it's not just in kabul. even outside of kabul in rural areas. there are more women engaged in local government. you know, afghanistan has a deputy of defense. this will be reversed the more the taliban is able to gain control of this country. not only that, this is going to be so dire for afghan who's are forced to leave the country. already this year about 205,000 afghans have been displaced. 50,000 in recent days. and many of them are going to flee for iran, pakistan, europe. there are already three million registered afghan refugees worldwide. that is one in ten of all refugees. this is situation is only going to get worse. i think the world will look to the united states to help out to be able to fund the u.n. refugee agency and to be able to ask other countries including those in central asia to try to house them, try to help them, to repatriate them. >> this will raise questions in the middle of a global pandemic. thank you for joining us this hour. greatly appreciate it. >>> up next, new developments in the assassination of haiti's presid

is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment, _ is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment, life _ is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment, life goes - is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment, life goes on - is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment, life goes on as. the moment, life goes on as normal. there is a great deal of fear, uncertainty and apprehension. everyone's looking around nervously with what's happening elsewhere around the country. no signs of any imminent taliban pressure. that would be one of the last things they would do. there's a number of other cities we've already talked about who are launching offensives. we've also seen the taliban offensives in the northeast in the country and the northwest, so the taliban, one would imagine, would go through what they might concede as being an easier target, though as of yet, they've not been able to everin yet, they've not been able to ever in this entire 20 year insurgency cash capture and hold a single city. the worry is that it's only a matter of time before that happens. afghan po

kabul. the forces are are key that the secretary laid out. a major component of sustaining a presence in kabul is to maintain a functioning and secure airport in kabul. we continue to dedicate our security resources to that, to secure the embassy, secure the national zone, and the national airport for our diplomats, personnel, and continued support to the government of afghanistan. the afghan security forces have the capacity to sufficiently fight and defend their country. we will continue to support the afghan security forces where necessary in accordance with the guidance from the president and secretary of defense. the future afghanistan is squarely in the hands of the afghan people and there are a range of outcomes in afghanistan. i want to emphasize repeatedly, and i have said this before, a negative outcome, taliban takeover, is not a foregone conclusion. we will continue to monitor the situation closely and make adjustments as necessary. additionally, we will maintain the capability o

kabul. the forces are are key that the secretary laid out. a major component of sustaining a presence in kabul is to maintain a functioning and secure airport in kabul. so we continue to dedicate our security resources to that to secure the embassy and the international zone and the airport in cab you'll. for our personnel and our continued support to the government in afghanistan. the afghan security forces have the capacity to fight and defend their country and we will continue to support the forces where necessary in aaccordance with the president. the future of afghanistan is squarely in the hands of the afghan people and range of possible outcomes in afghanistan. and i want to emphasize and i said this before, a negative, a taliban take over is not a foregone conclusion. we will monitor the situation. we are going to maintain the capability of self-defense. we possess the military means and have several options to protect our forces in afghanistan and throughout the region. in centcom,

is kabul coming under attack? we decided to go out onto the streets to findut what is the mood here. the city springs to life. kabul's oldest market, one of its busiest. painters, masons, plasterers, they all come here to find a days work. it has always been tough but much tougher now. >> the foreigners are leaving. we are worried about the war. people are fleeing into the cities but there is no work here. we are under so much pressure. >> they sold all of their crockery, all of the pots? more afghans are leaving. a street of secondhand goods. he set up shop here when his job ended with the u.s. military. >> lots of afghans worked with em and now they are jobless. a lot of them are planning to go out of afghanistan because of their security. >> the americans said it isime to go, 20 years is enough. >> what purpos did they come and what purpose are they going? what is the conclusion? if they did not gain something, did not build something for us, did not make security for us, why are they coming? >> tea and streets

they are adjusting forces to consolidate into the provincial capitals in kabul. and what remains to be seen, but after eed and whether it will go up or stay the same. there is a possibility of complete takeover, and all kinds of other scenarios. i don't think the end game is yet written. >> we have time for a couple more. reporter: a question following up on your recent testimony. mr. secretary, to you first, could you explain in more detail your views on when you think and under what circumstances critical race theory should be an appropriate part of military education. you were asked about it in your address, but i would like to understand your views on that. general milley, in that hearing, you said to congress you wanted to understand white rage and what it is that causes thousands of people that attacked the capitol. i want to find that out. could you offer a more detailed explanation what led you to the conclusion of white rage and since you talked about it publicly before congress, in your view what is white rage and why and when should the u.s. military b

secure airport in kabul. so we continue to dedicate our security resources to that, to secure the embassy, to secure the international zone and secure hkia, the international airport in kabul for our diplomats, our personnel and our continued support to the government of afghanistan. the afghan security forces have the capacity to sufficiently fight and defend their country,c and we will continue to support the afghan security forces where necessary in accordance with the guidance from the president and the secretary of defense. the future of afghanistan is squarely in the hands of the afghan people, and there are aan range of possible outcome in afghanistan. and i want to emphasis repeatedly, and i've said this before, a negative outcome, a taliban automatic military takeover, is not a forgone conclusion. we will continue to monitorke te situation closely and make adjustments as necessary. additionally, we're always going to maintain the capability of self-defense. we possess the military means and have seve

go ahead in kabul. what i thing it's a really harsh analysis or saying it has gone down or drawn or draw are green and everybody is dropping the guns. and i don't think that's the case. yes, we have had corruption prevailing, a lot of money has been spoilt. but that, that, that was expected in a, in a scenario where you, you have starting from scratch all on the ashes of the conflict left behind by the russian withdrawal and late eighties. that's hard to happen. we had the institutions and a lot of money was pump in all of the sudden. now let me come to the point of what is that we have achieved, mainly, you know, honest on and 2001 was in tatters. we had a civil war wing on whole of the country was a failure. and after 2001 institution was stablished, we have a democratic system established. we had 4 rounds of residential elections, 3 downs of parliament elections. provincial councils were selected elected. we have a large gallery of one strained at home and abroad on, on in the morning of more than in

let's go now to kabul and the bbc�*s yogita limaye. yogita, the white house today they expect american troops will have completed their withdrawal by the end of august. that is ahead of president biden�*s deadline of september 11, president biden�*s deadline of september", but president biden�*s deadline of september 11, but do afghans believe that their security forces can hold off the taliban? the that their security forces can hold off the taliban?— off the taliban? the afghan government _ off the taliban? the afghan government certainly - off the taliban? the afghan government certainly says i off the taliban? the afghan i government certainly says that off the taliban? the afghan - government certainly says that it has the strength to hold on in this country. but we know is that they're fighting taliban forces in 20 of this country's 3a provinces, hundreds are dying in this violence every week, thousands are being displaced. last week, the un said 50 of this country's 370 district had fallen to the taliban, warning that th

kabul increasingly feels like an island. even afghans aren't leaving kabul. so if you are a translator, and there are many translators who have come to kabul because it's something of a safe haven. we spoke to one who is now sort of hiding out in kabul because he doesn't want to go back to his home village. when he does go back to his home village on a rare occasion to make sure his wife and family are okay, he goes in at night, he doesn't raise his voice because he doesn't want his neighbors to see him. so you have thousands and thousands of translators who are hiding out in kabul or living in secret in their areas that are either taken over by the taliban or about to be taken over by the taliban. so, yes, it's too little too late, but they are still here, they are still alive. so if something can be done to get them out now while there still is a safe haven, while there still is an international airport, clearly that would be the difference between life and death. >> richard engel, courtney kube, thank you so much to you both. >>> earning his wings, the hyp

is kabul also coming under attack? we decided to go to the streets of the city to find out what is the mood here. the city springs to life. kabul�*s oldest market, one of its busiest. painters, masons, plasterers, they all come here to find a day's work. it's always been tough, but much tougher now. translation: the . foreigners are leaving. we are worried about the war. it's everywhere. people are fleeing into the cities but there is no work here. we are under so much pressure. this fridge. and they sold all their crockery? yes. a street of second—hand goods. nusrat set up shop here when his job ended with the us military. lots of afghans were working with them, now they are jobless. a lot of them are planning to go out of afghanistan because of their security and because of a lack ofjobs. the americans said it's time to go, it's 20 years, that's enough. for what purpose did they come in for what purpose are they going? what is the conclusion? if they didn't gain something, they didn't build something for us, they

we are also deeply personed how people outside of kabul will wok cess the evacuation. we are seeing various reports about the potential initial tranche of 2500 afghans who may be evacuated to u.s. military installations and then other reports stating that the administration would not publicly release information on destinations or numbers of afghans. a lot is unclear. we have also seen varying reports about the location for evacuation, whether some may be brought directly to the united states or u.s. territories or third countries. on july 2nd, there were leaks from the white house indicating that they were considering these three central asian countries, kazakhstan, tajikistan, and uzbekistan. but we have not seen any evidence that the countries consented to receive evacuation wees. the pentagon press secretary john kirby said in a briefing on wednesday that all options are being considered and that would include for the potential for short-term use of kona's base for u.s. installations. the location matters greatly as we advocate it should be u.s. soil to ensure the

ah, okay, go back to much talking in kabul. i mean, let's, let's go back to the very, very beginning of all of this. the, the, the reason why the united states attacked in occupied afghanistan was because of the role that couple was involved with al qaeda in the attacks of september 11th. i think a counter of factual history could have come out very differently. per afghanistan . al qaeda was there being given aid and comfort, it should have just been a police operation. go in, take care of that and then leave was occupation of the country absolutely necessary because we listened to scott here. almost every other scenario you can think of, and i think all of this is actually been tried and with the same conclusion. so do you think that was a good idea and the 1st place to have african and span occupied by outsiders? go ahead and couple, you know, bob, i was not allowed to finish earlier, just couple of sentences on that. don't look at things from black and white perspective. there's always an on an honest on as well. there are

i will say that embassy kabul is now trying very hard to process as many visas as they can. unfortunately, they still have covid issues. they had to shut down for two weeks not too long ago because there was a covid infection within the embassy. so, it is a complicated process that i think anyone involved in it will admit to that, and it can get delayed at any one of those steps along the way. let me just say really quickly on the latest effort to try to evacuate the people. and the pipeline has roughly 18,000 people in it right now. but that pipeline's never really going to diminish because you can apply for this up until december of 2022. so the pipeline is always going to be constantly filled as it is emptied out. so, the numbers, yes, are significant, and we need to pay attention to that. but one shouldn't believe that once we address 18,000 people and their family members that it's over. no, this will continue until 2022. as far as taking applicants to a third country, and i suspect there are negotiations taking place, certainly ambassador tracy jacobson is the perfect

we are also deeply concerned about how people outside of kabul you can access. we are seeing reports that the additional number of afghans who may be evacuated and other reports stating the administration would not publicly release information on destinations. we have also seen varying reports about locations of activations, whether some would be brought to the united states or other territories. on july, it was a leak from the white house indicating they were considering three central asian companies. but we have not seen any evidence the countries have actually consented to receive evacuees. the pentagon press secretary said in a briefing that all options are being considered and that would include the potential for short-term use of u.s. installations. from our perspectives, location matters greatly and we advocate it should be u.s. soil to ensure the safety and rights of applicants. this plan is a vital first step in honoring the promise afghan allies but it is scarce in essential details. we are left with more questions than answers. we understand the sensi

secondly, are there things that we can do to help rally morale among those in kabul and other places who really don't agree with the taliban and don't foresee a future of afghanistan ruled by the taliban with many of the same practices that they used when they ruled in the 1990s. and then third, related to that, what can you do or what should you be doing to have contingency plans for the future. not knowing which way things are going to go. i think a u.s. objective still needs to be an afghanistan at peace, an afghanistan that reflects the diversity of its people, an afghanistan that can ideally bring elements from the taliban, from the non-taliban forces that make up the government in kabul, different parts of the country, women, pro-democracy advocates and others all living together peacefully within a framework. if we can't get there, what should come next? so we are going to grapple with some of these problems today. it's a lot bigger than we can talk about, but there are some very important things we can do for tens of thousands of afghans who we know are in danger because they

if you're the president of afghanistan sitting in kabul despite all the failures in kabul, you continue to complain that i've done everything i can for the peace process. >> bilal, we'll have to leave it there. i want to wish the best to you and your new young daughter. i hope she finds peace as she is named for peace, whether inside afghanistan or out. bilal sawari, thanks very much. we'll be right back. he came from italy with nothing for a new life. he sacrificed so much to support his family. military service was just part of his life. he was brave in so many ways. who are the heroes in your family? life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that's scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna. priceline works with top hotels, to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. it's a wishlist on wheels. a choice that requires no explanation. it's where safe and daring seamlessl

courtney kube, nbc news, kabul, afghanistan. >>> i'm richard engel. today the taliban took over another small base from u.s.-trained afghan security forces lowering the flag. the taliban have not been this strong since the u.s. drove them out 20 years ago when the militants ran afghanistan and hosted osama bin laden, whose group al qaeda carried out 9/11 one unit is fighting against the return of the taliban and new bin ladens afghanistan's commandos. we recently saw them in action. their general says foreign extremists are rushing back to join what they see as the victorious taliban >> these people who are coming to create trouble and problems for the world for the future as they did in 9/11. >> even worse than 9/11, i'm telling you. >> reporter: fawzia koofi is a member of parliament and a negotiate were the taliban. extremists tried to assassinate her twice. >> you have been in war, and in war, people don't distribute sweets. they kill each other so you think those actually have been killed, they will not go for revenge and hostility? they will. >>

embassy in kabul and at the kabul international airport. the only personnel left to withdrawal is general scott miller, and a handful of his staff. there is a handful more of security and logistics forces that the pentagon sent in temporarily to aid in the withdrawal. they will also depart. but out of the 2500 or so that president biden started out with, all but a handful are gone. host: when it comes to the decision, did the tell leaders at the pentagon support this position? guest: in the beginning of present biden's term, when it was not clear if he was going to pull out of afghanistan are not come i think that top generals saw them disagree with the logic behind withdrawing troops. i think we saw the market that there was a lot of evidence that the country will now collapse and the afghan security forces are not strong enough to hold off the out -- the taliban. so they wanted to keep a couple thousand special operators to keep fighting terrorists as well as some military trainers to help the afghan secure forces. but now that the presid

secondly, we need to find ways to get support into kabul, and others. humanitarian support, but also economic finance support, and military support, and hopefully there will be a rallying together to help hold the situation and get us back to a position where there can be more serious engagement. third, we need to develop our contingency planning for those who are going to need assistance, both humanitarian assistance went on the move, in the country, or out of the country, but also those who worked very closely with us if not for us. in those contingency situations. those who want to, right now, work and preserve the values they believe in, but we have to be ready to help them no matter what evolves, it seems to me. >> ambassador jacobs, what needs to happen over the next two weeks, or to the next three months? >> i would say any efforts by congress to streamline the siv process are welcome. hopefully, senator shaheen talked about a number of measures, hopefully those will get through. i agree with jill we need to start moving people as soon as possibl

embassy in kabul. thousands will remain on duty even after u.s. troops depart at the end of next month with a few hundred soldiers left behind to guard them. charlie d'agata reports from kabul. >> reporter: across the country, districts are falling to the taliban like dominos. as u.s. forces head for the exit, and militants edge ever closer to the capital, the u.s. embassy has been taking a hard look at its own security situation. the top u.s. diplomat in afghanistan is ross wilson. >> we landed some additional quick reaction capabilities in the event that something happens. >> reporter: i mean, worst case scenario, evacuation plans in place? >> at this point i don't think it's imminent. planning for evacuations at any post like this is serious business. >> reporter: it's only a few short miles from the u.s. embassy to the airport, but on the streets of kabul, if it came to an emergency evacuation, extracting thousands of staff, the roads are a no-go. the only way is up. even now, american diplomats shuttle back and forth by helicopter. but what i

they start to threaten kabul, many of these translators and workers, they've been living in kabul for some period of time with relative security. we should expect more of them applying to leave. they could qualify for this imminent danger that in some cases is required for them to get a special immigrant visa, and so these numbers that we're seeing could even grow in the coming weeks ahead. that's one of the main reasons that the u.s. has said that they're extending the military mission there until late august. it's not only that. the small amount of military is expected to grow or we could expect to see more missions ahead. part of that is if there's a quote/unquote military presence there, it will be easier logistically to get the afghan civilians who may be leaving in the next few weeks, it will be easier to get them out of the country safely. >> courtney kube, thank you for being with us. we appreciate your reporting. >>> meanwhile, biden officials are skeptical that russian president vladimir putin will put an end to cyber attacks, despite talks. last month during the biden/putin

kabul's oldest market, one of its busiest. painters, masons, they all come here to find a day's work. it is always been tough, but much tougher now. >> they are leaving. we are worried about the war. it is everywhere. people are fleeing io the cities but there is no work here. we are under so much pressure. >> they sold all of it? >> more afghans are leaving. a streetf secondhand goods. he set up shop when his job ended with the u.s. military. >> now they are jobless. a lot of people are planning to go out of afghanistan. >> the americans said it is time to go. 20 years, that is enough. >> what is the conclusion? if they did not gain something, they did not build something for us, the did not make security for us, why did they come? >> tea and it treats in the city center. sweet moments for afghans who can afford them. the kind of moments many want to live. insecurity already threatens it. >> coming to a restaurant, coming to a cafe, meeting our friends. >> the taliban say this is a western lifestyle. >> some say we are acting

greg palkot is live in kabul with more. greg. >> reporter: hi, arthel. we've been on the ground for two days here. we've been watching this taliban offensive accelerate, but today we're also hearing of some fightback by the afghan government. all across the country the districts have been falling to the taliban. yesterday they claimed they controlled 85% of the country. that is wrong, but one-third is probably correct, and another one-third of the districts are being contested. overall, the afghan military has been underperforming, but the ministry of defense today claiming that they have regained some of the districts in the north and the west from the taliban, that there have been a high death toll of taliban fighters, but we have no confirmation of that. in fact, when we were out in kabul today, we talked to some people and saw some people who weren't taking the government at their word whatsoever. take a listen. you're looking at people who are struggling to get out of afghanistan. the taliban is making its move all across the country. they are worri

let's go to kabul now. the cnn international correspondent anna coren who has been covering it in recent days. i'd like to know from a more personal perspective, how does it feel to be there lighright n to be witnessing history? >> brian, this is my fourth trip to afghanistan. i first came here in 2012 and something about this country got under my skin, whether it be covering women's rights, whether it be vetting with u.s. special forces and now to be witnessing america pulling out of afghanistan. when those planes pulled out of bagram air base friday morning with u.s. forces on board, that really was the end of a chapter for america. yes, they still have troops in country, and yerkss, the drawdo isn't complete, but it's a tiny, tiny footprint compared to the 100,000 troops that they had here at the height of the war in 2011. i think it's a very, very important time to be here, particularly considering the level of fear and uncertainty among local afghans about what the future holds. >> how challenging is i

air lift flights out of kabul, is that going to happen? are people who are not in kabul expected to get themselves there on their own? also, who's eligible for this? how many afghan translators is this operation going to try and save? the statement from the white house today is careful to point out this operation is focused on people who are already in the pipeline in terms of being approved to come to the u.s. for the past few weeks the u.s. embassy in afghanistan was closed altogether because of a covid outbreak, which means they haven't been open for anyone in that country who wanted to apply for that visa. the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan just announced this week as they were reopening the embassy just this week specifically for u.s. allies who want to apply for these special visas to get out and come to the u.s. will people who were only able to start applying this week and in the coming days be part of this operation? like i said there's a lot of questions still to be answered. and in terms of saving lives and doing what is our mor

