- [John] Tonight,

the White House announces a new strategy

to combat COVID-19.

- [Protesters] No more masks!

- [John] The focus on maskand vaccine requirements

a point of contention across America.

Plus, the latest on Afghanistan,

with some planes with Americans on board

now allowed to take off.

And,

(gunshots popping)

clear and present danger.

- [Interpreter] They told me

and the women standing around me

that they wanted to kill us all.

- [John] Women in Afghanistanfear for their lives

as the Taliban install a new government.

All this and more tonighton "Faith Nation."

(rhythmic music)

The White House issuessweeping new requirements

to combat the coronavirus.

Welcome to "Faith Nation."

I'm John Jessup.

We will get to our topstory in just a moment,

but first, movement onthat Texas heartbeat bill.

The Justice Departmentannouncing this afternoon

a lawsuit against the LoneStar State over the new law,

which effectively bans abortion statewide.

- SB8 bans nearly allabortions in the state

after six weeks of pregnancy,

before many women evenknow they are pregnant

and months before a pregnancy is viable.

It does so even in cases ofrape, sexual abuse, or incest.

The act is clearly unconstitutional

under long-standingSupreme Court precedent.

- [John] The lawsuit comesdays after President Biden

rather instructed the DOJto explore all actions

to challenge the Texas measure,

setting up what is sure to be a showdown

between the federal governmentand the Lone Star State.

Back to our top story.

President Biden announcednew executive orders

mandating COVID shotsfor all federal employees

and contractors with noexceptions, all in an effort

to stop the currentrising tide of COVID-19.

CBN's Brody Carter joins us with more

on the new federal mandates.

Brody.

- Well, John, in a boisterousmove of executive power,

President Biden announcing

a sweeping federal vaccine mandate

impacting as many as100 million Americans.

All employers with more than 100 workers

will require them to be vaccinated

and test for viruses every week.

It comes to 75% of Americanshave gotten at least one dose

of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Still, Americans are getting infected

at 10 times the rateneeded to end the pandemic.

Here's what the presidenthad to say earlier.

- Tonight, I'm using that same authority

to expand that to coverthose who work in hospitals,

home healthcare facilities,

and our other medical facilities,

a total of 17 million healthcare workers.

If you're seeking careat a health facility,

you should be able to know

that the people treatingyou are vaccinated.

- [Brody] The executive orders

requiring all federal employees

and federal contractors be vaccinated

affecting an estimatedfour million workers.

Meanwhile, recent numbers showa sharp increase in COVID,

with around 150,000 new cases daily

and 1,500 deaths each day.

While caseloads in the South are settling,

numbers are now rising in theGreat Plains and Northwest.

And a concerning statistic on children.

250,000 kids caughtCOVID in the last week.

There have been 470 total pediatric deaths

since the pandemic started.

As the Delta virus tightens its grip,

the Mu variant has now been identified

in almost all 50 states.

Today, the White Houseand the executive orders

are to protect the American people.

- And we expect federalemployees will have about 75 days

to be fully vaccinated.

That gives people more thanenough time, in our view,

to start and completetheir vaccination series.

If a federal worker fails to comply,

they will go throughthe standard HR process,

which includes counselingand face disciplinary action.

- Today, the presidentannounced six areas of focus

in an effort to mitigate the spread

of both Delta and Mu variants.

As the White House continues to push

to vaccinate the unvaccinated,

roughly 25% still needto get their first shot.

Now the second area of focusis furthering protections

for the vaccinated,including booster shots,

which could be approved asearly as the end of this month.

And the president is alsocalling for regular COVID testing

at all schools to keepeducated centers open safely

in addition to bolstering testing

and mask requirements for the nation.

And the president also putting precedence

on our economic recoverywhile improving the care

for those currently fighting COVID-19.

Now next up the presidentwill call for a global summit

to be held during the UN General Assembly,

that'll be later this month,

hopeful to boost vaccinesupply to the developing world.

John, back to you.

- All right, CBN's Brody Carter.

Thank you so much, Brody.

Well here with us now is Dr. Chris Winter.

He's a neurologist and book author.

Dr. Winter, thank you so much

for being with us today on "Faith Nation."

These new mandates, how much do they help

in the fight to end the COVID pandemic?

And is there, Dr. Winter,

a downside to the new requirements?

- Thanks for having me.

I'm not sure what's going to happen

with the new requirements interms of we'll have to see

how they work out.

I think they are reasonable measures.

As a physician who works in a hospital,

mandatory vaccinations arenothing new to our population.

We do it all the time in an effort

to keep those we work with

and the patients we take care of safe.

