave afghanistan. because i'm thinking right now about my family, about my parents, about my sister, about my brothers.

they have no chance right now if we don't pull out from afghanistan. they are hiding right now because of taliban, as spencer told right now, taliban are killing people who work for nato or the u.s. government forces and also they are killing members of families. right now they are going door to door, every city. i'm so so sad right now. i'm upset about this situation right now, what's happening in afghanistan. for u.s. government, for nato. we need right now help from the government, u.s. government. our family, now my family think about their self in afghanistan.

they lost everything. i don't want to lose my family, like my colleague and his mother also. and i don't want to. seriously, right now, we need help from u.s. government to pull out our people, those people, they really provide faithful service for u.s. government, u.s. forces. >> yeah, and we should note, secretary of state blinken has said that the deadline doesn't mean they are going to continue those evacuations. it got harder with the u.s. military presence gone. this is very emotional for both of you. thank you very much for joining us to talk about it. >> thank you very much. you're welcome. >> our pleasure. there are new details about president biden's tough meeting with the families of those 13 u.s. service members who were

killed in the attack at the kabul airport. plus, dr. sanjay gupta joins us with stunning numbers showing how much money a covid hospitalization costs compared to a vaccine. back in 60 seconds. you have the best pizza in town and the worst wait times. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire