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Interview With Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) About Afghanistan And The Politics In California; President Biden Talks About Evacuations In Afghanistan; Severe Flash Floods In Tennessee; U.S. Deaths Due To COVID-19 Ticked To Over 1,000 A Day; Federal Reserve To Lessen Bond Purchases; Pregnant Woman Delivers Baby Aboard Air Force C-17. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 22, 2021 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[17:00:00]

REP. DARELL ISSA (R-CA): It called for no Taliban aggressive acts and no approaching, not just the capital, but all of the regional capitals. And every time they went to do it, they got attacked by U.S.-backed troops. Usually Air Force assets and then ground Afghans.

And the Afghans were doing a reasonably good job because they had confidence in the air support they were receiving. Now having said that, we can blame all four presidents, if you want, but what we have right now is we have a -- an administration that's telling you that things are going according to the inevitable plan, but they weren't.

Just a few weeks ago they called for 11,000 special visas to help people that helped us, 11,000. Now the number appears to be 100,000 or maybe more. They had not begun identifying those people and getting them out when, in fact, in just a few days they were supposed to have completed it. So, if you could see that the plan --

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Don't you want to help all of those vulnerable Afghans and Afghan allies and partners who were helping the U.S. over the last 20 years? Don't you want to help them and get them all out?

ISSA: I'm currently doing everything I can to help the people that have been identified get out of the country. But the reality is, there's 37 million Afghans, half of them women that are now going to have a very different future than they would have had if we had kept a stable government, enforce the agreement so the Taliban couldn't come in by force and take over. Look, this is no different than Vietnam. President Richard Nixon negotiate --

ACOSTA: Originally (ph), the Afghan government was cut out -- I hate to keep interrupting. I'm sorry, Congressman. You know, the Afghan government was cut out of the peace talks by the Trump administration. They were negotiating directly with the Taliban. So they weren't a factor and that, of course, sends a message to Afghan people.

ISSA: I appreciate -- I appreciate -- Jim, Jim, Jim I appreciate that, but the fact is the agreement says that they had to come -- the Taliban had to come to a peaceful agreement with that government as part of it. So the fact that they may not have been at the table doesn't change the fact that they didn't have the unilateral authority.

But this is an absolutely no different than the fall of Saigon. In the fall of Saigon, you had Richard Nixon who had successfully achieved peace with honor with a promise to come back and protect the South Vietnamese with the help of the politicians in Washington of both parties when they were threatened by the wrongful acts of an aggressive north Vietnam backed by the chicoms.

The fact is, we didn't send troops in and they fell and the people of Vietnam have suffered for half a century as a result. And the people -- 37 plus million people are going to suffer in Afghanistan as a result. So, let's --

ACOSTA: But you supported -- you supported the pullout of the U.S. from Afghanistan, isn't that right, Congressman? Do you --

ISSA: I supported -- I supported and would continue to support an ongoing military presence, the air base for strategic purposes, always --

ACOSTA: Well, that's not a -- that's not a complete withdrawal from the country, though. That is not a complete withdrawal from the country. I mean, that is just not the case.

ISSA: We had -- we have peace in South Korea and we have 28,000 troops and two major air bases. We have peace in Europe and we have tens of thousands of troops backed in a partnership with NATO. All of that, more than half a century after those wars were clearly over. Actually approaching a century at this point in some cases.

The fact is that a military bases -- we have never been at war in Bahrain. We've never been at war in Qatar. And yet we have important bases there that those countries help host for their mutual benefit. Afghanistan had no requirement for us to pull out of Bagram. We had strategic reasons.

For the last weeks and months I've been talking about the absurdity of Predator observation aircraft and others having to fly for five to eight hours just to get to an area to look at it where previously they could do it in a matter of minutes.

This has been a failure to plan or a plan to fail. Either way, it is a decision made by this administration and you can't blame the last administration. If the last administration was wrong, then, darn it, go ahead and reverse it.

But if you're going to say the last administration was right, you could at least execute it properly. They clearly were not planning to take the people out that they're now taking out. They hadn't identified names. There's a long list of --

ACOSTA: You know, that process was decimated during the Trump administration, as you know, congressman. You know, some of the pro- immigration or anti-immigration hawks, I should say, inside the Trump administration has all but shut down much of that process for bringing those folks into the country. And so the Biden administration by and large is having to rebuild part of that.

