you think about the young man who went and shot up the people in the asian spa in atlanta, they took him alive. and then, my lord, not too far from here in bacari's home state this young white boy named dylan roof went and shot up the whole church and literally, they chased him across state lines into north carolina, and they not only took him alive, but they took him to burger king to get a burger and a fry. but andrew brown they shoot him in the back. and we're going to see the video to know what they're trying to hide from all y'all. because the truth can't hide forever, and a lie cannot live forever. >> i gave you all an signment. i wanted to follow through. i've got joe manchin's number right here, it's 202-224-3954. >> one more time. >> 202-224-3954. call his office and tell him we're tired of black folk dying. and then kyrsten sinema's number is 202 -- >> the number one more time for joe manchin. >> 202-224-3954. and kyrsten sinema is 202-224-4521. just call the office and tell them how you feel. let me turn it over to harry. he has an update for you. >> so let me be clear. we

. >> and, kate, the president will continue to make that case today as he heads to atlanta where he's holding a drive in rally. one other thing we heard from the president yesterday he is was framing the issues including the trillions of dollars in spending as matters of domestic importance and also in terms of national security. and the global competition between democracies and awe to beingcies. i spent time with the national security adviser jake sullivan what they've been telling me is this is something that president biden is framing. it is something he sees as central to the mission as president of the united states. he believes that the united states and the world really are at an inflection point and history will judge the united states as well as his presidency over how he is able to answer this question of can democracy work in the 21st century and compete with these autocracies? it is something that is on his mind. he brings it up in all kinds of meetings whether it is talking to the team of nasa engineers or if he is talking about car batteries, electronic vehicle batterie

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here, in the united states, canada and around the world, i'm kim brunhuber. this is "cnn newsroom." nope ♪ ♪ >>> in just a few hours a new witness is expected to testify in the trial of derek chauvin, the former police officer accused of killing george floyd last summer. the court got a glimpse of new videos on day three of the trial showing floyd's deadly encounter with police and witnesses expressed how helpless they felt as they stood and watched floyd die. cnn's sara sidner has details from minneapolis. >> reporter: on the third day of testimony we heard no doubt the most powerful, emotional and poignant testimony from a 61-year-old man who normally walks the neighborhood. he began with kind of a funny anecdote that he was just being nosy when he heard the commotion outside of cup foods, but then he breaks down in uncontrolled sobs as he watches what happens between george floyd and the police officers. 61-year-old eyewitness charles mcmillen took the stand breaking down in sobs after prosecutors played

and live from cnn world headquarters here in atlanta, i'm michael holmes. this is "cnn newsroom." >>> and our top story this hour, an influential covid-19 model warns americans not to put their masks away yet, as cases surge in michigan. let's have a look at that spike there. you can see it at the right of the graph. the state reporting nearly 7,000 new cases on saturday. the federal government sending 160 extra vags nayccinators to get shots into arms. some hospitals there are delaying nonemergency procedures on a case by case basis because they're getting full. officials calling it a last resort. medical experts say pandemic fatigue combined with the spread of coronavirus variants are behind the surge in michigan. cnn's evan mcmorris-santoro with more. >> reporter: even if vaccination rates rise in places like new york, where i'm standing, there's still a concern that america is in the grip of this pandemic, especially in the state of michigan, where the viral numbers are rising at a dangerous and scary rate. >> the second we let our guard down, it comes

since the atlanta area spa shootings on march 16th, there have been at least 50 mass shootings reported in the united states. >> when you see people getting killed, i mean, in this last month it's just been horrifying what's happened. how can you say that's not a public health issue? >> reporter: what also has health professionals and public officials worried is the idea of americans simply accepting this kind of mass gun violence. >> we must guard against resignation or even despair. the assumption that this is simply how it must be and that we might as well set used to it. >> reporter: president biden has in recent weeks announced some executive actions on gun control, including a measure to eliminate kits that people can buy to build untraceable guns at home. the president also wants to ban assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines and establish stricter background checks for gun purchases, but despite all the mass shootings just since president biden has been in office there's little appetite among republicans and even some moderate democrats in congress to pass stricter gun

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here in the united states, canada and around the world, i'm kim brunhuber. this is "cnn newsroom. " the future of the johnson & johnson coronavirus vaccine in the u.s. could be decided in the coming hours. vaccine advisers to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention will discuss how to move forward with the one-dose shot. now, this comes after a handful of rare blood clot cases were reported. the nation's top infectious disease expert dr. anthony fauci says he expects u.s. regulators to follow europe's lead and allow the shot to be used, but with a warning or restriction. cnn's chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta also weighed in. >> it's rare. it's still rare, you know. maybe there is a couple more people who develop this, but not significant numbers. i don't know what they're going to sort of recommend tomorrow as part of this advisory committee. it is likely if you look at what happened in europe, europe medicine association, agency, they basically said we're going to put a caution with t

