i used to live in atlanta. i've flown through that airport thousands of times, literally, at this point in my life. you've got a lot of different terminals. you have a lot of people moving through those terminals and we are receiving video and watching it right now, you think about the panic that ensued subsequently after either hearing these gunshots or hearing to take cover. how do you handle a security situation like this? when you're in an airport? >> well, first officers on the ground, they've got to get control. they've got to get to the source of the shot. stop that. if it's just an accident, it's quickly stopped. make your announcements, get other officers there, make sure no one was hurt when they were rushing away. somebody get trampled or knocked down. but you know, it's strange to say, yasmin, but it's a good sign that people are reacting to a gunshot by getting away. quickly. they're not standing around to be curious. you know, it really is bad to be curious when you hear a shot. or an explosion. g

again, so this is metro atlanta, cherokee county, and atlanta proper. now, officials have not said whether they think these shootings at three places were connected, but police did note tonight that the shootings took place at three spas, three massage parlors, where the majority of the employees are asian. police say all four victims who were shot and killed at the second and third locations appeared to be asian women. now, police say they have not yet identified a suspect or a motive. but again, nbc's affiliate in atlanta is confirming just within the past few minutes that a suspect is in custody in connection with these crimes. it is important, of course, to note here as context that this news, this breaking news comes tonight at a time when hate crimes targeting asian-americans has skyrocketed, not just in the last year, but specifically within the past few weeks. that can't be far from our minds as we absorb this developing story out of atlanta. joining us now on the phone is nbc news's atlanta-based correspondent blayne alexander who is following

our victims -- in atlanta, they were all asian. in atlanta, they were two white and two asians. we will have to do forensics on the firearm. >> it was the only weapon you found? >> yes. no other weapons were located in the weapon. >> do you have a sense of how many times he shot, how much ammunition? >> i don't have that information. >> is there any reason to believe other similar businesses should be concerned today? is there still a threat? >> he was acting alone in my opinion. there's no indication anyone was working with him. we are confident that's not a problem. >> he said he was on his way to florida. you believe he would have engaged in additional acts of violence? >> he made a comment to that effect, that he was headed to florida and he was going to do similar acts in that state. >> the issue was he wanted to destroy what had been -- >> it sounds to me like -- these locations, he sees them as an outlet, something he shouldn't be doing, and an issue with porn and he was attempting to take out that temptation. >> he visited both of those indications? >> i'm unaware if he

what we've seen in atlanta are part of larger longer patterns of anti should violence. which dates back to at a chinese violence during the 1900 centuries the passage of the 875 page law that was directed at chinese banning chinese women but in practice ended up stereotyping all chinese women as prostitutes we continue to see banning japanese immigrants with the 924 immigration act and then in the late are the middle to late 20th century we see us imperialism in asia and the establishment of military camp towns in korea that condoned perpetuated sexual violence against korean women during the cold war and in other us wars in asia and so all of this history deeply informs what we saw happen in atlanta and why historians are calling for the fact that racism and sexism must be understood as part of the factors that contributed to this hate crime right so there is this kind of underlying see if you like of racism that's always there but crissy can erupt to be at any moment as we see there are particular moments we've seen at each asian violence that arise during great depre

massacres at three separate atlanta area spas. moments ago, officials there wrapping up a news conference. they said it's too early to say whether this is a hate crime. they said the suspect may have frequented these spas. the mayor said they believe the suspect was on his way to florida when they caught him. here is what we know at this hour. eight people were killed, six of the victims were asian women. the fbi is now involved. today, police departments across this country are taking steps to make sure the asian communities remain safe. >>> it's a busy hour on the hill. the government's top doctors are making a house call. they are testifying as we speak. in a few moments, the cdc director's stark warning about one of the covid variants ripping across the country. >>> right now, the secretary of homeland security is testifying before a house committee. his message so far about the increase of migrants crossing our southern border. all of that coming up. we start with that breaking news there in atlanta. police say the suspect, 2

