table. right next to the orange guy. that seat's always open. hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here, in the united states, and from all around the world. you are watching cnn "newsroom," and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, vacation over, amid fears of delayed ballots in the november election. nancy pelosi calls u.s. lawmakers back to washington to try to block postal service changes. just hours before the start of the democratic national convention, the race for president is tightening between donald trump and challenger, joe biden. and a massive demonstration in belarus. thousands angry, calling for the

oust of the newly-elected president and a widely disputed vote. >> good to have you with us. well, as the back-to-back u.s. political convention gets underway, the trump administration's handling of the u.s. postal service is raising concerns about the integrity of the upcoming election. and the house speaker is taking action. nancy pelosi is calling on lawmakers to return to washington, this week, to vote to block any changes in postal service operations. requests for mail-in ballots are expected to surge during this pandemic. president trump's appointed postmaster general has made a number of kcutbacks in the postl service. the president believes an uptick

in mail-in voting will favor democrats and he has claimed, falsely, that mail-in voting will lead to massive fraud. meantime, while a scaled down convention ju convention, as joe biden and kamala harris accept the nomination. for the next four nights, democrats will showcase some of the party's biggest names, including the clintons, obamas, former 2020 candidates, as well as rising, democratic stars. and cnn's abby phillip has more, now, on the issues surrounding the u.s. postal service amid political uproar. >> the u.s. postal service appears to be backtracking on two moves that it had made in recent months as part of a major restructuring that had also led to significant delays in mail delivery, all across the country. the postal service says it will no longer remove those blue, mail drop boxes that you will

see in communities all over the united states. those boxes were slated for removal because the postal service said some of them were in low usage. they will now, no longer remove those postal service boxes between now and the election. they are, also, keeping in place, some of these massive pieces of equipment that were used to sort millions of pieces of mail all across the country. about 700 were slated for removal, destruction, or redistribution, in the postal service system. and amadid outcry, they are now saying they will leave those pieces of machinery where they are between now and november. at the same time, cnn obtained internal documents that show many of those pieces of machinery were already slated to be removed by this point. about 95% of them. so it's not clear whether or not this announcement will make a substantive difference. meantime, white house chief of staff, mark meadows, was pressed this weekend about whether the white house would be willing to come to the table on the issue of funding the postal service.

>> if this is an issue everyone can come together on, why not have a standalone bill? you seem to be suggesting -- >> don't get me -- >> you're -- you're -- >> don't get me wrong. i am eall aboall about piecemea. if we can vote on postal, let's do it. and if we can agree on stimulus checks, let's do it. >> last week, president trump made it very clear he did not want to fund the postal service to the tune of $25 billion because he was concerned that money would be used to help the postal service process millions of mail-in ballots. meantime, over on capitol hill, house speaker pelosi, in a major development, says she will bring the house of representatives back from recess, by the end of this week, to deal with the issue of the postal service. she is also calling on her members to have a day of action on tuesday. urging them to go to postal offices in their district to bring attention to this issue.

abby phillip, cnn, washington. former u.s. vice president al gore appeared on sunday. he was asked about president trump and what's being done with the postal service. >> i -- i suspect that he's gone too far on this, even for him. because the republican members of the house and senate are really hearing from outraged voters, veterans who aren't getting their medicine, people who aren't getting their paychecks. people who are expecting things in the mail, and not receiving them. this is, really, an outrageous assault on american institution that goes back to the very beginning of our country. >> and al gore accepted his party's nomination for president at the democratic national convention 20 years ago. as we get closer to this year's convention, cnn's jessica dean

tells us what to watch for. >> the 2020 democratic national convention is set to kick off on monday. and this is going to be a convention, unlike any convention we've ever seen. as democrats work around the pandemic, and work to make sure everyone is socially distanced and safe. as they, also, try to rev up the democratic party and build support around joe biden and kamala harris. and we are getting details on, logistically, how this might work. we're told, first, that there are four different sets that they will be using. los angeles, new york, here in wilmington, delaware. and then, milwaukee, which is where the full convention was originally slated to take place. in addition to that, there will be speakers from all across america from different historic sites that will be giving their speeches, which we're told will be much shorter than we are used to seeing at these conventions. these will be more like two to