i'm robyn curnow live from atlanta. now, the 93rd annual academy awards is set to air on sunday. hollywood's big night will look different this year due to the ongoing pandemic. so with that in mind let's see what we can expect. the oscars will be staged at union station in los angeles. that red carpet will be closed to most media. and the backstage interview room will be virtual. the films with the most oscar buzz this year include "ma rainey's black bottom" with the late chadwick bozeman nominated for best lead actor. he of course passed away from cancer last year at the age of 43. >> what a beautiful family. glad you're here. >> "minari" is another film with plenty of oscar buzz. it depicts a family of south korean immigrants who move to arkansas and start a farm. "minari" was inspired by the real-life story of its director, lee isaac chung. and "nomadland" is another big film to keep an eye on. "nomadland" is nominated for six academy awards including best picture, best director and also best lead actress for frances mcdormand. and while "nomadland" is considered an oscar fro

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here, in the united states, canada, and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. this is cnn "newsroom. " >>> we begin with signs that the coronavirus vaccine supply in the u.s. may, soon, outstrip demand. according to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention, more than 93 million people have been fully vaccinated. over the past few weeks, average daily vaccination rates have started to fall. cnn's polo sandoval takes a look at what might be behind the drop. >> reporter: as johnson & johnson's covid-19 vaccine is cleared to go into arms again, a slight but ongoing drop in overall shots being administered a day. that average number, according to the cdc, dipped below 3 million this week. the biden administration attributing it to vaccine hesitancy. it's a trend that the university of washington's health institutes. >> facebook runs a survey every day and we look at that day that on a daily basis. and that's shown that vaccine confidence, in the u.s., has been slowly but steadily going down, since february

. >> three shootings atlanta area spas where at least seven people have been killed. >> breaking overnight, another mass shoot manage the u.s. >> at least eight people were killed at a fed ex warehouse near the airport in indianapolis. >> i think it's difficult to not be numb. the numbers are so huge, it's almost unimaginable. >> reporter: almost unimaginable, and yet increasinglily predictable. >> on average, probably at least 20 times the likelihood that someone in the united states will die of a gun death than people in other developed countries. >> reporter: it's not just mass shooting events, which are only a small fraction of gun-related deaths in the u.s. in 2019, more than 60% were suicides. and every day an average of over 300 people are injured by a firearm, according to researchers at penn and columbia. our gun violence epidemic is a uniquely american problem. but the firearm holds a different place in our american mythology and history than it does in any other country. and we have to be able to hold up both of those things as true. >> reporter: which is why in a nation that no

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here in the united states, canada and around the world, i'm kim brunhuber, this is "cnn newsroom." ♪ >>> joe biden calls it the american families plan, a sweeping multi-billion dollar agenda meant to help with things like child care, preschool education, paid family leave and free community college. he outlined his vision last night in a address to joint members of congress. they say no one making $400,000 a year will see their taxes go up and says investing now in america's future will create millions of new jobs and trillions in economic growth. biden delivered his speech with two women sitting behind him, a historic first. vice president kamala harris and house speaker nancy pelosi became the first women to lead both the senate and the house during a presidential address to congress and president biden didn't let it pass unnoticed. >> madam speaker, madam vice president. no president has ever said those words from this podium. no president has ever said those words and it's about time. >> biden also comme

>>> live from cnn world headquarters here in atlanta i'm michael holmes. you're watching cnn newsroom. it doesn't happen often but we're getting good news in the fight against covid-19. all about the numbers you want to hear coming up. >>> also, they're doing what was once unthinkable. dr. sanjay gupta's behind-the-scenes tour of the pfizer labs. >>> also -- >> we're fitting on a box of dynamite a powder keg that could easily explode. >> the latest on the crisis at the border. an inside look at what officials are facing. >>> welcome. easter sunday once again being celebrated during the coronavirus pandemic but this year is different with record boosts to vaccinations giving hope that normalcy is at least within reach. the u.s. on saturday reporting more than 4 million doses given a new daily record. that brings the seven-day vaccination average above the 3 million mark for the first time ever. nearly a third of all americans have now had at least one vaccine dose. that progress does not mean the threat is over, however. cases are headed in the wrong direct

mlb has said they'll continue to invest in local organizes in atlanta as part of the all-star legacy broke as originally planned. natasha chen, cnn, cobb county, georgia. >> so georgia's new restrictive voting laws have many up in arms, but it's far from the only state considering some type of changes. the brennen center for justice is tracking voting measures right across the country. it finds that 47 states have legislation in the works that would restrict voter access in some way. texas, georgia and arizona lead in the number of proposals. cnn's diane gallagher has the details on those new bills. >> reporter: the texas state senate sent a sweeping election bill over to the house that could change the way people in the lone star state vote. >> we want a system where it's easy to vote and hard to cheat. >> reporter: senate bill 7 seems to target voting in the recent democratic strong hold of harris county, home to houston, one of the country's most diverse cities. and democrats say that it will make it harder for people of color to vote. >> every minority member of the texas senate,

