Good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that is resolved to never step foot on a houseboat with a senator.

I'm Jonathan Lemire on this Tuesday, August 3rd.

Let's start with the news.

And we'll begin with the Biden administration, which is finally reaching its goal of getting 70% of American adults at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

It's a milestone President Biden had hoped to reach a month ago.

As of yesterday, the CDC says more than 180.7 million people in the United States,

ages 18 or older, have received at least one shot. For those 12 years or older, less than 68%

have received at least one dose. But COVID cases across the country are still on the rise.

Hospitals in many areas are once again overwhelmed,

and health officials warn that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

NBC News correspondent Miguel Amalgare has more.

As the crisis deepens at hospitals and hotspots,

the numbers are staggering and sobering.

Surpassing last summer's average for new cases, our nation has again recorded over 100,000 infections in a single day.

The Delta variant filling ICU's and killing more Americans from week to week.

If you get sick with the Delta variant, we estimate that you could infect about five other

unvaccinated people, more than twice as many as the original strain.

Though it comes nearly a month after the president's Fourth of July goal, 70% of adults

are at least partially vaccinated. But every day, more

breakthrough infections are being reported. Senator Lindsey Graham, now in quarantine after announcing

his infection, says being fully vaccinated kept his COVID symptoms from being far worse.

Even with a high vaccine effectiveness,

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