ISSA: I appreciate -- I appreciate you're saying it and I appreciate it's your opinion.

[17:04:59]

The fact is, although the administration reduced the number of certain types of visas, those number of visas rise and fall regularly and they -- and the system was not shut down. But that doesn't really say anything about identifying --

ACOSTA: Well, the numbers plummeted. The numbers plummeted towards the end of the Trump administration. I want to move to one final thing, Congressman, before we go, and that is I want to ask you about the recall election to replace the California governor there, Gavin Newsom.

Right now the Republican front-runner is an outspoken talk show host named Larry Elder. He's made a number of disparaging remarks about women. I want to ask -- I want you to listen to this. Let me ask you about this on the other side.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LARRY ELDER, CONSERVATIVE TALKS SHOW HOST: When you look at all these women that have marched, something like 2 million women, Donald Trump has probably gotten more obese women off the couch and in the streets working out than Michelle Obama did in eight years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Do you think Larry Elder should be the next governor of California?

ISSA: I think Larry Elder, with tens of thousands of hours on the air, entertaining and thought-provoking, if that's the --

ACOSTA: You know, that's not entertaining. That's disgusting. What he had said is disgusting. I mean, that's not entertainment.

ISSA: Well, I appreciate -- I appreciate, Jim, your saying its disgusting. That certainly was, by most people's standards, a quip of a radio talk show person who, like plenty of the famous ones, including Rush Limbaugh, who used various statements including some bombastic statements from time to time to make a point. In tens of thousands of hours, if that's the best you have, you don't really have anything on Larry Elder.

ISSA: Oh, there's lots of other material, as you know, Congressman. We don't have time to go through all of it, but it sounds as though you're saying that Larry Elder would make a better governor for the state of California than Gavin Newsom? Is that -- is that what you're saying? Talk to --

ISSA: You know what, just - there's 41 people running or 44 people running, and I even suspect the vast majority of them would go in the right direction better than our current governor. No question at all. The reason that decline to states support the recall that Republicans support the recall and a vast amount of Democrats.

When you get a state that's two-thirds Democrat and 50 percent plus or minus a percent, believe that the governor should be recalled, you are talking about people who have lost faith in their governor. So if the fact is, it's not Republican Darrell Issa saying it.

It's the polls that consistently show that half of Californians have lost faith in this governor because he does things like say, well, you've got to wear a mask and can't be indoors and then he goes to a $2,000 a plate dinner at the French Laundry with no masks and laughs at everyone as they drink wine indoors.

So, we've put up with our governor. It is, in fact, a failed administration, one in which the lights are going off every time we have a hot day. We don't have enough water. And we have higher unemployment with great problems in a state that fundamentally has everything going for it, except the people in Sacramento.

ACOSTA: All right.

ISSA: So, the voters will make a decision on it. I support the fact that Larry Elder has been a thoughtful spokesperson, but he's also been a commentator. He said a lot of things, but if in tens of thousands of hours, you find a few lines, that's not going to get people to forget that he is a thoughtful conservative who has a lot of great ideas.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Darrell Issa, thanks for coming on. We appreciate it.

And back to our breaking news. President Biden addressing the nation moments ago on the urgent evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. He once again vowed any American who wants to get home will get home and that they're now extending the safe zone around the Kabul airport. But the reports from the ground paint a dire picture.

The increased pace of evacuations has done nothing to reduce the influx of desperate people surrounding the Kabul airport. At last count, it was some 20,000 people. Others are stranded in the city including hundreds of Afghans who, until just a week ago, were staffers at the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

A source tells CNN those workers now feel "screwed over." Let's bring in CNN's Arlette Saenz live at the White House. Arlette, what else stood out -- what else stood to you in the president's remarks?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, President Biden was trying to provide an update on those efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies. And he said getting Americans out of the country is of top priority to his administration.

Now the president said that there are operations and steps being taken at this moment that he cannot discuss for trying to get Americans to the airport as quick and safely as possible. He said he couldn't talk about those things due to security reasons.

But he did indicate that they are extending he perimeter around the Kabul airport to try to get more people in safe passage as they make their journey there. Take a listen to a bit of what the president said as he explained the efforts that are under way.