this was a hearing scheduled before the massacre in atlanta. the committee says the last time there was a congressional hearing focused on anti-asian hate was in 1987, as far as they can tell. what are the overarching concerns you are hearing? what's come out of this hearing? >> reporter: the concern is more than about just education and awareness. it's about action steps. that's what we are hearing from lawmakers right now as they make some of the opening statements. that's what we expect to hear based on some of the testimony that we have gotten an early look at from daniel day kim as well as john yang from aajc, of course senator tammy duckworth as well. i want to play you sound we heard from congressman steve cohen. >> congress sees you, we stand with you. we will do everything in our power to protect you. any asian hate did not begin with the covid-19 pandemic and will not end when it is over. all the pandemic did was exacerbate prejudices that have a long and ugly history in america. it's an execution for some to act on those. >> reporter

she's there in atlanta. on top of the visit to the cdc, in a few hours president biden and vice president harris will speak to asian american leaders in georgia. jeff bennett, what more do we know about what the president and vice president's message is going to be to them? >> reporter: i'm told that they want to convey their support. this will be the first joint trip by the president and vice president. this visit had been scheduled as part of their so-called help is here tour to tout their $2 trillion -- nearly $2 trillion covid relief package. this trip was already on the books. it was understandably -- the focus was transformed in light of the shootings here in atlanta earlier this week. the bulk of the trip now, both the president and vice president will spend at emory university, meeting in private with asian american community advocates and elected leaders. they will hear them out. beyond that, the president will deliver remarks at around 4:00 p.m. eastern, in the 4:00 hour. i'm told the president and

with its deadliest phase of the pandemic and police charge a white gunman with killing 8 people in atlanta georgia 6 among them were women of asian descent. tanzania's president john mcafee has died at the age of 61 he hadn't been seen in public since february and there had been plenty of speculation about his health for vice president sami a son who hasn't announced his death on television a few hours ago. were citizens today on this date march 17th 2021 that 6 in the evening we lost our leader president of the republic of tanzania the honorable dr john pandey jaysus michael fullilove he parted this life from heart complications in hospital in dar es salaam. wonderfully was one of africa's most prominent covert 19 denying its effect he said last year tanzania had eradicated the disease through national prayer. looks back at his life. soon after taking office in 2015 president john palmer mughal fully made a name for himself across tanzania as a leader committed to fulfilling his promises of reform many people called him the bulldozer because of his no nonsense approach to fighting corrupt

enterprises, a company in atlanta. she was a bookkeeper, but soon caught the eye of her boss, billy corey. >> there were some people working there that weren't really doing their jobs, and she told him she could do their job and her job. i think he fired them and she did their job. >> it was back in the'80s when dani jo and diane first teamed up. best friends and confidants. dani jo was a cosmetologist with a front row seat to diane's brilliant career. >> she loved crunching numbers. and along with billy corey, i think she learned how to wheel and deal. >> she rose through the ranks. and with her boss'blessing became president of the company. hiring, firing, and calling the shots. >> she would say, i don't want to hear about the labor pains, just show me the baby. >> jay grover was a vice president at diane's company. >> when she started in business here in atlanta, there were not a ton of female executives. >> no. absolutely. and i think that's what -- one of the things that really set diane apart. i mean, she was a -

atlanta's new mayor will take the oath of office in just a few weeks. despite the gop's efforts to divide and exclude in the state democratic mayor-elect andre dickens says he wants to unite and collaborate. he joins me now from atlanta. good evening, mayor-elect dickens, and congratulations. as you know, national action network, my civil rights group has an office in atlanta and everybody there, reverend sailor and they've told me you were going to win, and you did so congratulations. as i mentioned, the georgia so-called election integrity act, which clearly targets voters of color, passed this year. the law allows republicans to restructure county election boards and take over boards they say are underperforming. at least six counties have gone through redistricting. for example, the spalding county board of elections went from having a black democratic majority and black election supervisor to a white republican majority. how could these and other voting -- voter suppression tactics impact the city of atlanta in the future? and is there anything you