five minutes. we're used to seeing more like 10 to 15 minutes. additionally to that, different members of the party will be able to set up those broadcast kits in their own living room. there will be a truck here in wilmington, delaware, and be able to punch up reaction shots. we are also told there will be an mc and vario. typically, broadcasting to both the room and tv. in this case, they are simply broadcasting out to tv. and then, also, across all the various online platforms. we are, also, told that there will be a host of speakers monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday. starting with a real variety within the democratic party on monday, that includes bernie sanders, michelle obama, and a former republican governor, john kasich, who actually ran for the republican nomination back in

2016. now, speaking at the democratic national convention. so a lot to watch as we move into monday. jessica dean, cnn, wilmington, delaware. >> and a new cnn poll shows joe biden's lead over donald trump has narrowed, significantly, since june. overall, half of registered voters back the biden/harris ticket. while, 46% say they support president trump and mike pence. that's right at the poll's margin of error. and with me, now, from los angeles, political analyst, michael genovese, good to have you with us and a lot to cover, of course. but let's start with that latest cnn poll showing the biden/harris ticket only 4%afou percentage points higher. given the controversy surrounding the u.s. postal service, how surprised are you by how close this is right now? >> i think this looked like a close race, from the very beginning. now, we're still a long way

away. 11 weeks. and we won't really have a clearer picture until the weeks after the parties have their conventions. but in all likelihood, this will be like it was four years ago. and donald trump has two paths to victory. one is basically a replay of 2016 where he loses the popular vote. this time, by probably about 5 million or 4 million. but wins the electoral college. the other way is if republicans can be successful in voter-suppression efforts, like they're trying. and if the mail-in ballot chaos continues and they don't resolve that before the election. >> and let's look at that. because with president trump objecting to mail-in voting, and even stopping usps funding, there is concern the elderly and vulnerable won't have an opportunity to vote in the middle of this pandemic. should the rest of us consider voting in person, to ensure our ballots get counted? >> well, i think this is a universal problem. it's not just the elder ly or te

infirmed. who wants to go to a high school gym, in the middle of a pandemic with a bunch of other people? this requires us to have some, you know, openly clear thinking and take some risks, in terms of trying some new things. we need to open up the process, and make voting longer. there is a lot of things we could do to make voting easier. the problem is the president is going to try to narrow the range of the vote. democrats want to expand it. and whoever wins that race, the race to open or close the amount of people voting, is going to win the presidency. >> just -- in just a matter of hours, the democratic national convention kicks off. four days of virtual events. michelle and barack obama. bernie sanders. governor andrew cuomo and others will speak. and there will be very different, of course, than anything we've ever seen before, due to this pandemic. but what are you expecting to see and hear? and what are you watching for? >> yes. it's not your father's

convention. this is going to be a strange one. i think the democrats and republicans, they tend to be partly ring circus and partly -- this is going to be much more tempered, much more monitored, and much more controlled. in the past, we didn't know the nominee, until we got to the convention. but since the primaries, starting in the '70s, we knew, ahead of time, who the candidate was going to be. so the drama is gone. it's going to be more a coordination. so i am interested to see who can manage the process best, and who can get their key points across best. >> yeah, it's going to be a very different arena, isn't it? and president trump, meantime, intends to make a speech near joe biden's hometown on the same day the former vice president accepts the democratic nomination. what's trump's strategy? and will it work, do you think? >> well, he likes to do