[17:09:59]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We have made a number of changes including extending access around the airport and the safe zone, and we've done a number of things. Again, I don't want to get into detail about, but the fact is that more and more of the groups we urgently want to get out of Afghanistan, starting with American citizens and the folks who worked in the embassies and personnel with our allies, as well as the Afghans who helped them and worked in those embassies, as well as those who helped them on the battlefield as well.

We are working diligently to make sure we've increased the ability to get them out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now even as he is explaining some of those efforts that are under way, we've seen the scenes at the airport as thousands of people are trying -- swarming as they're trying to get to safety. Now, one thing that the president did concede, he say that -- said that there is still a long way to go and that a lot could still go wrong, which just speaks to the dangerous aspects of the situation on the ground there in Afghanistan.

Now, the president also indicated that there are discussions about whether troops will need to remain in the country past that August 31st deadline, which he had previously set. The president said that he hopes that will not be the case, but that they will need to evaluate this situation and the evacuations, the progress that they've made with those as the next week proceeds.

Now, the president also tried to strike a bit of an empathetic tone as he talked about those heartbreaking images, but he argued this would have been hard and painful no matter when the drawdown took place. Something his critics will be quick to note that they believe that there could have been more planning that went into this.

ACOSTA: All right, Arlette Saenz, thanks so much. CNN has been following the latest on the ground in Afghanistan. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh was in Kabul. He joins me live from Doha. Nick, Biden admit a lot can still go wrong with these evacuations.

What have we learned about the situation at the airport because the president was just saying a few moments ago that they have extended the safe zone around the airport and that that is going to essentially break some of this logjam that we're seeing there and improve the security situation? Does that match what you're hearing from people on the ground or perhaps do we need to let this develop over the coming hours and see does all this pan out?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Look, I mean, to be honest, the numbers of those on the airport remain as high as they were this morning despite the remarkable numbers we heard of 11,000 people being taken out in the last 36 hours. And that's extraordinary if indeed they have managed to pull that off.

Has the safe zone been extended? There are suggestions possibly that there may be better control of some of the crowds around the base, yes, but in terms of an enforced new perimeter being pushed out, I haven't heard necessarily reports of that.

Very cryptic in terms of working out how or explaining how Americans or allied Afghans are getting onto the base now. I know from a source close to the situation at the gates have for the most part been closed throughout today. So, we have this situation where despite the large numbers that appear to be leaving every day, we are still seeing the numbers staying at about 20,000 on the actual airport.

Now, even at that extraordinary clip of 11,000 in 36 hours, that's still a good three days' worth of airplanes going in and out to reduce that particular number. And of course, they still have more coming in. So it is, of course, as he said, things could still go wrong. I think that's an understatement.

And I think to this -- I sense the reluctance, frankly, in answering the question about whether they would stay beyond August 31st. Speaking to sources I've been talking to, it doesn't seem like that's particularly likely because this could be an indefinite process to some degree.

You know, they don't know how many Americans they are looking for, they simply don't. And the allied Afghans they could bring on, it's complicated and there could be an awful lot of them. So, they could be doing this for weeks, frankly, if they want to allow any Afghan who feels they are eligible for the SIV program to come forward.

It's increasingly difficult, though, for them, he mentioned specifically himself, the local Afghans employed at the U.S. embassy. A source I spoke to said that they feel as though those people have been "screwed over" because, remember, there were extraordinary scenes of U.S. diplomats being evacuated from the embassy by helicopter.

But it's those local Afghans who they, you know, sit next to, frankly, work with day in, day out, who were left behind, who a source I spoke to said are almost certainly eligible for the SIV program, if not already, in fact, candidates that have completed its processes.

So, they, hundreds of them, are concerned and sat out somewhere in Kabul, possibly waiting for a rescue. Possibly concerned about their own safety. I should point out to there is some frustration as well, I believe, because a lot of the Afghans who actually made it onto the base are not necessarily connected with the SIV program.

[17:14:55] There was a period of time where there was more humanitarian filtration system, they let people on who looked desperate. They sometimes let people on who shows an American-style visa which was essentially passed around electronically between many Afghans. I got a copy of it myself.

So there has been chaos. It sounds like they're getting more of a handle on it to some degree. There were still chaos around the base. A lot can still go wrong but the ultimate question of how long does this go on for, was something President Biden was clearly reluctant to necessarily address.