i want to hear that from you, but 1st i'm going to talk about l a and also atlanta. the experiences from those 2 cities here are commenters and at the end of it, please pick up one of the main reasons, the advocates and activists in los angeles, oppose the olympics, is because of the impact that has on the on house community. we have 60000 and house in los angeles, and the last time the olympics came in, the city use that as a reason to displace to criminalize and to remove people from the street. in preparation for the 96 olympics, nearly 9000 atlanteans were taken off the streets and placed in the atlanta city detention center. we know that this was to make atlanta look like it didn't have a homelessness problem. the olympics should be investing, creating long term resources and opportunities for growth inside a post communities, not making existing problems worse. yeah, well unfortunately, to your earlier point about the fine and they went to killing the poor as a activist myself in the on house work that's very necessary here in los angeles, that's kind of hard t

we know that this was to make atlanta look like it didn't have a homelessness problem. the olympics should be investing, creating long term resources and opportunities for growth inside a post communities, not making existing problems worse. yeah, well unfortunately, to your earlier point about the fine and they went to killing the poor as a activist myself in the on house work that's very necessary here in los angeles, that's kind of hard to no one picks because we started realizing my partner and i but at the apex of all this work is the looming 2020 olympic games. already we see that a lot of real estate speculation and an a ramp up of enforcement of homelessness and stuff like that around the city is being used with the olympics as a bit of a cover. even just this week, city council passed the new ordinance that basically criminalizes existing and public space in any forms with additional caveats that can be voted on and made even more severe by certain counsel persons in certain spaces in their own district . and unfortunately, this is just the beginning. i myself,

you are seeing in atlanta and here in oakland. we understand that the problemce crimes. you are seeing in atlanta and here in oakland. we understand that the problem is the top to the bottom. we see the top doing it but the local community groups and people on the ground trying to bring unity, but in the local legislation level, they need to follow suit and support us in those ways. >> all right. mar margaret, daniel, amanda, thank you. much more to cover. next, we'll dive into what is fueling the rise in hate and how domestic terrorism and hate crimes overlap. later, i'll talk with two members of congress about what their role should be in addressing this alarming crisis. also, we'll devote time to sharing your stories and experiences with hate in america. and advice on how to stand up for your neighbors. are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7. try align, the p

atlanta police department is on the scene. we are getting word about many passengers who have gone out on to the tarmac. we're getting some video in here right now showing you a rather chaotic scene. pretty frightening for folks there. i'm joined by nbc news senior producer jay blackman. what do you know about this incident? >> government official tells me this is -- this is a senior government official that the passenger's gun was discovered after checkpoint in their accessible property. the passenger then grabbed it and accidentally discharged the weapon at the checkpoint. so, this was -- sounds like it was a mistake. the first -- of this year, there were more guns discovered in passenger luggage than ever before, so that was a record. it's just that people bring guns to airports, and as captain cox said earlier, most of the time, they are discovered and they're sent on their way. >> okay. jay, i need you to reiterate because the audio was a little sketchy at the beginning of when you joined us. so you're saying that somebod

there's one in atlanta. and the airport police in atlanta is handled by the atlanta city police. they have a major or assistant chief who is in charge of the airport detail, and it is really time for those two leaders, the federal security director at tsa and the airport atlanta pd commander or the atlanta chief to speak to the public and say, what happened? because you've got, you know, just really millions of travelers on the biggest holiday weekend in the country and this is not good to cause this stress around the country and people have to travel. so, in other words, clarity of what happened. everybody can deal with it. the public will deal with it. whatever it is, we've been through awful terrorist attack, we can go through an accidental shot or even an on-purpose shot with someone who's being sought, but they need to spell it out. don't have all these questions. what happened? is there someone you're seeking? is there someone you're seeking to arrest? leverage the public to help you here. just quiet this thing down, because it's not really good to leave it hanging in the a

and a cab county which is a metro atlanta county and it's our leaders in that county my elected a district attorney herself making a public statement encouraging those who are experienced in these types of threats or acts of violence or incident to come forward and be reassuring to those communities that if they do come for they will be heard and and something will be done and those claims will be taken seriously it takes our asian american and our age an immigrant community is to also to rally together to comfort the community but also encourage and stand by one another as we big sure that these incidents are brought to light and whether our asian or not i believe that it is the community as a whole that needs to come together around this issue we know that. that the most of the victims in this case were in fact asian women but if you're not asian more woman it doesn't mean that this does not affect you so as a community and i'm proud that my state i'm seeing now they're coming together and they're wanting answers they're wanting justice all relations are still strained between 2 superpow

