i am chris cuomo and welcome to "prime time." let's look at that of the last service member to leave afghanistan today. this will be in history books. pentagon just put it out. they say the war has ended. army major general chris donahue. commanding general of the 82nd airborne boarding a c-17 to depart kabul. lifted off at 11:59 p.m. local. just before the clock struck midnight. so, that means it's august 31st in afghanistan right now. right? remember that date. arbitrary. set by the biden administration. it's about 5:30 in the morning there now. the taliban knows the united states is gone, and is celebrating with gunfire. now, their government can tell us that the war has ended. and they can put out the picture of the last soldier, they say. but we all know it isn't over. okay? two reasons. now, what we do know that is true is that america has lost the last clear chance to cut a different deal. or to maintain a force in afghanistan until everyone is out or to reclaim the bagram air base to secure exits, and to keep an eye on on

want to hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris. >> you know, anderson, you have a big night tomorrow night with the concert. but i'm looking at the storm track. there is a chance that you and i may be spending some quality time together on sunday, maybe even monday. depending on how hard this hits. you know, just -- >> i'd love to see you but i hope that's not true. >> well, look, we could find a better occasion. but, you know, the last real hurricane that hit, you know, was a category 3. it was in 1938. >> i know. i know all about it. and it kill add lot of people in west hampton. >> yeah. right. right. right. you know the area well. the long island express hurricane, they called it. went up into new england. it created the inlets that are now all the way down the island. you know, mo ntauk. so hopefully, this is nothing like that. but this has people on edge and we are watching it obviously and i will be watching you tomorrow night, my brother. be well. >> you, too. >> i am chris cuomo and welcome to prime time. there are

i'm chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." we're focused on covid here, at least until we get the delta variant under control. there is an increasing response from leaders and citizens. the president today went after specific state leaders to change course. >> some governors aren't willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic. i say to these governors, please help. if you aren't going to help, at least get out of the way. >> now, biden targeted the governors of florida and texas who both are republicans, but it's about banning mask restrictions in what he sees as acts of political defiance. what we know is those two states account for a third of all the cases in the united states right now. f florida leads the nation in hospitalizations, breaking its own record with 10,000 covid patients in a single day. texas is second in line with more than 6600 hospitalizations. remember, hospitalizations are a lagging indicator. you have to have cases first and then a small percentage of them become hospitalizations. so that tells y

want to hand things over to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris. >>> all right. thank you. i'm chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." the covid-command center. the government is moving in the direction of getting us ready for booster shots. here's what we know. the fda says it could lay out a national strategy for vaccine-booster shots sometime early-next month. are they certain? no. are they certain we need it? no. why? data. and they have concerns, but the current data, which they haven't really adjusted for the delta variant, still, very promising. moderna vaccine. 93% effective, through six months after the second dose. pfizer, 91% effective after the same timeframe. j&j, one-dose vaccine, right? provides at least eight months of immunity. but again, these findings predate the delta variant. and we are, now, told the vaccines don't stop delta from spreading, completely. and at this rate, because we're not getting vaccinated quickly enough, we may need to extend our fight against the pandemic, which means extending our protection. which means we may need to do something t

let's hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris. >> thank you, anderson. i am chris cuomo and welcome to "prime time." here is the good news. the administration is now on message. all americans must be evacuated from afghanistan. but can they make it happen? that question looms as we are learning more about the truth. and the truth is this chaos was not inevitable. our secretary of state was warned by his own people on the ground in kabul of possible catastrophe in afghanistan. when was he warned? a month ago. a month ago he was urged to take swift action to get the afghans who have been helping us out of the country. cnn has learned about the classified cable to tony blinken signed by more than a dozen u.s. diplomats in mid-july which laid out how the state department could speed up the process of afghans applying for s.i.v. or refugee status because they knew afghanistan was falling fast. again, they knew afghanistan was falling fast. according to department officials, those diplomats now feel their warnings were ignored. now, what is the key here? the k