counterprogramming. and he likes to do counterpunching. donald trump always has to be the center of attention and cameras going to be on biden and democrats for the next few days. he is going to try to wrestle them away. it's something like teddy roosevelt's daughter said of her father. he said, poor dad has to be the bride at every wedding. tear down biden, of course. it's a norm that he is going to bust. normally, the opposition party gives the other party a few days to just sort of make their case and not interfere. but donald trump is a norm buster and he is going to try to set the stage. he may, very well, be able to do it. >> we should watch and see. michael genovese, joining us live from los angeles. thank you, so very much. >> thank you, rosemary. >> the school year is starting

in many places, despite the coronavirus pandemic. and one student party has gone viral, for all the wrong reasons. what the university is saying. that's next. ♪ (vo) elevate your senses. the audi a6. get exceptional offers at your local audi dealer.

its battle against covid-19. the virus has now claimed more than 170,000 american lives. but what's unsettling is how quickly the united states hit this new milestone. it comes, just 18 days after the u.s. reported 150,000 fatalities. over the weekend, the -- president trump disagreed with a warning by the head of the centers for disease control and prevention, who said the u.s. could be headed for its worst autumn, ever, from a public-health perspective. he says the double threat of covid-19 and seasonal flu could have a catastrophic impact on the u.s. once a hot spot, arizona is seeing signs of progress in its fight against the coronavirus. the state's governor says the virus is spreading, at a slower rate. but health officials warn there are a few trends that have them

concerned. cnn's miguel marquez reports from phoenix. >> so things, here, in arizona seem to be improving by the day. the positivity rate is now at about 10%. perhaps, a little lower right now. all that is good. one thing that officials say is not happening in arizona is that the number of people getting tested is not rising. it's, actually, falling. that will make it very difficult for officials to know where a breakout is, how big it is, and then to track and trace that breakout, as well. officials at asu, arizona state university, believe that around 1 to 2% of the population in this state, about 150,000 people or up to 150,000 people, may carry the virus and not know it. so, it's important to keep that testing up. and this is something we're seeing, not only in arizona but, across the country. the number of people getting tested is coming down, as it's taking too long for results to come back. it's not readily available at

every, sort of, pharmacy or doctor. so, it's very, very frustrating that they can't get their tests very quickly, very easily. and people just aren't doing it. that is now raising headaches for public-health officials in arizona and beyond. i will say, one thing that we have seen, just being here over the last month. this is anecdotal. but staying in hotels, eating at restaurants. there was a great adherence to the mask order in maricopa county and throughout the state. it does seem to be waning, to some degree. people are getting more tired of wearing the mask. we see much -- many more people without masks in hotels, in bars, in restaurants, as we go about our daily lives. so, officials warning people across arizona that they have to keep those mask orders on. they have to keep their foot on the gas, as they say. otherwise, they risk a very big outbreak, a second wave, just as the flu season arrives. just as the snowbirds return. just as schools might start up.

and just as university students return to arizona. back to you. >> speaking of those students, a video has gone viral showing a private party over the weekend near a university campus, here, in georgia. and you can see a huge crowd of people gathered outside at an apartment complex. it happened near the university of north georgia. the university says it is disappointed that students chose to ignore public-health guidance, by congregating in large groups without social distancing, without wearing masks. and to be clear, georgia does not have a statewide mask mandate. and many schools have had to shut down or limit in-person learning due to virus outbreaks, as the new school year gets underway. joining me now is dr. saju matthew. he is a primary care physician and a public health specialist. thank you, doctor, for talking to us and for all that you do.

>> thank you, rosemary, for having me again. >> absolutely. so the u.s. food and drug administration has just approved emergency use for a saliva test developed by the yale school of public health to detect covid-19. could this, potentially, be a game changer, do you think? >> i'm excited about the potential, rosemary. i'm always a bit hesitant about, when you expedite a test, how accurate will it be? the traditional test is still the nasal/pharangeal swab. it is quick. it is fact. it will answer some questions about the supply-chain issues, and also that uncomfortable swab. the fda is suggesting, rosemary, that it is as accurate as the traditional pcr, so i'm excited. quick turnaround times and that's what we need. >> yeah, it absolutely is. and of course, we know at this

point, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the u.s. is seeing a downward trend in the number of covid tests being done. why is this happening, at the same time as the trump administration insists that enough tests are being done? is there any correlation there? >> it's a bit confusing to know exactly what's happening. but, you know, the virus is still there, rosemary. we know that. the positivity rates, in a lot of states, are going up. part of the reason why the number of cases or the hospitalizations might be going down is because of better care that we have, now, with remdesivir and steroids. but ultimately, testing is the way out of this pandemic. and we need to have that consistent messaging that, unless you test, you don't really know who's infected. >> right. and cdc director, dr. robert redfield, has warned of the worst fall, ever, if people don't get out and get their flu shot this season. and do all the other things

suggested, like wearing a mask. should there be more public-service announcements to explain the importance of this to people? because they're not hearing it, from some of their leaders. >> that is correct. you know, i am a primary care physician, rosemary, and i see about 15 to 20 patients a day. i am a bit anxious about this upcoming fall season. we do, already, have a lot of americans that are hesitant in getting the vaccine. up to 40%, maybe even higher, of americans do not want to get a flu vaccine that has been with us for decades. especially, this year, with the combination of covid-19 and the flu, and the fact that it's going to be difficult to distinguish the symptoms. the symptoms overlap. we really need to be clear about getting that flu vaccine, as early as possible. >> maybe, people will be smarter, of course, with covid-19 out there. and do just that. but also, we know that the cdc is, also, saying that once you test positive for covid-19, you don't need to test again for

three months. what does this mean, exactly? because other studies suggest antibodies only last for about 20 to 30 days. >> i think we need to be careful about this recent, if you will, kind of hidden announcement by cdc. it was, really, sort of hidden in the pages of how do you quarantine yourself from being exposed to somebody with covid-19? now, we know that patients who are severely ill have higher antibodies. patients who have milder symptoms, have lower antibodies. and as you mentioned, over three to four week, those antibodies go down. now, if cdc is suggesting you might have up to three months of immunity, we don't really know that. and i think it's going to be really careful, as physicians, for us to have this clear message that we need to still act like we're infected because even though you might get a negative test today. the moment you step out of that house tomorrow, you are potentially reexposed.

so, i still think that, ultimately, when the pandemic is over, rosemary, we're going to find out that different people have different levels of immunity, depending on their comorbid conditions, age. >> saju matthew, always a pleasure. thank you so much. >> thank you, rosemary. >> well, barack obama's name won't be on the ballot in 2020. but some argue his legacy could help joe biden win the election. a look at the obama factor. that's next. when you start with a better that's no way to treat a dog... ...you can do no wrong. where did you learn that? the internet... yeah? mmm! with no artificial preservatives or added nitrates or nitrites, it's all for the love of hot dogs.

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national convention kicks off in

a matter of hours. and the party has a lot on its plate. the pandemic. the recession. racism. and civil unrest in the u.s. and this week, we will hear from a who's who of democratic party leaders and rising stars. michelle obama and bernie sanders headline monday's speeches. among some of the other speakers this week, gretchen whitmer is an outspoken critic of president trump. the michigan governor's profile is on the rise, following her criticism of the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. >> we're not in a political crisis, where we should just negotiate and find some common ground here. we're in a public health crisis. we are in the midst of a global pandemic, that has already killed almost 4,000 people in our state. >> well, former presidential candidate and minnesota senator, amy klobuchar, urged biden to seize the moment and choose a woman of color as his running mate. even though, that put her out of the running. she is a moderate, who often