we start with baseball in the atlanta braves, a one the world series. i called the job done at the home of the houston astros and in epic fashion. so monica has the latest with this report, and it's been 26 years in the making all that, but the atlanta braves, the world series champions, once again. and they captured the title in style by destroying the houston astros on the road. in game 6, quarries delay getting the scoring going with a 3 run homer. atlanta gave up a for nothing lead and choked and game 5. this time however, they were ruthless. dan's be swanson's massive hit with testament to just that astros fans could hardly believe what had hit them when perch ready. freeman also got in on the home run action by which point the celebrations were almost in full swing credit. and when the title clenching moment came, the brave didn't hold back. to learn to winning the world series with an emphatic 7, nothing demolition. i'm still nom so i really don't have emotions. i'm just kind of turn tell you guys things of how i feel, cuz i don't really show any

the brutal murders in atlanta. the latest in an unrelenting cycle of violence against asian-americans, and other marginalized communities. with this lethal combination of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. an entire hour dedicated to addressing why this is happening, what is fueling it, and how we fix it. margaret cho, amanda nguyen, and daniel wu are here as they use their starpower to stop asian hate. and we have expert advice on what you can do to counter hate in your community. "american voices," hate on the rise, starts now. >>> it is the question, we'll work to answer over the next hour. how do you solve a problem, as big and complex and deeply rooted as hate in america? just this week, a new report from the intelligence community warned of the growing threat of homegrown extremism in our country. saying, specifically, that racially-motivated extremists are those most likely to carry out a mass-casualty attack. and in 2019, the fbi reported 7,300 hate crimes, in america. that highest in decade, targeting black

joining me is atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms. she met with president biden and vice president harris yesterday during their visit. thank you for being on, as always, madam mayor. let me say, first, what can you share about the latest in the investigation? especially -- you just heard congresswoman chu calling it a hate crime. can we call this a hate crime yet? >> thank you for having me, reverend al. by all appearances, it appears to be a hate crime as i look at the legal definition of a hate crime in georgia. a hate crime can be charged based on race, it can be based upon sex and national origin. now, we know that the murder charges and the aggravated assault charges will carry the stiffer penalties, but i think for purposes of recognizing what happened in metro atlanta this week, i think it's important that hate crime charges be brought. and i do hope that prosecutors will consider that. although the penalty will only be two years for a hate crime, you have to remember, reverend al, i know that you know this, but the audience m

we've had two weekends in atlanta in the last month with more than a dozen shootings. and as i sat on the senate floor this morning and listened to my colleague, my brother, my friend, senator reverend raphael warnock, call upon our better angels, exhort the people to seek peace and call for public policy that brings us together and lifts us all up, that brings justice where there is violence and murder and that unites this country with common purpose, love and compassion, i felt moved that we have such a voice speaking on behalf of the people of georgia at such a moment as this, when that's precisely the message that's called for. we have to be resolute and determined in the face of violence. and we have to recommit to loving each other and defining this country based upon that mutual love and compassion. >> you know, most first speeches by freshman senators are completely ignored by the news media, but you and senator warnock became instant stars in the senate by determining the power structure of the senate and giving the power to the democrats. so there's a real sp

is that also a problem among atlanta police? >> well, what's happening here, i mean, there's several things that are at play. one, we have to make sure that we positively identify them, and again, this is in fulton county, where we have a number of bodies in fulton county in our morgue. and secondly, we have to make sure we reach the next of kin because if we have not reached the next of kin, we certainly don't want to release their name. but we understand that the language barriers are real. i don't believe that is an issue with this case. but certainly, it's something that we're always sensitive to. >> let's talk about security. have there been any changes in the security posture of atlanta police regarding asian communities and asian american communities due to the uptick in violence that we have seen around the country, and after this, will there be? >> yes, we have increased patrols in areas that we know have several asian-owned businesses. we have also reached out, we spent the past day or so reaching out to several leader