a warning from atlanta's mayor and defiance from georgia's governor, amid concerns of fallout from the state's new-voting law. >>> plus, egypt's ancient-royal mummies parade through the streets of cairo, making their way to their new home. >>> coronavirus vaccinations in the u.s., reaching new heights. boosting hopes that an end to the pandemic could be within reach. the u.s., on saturday, reporting more than 4 million doses given. a new-daily record. that brings the seven-day vaccination average above the 3-million mark, for the first time, ever. more than 161-million doses have been administered, so far, in the u.s. but that progress does not mean the threat is over. several states are seeing some worrying numbers of new infections. michigan, among the worst. seeing its highest day of infections, in nearly-four months. and experts worry, that might be a sign of what is to come. top infectious-disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, spoke with cnn, earlier. he says, now isn't the time for people to let their guards down. >> what we're seeing, after that big peak that we had, around the chr

that's according to a letter obtained by the "atlanta journal-constitution." this comes after coke publicly criticized georgia's new election law passed by the republican-controlled legislature. critics, of course, say the law unfairly restricts voting access, particularly to minorities. coke, as well as the atlanta-based delta airlines and more than a hundred other companies have publicly come out against the law. and major league baseball has pulled this year's all-star game from the state of course. the corporate fight against georgia's new election law got started when dozens of current and former black corporate executives joined forces to challenge the law and lawmakers. tony west is the chief legal officer at uber and one of those 72 black executives who signed a letter pledging to protect voter rights. he spoke to cnn about the responsibility corporate america has on the issue. >> well, look, i think, you know, american businesses have always made their voices heard in our democracy on all kinds of critical issues, right, whether it's tax policy or h1-

they can just pull out of atlanta immediately. you're going to see more and more of that. you're going to see this backing candidates. companies have the ability to influence and they're going to use it very aggressively. >> but you bring up mlb, that is an interesting case study. does it align with their strategy. looking at some of their statistics only 8% of their players are black and they show a majority of them are fans from your point of view. are they perhaps making a mistake down the road? >> i don't think they're making a mistake this time. the problem is threading that needle. i think in the long run it will be hard for anyone to say they're against people's right to vote. >> so a backlash here, boycotting baseball and all of the woke company that's are interfering with free and fair conditions. people saying we should fight cancel culture by canceling baseball. this is a gront front for them politically to fight on. this is what brian kemp said yesterday, listen to this. >> baseball caved to fear and lies from liberal activists. >> he has done a variation on th

atlanta's mayor feels that losing the all-star game may just be the binning of the backlash. the latest, here is natasha change. >> they say he caved to cancel culture and that president joe biden and stacey abrams have been lying to the american people about this law. skied about whether or not they had anything to do with the urgency or time line of this law? >> is the time on this is based on your belief that was there fraud. >> i realize that people have different opinions and beliefs about the 2020 election, but make no mistake there was issues that happened on the election like they do in every election. >> they also say that mlb should have come to him with specific complaints about the bill and that he would welcome questions about the specifics. so we asked about things like banning mobile voting centers, specifying the number of drop boxes and locations. he chalked up a lot of that to improved election security. now you have proathletes and politicians chiming in seeing they support the decision here and whether or not you support o oppose it it is local businesses

look was the scene at atlanta's airport on easter sunday among a record-setting travel weekend during the pandemic. the cdc updated its travel guidance on friday but it seems not everyone got the message. >> the cdc says if you have the s vaccine, it's safe to travel but asking you not to travel that much. did that factor in the decisions you made? >> can i say not too much. not too much. i mean, we'll be vaccined. we're scheduled. i guess it will alleviate some worries for us. >> there are many americans paying attention to the warnings and they're making the return to public life slowly and hopefully safely. and, of course, protected by a vaccination. here is natasa chen. >> on the second easter into the pandemic, more signs of hope. as a resurrection of life compared to a year ago. >> we share the symbolism with pope francis. he said getting vaccinated is a moral obligation. it can safe your life and the lives of others. >> reporter: the u.s. is administering 3 million covid vaccines administered every day. a source familiar with the company's vaccine manufacturing process said it'

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers in the united states, canada and right around the world. i'm paula newton and this is "cnn newsroom." ♪ so in just a few hours court resumes for derek chauvin's trial, the former police officer accused of killing george floyd. an expert police witness is expected to be back on the stand. on tuesday an officer who trained chauvin testified that he did not use a proper neck restraint when holding floyd down. cnn's omar jimenez has more from minneapolis. >> what is proportional force? >> well, you want to use the least amount of force necessary to meet your objectives. >> reporter: more than 20 witnesses have been called in the trial for derek chauvin, many of them officers. >> if you don't have a pulse on a person, you will immediately start cpr just because they're speaking doesn't mean they're breathing adequately. >> reporter: week two of testimony has largely focused on training. police lieutenant mercil is a use of force instructor with the training division at the minneapolis police department. >> sir, is this

