The 11th Hour with Ali Velshi

Monday night saw President Biden head to California to stump for Gov. Gavin Newsom who is facing a recall vote. Washington will no doubt watch the vote carefully for any insight the results might provide about 2022 midterms and beyond. Ashley Parker, Lisa Lerer, Frank Figliuzzi, Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, Matthew Dowd, and Dr. Kavita Patel join to discuss that and much more.

President Biden urges unity, even as he defends his plan to increase vaccinations from Republican backlash. Virus transmission remains high and the CDC says that unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from Covid-19. And, compared to 20 years ago, Americans are far more divided and pessimistic about the country’s direction. Eugene Daniels, Peter Bergen, Jon Meacham, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia and Michael Beschloss all join.

A new vaccine mandate strengthened the vaccine requirements for federal workers and instructs businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccinations or regular testing. The plan already faces resistance from the right on the local and national level. Meanwhile, the U.S. Capitol prepares for a rally in support of 1-6 rioters and the Department of Justice sued Texas over the new abortion law. Yamiche Alcindor, Cynthia Alksne, Clint Watts, Dr. Irwin Redlener and Michael Moore all join.

President Biden went to New York and New Jersey to survey damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. He advocated for his infrastructure proposals to protect against future worsening natural disasters. But as the House and Senate return from the August recess, his main agenda items are facing challenges on Capitol Hill. And the delta variant continues to spread, with 95% of U.S. counties showing a high level of Covid-19 transmission. Phil Rucker, Eugene Robinson, A.B. Stoddard, Dr. Irwin Redlener, Susan Glasser and Peter Baker all join.

After the Supreme Court failed to block a controversial Texas law effectively banning abortions in that state, Democratic leaders including the president and the House Speaker are vowing to protect women's reproductive rights. The president is also calling for action on climate change citing the unprecedented deadly floods from the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and the raging wildfires in California. Joining the program are Shannon Pettypiece, Jeremy Bash, Jacob Ward, Neal Katyal, Cornell Belcher, Mark McKinnon, and Dr. Vin Gupta.

Trying to move on from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration faces a slew of issues including the push for voting rights, climate change, continued concerns for national security following the Capitol insurrection, the continued Covid pandemic and much more. We're joined by Yamiche Alcindor, Frank Figliuzzi, Joyce Vance, Joe Valiente, Eugene Robinson, Susan Del Percio, and Dr. Nahid Bhadelia.

In a speech to the nation, the president offered a strong defense of his Afghanistan withdrawal policy despite continued criticism from both sides of the aisle. Biden also again lauded the military in his remarks. We discuss that and much more with Ashley Parker, A.B. Stoddard, Ben Rhodes, Dr. Irwin Redlener, Juanita Tolliver, and Matthew Dowd.

The U.S. military has officially ended its 20-year mission in Afghanistan with the last troops having left just before August 31 according to officials. Plus, officials in hurricane-battered New Orleans warn that people there could be without power for over a week. We discuss that and much more with Ali Velshi, Peter Baker, Carol Leonnig, Tom Nichols, Craig Fugate, David Plouffe, Tim Miller, and Dr. Kavita Patel.

As a bonus for The 11th Hour listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of “Southlake,” a new, six-part original podcast series from NBC News that takes listeners inside a Texas suburb’s war over race and education. Follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to listen to the first two episodes now: https://link.chtbl.com/southlake_feed

U.S. drone strike targets "ISIS-K planner" after Biden vowed to "hunt down" the attackers in the Kabul bombing. Hurricane Ida is barreling toward Louisiana. And there are so many Covid deaths in Florida that some morgues are finding themselves strained. Courtney Kube, Eugene Daniels, Susan Page, Frank Figliuzzi, Michelle Grossman, Juanita Tolliver, and Matthew Dowd all join.