against hayes joe biden and vice president spoke after meeting asian american community leaders in atlanta their visit that follows a mass shooting in which 8 people were killed including 6 women of asian descent carol is under reports now from washington d.c. trying to console the nation president joe biden said on friday evening that hate crimes against asian americans needs to stop too many asian americans have been walking up and down the streets and were waking up each morning the past year feeling their safety the safety of their loved ones are at stake they've been attacked lame scapegoated harassed they've been virtually assaulted physically its own killed the comments came in a previously planned stop by president biden and vice president camila harris in atlanta where on tuesday 8 people were killed 7 of them women 6 being up asian descent the alleged gunman a 21 year old white man was arrested in charged with the murders investigators have so far resisted calling the murders a hate crime but on friday vice president harris herself of asian descent as her mother was born in india

and still ahead on al-jazeera police charge a white gunman with killing 8 people in atlanta georgia 6 among them were women of asian descent and iraq is struggling to feed their families as politicians bickering over the national budget. it's time for the perfect. sponsored point qatar airways how i once again the weather set fair across japan and the cherry blossoms starting to come out nicely now it's going to stay fine and dry for the most part over the next diode say well so weather will be a little further south and west was so shocked by this band of cloud this stationary weather front juicing rain across central parts of china to run over towards shanghai as we go on into thursday japan stay fine enjoy 18 celsius not too bad but have an 18 in seoul as well cools off a little as we go on friday for turkey but it warms up a touch in so i'm going to say some rain sleet and snow moving towards beijing hopefully that will help to clean the air here after a recent sandstorm heavy showers continue across central parts of china down towards the south is largely fine and dry not dry wea

still little is known about the 8 victims killed in the atlanta asian spa shootings only that 6 were asian women police would not say wednesday whether they had worked at the spas but did say that the suspect 21 year old robert aaron long had targeted the businesses he does claim that it was not racially motivated he apparently has an issue what he considers a sex addiction and sees these locations as something that allows him to to. to go to these places and into temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate police a long has confessed to the shootings and is scheduled to appear in court on thursday atlanta's mayor says there is no evidence the spas were cover for sex work we certainly will not begin to blame victims and as far as we know in atlanta these are illegally operating businesses experts say the stereotype of asian spas doubling as brothels is another facet of the anti asian racism growing in the united states the group stop a.p.i. hate formed in response to the rise in xena phobia since coded has collected nearly $3800.00 reports of hate incidents toward asian americans

he was arrested driving south about 150 miles from atlanta. officials say 6 of the 8 victims appear to be asian and police are investigating the possibility that the attacks were racially motivated. this comes amid an increase in attacks on the asian community since the coronavirus pandemic. the new york police department says it will deploy counterterrorism in the city out of abundance of caution. we will keep following this story all morning and bring you any new developments as they happen. >>> let's go now to the white house and coronavirus with the white house aiming to distribute more than 2 million doses of covid-19 vaccine in the next week. that would be a new record in the u.s. fight to contain the coronavirus. states are expected to receive more than 16 million doses of the three approved vaccines. that is slightly higher than what they got last week. federally administered program such as mass vaccination sites and community health centers will receive most of those doses. the increase in supply comes as more states lift their eligi

over the atlanta spa shootings. his first stop is cdc headquarters coming as the administration announced a loosening of guidance for schools due to promising data about transmission rates in the classroom. in new published guidelines, the cdc calls for three feet of social distancing in schools as long as masks are worn and community transmission in general is not high. this could pave the way for more kids back in the classroom. obviously, three feet cuts the amount of space you need to find to see how big of a classroom you need. the white house covid response team is holding a briefing where it is discussing all of this guidance. they have to address concerning news about an uptick in cases in parts of the country. that comes as the biden administration is marking 100 million vaccine doses administered since he took the oath of office. they have achieved a major goal early. some public health experts are warning that it's not clear who is winning this race against time and the variants. the vaccines or the sprea