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, i want to welcome all of our viewers in the united states, canada and around the world, i'm paula newton and this is "cnn newsroom." ♪ so we start with the murder trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin. the main witness on thursday, dr. martin tobin, a renowned expert in pulmonary critical care. he testified george floyd died from a lack of oxygen after being placed on the street on his stomach with handcuffs, a knee on his neck and a knee on his back. dr. tobin saying even a person without medical conditions would have died. cnn's sara sidner reports. >> reporter:. >> that's the moment the life goes out of his body. >> reporter: the prosecutor's expert medical witness did not hold back. >> mr. floyd died from a low level of oxygen and this caused damage to his brain that we see and it also caused a pea arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop. >> reporter: the renowned expert on breathing and lungs dr. tobin pointed to the officer's actions saying george floyd died because the officers created a scenario in which floyd's

imagine a two-hour train ride between atlanta and charlotte going at speeds of 220 miles an hour. and 2 1/2-hour trip between chicago and detroit. or faster and more regular trips between los angeles and las vegas. a route i imagine could be pretty popular on fridays. bill, as you've said, your vision for amtrak calls for a new inner city rail service. up to 160 previously unserved communities being connected. think of what it will mean for opportunities if we can connect milwaukee to green bay to madison. scranton and allentown to new york. indianapolis to louisville. and much, much more. it's going to provide jobs and also accommodate jobs. what this means is that towns and cities that have been in danger of being left out and left behind will be back in the game. it means families don't have to sacrifice the cost of living or quality of access to opportunity to sometimes only occurs if they live in a big city. we have a huge opportunity provide fast, safe, reliable, clean transportation in this country. and transit is part of the infrastructure. and like the rest of our infras

atlanta set to allow full capacity at two sports stadiums beginning may 7th. disney land is preparing for friday's grand reopening and new york city's mayor just announcing today the city will fully reopen on july 1st. but it's hard to feel too good about this, as we witness what is happening in india. the skyrocketing surge in new cases of covid there, is prompting the u.s. government to urge all americans in india to leave, as soon as possible, coronavirus is spreading so fast. yesterday india hit a new record of more than 3,600 deaths in one day. graphics, apocalyptic images coming in from new delhi that may be difficult to watch. it's important you see the reality, crematoriums are running out of space, forcing them to build makeshift funeral pyres in parks and other public areas. cnn's sam kylie is there. >> reporter: this is a crematorium where the dead have to join a queue. relatives or friends have a take tickets from an office to get access to the crematorium that's dealing with about 150 people a day, almost all of them victims of the covid pandemic,

this is the whole atlanta contingency right here for all of the shows. >> i know. i had to wish my fellow howard university brother the ultimate best and you'll be fantastic. continue to soar. >> thank you so much. thank you. >> and, christi, i'm here with you, arms locked always. >> yes, together always. >> have a great day. >> you, too. >> that's what we say in atlanta, y'all. >>> all right, the "cnn newsroom" begins right now. thank you for joining me. i'm fredricka whitfield. we begin today with new warnings from the cdc as cases of the coronavirus are on the rise and michigan is now seeing the worst of it. the governor begging the white house for more vaccines to help stop the spread in her state. michigan leads the nation in cases with a positivity rate now of 18%, and there are new concerns this morning about the johnson & johnson vaccine. the cdc saying it is aware of a adverse side effects being reported in four states, dizziness, rapid breathing and sweating seem to be the most common complaints and now johnson & johnson shots in some states are being pul

charlotte, atlanta, raleigh, all of those cities having at some point pretty heavy rain today. we have tornado watches in effect across the southeast. some of the counties on the far west side will drop off after 3:00 p.m. eastern time. some of the eastern counties will not expire until 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight. there will be ongoing threats of hail especially in the origange areas here. you will notice what we call back building, storms piling up in some of the same places they already had them this morning. not only is that a concern for the strongest, severe thunderstorms but also potential for flooding. a lot of these areas, if you just keep getting rain over and over again, it's going to start to pond. the areas of biggest concerns are going to be southern alabama as well as southern georgia, where we could pick up widespread 2 to 4 inches, some spots 6 inches of rain. >> wow, that's a lot. allison chinchar, thank you very much. >>> a new report this week is raising serious concerns about the response to hurricane maria and how that impacted puerto rico. an investigation