takes a bipartisan approach to politics. and lifelong republican, john kasich, is a forthright critic of president trump. he ran against mr. trump in the 2016 primaries and he also supported the president's impeachment. the former ohio governor is now standing behind joe biden in this race. kasich told cnn's don lemon why. >> the great things that happen in our country. whatever they are. women's suffrage, civil rights. they happen when we come together, not when we are divided. so i thought that joe biden would be a unifier. he would stop this division and we could get back to, you know, sort of a civil conversation. could be arguments. could be strong. but at the end of the day, i think that he will include people, not exclude them, and stop the name calling. >> and one of the most high-profile speakers at the convention will be joe biden's former boss, barack obama. the former president will likely look to energize voters, who may

see biden's ticket as a return to the type of obama-era politics they once knew and appreciated. cnn's mj lee has our report. >> this also gives the internet one last chance to talk about our bromance. >> reporter: they call each other brothers, family. former president, barack obama, and former vice president, joe biden, have long publicly flaunted their friendship. >> same time next week? >> same time next week. >> all right. >> now, biden's former boss could play an outsized role in helping him take on president trump in the fall. one of the most famous and popular democrats in the country. >> you're all feeling a sense of urgency. >> reporter: obama, already making several high-profile campaign appearances on biden's behalf. a virtual fundraiser in june. >> there's nobody that i trust more to be able to heal this country, and get it back on track, than my dear friend, joe biden. >> reporter: raising a whopping

$11 million, in one night. and there was this lengthy video, recorded by the biden campaign. >> it all starts with being able to relate. >> reporter: featuring the two men discussing everything, from covid-19 to president trump. >> he ran by deliberately dividing people, from the moment he came down that escalator. and i think people are now going, i don't want my kid growing up that way. >> reporter: obama, not often going after trump by name. but, making clear that, his successor is very much on his mind. >> but, even as we sit here, there are those in power, who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting. >> reporter: the obama-trump feud dating back years. trump, infamously, embracing birtherism, relentlessly casting doubt on obama's eligibility to be president. >> why doesn't he show his birth certificate? if he wassent born in this country, which is a real

possibility, then he has pulled one of the great cons in the history of politics. >> trump, yet again, flinging conspiracy theories this week. this time, about senator kamala harris. biden's newly-named running mate, who was born in oakland, california. >> so, i just heard that. i heard it, today, that she doesn't meet the requirements. >> obama telling trump? >> you are not going to out-controversy this president. you're not going to get more attention. the circus that he runs is not something that joe should try to compete with. >> reporter: now, former president barack obama will be speaking on wednesday night. this is the third night of the democratic national convention. and we are told that the theme of that evening will be a more-perfect union. where the democratic party tries to speak about the importance of moving the country past the donald-trump era. now, that evening is, of course,

accepts her nomination from the party for the vice-presidency. mj lee, cnn, ynew york. >> and you can catch cnn special coverage of the democratic national convention starting at 8:00 eastern time, monday night. for our international viewers, that is at 1:00 a.m. tuesday in london. 8:00 a.m. in hong kong. well, the opposition movement in belarus is swelling. one week after a highly-contested presidential election. on sunday, a sea of protestors filled the capital, minsk, dmapding tdmap demanding the country's longtime president step down. fred pleitgen has more. >> a demonstration that was called for by the opposition in belarus. they called for mass demonstrations on this day. and as you can see, many, many people followed that call. the crowds that we see here are very, very peaceful. and mostly, their message is,

also, very positive. they are calling for change. they want alexander lukashenko, the longtime dictator of this country, to step down. and they want new elections. now, of course, at this point in time, it doesn't seem as though lukashenko seems to want to do that. he called for a rally of his own, where pro-government forces actually bust -- other parts of the country. lukashenko also made an appearance at that demonstration. he showed no signs of wanting to step down. still says that he won the contested election, last sunday, by getting about 80% of the vote. but as you can see, the masses who are coming out here say they do not, one second, believe that is true. the opposition are the ones who won the election, and they are calling for a new election for lukashenko to step down, and also for an end to police brutality. fred pleitgen, cnn, minsk, belarus. >> well, coronavirus concerns are prompting new zealand to