I'm sure there are allies who wanted to go on for weeks, who don't want to see anybody, "left behind." But I have to tell you, when they first announced this program, when the Afghan government was still in place, it did seem exceptionally ambitious, if not, somehow fool- hearted, if you could somehow get tens of thousands of Afghans to form an orderly queue in Kabul and the kind of chaos that often hits there and then slowly file into American visa processing.

A very complicated situation in the best of times made harder now. No doubt the efforts on that base or the airport are incredibly valiant by diplomats and troops, but you know, this is something that Joe Biden said was inevitable. They would see scenes like this.

I have to say, if that is really his assessment of how the departure from Afghanistan would have been, I simply cannot imagine he would have gone through with it, but still, startling to hear him say that -- make that assessment, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thank so much.

As desperation and fear continue in Kabul, the U.S. is scrambling to get Americans and Afghans out. The former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan under President Obama, Ryan Crocker. He joins me live, next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

ACOSTA: Moments ago, the president wrapped up his latest remarks on the frantic effort to evacuate Americans and Afghan partners out of Afghanistan. He revealed the U.S. has extended the security perimeter around the Kabul airport, but admitted this operation is messy. There's a long way to go and a lot can still go wrong.

I'm joined now by the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan under President Obama, Ryan Crocker. Ambassador, you've been very critical of this withdrawal process. What was your take of -- on what the president had to say just a few minutes ago? Does it sound like they are trying to or starting to get on top of the situation there, do you think?

RYAN CROCKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO AFHANISTAN UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: In terms of the specific challenge at hand, Jim, the evacuation of our citizens and others for whom we have responsibility, I think they are starting to get a handle on it. I would emphasize that that handle and the people getting it are not in Washington. They are at Kabul airport.

The Foreign Service officers and the Marines and soldiers out there are the ones that are doing this. And I think what we see is that they are -- they're dealing with the situation that they got pushed into after the fact and they are making adjustments as they go.

These are competent professionals. Foreign Service is pretty familiar with evacuations as are the Marines. So, I think they are adapting to circumstances and turning an utter disaster into a, touch wood, a workable proposition. But there are still going to be tremendous challenges, not least the Taliban themselves.

ACOSTA: And this weekend you wrote in "The New York Times," "Mr. Biden's decision to withdraw all U.S. forces destroyed an affordable status quo that could have lasted indefinitely at a minimum cost and blood and treasure." But what you call affordable just to the past five years did cost taxpayers $150 billion. We've seen a lot of loss of life on the Afghan side.

How long was this war supposed to go on? You know, you heard the president say there during his remarks, you know, was this supposed to continue for years? What's your response to that?

CROCKER: Well, how much did 9/11 cost us? Because that came to us out of Afghanistan, and who arranged it all? Well, it was Al Qaeda sheltering under the Taliban. The Taliban are back and Al Qaeda is going to be right back there with them. So this is not hypothetical.

ACOSTA: Well, but Osama bin Laden was behind 9/11. Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden was killed 10 years ago. I guess my question is, is the United States supposed to commit U.S. forces to Afghanistan for years beyond where we are right now? Is that your solution?

CROCKER: Well, look, Osama bin Laden had no operational control over Al Qaeda by the time we finally caught and killed him. Does that mean that Al Qaeda is not there? They certainly are there. We came to Afghanistan for one reason, and we stayed in Afghanistan for one reason, to be ensure there was not another 9/11.

So, I've -- I argued that with the relatively small force bubble and commitment of resources compared to what we had already put into it, that's not a bad insurance policy against another attack on the American home (inaudible).

So, I think the president made a major strategic mistake by ordering this full withdrawal. Granted President Trump set it up, but it was President Biden who embraced the Trump policy and executed it. I worry very much on how this is going to play out in the future. It's not just Taliban and Al Qaeda that are emboldened. I think it is radical Islamic forces throughout the region and beyond.

This is a huge victory for the Taliban, if you will. They get to say, clad only in the armor of the one true face we vanquished the infidels. So, look for trouble in Pakistan right next door. That's 220 million people with nuclear weapons.

Look for trouble around the region. The Chinese are, in fact, not sitting dumb, fat and happy. They are worried very much about the effect this is going to have on their own Muslim population. So, strategic --

[17:25:00]

ACOSTA: And what about the president's message? You heard him -- you heard him answer some of these critiques. I know you probably listened to the president. You heard him answer some of these critiques during his remarks and he made the point at one juncture during his remarks where he said that -- that this emboldens China, this emboldens Russia. This is exactly what the Russians and the Chinese want for the United Sates to be committed to Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.