the metro atlanta area is home to nearly 30 fortune 500 companies. we have a very large tourism industry in our state. and just as the legislatures and the governor made the decision to go forward with this bill, people are making decisions not to come to our state. and it is going to impact millions of georgians, employment, small businesses, corporations, and it's very unfortunate. >> so governor kemp and georgia republicans show no signs that they will be changing this law and at this point it looks like the law stands. does this mean outcry from citizens to sports leagues won't help repeal this law? >> they absolutely have an opportunity to change this law. so they have just ended the normal legislative session. they can go back into special session and make tweaks. they also have an opportunity to revisit this in january. and it's unfortunate, because there have been so many issues with our elections across the state. this was an opportunity to fix those things that have gone wrong. this was an opportunity to be a model for the rest of the count

the metro atlanta area is home to 35 fortune 500 companies. we have a very large tourism industry in our state. just as the legislators and governor made -- the legislators and governor made the decision to go forward with this bill, people are making decisions not to come to our state, and it is going to impact millions of georgians, employment, small businesses, our corporations and it's very unfortunate. >> and while the mayor said she may not necessary like the idea that georgia will lose millions of dollars with the all-star game pulling out, she does support what major league baseball has done. of course, we will continue to monitor the comments from the governor and bring you the very latest. >>> let's turn now to that deadly attack at the u.s. capitol. investigators are now working to learn more about the suspect who rammed into a police barricade outside the capitol building, hitting two officers. that suspect was shot and killed by police after getting out of his car, brandishing a knife. one officer survived the attack. but the othe

atlanta is also coke's hometown. the beverage company isn't alone in its displeasure with the law, more than a hundred companies are speaking out against restricting voter access to the polls. cnn's matt egan has more. >> reporter: ceos are speaking out ton republican efforts to restrict voting. the leaders of more than a hundred companies including target and uber issued a statement on friday, vowing to oppose legislation that would deny eligible voters the right to cast ballots. the ceos say that voting should be safe and accessible to all voters, and that a strong democracy is good for business. texas based american airlines says it strongly opposes a texas bill that would place new restrictions on voting. all this comes after some atlanta-based companies base boycott threats over their initial response to georgia's controversial voting restriction law. both coca-cola and delta have since escalated their criticism of that legislation with delta ceo ed -- calling it unacceptable, wrong and based on a line. after th

but before the pandemic, this stadium, the mercedes-benz stadium in atlanta, on any given sunday would have been filled with 70,000-plus fans sitting side by side, cheering, shoulder to shoulder. but those stands and this feel are empty. no longer a sports stadium, t now a mass vaccination side for

. >> natasha chen is in atlanta for us. how do other officials and georgia voters feel about this move? >> reporter: pamela, let's start with the people standing with governor kemp today at that press conference. he was flanked by both state and federal lawmakers applauding him for not wavering on this voting law, applauding him for denouncing what he calls this ka cancel culture that mlb intent to the left and pro-athletes and others congratulating mlb to relocate the all-star game. talking to people just walking past the park we heard from a neighbors who said he fully agrees with governor kemp and said it is unfortunate that the local businesses lose out on the revenue from this game. that particular issue of local businesses hurt shared by everyone but these couple of young voters told me they understand where mlb is coming from here. >> i think they made the right decision for them. just like i said it is disappointing that it affects local businesses, fans, people that would have come into the city and provided the ci

governor brian kemp speaking in atlanta after major league baseball announced it's moving the 2021 all star game out of g georgia in response to the new election law that critics say deliberately creates hurdles for minority voters. as state republicans take aggressive action to enact new laws that could make it tougher to vote, the commonwealth of virginia has taken bold steps in the opposite direction. in addition to passing its own version of the voting rights act, virginia's voter id law has been repealed, election day is a holiday, the state allows 45 days of no-excuse an sevbsentee voting and anyone with a driver's license will be automatically registered to vote. virginia attorney general mark herring joins me now to discuss this. let's talk about this new bill, this new law. virginia had record turnout in the 2020 general election and by all accounts a safe election. why are these changes necessary? >> well, here in virginia we are really sending a strong message about the importance of protecting the freedom to vote. voting is foundational to our democracy. while we're seeing

cnn's natasha chen is in atlanta where the holiday celebrations may prove to be a mixed blessing. >> reporter: there did seem to be a ring of more optimism compared to a year ago when a lot of churches were forced to go online for easter, and this church offering indoor socially distanced services with advanced reservations. people do feel like they are turning a corner with many people vaccinated, and they saw 40% of the people they would get during the prepandemic easter services. >> there are more signs of hope, and a rezer recollection of life compared to a year ago. >> we share the sentiments of pope francis that said getting vaccinated is a moral obligation, one that can save your life and the lives of others. >> the southwest now averaging more more than 3 million covid vaccines, even with the disguarding of the johnson & johnson doses. it can be made up in a few weeks. the federal government now directed johnson & johnson to takeover the manufacturing of its vaccine at the baltimore facility where the contamination occurred. some places, like mississippi are seeing what appea