I'm very concerned as a doctorwho takes care of children

about not only their health,but trying to maintain

some semblance of normalcy in their lives

and keeping them in school.

It's just been very disappointing to me

the pushback against simple things

like mask wearing and vaccinations.

It's just surprising to me

that we're in this place right now.

And the numbers really don't lie.

They are starting to soarin places around the country

and I think we're going torepeat some of the things

that we've been throughalready unnecessarily.

- As a practicing physician, Dr. Winter,

I want to ask, have you hadthose tough conversations

with some patients who mightnot want to get the vaccine,

who are skeptical about the shots

and how quickly thatthey became available?

How do you walk them throughthese difficult decisions?

- Absolutely.

I mean, I think that thatconversation requires a belief

that the science that we'reproviding them is real.

And so that's where it sort of starts.

It starts also, numbertwo, with the conversation

that I've had both of my vaccines

and will happily take a booster.

When you look at the data

in terms of not only this vaccination,

but other vaccinationsthat are routinely given,

the safety outcomes are fantastic

when compared to the alternatives.

Even just the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

and the scare that was outthere about blood clots.

You know, if you compare those numbers

with the numbers of something like,

you know, a birth controlpill, they're not even close.

And sometimes, sittingdown and really exploring

what the magnitudes of these numbers mean

can really help patients orthe caregivers of patients

make educated and informed decisions.

- Dr. Winter, some people are weighing in

wondering why there isn'tmore emphasis on therapeutics.

Your thoughts on this?

- I don't know the answer to that.

I mean, I do think that,

in these times, tryingto figure out what works

and what doesn't is very important.

But then those kinds of messages get lost

with misinformation aboutdrugs like ivermectin,

which, you know, as Ilook through social media

and platforms that sort of propagate

that kind of information,it's very disappointing

the conversations that'sgoing on about that

where people are rushingto use a horse dewormer

but they're skepticalabout a drug or a vaccine

that's got a lot of science behind it.

So I do think that thetherapeutics are important,

but those things, we don'thave as much control over

as wearing a mask,practicing social distancing,

and getting a vaccine,

if it's appropriate for you to get one.

- Dr. Winter, we haveabout 30 seconds left.

I want to know, you know, it's 18 months

for those of us here in the United States,

into the pandemic.

What's it going to taketo overcome COVID-19?

Do we rely on medical science,

is it public health procedures,is it collective resolve,

or something more?

- I think it's everything.

I think it's open andhonest communications.

And I think that it really begins

with the conversations wehave within our own families,

within our own communities,and organizations,

and really just...

It's okay.

We don't need to shamepeople who are skeptical

or concerned about vaccines.

There's a lot of badinformation out there.

We just need to engage properly,

let people voice their concerns,

and hopefully have- Right.

- back and forths that canreally make a difference.

- Dr. Chris Winter, we are out of time,

so thank you so muchfor being with us today

and offering your insights.

- My pleasure. Good luck to everybody.

- Coming up, the plight of people

still trying to make theirway out of Afghanistan.

Why the Taliban is allowing some to flee

and keeping others in place.

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- Welcome back, andturning to the Middle East.

With the Kabul InternationalAirport once again operational,

more Americans managed tofly out of Afghanistan today.

The government confirming US citizens

were among the nearly200 foreigners who left.

CBN News National Security Correspondent

Caitlin Burke joins me now.

Caitlin, what more do we know

about the flight thattook off in Kabul today?

- So John, this is a pretty big deal.

It is a key step in negotiationsbetween the United States

and the new Afghan government.

We know that that flighthas safely landed in Doha.

Now the State Departmentsays that it has a list

of all the Americans whoare still in Afghanistan,

and basically they let everyone know,

hey, this flight is happening,

or excuse me, theydidn't let everyone know.

They said they had a list of 30 people.

They know some people arenot ready to leave yet.

So they contacted the peoplewho they felt had the best shot

at getting to the airportand getting on this flight.

So we had some Americans.

We had some lawful permanent residents.

Not every one of those 30 people said yes.

So we're not hearing an exact number,

but we know it was less than30 who were on that flight,

but more flights are expectedto continue like that one.

- Caitlin, we've beenhearing about charter planes

held up as well at anairport farther north

in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Any movement there?

- So according to the State Department,

as of right now, those planeshave not left the airport.

Now those are charter planes

that were chartered by GlennBeck's charity organization

and Beck, earlier thisweek, said that initially

the problem was the State Department.

He said that there was a holdup there

and then the Talibanwas alerted to the fact

that these planes weren'ttaking off and stepped in,

so everyone had to deplane.