CROCKER: I failed to see how a minimal number of U.S. forces on the ground, cut down to 2,500, which was considerably too low in my view, how that represented a great quagmire in the eyes of the Chinese, the Russians or anyone else that was --

ACOSTA: Let me ask you about that. If I may just jump in, 2,500 U.S. forces, you were saying that that was perhaps, I guess, sufficient to hold Afghanistan and keep it from descending into chaos. Were 2,500 U.S. troops going to be sufficient to keep the Taliban out of Kabul indefinitely? Probably not, right? You would have to bring in more U.S. forces.

CROCKER: Listen, Jim, come on. Get real.

ACOSTA: What do you mean, get real?

CROCKER: Hey --

ACOSTA: Can you answer the question? Would 2,500 U.S. troops be enough to keep the Taliban out of Kabul? Long term?

CROCKER: The only thing that changed from a Taliban who held no provincial capitals to a Taliban that held 34 of them was our decision to withdraw. It pulled the keystone right out of the arch and it all came down. Our forces have not been engaged in direct combat, if you are keeping track of this, for several years now.

We were helping them with logistics, with air support, med-evacs, things like that, that gave -- enhanced their capabilities. They are the ones, the Afghan Security Forces, they are the ones who were taking casualties, not us. So back to -- for that kind of investment, that was a pretty cheap insurance policy against another 9/11.

ACOSTA: All right, former ambassador Ryan Crocker. We understand your position there. Thanks for coming on. I appreciate it.

And up next, in one Tennessee county, 21 people are dead and 45 people are missing after catastrophic flooding. Details are next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

ACOSTA: And we're following breaking news out of Tennessee where 21 people are dead and 45 others are missing including children after catastrophic flooding in Humphreys County, about an hour from Nashville. Just look at the devastation on your screen. Cars piled on top of one another. Homes destroyed.

The National Weather Service reports 17 inches of rainfall yesterday. Possibly shattering a record dating back to 1982. And joining us now on the phone is Steve Smith. He's a director -- program director and storm spotter for WZYP, a radio station in Huntsville, Alabama.

Steve, you captured some of these devastating images that we saw. What else are you seeing? This looks like just a very severely hard hit disaster area after these heavy rains came through.

STEVE SMITH, PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND STORM SPOTTER, WZYP (via telephone): It really is, Jim. Thanks for having me on. I woke up yesterday morning seeing the flooding going on there so I drove up there. I like to document that information and, you know, relay it to the National Weather Service and show other people what's happening in these areas.

I thought I'd see normal flash flooding. You know, you see a little bit of water in businesses or maybe covering a road. It was nothing like that at all reminiscent of hurricane or tornado damage, you know, you are seeing it on CNN right now. The water came through with such strength, you know. Cars flipped over. Cars pushed into homes and businesses. Asphalt removed from pavement and bridges and roads washed out. It's just an incredible scene. Devastating.

ACOSTA: Yes, Steve, I have to think that. I mean, to see cars tossed around like that and sheds and that sort of thing, I would have to imagine, Steve, that much of this area was completely under water for all of that to move around in that fashion. Just extraordinary.

SMITH (via telephone): Yes, it really was. And Trace Creek is the name of the creek that goes through this town, Waverly, which you're seeing in footage of. And obviously, the area right around the creek was devastated but it went so much further. It went up the street into a grocery store and a dollar general and numerous places got hit. Homes, businesses.

It's just everywhere and so widespread and so many neighborhoods. I kept driving through thinking, well, maybe it didn't go over here. But sure enough it did. It's just everywhere in this small town.

ACOSTA: And you talked to a woman who was on her roof as the floodwaters surrounded her home. What did she tell you, and what else are you hearing?

SMITH: Yes. One of the first people there. Her name is Casey Hipshire from McEwen. And she was telling me the story of her house used to be where we were standing and talking, but it was pushed down the creek over there. Around 6:00 in the morning or so, floodwaters came in. And then she lives across from a logging facility and one of the big trailers from over there floated down the creek, pushed her home, I believe, into a tree.