data base claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo >>> atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms issued an executive order. she's directing city officials to implement several things focused on voter education, trying to counteract the newly imposed restrictions but there's really only so much that can be done now because it already is the law. what is does, key, limiting the use of ballot drop boxes, cutting down early voting hours, allowing state officials to overturn local election board decisions and makes it even a crime to give people water or food waiting in line to vote. well, lyft is one of a growing number of companies speaking out against laws that limit the ability to vote saying they are firmly opposed to any laws limiting voting by mail. reducing the number of days people can vote or pushing any other restrictions on access for eligible voters, particularly those disproportionately impacting black and brown communities. joining me is john zimmer, president of lyft. simply put, to make it clear for our viewers, does lyft oppose the new voti

but before the pandemic, this stadium, the mercedes-benz stadium in atlanta, on any given sunday would have been filled with 70,000-plus fans sitting side by side, cheering, shoulder to shoulder. but those stands and this feel are empty. no longer a sports stadium, t now a mass vaccination side for covid-19. what they're doing here and in maces like it across the country is key to getting us out of this devastating pandemic that has taken more than half a million american lives. despite that incredible loss of life, polls are showing about a third of americans are still hesitant or downright unwilling to get a covid-19 vaccine. the anti-vaccine movement has had a long history. before covid history we were invested in filming a documentary about vaccine hesitan hesitancy. now more than a year in the pandemic, we thought that was more important than ever for you to see. this is a cnn special report" the truth about vaccines." >>> measles is making a come back. >> the nations is in a public health emergency. >> this is the epicenter. >> akin to taking a pipe bomb and throwing it in a busy

six of them, asian women in the atlanta area spa shooting. ten people, including a police officer, killed at a supermarket in boulder. and now, eight people dead, at that fedex facility in indianapolis. >> we have an active shooter, currently, at fedex. they're reporting at least five people shot. >> multiple people shot at fedex. information only at this time only one shooter, gunshot wound to the head. he is down. >> eight people, dead, in atlanta. ten in boulder. eight more in indianapolis. 26 people dead. 26 american families, mourning loved ones who went to work, to the supermarket, never came back. >>> president joe biden frustrated. angry. calling gun violence in america, a national embarrassment. >> this has to end. it's a national embarrassment. it is a national embarrassment, what's going on. and it's not only these mass shootings that are occurring, every single day. every single day, there's a mass shooting in this -- in the united states, if you count all those who were killed out in the streets of our cities and our rural areas.

six of them asian women in the atlanta area spa shooting. ten people including a police officer killed at a super market in boulder and now eight people dead at that fedex facility in indianapolis. >> we have an active shooter at fedex. five people shot. >> they have an active shooter currently at fedex. >> multiple people shot at fedex at 8951. >> eight more in indianapolis, 26 people dead. 26 american families mourning loved ones who went to work to the super market and never came back. president joe biden frustrated and angry, calling gun violence in america a national embarrassment. >> this has to end. it is a national embarrassment. it is a national embarrassment is what's going on. it is not only these mass shootings that are occurring every single day. every single day there is a mass shooting in the united states, if you count all those who are killed out of the states of our cities in rural areas. it is a national embarrassment and must come to an end. the folks who own weapons and guns, they support universal background checks. maj

. >> understandable emotion there in atlanta, and we saw and heard similar things across the u.s. after the verdicts in the trial of derek chauvin. a jury on tuesday found the former minneapolis police officer guilty of all three charges against him, including murder in george floyd's death. after that, this group gathered at the georgia capitol next to a mural of floyd. earlier george floyd's brother and his family's attorney spoke with cnn's don lemon about their satisfaction with the verdict and the relief that they felt. >> oh, man, it was -- it was just so much of a relief, don. just constant nights of me just being up constantly getting three and four hours of sleep. but today i won't get that time to sleep because i'm going to stay up and celebrate because to me, this is a day of celebration. i'm happy, man. i'm really happy. >> i want to take you back to the courtroom if you will allow me because this verdict, as you know, was historic. what was it like for you to be there? >> oh, it was one of the times that i actually panicked. i was walking back and forth, pacing back a

live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here in the

major league baseball is moving the all-star game out of atlanta into denver. that is too much for mitch mcconnell. the hypocrisy as it always seems to be is off the charts here. and i'm going to explain. so make sure your sit down and watch, okay? facts first here. mr. mcconnell blasting corporations for taking a stand on voting rights. the same mitch mcconnell who, for years, has defended the first amendment right of corporations to hand over millions of dollars in political spending. remember citizens united? but now mitch mcconnell says this. >> i am not talking about political contributions. most of them contribute to both sides. they have political action committees. that's fine. it's legal. it's appropriate. i support that. i'm talking about taking a position on a highly incendiary issue like this and punishing a community or a state because you don't like a particular law they passed. i just think it's stupid. >> it's stupid. suddenly, corporations don't have first amendment rights after all? hmm? not many disagree with them. senator tim scott tweeting