move its general election back, by four weeks. prime minister jacinda ardern. the nation's most popular city, auckland, is dealing with a recent outbreak of the virus after more than 100 days with no locally-transmitted infections. and in the last 24 hours, the country has reported nine new cases. for more on this, we want to turn to journalist angus watson. he joins us, live, from sydney, australia. good to see you. so, talk to us about what is happening there, in new zealand, and the reaction, as well, to the delaying of the election. >> well, rosemary, it wasn't so long ago that new zealand was celebrating over 100 days without a case of covid-19 transmitted in the community. now, it's had 58 cases in a week. all centered in this cluster on its largest city auckland, as you mentioned. 100,000 tests have been done in

that country of 5 million people. since those tests first came up positive around a week ago. and what they've found is -- is a cluster of coronavirus that they're unsure of its source. they are still trying to determine what that is. and the government of new zealand believes that it's not safe right now to hold an election. so she's pushed it back by four weeks. she could have pushed the election back as far as november. she's chosen this date of october 17th, instead. and hoping that coronavirus might be -- might be -- this cluster of coronavirus might be hit on the head, by then. take a listen to what she had to say this morning. >> ultimately, the 17th of october, in approximately nine weeks time, provide sufficient time for parties to plan around the range of circumstances we could be campaigning under. for the electoral commission to prepare, and for voters to feel assured of a safe, accessible,

and credible election. due to this decision, i am proposing that parliament reconvene tomorrow. >> now, of course, this isn't a decision that the government of any country would make lightly. and this isn't a decision that prime minister ardern would have really wanted to make, politically. her labor party is in the ascendancy in the lead-up to this election. and her opposition is in tatters. the national party in new zealand, governmental opposition, has had three leaders this year. so, it was dreading this poll. ardern is looking forward to it, you could say. and she will hope coronavirus will be in a situation, by october, where it can go ahead, rosemary. >> yeah. well, she had eliminated in the early stages there. so, she's certainly got the population on her side. angus watson, joining us live from sydney. many thanks. south africa has some of the highest covid-19 numbers in the world. but officials say it's time to

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well, some european countries hit hard in the early stages of the pandemic, are seeing a resurgence in new cases. local outbreaks in spain have led to thousands of new infections. officials there are bringing back some social distancing measures to curb the spread. france reported more than 3,000 new cases on sunday. its second-highest daily jump since mid-may. and starting monday, italy is shutting down discos across the country. it's, also, requiring people to wear masks outside, during the day, in crowded areas. well, now to a troubling report from iraq. the health ministry there says the country recorded its highest daily increase of new covid-19 cases, on sunday. cnn's jomana karadsheh is with

me now. so, jomana, what is driving this? and what's the government doing about it? >> well, rosemary, we have been seeing this since the start of the outbreak in iraq, in back in mar march. almost every day, we are hearing that iraq is recording a new, daily high. and the concern, right now, is we've gotten to a point where the government is really struggling to contain and control the outbreak. early in the year, they did put some strict measures in place. curfews. lockdowns. restricting the movement of people. but, you know, some will tell you that there was lax enforcement. that people were not really following the measures. and what we saw in -- starting in april -- is the government began easing a lot of the restrictions, especially when it comes to the movement of people across the contrary. and, even now, rosemary, as we

are seeing these numbers continuing to rise, the iraqi government is reducing curfew hours. and easing a lot of these restrictions. and, you know, it's -- a lot of this is being driven by the country's economic struggles. like so many other countries around the world, the state of the economy's really dictating how the country deals with the pandemic. you know, the iraqi government is really reliant on oil revenue. more than 90% of the country's budget, its spending, is based on oil revenue. and this year, of course, the price of oil and the demand on oil has been -- has gone down, significantly. and that has impacted the iraqi government. so, they have been, already, struggling to pay state employees, let a i lolone, tryi deal with the rest of the population. and now, when this comes to the iraqi people. i mean, you hear health officials there voicing their

frustration. saying that people are not really adhering to the measures. that they're asking people to stay at home more. they're asking people to continue to follow the guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks. but a lot of the population, rosemary, depends on daily wages. this is how people earn their living. their day labor. especially, in hot spots, like baghdad. a lot of people, basically, to feed their families, they have to go out. they have to work. and work means working in crowded environments, in these busy markets. in densely populated areas. so, social distancing and staying at home is a luxury that people really cannot afford. so it's a very complicated situation, and it's very difficult for iraq to try and find that balance between dealing with the economic situation, and trying to control the pandemic. and we're hearing the warnings there from health officials. saying that it is likely going to get worse.