joining us now, atlanta's mayor keisha lance bottoms. mayor, more than half the residents who can get the shot haven't. who are you reaching, why aren't they, and what's your strategy? >> it's very disappointing, stephanie, there is hesitancy obviously across this state right now. you have to remember this is still, in so many places in the state, still a head state, so we know there is hesitancy on the far right, but also many minority communities are still very concerned about the vaccine, and we know the historical context of those concerns, of longstanding dissonant trust of vaccines, so we are continuing to educate people. i've been fully vaccinated as well as my husband, my mother, and two of my teenagers are fully vaccinated. and so it's going to be important for trusted voices in our community, whether it be elected officials or ministers or teachers, and in this case, the vice president of the united states speaking directly to our communities, letting people know that it is safe and in their best interests to receive this vacci

blayne alexander is in atlanta. kristen, this is a mostly ceremonial event with the irish prime minister. what do we expect to hear from the president? >> reporter: well, i think we can expect to hear him address the shooting off of the top of this event. chuck, i wouldn't be surprised if that's the first thing that we hear from president biden. and he will likely echo what we heard from vice president harris earlier today, in which she condemned hate crimes against asian-americans. she stressed the fact that there is still no known motive in this instance. chuck, she did make that point because these shootings, and the victims of these shootings, do include asian-americans, and she reaffirmed the fact that this is an administration that condemns any behavior, and it comes in the wake of reports that there has been an uptick in anti-asian sentiment. >> okay. >> reporter: so i think that's the type of tone that you can expect to hear from president biden, chuck, when he addresses this in a short time from now. i also

he was arrested driving south about 150 miles from atlanta. officials say six of the eight victims appear to be asian. this comes amid an increase in attacks on the asian community since the coronavirus pandemic. the new york police department says it will deploy counterterrorism officers to asian communities in the city out of abundance of the caution. a lot going on with this concern about hate crimes, willie. >> yeah. let's go down to atlanta where we find blane alexander. good morning. are the police saying yet what the motive may be here? obviously people drawing a lot of conclusions based on who these victims are. what happened and what do police know about why it happened? >> reporter: good morning to you, willie. police are not quite yet saying what a motive is or releasing a motive. but they're saying they're not ruling anything out. so they are investigating a number of things. among the things they are looking at is the possibility of whether this was a hate crime, whether this was racially motivated. we do know that police are cont

we are going to keep it moving because we have the atlanta mayor with us. she just met president biden and vice president harris today. i know it is a hard time for you, for your city. i know you're busy. thank you for joining us tonight. >> thank you for having me. >> first, what can you tell us about your meeting with the president and vice president? >> well, first of all, to have the president and vice president in atlanta, the home of the civil rights movement in america, i thought was just very symbolic in so many ways. and then to sit in the room and hear from our aapi leaders, it was a combination of sadness, frustration, tangible recommendations and then righteous indignation. this community has endured so much. but what's very clear is this community is our community. and you have the president and the vice president be able to listen and also speak to some of the things that this administration has already done in less than 60 days, that was encouraging, but it was important to hear from these leaders directly. and i think we all walked away with

so had fully on the program major league baseball gets political stripping atlanta of its style game over a new voting law in the state of georgia and the family is going for the victims of friday's trying to crash in taiwan is prosecutors seek an arrest warrant for the owner of the truck rolled onto the tracks. but. we've got spring start with a forecast across many parts of europe over the next couple of days we've got a cooler wind coming into central and even down towards southeastern parts that will be some snow rolling in across the balkans some west of weather little further north was but fun and trying to central and western parts at the moment some as in the sunshine if a little of the cool side but the really cool weather that's further north you go this arctic blast developing that role when driving rice across the precious scholls through a good part of scandinavia down through the low countries that way some wintry weather coming in here talking in in across the good parts of germany and down to the outs because the some snow too into parts of the british isles where so

right, in atlanta. and so we expect that we would not have look warm statement saying this is what i support, but that they would come out strong, just as salesforce led the way and cede we are against this, this is not what we're going to stand for and move forward in our state. when i think about the bills that happened, in many ways the republicans, it's like a jedi mind trick on some level you're saying you came up with bad legislation that we know is rooted in racism, it was rooted in the big lie and now we're saying, we're not going to do it that bad. we'll offer this much voter suppression. they should be unequivocal around a couple things, one that they're completely against these bills, two, that they're going to divest in those elected officials, those republicans and those elected officials who stand and continue to push voter suppression and three that they're going to also support hr-1 and the federal legislation to make sure that all voters in the country have some expanded protection. >>