the democrats didn't want the mlb to take this game away from atlanta. stacey abrams and senator warnock both said don't do it. it was the corporations saying this is inconsistent with our beliefs. it's the same thing with dr. seuss. it was the company and the family behind dr. seuss who removed the books. it wasn't democrats or joe biden, even though republicans are trying to make this a joe biden thing that he's the one cancelling or somehow democrats are the ones cancelling mlb and dr. seuss. >> that's an important point. a lot of this is just the outrage olympics is a distraction play by republicans to try to keep folks' eyes off the ball about underlying policy. we could have great big debates. the reason that the corporations are stepping up on an issue is this isn't a question of policy. this is about do you believe in democracy and making it easier or harder on folks to vote? we could see mcconnell believed all the years corporations should play a greater role in politics. he put his name on an fec complaint that went to the supreme court to get

. >> reporter: i'm amara walker in atlanta. the crackdown continues in miami beach after officials say spring break crowds were out of control. so as a result of the chaos and disorder the city of miami beach is now extending its state of emergency through easter weekend. that means by 7:00 p.m. all outdoor seating at restaurants and sidewalk cafÉs in the high impact zone must close. the high impact zone will be closed to people and cars from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 in the morning. the restrictions take effect thursday april 1st and go through sunday april 4th. >> reporter: i'm martin savidge in atlanta. georgia will soon start rolling back the state's remaining coronavirus restrictions. that's the result of a number of executive orders signed by governor brian kemp. many of those changes will go into effect next week. they include lifting the ban on large gatherings and cutting back a lot of the safety guidelines for businesses such as bars, retail stores and entertainment sites. this comes even as federal health officials warn of

. >> reporter: i'm nick valencia in atlanta. nascar superstar bubba wallace is speaking up and speaking out about covid-19 vaccine hesitancy. wallace who is black is partnering with the north carolina health system which calls vaccine hesitancy the biggest barrier to ending the pandemic. wallace played a major role in getting the confederate monuments flag removed from the sport of nascar, he hopes to play a big role in also getting people vaccinated. >> thanks to nick and our other correspondents for those updates. >>> in a blow to california moviegoers and concession workers 300 movie screens are fading to black for good. after struggling during the pandemic pacific theaters and arch light theaters will close their doors. many in hollywood mourning the the theater's closure on social media. the company thaungd it's employees, guests and members of the film industry for the years of support saying, quote, it has been an honor and flesh tour to serve you. >>> connecticut making a push to get students back in classrooms. the stat

. >> reporter: i'm lick valencia in atlanta. atlanta public schools says the district will hold its second dose covid vaccine event for all staff and contractors at mercedes-benz stadium. the district says they've secured enough of the two-dose pfizer vaccines for up to 8,000 staff and contractors of the district. meanwhile, the atlanta journal constitution reports that an employee vaccination event for the district scheduled for april 21st in which they had planned to use the j&j vaccine has been canceled. the event was canceled by the district after the u.s. cdc and fda recommended that the j&j vaccine be put on pause. >> reporter: i'm dan simon. the battle over so-called vaccine passports is intensifying with another republican governor coming out against them. the montana governor joins governors from the states of florida, texas and missouri who have preemptively banned them citing privacy concerns. no government entity has come up with a passport system yet and the white house says it's not trying to come up with a nationa

. >> reporter: i'm martin savidge in atlanta. u.s. customs and border protection officers in houston intercepted a shipment of counterfeit n95 masks with an estimated value of $350,000. the ship originated in china, was headed for new york when the phoney masks arrived officers found many had a logo from the national institute for occupational safety and health. but when officers checked with the trademark owner, they were told the shipment wasn't licensed. cbp says in the first three months of 2021 officers have seized 18 million counterfeit face masks. >> reporter: i'm stephanie elam in los angeles. universal studios hollywood is reopening today, but for now only to california residents. they're saying most of the rides will be available with some opening at a later date to comply with government restrictions. they're also working with health officials to make sure that they keep capacity controlled and also physical distancing and masks will be required throughout the park. guests can also expect to have their temperature taken upo

since the atlanta massacre march 16th. that's more than one per day. >> at the same time as this renewed conversation about gun violence fbi background checks for firearm purchases soaring in march. the fbi says about 4.7 million americans initiated a background check last month, that's a 36% increase over february. >>> police arresting a woman in ohio after possibly the worst april fools' joke you have ever heard. authorities say pamela cisco texted her sister that a man who had been fired from the manufacturing plant where she works returned with a gun and that they were all hiding. her sister then called police who scrambled to the scene and found no threat. cisco is charged with inducing panic and disrupting public service. >>> over a year after the death of breonna taylor kentucky lawmakers approving a bill that restricts but doesn't outlaw so-called no knock warrants. the louisville emt was killed by police after they executed a no knock warrant at her home breaking down the door in the middle of the night and exchan