ali latifi is a freelance journalist based in kabul. we will link to your al jazeera piece headlined "afghans say recent taliban advances forced them to take up arms." and we want to thank dr. sima samar, afghan women and human rights defender. as we turn now to why the palestinian authority is cracking dn on palestinian demonstrators in the occupied west bank stop we will go to ramallah. stay with us. amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. we turn now to the occupied west bank, where the palestinian authority is facing intense criticism for violently cracking down on palestinian protesters in recent weeks following the death of human rights activist nizar banat in palestinian authority custody. banat was a vocal critic of the pa. he was arrested on june 24 by pa foes whoroke inta relave'house whe he was stayg in the town dura. relativewho witnsed the atta say ban waseaten befo his aest. hours afr his dention, h was deared dea this is nizabanat's wifeihan banat and r

lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. in the united states, there's been a clash between vaccine makers and health officials over whether the public need a third vaccine jab, or booster shot. last night, pfizer said it would seek approval for a third dose, amid concerns over the rapidly spreading delta variant. the centers for disease control, the food and drug administration, and the who have all weighed in, saying a third jab isn't needed — or not right now. pfizer has been developing a booster treatment as a way to strengthen antibodies which fade over time and guard against new, highly contagious versions of covid. we can now speak to dr john swartzberg, professor emeritus of the school of public health and an expert on vaccines and infectious diseases at the university of california berkeley. thank you for being with us. i guess the logical presumption is if one vaccine gives you a certain amount of protection, the second dose gives you a bit more? surely a third dose gives you a bit more?— you a bit more? right,

i’m taliban taking kabul, i presume? i'm not taliban taking kabul, i presume? i“n not concerned about that, it has been a propaganda war by the taliban and their backers. they are basically claimed to have a certain percentage of the country but these are the least populated and most remote areas and when you actually see the population amount, it's around less than 20% of the population live in the areas the taliban claim to have. we population live in the areas the taliban claim to have. we knew the us withdrawal _ taliban claim to have. we knew the us withdrawal of _ taliban claim to have. we knew the us withdrawal of troops _ taliban claim to have. we knew the us withdrawal of troops is - taliban claim to have. we knew the us withdrawal of troops is not - taliban claim to have. we knew the | us withdrawal of troops is not 100% complete, that comes in august. you represent kuchis as i introduced for our viewers, the taliban are renowned for mistreating minorities. how are you feeling about what's going on in the moments? it’s going on in the moments? it'

embassy in kabul and at the kabul international airport. the only personnel left to withdrawal is general scott miller, and a handful of his staff. there is a handful more of security and logistics forces that the pentagon sent in temporarily to aid in the withdrawal. they will also depart. but out of the 2500 or so that president biden started out with, all but a handful are gone. host: when it comes to the decision, did the tell leaders at the pentagon support this position? guest: in the beginning of present biden's term, when it was not clear if he was going to pull out of afghanistan are not come i think that top generals saw them disagree with the logic behind withdrawing troops. i think we saw the market that there was a lot of evidence that the country will now collapse and the afghan security forces are not strong enough to hold off the out -- the taliban. so they wanted to keep a couple thousand special operators to keep fighting terrorists as well as some military trainers to help the afghan secure forces. but now that the presid

we're take you live to kabul as only cnn can. delicia: this is where all our recycling is sorted -- 1.2 million pounds every day, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america. but that's not all you'll find here. there are hundreds of good-paying jobs, with most new workers hired from bayview-hunter's point. we don't just work at recology, we own it, creating opportunity and a better planet. now, that's making a difference. ♪ watch the olympic games on xfinity ♪ ♪ root for team usa and feel the energy ♪ ♪ 7000 plus hours of the olympics on display ♪ ♪ with xfinity you get every hour of every day ♪ ♪ different sports on different screens, ♪ ♪ you can watch it anywhere ♪ ♪ and with the voice remote ♪ ♪ you never have to leave your chair ♪ show me team usa. ♪ all of this innovation could lead to some inspiration ♪ ♪ and you might be the next one to represent our nation ♪ ♪ this summer on your tv, tablet, or any screen ♪ ♪ xfinity is here to inspire your biggest dreams â