It was able to, you know, stop the tree or stop the home from floating. She climbed up on top until the water came down and her and her son and family are okay. Obviously devastated. No home at this point, but my radio station in Huntsville, 104.3 ZYP, we're collecting items this week to take up to Casey and all the folks in the Waverly and McEwen areas.

[17:35:00]

ACOSTA: And we're learning that children are among the missing? What can you tell us about that?

SMITH: I don't have many details about that. A matter of fact, I just heard you announce the death toll had gone up just a little bit. It was 10 as of yesterday evening. And unfortunately, every time I see a new update, it's gone up just a bit. But I can tell you from being there and walking around the scene and these small towns in Tennessee, I don't doubt at all.

And this just came at a horrible time, too, because it was early Saturday morning. I suspect most people were still asleep. It was still dark at that point. And that's how they woke up. And just very sad. Imagine what that was like.

ACOSTA: Just a devastating situation there on the ground in Waverly, Tennessee. Steve Smith with WZYP. Thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it. And thanks for all that great work. We'll talk to you again soon. Thank you.

Up next, for the first time since March, the United States is averaging a thousand deaths a day. What can be done to change this grim trajectory? You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

ACOSTA: A grim new figure in the coronavirus pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins, the United States is averaging 1,000 deaths a day for the first time since March. In addition, CDC data shows roughly 30 percent of Americans who were eligible to receive the vaccine still aren't vaccinated.

I want to bring in CNN medical analyst and professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Dr. Reiner, a thousand deaths a day? How did we get back to this point and did you think we'd be back here despite all of these vaccines being available?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, we got back to this point for two reasons. A more contagious, more aggressive variant came upon the United States. That's the delta variant. And we have inadequately vaccinated our population.

You know, you asked in the tease before the break about, you know, what could we do, you know, to get past that? And the answer is both hard and simple. You know, the simple part of that answer is we need to vaccinate more Americans. We have fully vaccinated 51 percent of this country. Canada has fully vaccinated 67 percent.

The Canadians have a daily rate per capita of about 2 cases per 100,000 population. We have 27 per 100,000 population. The magic number appears to be somewhere between 65 percent and 70 percent fully vaccinated. That's where you really get a dramatic decrease in transmission. We have a long way to go. I'm hoping that anticipated FDA approval will maybe boost this a bit.

ACOSTA: And we got the news overnight that conservative radio host Phil Valentine had passed away from COVID. He had downplayed the vaccine and then he changed his mind on all of this after he got seriously ill. His family said his hope had been to get back on the air and be more vehemently pro vaccine but he never got that chance. Obviously, you know, it's just awful that he passed away. What is your reaction to that? It's just such a terrible price to pay.

REINER: Yes, I was very sorry to see that. About six, seven months ago he said on his show that, first of all, he thought it was very unlikely that he could get the coronavirus. And then obviously was sadly very, very wrong.

And that he thought that even if he got it, he was healthy. He really should have no problem beating it. But he was 61 years old and he was in an at-risk group. And what I'm saying now is that if you are unvaccinated now, you will get the coronavirus. It's just a matter of time.

And if you are in an older age group, the way Mr. Valentine was, you are at a substantial risk of dying. So, I was very sorry to see him die, but it's -- not terribly surprising.

ACOSTA: It's just so sad. And there was a moment from Trump's rally last night where he started talking about vaccines. Seemed to, you know, indicate his support for people getting vaccinated and then this happened. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. You got to do what you have to do. But I recommend take the vaccines. I did it. It's good. Take the vaccines. But you got -- no, that's okay. That's all right. You got your freedoms. But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know, okay?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Not exactly a profile in courage there from the former president. REINER: It's always the same with him. It's always the same. Remember

the famous, you know, we're recommending masks for everyone, but not for me. I just don't see it when I greet, you know, kings and queens and dictators. This is the -- and when you look at his response when the crowd booed him.

This is why he has never gone on full throttle in support of vaccinating his base because he knows they are reluctant and he doesn't want to alienate them. And he'd rather they die than alienate them. Really, a shameful, a pathetic, weak performance.

ACOSTA: Yes. There was an opportunity there to show real leadership and he just failed that test. I mean, there's just no other way around it.

[17:45:00]

And as you know, Dr. Reiner, sources tell CNN that full approval of the Pfizer vaccine could come tomorrow. How helpful would that be do you think in getting the vaccine hesitant out there to get their shots?