anderson, have a good night, brother. >> thanks, chris. >> i'm chris cuomo. welcome to the prime time covid command center. we're going to be tracking this variant and our movements all the way through, better or worse. we start the week with good news. there's been a steady rise in the pace of vaccinations recently. take a look at your screen. especially in states that had been lagging the most. that's the best part of it, okay? the states lagging most are stepping it up the most. great. seven-day daily average of new people getting vaccinated is over 400,000 in the last week. but we're paying the price for waiting so long. deaths have increased more than 25% in the last seven days. that's not going to stop any time soon. the average daily counting of new cases up 44%. not going to stop. the one to watch, hospitalizations. remember, capacity. do we have the capacity? it's going to be a big theme tonight. a lot of people in the health care sector are very worried with this 41% rise week over week because they don't have the beds. the five states faring the wo

i am michael smerconish in for chris cuomo. welcome to the primetime covid command center. we have finally crossed the halfway mark but still a long way to go. can't stop now. half the u.s. population now fully vaccinated. nearly seven months after the vaccine rollout began. that's 165 million completely imm immunized, 193 million with at least one shot. new vaccinations are up 11% from last week, all very encouraging signs. but we're not moving fast enough to outpace the delta surge and the other variants perhaps more deadly that could be on the horizon. new covid cases in america grew 48% over the past week because this virus still has more than 90 million hosts, the unvaccinated. the biden administration now considering the extreme option of leveraging the federal government's powers to help turn this pandemic around. early stage talks about withholding funding from some institutions like nursing homes to boost staff vaccinations. that's how dire the fight is. they're literally throwing away doses in states like alabama according to a health official there because they'v

be well. >> you, too. >>> all right, i am chris cuomo, and welcome to primetime. there are two things i'd like to make clear. one, to all the veterans who questioned what this withdrawal from afghanistan means about your incredible sacrifices. first, please know this. we have been safer because of you. thank you. i've covered this war against an idea since 9/11. i was there that day. i was scared in a way i never thought i could be. i watched you pakistan, iraq and afghanistan from there and here. if i were told in 2001 that they would not get us again in any major way for close to 20 years i would have never believed it. but your work, your commitment, your sacrifice, you, you brothers, your sisters, your families, was a huge pillar in the bulwark of protection for this entire country. it is hard to see how we would have ever been this safe this long if you had not done what was done in afghanistan and elsewhere. now, it remains to be seen how the biden administration can keep america as safe without a presence there. that is worth concern. but please have your g

i'm going to hand it over to chris for "cuomo primetime." >>> thanks. i'm chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." we have tony fauci to make on the vaccine confusion and mask madness. but first, afghanistan. you have seen our reporting and others. you know the desperation on the ground, it's obvious. you know the americans are not sure if they'll bring them home. the question is what will our government do about that reality? that is our focus here. and the answers so far, frankly, are too slow and too little. how can you accept the state department warning as many as 15,000 americans stuck in taliban country they can't ensure safe passage to get them to the kabul airport and fly them out? you must demand that the mightiest force on the planet does not surrender its own to this kind of fate from a bunch of zealot thugs. [ gunfire ] >> that's what you want your countrymen to surrender to? the state department should not be warning the desperate. the warning is a desperate one to the state department and this administration. you had been do what you have to to get americans

for "cuomo prime time." chris? as always i'm chris cuomo and welcome to "primetime" 13 u.s. troops, mostly marines killed today in the worst loss of american life in ten years in afghanistan. remember them, imagine being their families. if you know any of them, help them. if any of them are watching right now, please know we all owe you for what you and your loved ones gave for the rest of us. and know this, you are not part of the problem that surrounds this situation. you are the one aspect that all can agree on and appreciate as part of the solution. not the problem. so think of our men and women who are still there valiantly carrying on in a horrible situation. here is what the president of the united states said about this shameful tragedy. >> these american service members who gave their lives, it's an over used word but totally appropriate here were heroes. the lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, the service of others. to those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes america harm, know this, we wil