Papers had to be given to the Taliban,

which you can imagine ifyou're an at-risk Afghan,

then that is terrifying.

So some of them actually fled the airport.

So as of now, the State Department says

they believe that everyone on the manifest

should be allowed to leave and, as I said,

that includes at-risk Afghans,that includes Americans,

it also includes lawfulpermanent residents.

And the State Departmentsays they're not the problem.

It's really in the Taliban's court.

The State Department also made sure to say

they appreciate all of the private efforts

to get people out and they are working

to better assist those.

- All right, some verygood information there.

CBN's Caitlin Burke, thankyou so much for being with us.

- Thanks, John.

- Well, this Saturdaymarks 20 years since 9/11,

and this week, pre-trial hearings

for those behind the attacks,

including the so-calledmastermind of the plan,

are underway.

A lawyer for one defendant

is highlighting the procedural delays

driving why the case has taken so long,

calling attention to evidenceobtained under torture

in CIA black sites.

- One of the most importantissues in the case

is how the torture of these men

is going to ultimately affect the trial.

And trials mean evidence,

and the destruction of evidence,

the intentional destruction of evidence,

takes away from the defense,and really the American people,

information about what actually happened.

- Sheikh Mohammed, known asKSM, a senior Al-Qaeda leader

considered to be thearchitect of the 9/11 attacks,

along with four others facea military commission trial.

The hearing this week isthe first under a new judge,

the seventh overall to oversee the case.

Well, here with us now is Bill Roggio,

senior fellow and editorfor the Foundation

of Defense of Democracies'Long War Journal.

Bill, thank you so much

for coming on "Faith Nation" tonight.

The hearings of KSM,- Obviously

(indistinct)- Khalid Sheik Mohammed,

and four others- There it is.

- involved- I hear him.

- in the 9/11 attacks.

It's been 20 years since those attacks.

- Yes, I hear him.- When will justice be served?

Bill, can you hear me?

- Yes.

- As I was saying, in 20years since the 9/11 attacks,

when will justice beserved as it regards KSM

and the four others involvedin the 9/11 attacks?

- It's certainly a great question,

and we have had 20 years of,

well, KSM's been in custodyfor well over 16 years now

and he still can't get to trial.

It's a mystery to me why

with the evidence that's been amassed,

with him being in detention,

why he can't be properly tried.

It's a complete travesty.

The entire Guantanamo process,

the military commission process

has been a mess from the start.

Whatever you think about Guantanamo,

it's quite clear, KSM's role,

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's role in 9/11,

and he should be beingprosecuted right now.

And yet this entire process is in limbo

and it's inexplicable.

- Well, we know that 20years ago this Saturday,

9/11 was the genesis for our invasion

in the war in Afghanistan.

The Taliban now taking over isallowing flights out of Kabul

and Americans were amongthe 200 or so people

evacuated today.

Bill, what about otherplanes full of refugees,

including planes stillgrounded in Mazar-i-Sharif?

- Yeah, that's the question.

You know, look, I think theTaliban is using the Americans

and the Afghans and otherswho want to leave the country

as a bargaining chip, ashostages, so to speak.

They'll let them out slowly.

The question is, are they beinggiven concessions for this?

The Taliban have said they'refree to leave and yet have,

I think it's been well over a week

since the last USsoldier left Afghanistan.

It's been 10 days now

and there are still American citizens

who want to leave thecountry are still there.

We can't say when.

I think the Taliban are keeping them there

to extract concessions.

They are essentiallyhostages to the Taliban

and their bargaining chips.

The Taliban wants things like people,

their members at Guantanamo freed.

They want to be, their leaderstaken off sanctions lists.

They want US money, thatis money in US banks

that belongs to the Afghangovernment transferred.

And I think they're gonna hold out

until they get some of what they want.

- I want to move to,

in the minute that wehave left, the Taliban.

It appears now stronger and well-funded,

perhaps even more sothan it was 20 years ago.

It of course providedterrorists safe haven

for Al-Qaeda's planningof the 9/11 attacks.

As we approach the 20thanniversary of those attacks, Bill,

how safe is the homeland?

- Well, homeland securitycertainly has improved,

but Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State,

they have bigger goals thanjust conducting terror attacks

here in the United States.

That is merely a tactic.

They seek to establishtheir global caliphate.

They want their global Islamic State,

and that's what they're working towards.

And the more we give them the time, space,

to execute their goals,

they have a state now in Afghanistan

and they've had one in Iraq and Syria,

and we've seen the consequencesof allowing them to do that.

The longer they have that,

the more dangerous it ishere in the United States

and Americans and our allies abroad.