REINER: Well, we have data to suggest that it will be impactful. So, the most recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey of unvaccinated Americans shows that about a third of folks in this country who are currently unvaccinated are willing now to get vaccinated if the -- if and when the vaccine receives full approval. So, that will help, but we have a long way to go.

We have to vaccinate millions and millions of people in this country who have shown a very strong resistance, despite, you know, well over 600,000 deaths in this country. They've shown a very tough resistance to accepting what others in this country have done and have been refusing to vaccinate.

But about a third of the hesitant, I think, can be swayed. The rest maybe can be prodded with vaccine mandates, which I think full approval will open the gates. I think you'll see companies and businesses and restaurants, I hope, all over the United States now mandate vaccines once it appears that there will be no legal impediment to doing that. So, perhaps this is what we've been waiting for.

ACOSTA: That would certainly help. All right, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, appreciate the straight talk as always. Great to see you. Thanks so much.

REINER: My pleasure, Jim.

ACOSTA: And now, here's CNN Christine Romans with this week's "Before the Bell."

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. The speed of the U.S. economic recovery has been record breaking. Now, the Federal Reserve is debating what comes next. When the pandemic hit, the Fed started buying $120 billion worth of bonds every month to prop up the economy, but it could soon begin dialing back those purchases.

Investors hope the Fed will provide clues about the timeline this week at its annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The economic picture has clouded recently as the delta variant spreads. August consumer sentiment crashed below early pandemic levels and retail sales fell more than expected in July.

Investors are watching closely. Many analysts think the stock market is way past due for a pullback. Last week, the S&P 500 hit a milestone. It became the fastest bull market since World War II to double. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

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[17:50:00]

ACOSTA: The images out of Afghanistan show the utter desperation as thousands try to escape the Taliban, but for one pregnant Afghan woman, there was no time to wait. She went into labor on board a U.S. military evacuation flight. CNN's Atika Shubert has that incredible story.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When we were on the Ramstein Air Base yesterday and we saw some of those first few flights coming in, the arrivals, and it's such a mix of emotions. People are exhausted, tired, but also relieved. But for one particular family, there was some very good news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT (voice-over): An image of hope amid the chaos, a baby girl born in the cargo bay of a U.S. Air Force C-17 carrying Afghan evacuees. As the plane landed at Ramstein Air Base, the 86th Medical Group rushed in to safely deliver her.

Ramstein Air Base in Germany has become the latest hub for evacuation flights out of Afghanistan. CNN filmed as some of the first flights arrived. More than 6,000 have been evacuated here with 17 flights landing in 24 hours, air base officials say, and more to come.

Here there is safety, basic shelter, food and water, but it is only a temporary measure. Many here do not know where they will go next or how. But for the moment, there is relief and reason to celebrate new life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT (on camera): The capacity at the air base is 7,500. And even though flights are not coming in on Sunday evening, they are expected to continue Monday morning. So, it is filling up fast and it's still not clear where evacuees will go to next. Atika Shubert, CNN, at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

ACOSTA: That is an incredible story. Those members of the military helped bring a new baby into the world, a baby who would have most definitely had a much different life if born in Kabul today. If you want to criticize how this whole crisis in Afghanistan was handled, fine. But the U.S. military is out there representing the best in humanity right now, offering kindness to people in the toughest of circumstances.

And in spite of the hateful rhetoric that is being spewed by some of on the right, right now, this story about the baby that was born brings to mind something I was talking about on this show yesterday. I mentioned a tweet from a Trump propagandist who was mocking the images of cargo planes filled with Afghan evacuees and said, "Raise your hand if you want this plane landing in your town."

Well, as we just heard, the men and women of the United States military are raising their hands. They brought a new baby into the world because of the kindness of their hearts. And they are heroes because of it. And they'll do this countless more times over the next several days whether it's in Germany or Qatar or the United States of America.

[17:55:00]

Because they haven't forgotten the age old lessons of showing kindness to those in need as well as this nation's long and proud history, neatly captured in the words enshrined on the Statue of Liberty not far from where I am sitting here in New York. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. And we are all the better for it, including that little baby born in the care of U.S. military forces.0

That's the news. Reporting from New York, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here next Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Pamela Brown takes over the "CNN Newsroom" live after a quick break. Good night.

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[17:59:59]