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but that didn't happen, not at that scale. now the administration is scrambling to catch up with demand. president biden promised tuesday that half a billion free, at-home tests would be sent out to any americans who wanted one. but no contract has been signed yet to purchase the new tests. the white house says it's still working to finalize it. the website to sign up for them isn't running yet because the tests aren't ready yet. and it's also not clear how americans who don't have internet access can get one. so what he's promising to do may be too late to pull off before the variant further divides and conquers. when questioned this week about the lack of availability of tests nationwide with the pandemic worsening, president biden said this. >> if you go to the pharmacy, we hear this over and over again, empty shelves, no test kits. is that a failure? >> no, i don't think it's a failure. i think it's a -- you could argue that we should have known a year ago, six months ago, two months ago, a month ago. i've ordered half a billion of
for an estimated 732 million tests per month, a number that would require a major ramp-up of manufacturing capacity. but that didn't happen, not at that scale. now the administration is scrambling to catch up with demand. president biden promised tuesday that half a billion free, at-home tests would be sent out to any americans who wanted one. but no contract has been signed yet to purchase the new tests. the white house says it's still working to finalize it. the website to sign up for them isn't running yet because the tests aren't ready yet. and it's also not clear how americans who don't have internet access can get one. so what he's promising to do may be too late to pull off before the variant fully divides and conquers. when questioned this week about the lack of availability of tests nationwide with the pandemic worsening, president biden said this. >> if you go to the pharmacy, we hear this over and over again, empty shelves, no test kits. is that a failure? >> no, i don't think it's a
mike pence's vice presidential ambitions are greater than his fealty to the former president? >> i think he's been wanting to run for president for a long time. may have discussed the possibility back in 2012. pence was considering the best path to the presidency then. so ambition dies hard, and it's not easily quashed, so i think 2024 might well be mike pence's last and well chance. he'll be 65 years old and there are younger fresher faces coming along in the republican party, if you look at glenn youngkin and his victory in virginia. he may have to run against his former boss in donald trump. >> even if his former boss isn't running, given what he did on january 6th and going against the former president, you know, can he win in primaries? and i know you spoke to mike pence's former chief of staff about this idea of the former
covers the white house for the magazine and joins us now. it's a fascinating article that you have. what are the chances you think mike pence's vice presidential ambitions are greater than his fealty to the former president? >> i think he's been wanting to run for president for a long time. he is a mentor of dan quayle and they have discussed the possibility back in 2012. pence was considering the best path to the presidency then. so ambition dies hard, and it's not easily quashed, so i think 2024 might well be mike pence's last and best chance. he'll be 65 years old and there are younger fresher faces coming along in the republican party, if you look at glenn youngkin and his victory in virginia. if pence wants to fulfill this ambition, he may have to run against his former boss in donald trump. >> even if his former boss isn't running, given what he did on january 6th and going against the former president, you know,
we've discussed, it tends to go to the party out of power, yet we're seeing a lot of diversity, including by some of the republicans in the virginia context. >> right. the virginia attorney general race was also very diverse and won by a republican, so there was a lot of diversity on both sides. it's to be applauded and i think in a way, right, we're seeing how the quote unquote blue states even when they're won by a republican, that the values of diversity and inclusion and widening the pool, you know, that's being celebrated. even when you've got a guy like youngkin who maybe isn't running in concert with that. i also just have to add in new york, you know, our mayor, he's the new mayor. the first or the second mayor of color here. he also may be amongst the
>> it goes without saying how much i appreciate your current governor ralph north ram. got to keep virginia blue. then biden decides to go full cnn. he talks about trump the entire time. >> i ran against donald trump. and terry is running against an after he co-light of donald trump. trump, donald trump. is there a problem with trump being here? jesse: donald trump isn't running for governor of virginia, but that sleepily strategy, that's all he's got. then a funny thing happened, a we love trump chant broke out.
>> it goes without saying how much i appreciate your current governor ralph north ram. got to keep virginia blue. then biden decides to go full cnn. he talks about trump the entire time. >> i ran against donald trump. and terry is running against an after he co-light of donald trump. trump, donald trump. is there a problem with trump being here? jesse: donald trump isn't running for governor of virginia, but that sleepily strategy, that's all he's got. then a funny thing happened, a we love trump chant broke out.
>> it goes without saying how much i appreciate your current governor ralph north ram. got to keep virginia blue. then biden decides to go full cnn. he talks about trump the entire time. >> i ran against donald trump. and terry is running against an after he co-light of donald trump. trump, donald trump. is there a problem with trump being here? jesse: donald trump isn't running for governor of virginia, but that sleepily strategy, that's all he's got. then a funny thing happened, a we love trump chant broke out.
>> it goes without saying how much i appreciate your current governor ralph north ram. got to keep virginia blue. then biden decides to go full cnn. he talks about trump the entire time. >> i ran against donald trump. and terry is running against an after he co-light of donald trump. trump, donald trump. is there a problem with trump being here? jesse: donald trump isn't running for governor of virginia, but that sleepily strategy, that's all he's got. then a funny thing happened, a we love trump chant broke out.
out how to figure out how the machinery of washington works, in years three and four they had a better control. what made sense to me from what steve bannon was talking about is that they have feel lying they have a better plan of having government and the bureaucracy bend to donald trump's will if he actually ends up running. as you and i both know very well, donald trump isn't running for president in 2004 until he says he's running. >> no kidding on that one, mark. what is interesting -- it is funny, i have just been, as you know sort of talking with folks sort of in the orbit around that. there is this consensus, right, that like he might -- he said it himself -- i think most people would drop out if he runs. there is a consensus he could freeze the field until he says what he has decided one way or the another. and he is confident he would do well. do you think there is much to that, mark, that the field might be frozen?