secunder kermani has more from kabul. this curfew is coming into place across_ this curfew is coming into place across the — this curfew is coming into place across the country except for kabul and two _ across the country except for kabul and two other provinces. everywhere else, _ and two other provinces. everywhere else, there'll be no movement allowed — else, there'll be no movement allowed between 10pm and four a:m.. the idea _ allowed between 10pm and four a:m.. the idea is— allowed between 10pm and four a:m.. the idea is to — allowed between 10pm and four a:m.. the idea is to try and get a grip on the deteriorating security situation, and particularly to prevent— situation, and particularly to prevent the infiltration of taliban operatives. the militants have circled — operatives. the militants have circled a — operatives. the militants have circled a number of cities and are already— circled a number of cities and are already in— circled a number of cities and are already in the outskirts of some

i find it hard to believe they're going to be able to take couple -- kabul. they can operate -- the americans have two images of what might happen. one is saigon in 1975 with the north vietnamese -- in iraq in 2014 when hundreds of isis fighters -- host: do you think now is the time, even if they are not in kabul, is now the time for the u.s. to close the book on the conflict. some say this is an irresponsible exit. >> i'm sure this is not the exit president biden would have liked. donald trump was determined to get out, year ago he signed a surrender agreement. the choice for president biden is to stay with that agreement or you break it the country is a mess, he's focused on the domestic agenda. nuclear nonproliferation. to have reversed course is not something that was easy for him to do. it has weakened the u.s. leverage. host: speaking of negotiations, you seem to be optimistic the fighting will eventually stop. the taliban are in a strong position. they believe they are in a strong position. why negotiate right now? what is the incentive? >> i never sai

what he said when asked is a taliban takeover of the country inevitable our richard engel in kabul. >>> the death toll rising in the surfside collapse what we've learned about a repealed florida law. could it have prevented the disaster >>> deadly tropical storm elsa drenching the east coast warnings for nearly a thousand miles the new track. >>> the tokyo olympics banning fans days before the games begin. a state of emergency declared as covid cases rise >>> new video of assassins outside the home of haiti's president, and tonight a u.s. citizen is among the suspects >>> the dramatic body cam. a 6-year-old girl rescued from an alleged kidnapper's car. the hero officers speaking to us >>> and tennis superstar naomi osaka's new message on mental health ahead of the olympics >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening. i'm peter alexander in for lester tonight what could be major news in the fight against covid. pfizer now says a booster shot of its current vaccine strongly extends protection against the virus. they're also developing a booster intended to

lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. british cyclist mark cavendish has equalled the record for the most stage wins in the tour de france. today's sprint finish took his tally to 34 — level with belgium's eddie merks — who's held the record since 1975. cavendish — who won his first tour stage 13 years ago — is now aiming to break the record before this year's race concludes in paris in nine days' time. as if the euros final weren't enough, italy has its first player in a wimbledon singles final. matteo berrettini will meet the number one seed novak djokovic in the men's final on sunday. joe wilson has more. check the titles, yes, five on the board. now, 0k, another semifinal. check the titles, yes, five on the board. for now. 0k, another semifinal. challenging novak djokovic was denis shapovalov, 22, seeded ten, and full of talent. anyone for denis? well, they like an underdog here. the canadian had so many opportunities. djokovic was rarely dominating, oftenjust hanging on, but the important points were his. nov

do you think kabul will hold? >> i think kabul will hold. the question is can it hold long enough to create a political solution between the sides? what you've seen is the encroachment of the taliban. most of that had been without military action. most of that has ssentially been going in, persuading or paying off the local leadership, and they've been preparing for that for many, many months.e again, out the door in february of 2020 they saw a free -- >> you think dohar was a mistake. you keep pointing back to this.i you think the initial agreementh that the trump administration made with the taliban was a mistake? >> i think it was because i i think it set a fixed date rather than imposing conditions that would have then let us depart afghanistan. it also -- most of the conditions on the taliban were unenforceable. they claimed they would disassociate themselves from al qaeda. clearly that's not the case. i think the sum of the agreement was, if you don't buy the rust -- >> i don't think we are.thk it ended any sort of conditionality, and