a shocking murder at atlanta area spas on tuesday. robert aaron long is in custody after officials released footage showing him at three locations. rodney bryant was asked about a motive. >> we have received a number of calls about is this a hate crime. we are still early in this investigation. we cannot make that determination at this moment. >> the georgia shootings do follow a wave of unprovoked attacks across the country of people of asian descent. president biden has just been briefed. vice president kamala harris also addressing the terrible shootings. >> we don't know, we are not yet clear about the motives. i want to say to our asian communities we stand with you and understand how this has frightened and shocked all people. >> and the shootings condemned. >> i want to mention what happened just a few hours ago in atlanta in which several women were killed, including, we believe, four women of asian descent. we are horrified. >> counterterrorism agents were sent to atlanta out of new york city out of an abundance of caution. i

in fact, the city of atlanta did not pay that ransom. and their systems were down for months and-ing -- not computerized falls in reports and processes for months. but they did not pay. it was later confirmed by the u.s. justice department that atlanta would not pay the ransom that the hackers demanded. they confirmed that. the justice department confirmed that when they later announced federal criminal charges against two men, two young iranian men who were charged with running that cyberattack for ransom scheme that shut down atlanta for all of that time. in fact, it was a pair of indictments. both in federal court and georgia and federal court in new jersey, two federal indictments charging that iranian hacking crew with holding up the city of atlanta and also newark, new jersey and the port of santa diego and the colorado transportation and calgary and canada and the hollywood presbyterian medical center and smaller hospitals and health care companies and nebraska, illinois, this huge long list of entities sort of large and small tha

but in that atlanta attack in the spring of 2018, there was a twist. that hackers broke into the computer networks maintained by the city of atlanta. they effectively shut down almost all of the municipal networks the city maintained, but the hackers in that attack weren't just messing with people like the hackers had been apparently in texas. in 2017 and again in 2019. when the hackers broke into atlanta's networks and essentially took control of all of them and stopped atlanta from being able to use any system from people paying their parking tickets to people applying to jobs to police filing their reports for arrests and stuff, when they were shut down in that attack in atlanta in 2018, what those hackers wanted was not just to mess with people, they wanted money. last week one of the shocking stories in the news and in u.s. politics, a real surprise, was the announcement by democratic party rising star keisha lance bottoms, the very charismatic, very talented mayor of atlanta, georgia. her announcement late last week that she wouldn't seek reelect

well in atlanta biden stopped at the headquarters of the centers for disease control and prevention or c.d.c. to thank the officials there it was meant to be a celebration of sorts as the u.s. has distributed over 100000000 vaccines with the president saying he expects to reach 200000000 in the next couple months president biden and vice president harris planned a political rally on friday night in atlanta but decided to cancel it and instead met with members of the asian american community in the wake of the tragic shootings gabriels andro al-jazeera washington the weather next to 0 then on average. which is. every drop counts we look at why zimbabwe's blood banks almost didn't take. a long dormant volcano springs into life the iceland's capital the area's 1st eruption in nearly 800 years. now this is disappointing still all the clouds coming down from the north the north is always cold temperatures are below where they should be for this time the if the most of europe to be honest we're in single figures really from central france all the way to the east and long way south as well wh

there are eight people dead in the atlanta area after a horrifying spree shooting last night at three different locations, three different spas. the suspect is in police custody and we know some of the victims' names. delaina ashley yaun, xiaojie tan, daoyou feng, paul andre michels. seven out eight victims were women. six of the eight were of asian descent. south korean consulate in atlanta confirmed that four of the eight victims were ethnic koreans and don't know the nationalities. the rampage began around 5:00 p.m. yesterday at young's asian massage in acworth. four people were killed there. and about 45 minutes later, officers responded to gold spa in at least atlanta where they found three women killed. while officers were on that scene, shots were fired across the street at aromatherapy spa, found one woman killed there. police arrested 21-year-old robert aaron long following a manhunt yesterday evening charging him with eight counts of murder and a count of aggravated assault. this story you might recall breaking just as we got off the air last night and in the hours that foll