- All right, Bill Roggio

with the Foundation forDefense of Democracies,

thank you so much for being with us

and thank you so much for your insights.

- Thank you.

- [John] Well coming up, a closer look

at what newly formedTaliban government means

for Afghan women right after the break.

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- Well, welcome back.

The Taliban is disbanding the ministry

that once championed women's rights,

replacing it with a department

notorious for carrying outhorrific human rights abuses,

the feared and hatedMinistry of Vice and Virtue,

as CBN's George Thomas reports.

(car engines rumbling)

- [George] Maryam, not her real name,

emerged after days ofhiding to withdraw money

from a bank in Kabul whenshe, along with dozens

of other women standing inline, were suddenly surrounded

by armed Taliban fighters.

- [Interpreter] They told me

and the women standing around me

that they wanted to kill us all.

- [George] In an exclusiveinterview with CBN News,

Maryam, a Christian convert from Islam,

told us she thought she was going to die.

- [Interpreter] They called us infidels,

that we weren't Islamic enough

and wanted to know whywe had left our homes

without our husbands.

(gunshots popping)

- [George] The Taliban firedtheir weapons into the air

to disperse the women.

- [Interpreter] God really protected us.

The owner of the bankquickly opened the doors

so we could rush in for safety.

- The frightening moment

happening shortly afterthe Taliban announced

their new government leaders.

Among them, by the way,four radical Islamists.

One served in Guantanamo Bayon terrorism related charges.

- This is a cabinet thatonly Al-Qaeda could love.

- [George] The new man tapped to run

Afghanistan's internalsecurity, Sirajuddin Haqqani,

is on the FBI's Most Wanted List

and comes from a familyaccused of killing Americans

and Afghan civilians.

- The Haqqani network isone of the most formidable

and murderous terroristnetworks in the world.

- [George] The FBI hasa $10 million reward

for information leadingto Haqqani's arrest.

- The FBI no longer needs towonder about his location.

He's gonna be helpingto govern from Kabul.

- [George] Secretary ofState Antony Blinken warning

that this new Taliban government

will have to earn its legitimacy.

- We understand theTaliban has presented this

as a caretaker cabinet.

We will judge it and them by its actions.

(protesters shouting)

- [George] On the streets ofKabul and other big cities,

protests and outrage againstthe new hard line government.

- [Interpreter] These aredark days in my country.

These are all dangerous people.

These are terrorists who are blacklisted.

- [George] Tawfiq, also aChristian convert from Islam,

told CBN News in an exclusiveinterview from Kabul

that neither the United States

nor any other foreign government

should give the Taliban legitimacy.

- [Interpreter] How can they?

The Taliban have crazy Islamic ideas

and don't believe in human rights.

- [George] The all-male leadership

also disbanded theMinistry of Women's Affairs

and reinstated the Ministryof Vice and Virtue,

one of the most fearedand hated departments

during the Taliban's last regime.

Its forces would regularly beat, stone,

and hang women in public.

- The Ministry of Vice andVirtue has a horrific history,

and some of the worstatrocities under Taliban rule

in the '90s can be tracedback to that ministry

and people associated with it.

They're the ones that were responsible

for putting women in soccer stadiums

and stoning them to death.

- [George] The Taliban has also

once again banned women's sports,

claiming that it goesagainst Islam's Sharia law.

- [Interpreter] Islamand the Islamic Emirate

do not allow women to play cricket

or play the kind of sportswhere they get exposed.

We will not ignore Islamic values

even if it causes opposition.

We will not leave our Islamic rules.

- [George] Maryam says the encounter

with the Taliban fighters atthe bank really shook her up.

She, along with 20 other Christians,

are crammed in a house in Kabul

hiding from the regime's fighters

and pondering their uncertain future.

- [Interpreter] I know that the Taliban

are strict Islamic believers,but I'm asking Christians

around the world to pray for the Taliban

that the Lord would touch their hearts

and, someday, they willknow the real Kingdom of God

and the real King of theworld, and that's Jesus.

- [George] George Thomas CBN News.

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- Finally tonight, high schoolers today

weren't alive during the 9/11 attacks,

but that's not stopping some of them

from remembering the day andpromising never to forget.

Dozens of students fromthe Olathe West High School

in Kansas placed nearly3,000 flags into the ground.

Each flag represents one of the lives lost

during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The students say theyappreciate the deep meaning

of the temporary memorial, adding that,

by remembering 9/11, they can also show

how much they valueall of the brave heroes

that keep us safe today.

What a great lesson.

Well, thank you so much forwatching "Faith Nation" tonight.

We hope to see you againright back here tomorrow.

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