let's hand things over to chris for "cuomo primetime." chris? >> about my brother's situation and i have a note on that. first tonight, i want us to deal with the crisis that is coming at all of us. this is afghanistan. and it is a nightmare. innocent masses begging america not to leave them to vicious extremism. but that is what has happened. this picture is also making the rounds. proof of america saving hundreds on a cargo plane. but be clear, 640 men, women and children make for a good photograph. but this is not a good reality. this is a drop of humanity compared to the thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands who will now be subjected to a truly horrible fate. people there are so scared they're willing to do this. so desperate they would rather risk death holding on to an american plane than face the certainty of oppression on the ground. think about that. the reality is tragic. the question for us is, did it have to be this way? was there a better alternative for america? is this america's problem? look, we know it's a politica

we'll head over to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris? >> we need a lot more happy endings. thank you very much, anderson. welcome to "prime time." we really need to figure out what we are about in this country. our government learns there are terror threats at the kabul airport and their reaction is to tell americans who are desperate and dying to get out to leave. are you kidding me? here is the u.s. government warning issued just now. because of security threats outside the gates of kabul airport we are advising u.s. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a u.s. government representative to do so. those who are at the abbey gate, east gate, or north gate now should leave immediately. question, why isn't the answer to bring americans into the airport to keep them safe? especially if you can really say that these are americans? why are you sending them away? what would you do to people that you care about when you learned they were threatened? would you send them away or want to keep th

let's go to chris for "cuomo prime time." >>> we have an exclusive tonight. it's not about covid. but our guest and her message is as powerful as any remedy i know. night bird is here with us tonight, for her first interview since announcing she's out of america's got talent to focus on her fight against cancer. >>> of course, we're focused on covid. and we have news. first, there is concern about a new variant, and we'll get into it with our first guest in a moment. the word comes as we're getting all we can handle from the current delta variant, which is now over 90% of all new cases in this country. 9 out of 10. it is now seen as a potential national security risk. how so? lloyd austin, the defense secretary, is expected to seek authorization to make vaccines mandatory for all active duty troops, more than 1 million service members. why? it can tear through and take down so quickly, it could affect our defense capabilities. delta is already affecting our kids in a way that we have not seen before. i know the talk just as you. as long as you get the elderly vaccinated, you'll be

i want to hand it over to chris for "cuomo primetime." >>> welcome to prime time. to all those in power raising concerns that america failed in afghanistan, focus on this. if you are worried about failure, don't just spend time debating trump and the taliban or biden botching the exit, debate how to get americans out of afghanistan. the politics of our presence have always been deceptive and messy. the exit is too. here's the reality. trump made a rash deal with the taliban to leave by may 1st of this year. biden agreed and had it go bad on his watch. here is how the current president explains the state of play. >> it would have taken a significant american troop presence, multiple times greater than what president biden was handed, to stop a taliban onslaught. but the afghan government and its supporters, including many of the people now seeking to leave made a passionate case that we should not conduct a massive evacuation unless we trigger a loss of confidence in the government. what you can do is plan for all contingencies. we did that. when a civil war comes t

let's hand things over for chris for "cuomo prime time." >> thanks, anderson. welcome to the prime time covid command center. we do have breaking developments in afghanistan and one of the key players in the trump taliban deal is here with a twist. we will test it. but first, full approval at long last for the pfizer vaccine from the fda for those 16 and older. now, why only those people, why not under 16? we'll get to all of that. here's the question. will this get enough people to take the shot so we can stop making ourselves sick? three in ten unvaccinated adults said in a recent survey they would be more likely to get vaccinated if one of the options moved to full approval. the president says now is your time. >> the moment you've been waiting for is here. it's time for you to go get your vaccination, and get it today. the fda approval is the gold standard. >> and approval on his efforts on covid is the gold standard for his ratings and they're down. getting people vaccinated is a big thing for him and for the country. private companies, by the way, agree t