. >> reporter: i'm jacqueline howard in atlanta. pregnant women with covid-19 face an increased risk of severe complications and even death. that's according to a new study published in the journal jam ma pediatrics. researchers look at more than 2,000 pregnant women this 18 countries, those who had covid-19 while pregnant were at a higher risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth and were 22 times more likely to die. this news comes one day after new data published in the new england journal of medicine saying that pfizer and moderna covid-19 vaccines do not appear to pose a serious risk during pregnancy, though more long-term studies are needed. >>> i'm pete muntean in washington. federal officials are considering an extension of the transportation mask mandate. it is set to expire in three weeks on may 11th. the tsa issued an order that everyone must wear a mask on planes, trains, buses, boats, also in transportation terminals and hubs back in february. the tsa says it's received about 2,000 reports of violators ever since, but it cann

. >> reporter: i'm martin savidge in atlanta. the georgia emergency management and homeland security agency or as we know it gma says it is closing its remaining covid-19 mass vaccination sites beginning next month. the eight locations will close may 21st including the metro atlanta location at the delta flight museum next to hartsfield-jackson international airport. gema says the reason for the shutdown is because the sites continue to see less and less demand. >> reporter: i'm alexandra field in new york city. for the first time some people will be able to go to their primary care doctor's office to get the covid vaccine. the vaccine is being rolled out at 40 different physicians offices across the city, that number will climb to 100 by the end of the week. it's part of a plan announced by governor andrew cuomo back in march to send about a million doses to physicians in order to try to target new yorkers who have been harder to reach. >> reporter: i'm ed lavandera in dallas. the houston methodist hospital system is mandating t

. >> reporter: i'm martin savidge in atlanta. the governor of tennessee says it's time for all covid restrictions in his state to end. governor lee says he's removing the authority of most tennessee county to impose mask mandates and is urging the few remaining large cities with mandates to lift them by the end of may. he says a widely available vaccine changes everything and as a result he claims covid-19 is no longer a health knowledge in tennessee. it should be noted per the cdc tennessee has one of the slowest vaccination rollouts in the country and is near the bottom when it comes to rankings for shots given. >> reporter: i'm brynn gingras in new york city. new york state is making a big step when it comes to vaccinations. the governor andrew cuomo announcing starting thursday state run mass vaccination sites will accept walk-ins, that means no longer having to go online to make an appointment to get your vaccination. the appointments are not necessary. this will be on a first come first served basis and it's for new yorkers

two of atlanta's professional sports teams, the braves and atlanta united say they're returning to pre-pandemic seating levels next month. starting may 7th the braves saying they will increase their fan capacity to 100%, about 41,000 seats when they play the philadelphia phillies. atlanta united are going to 100% of a typical soccer configuration at mercedes-benz stadium with a match against montreal. both teams went to 50% capacity last week. >> reporter: i'm jacqueline howard in atlanta. a new cdc study shows more evidence that the pfizer and moderna vaccines really do work. they cut the risk of being hospitalized for covid-19 in the real world among older adults. data showed that being fully vaccinated was tied to a 94% reduced risk of hospitalization and being partially vaccinated so only receiving the first dose of a vaccine was died to a 64% reduced risk of hospitalization. >> translator: i'm alexandra field in new york where governor andrew cuomo has announced the next step forwards easing restrictions. the state planning to lift the midnight curfew on restaurants and bars. that goes int

since the atlanta massacre on march 16th. an average of one per day. the governor signed a new law in iowa allowing people to carry guns in public without a permit and private sellers like websites, gun shows, and individuals will no longer have to run background checks. >>> a personal data of half a billion facebook users used by hackers. it includes full names, locations, birthdays, e-mails, addresses, phone numbers, and relationship statuses of people. facebook said the issue was fixed in 2019, the information could be a value to hackers and cyber criminals. >>> top seeded stanford holds off arizona to win the women's college national basketball for the first time in 29 years. andy sholes has this morning's bleacher report from indianapolis. the site of tonight's title game for the men. hey, andy. >> yeah. good morning. it had been quite the journey this season for stanford because the entire women's tournament was held there in texas and because of covid protocols in their home state of california. the stanford women's team spent a whopping 87 nigh

it was originally set to take place in atlanta but the league decided to move the game and draft in response to georgia's recently passed law that critics say make it harder to vote. major league baseball has not responded to cnn's request for comment. texas governor greg abbott holding his own boycott against major league baseball for moving the all-star game. the republican governor backing out of throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the rangers home opener yesterday. in a letter he sent to the rangers abbott wrote in part it is shameful that america's past time is not only being influenced by partisan politics -- political politics, but also perpetuating false political narratives. now, at that rangers home opener they had more than 38,000 fans in the stands, this is the first u.s. sporting event to allow 100% capacity since the pandemic started. no other major league baseball team is allowing more than 50% capacity attendance at this time. not a lot of mask wearing going on by people in their seats, laura. i spoke to someone who was at that game, she's fully vaccinated, but she said in