you know, this is a country where the health sector, the health infrastructure, has really been impacted, decimated really, by years of sanctions, corruption, and war. and the biggest concern, as we are already seeing it, is that it is going to struggle to deal with the pandemic, rosemary. >> yep. these are difficult choices for people, right across the globe, in fact. jomana karadsheh, many thanks for that live report. appreciate it. we turn to latin america, now, and the caribbean. where more than 6 million coronavirus infections have now been confirmed. brazil, the worst-hit country in the region, saw another 23,000 cases on sunday. while, nearby colombia, reported more than 11,000. this week, peru passed mexico for the sixth-highest case total in the world. and the second highest among latin american countries. south africa is easing its lockdown restrictions. this, as the country's president says infections appear to have

peaked. south africa has recorded more than half of africa's known coronavirus cases. johns hopkins university says it ranks fifth, worldwide, for reported infections. so let's get more, now, on this with cnn's david mackenzie. he joins us live from johannesburg. good to see you, david. it has to be said, though, other countries have learned that easing restrictions too early can set the stage for a new wave of cases. how cautious will south africa be with this? >> well, i think that's a very big worry of the government. and, just a short time ago, the president sent out a note saying, you know, that a second wave is a possibility. and that this couldn't be a free for all, now. they have had, though, five months of very strict restrictions, here in south africa. so it's not the case that it's a quick lockdown, and then eased off. it was one of the earliest lockdowns relative to the spread of this disease across the world. now, some of the key things that

are happening is they are going to rescind the alcohol ban that was put back in place, as well as the cigarette ban, which has been in place for many months now. they will allow intra-provincial travel but, still, international travel is banned and masks are mandatory. so there are still certain restrictions but i think there was a feeling from the government, as they siee hospitalizations ease up, not the spread, necessarily. they need to reopen the rest of the economy to kick start what has been a devastated economy. >> david, many thanks for bringing us that live report from johannesburg. >> after the break, a heartwarming story about the power of social media. how one small farmer became an internet -- in india. we'll explain.

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relatively unscathed, believe it or not. worth another look here because their bikes continue on without them. and come within inches of fellow competitors valentino rossi. you can see from replay how close they all came from sheer disaster. spectacular footage. just incredible. well, india is among the world's fastest-growing markets for online video site youtube. it's seen major growth in rural areas, especially for content about farming. cnn's kristie lu stout reports on a rags to riches tale of a celebrity youtube comedy show part of a new series called "tech for good." >> reporter: living in a small farming village in india, a grandmother of eight is an unlikely canned zat to become an overnight youtube celebrity. but somehow that is exactly what she has done. she is the star of a comedy

series called "my village show" watched by millions online." >> action. >> i think people like the way i talk. i am an old lady, you know, and i'm not educated. i didn't even finish my first grade. i never imagined that this show would be such a success. >> reporter: this particular post has been viewed more than 30 million times on youtube. >> reporter: her son-in-law is a film maker who has also provided cnn with the footage for this story. he is the one who discovered her acting talent. >> she was accidentally in front of the camera, so it's very advantageous. i like that kind of attitude. >> reporter: a team of nine

people work on "my village show." last year youtube sent them a golden plaque for reaching a million subscribers. through advertising placed on the video, the steady income has generated for the village. the woman who had never traveled further than the next village is now a celebrated youtube personality. her talents have also been cast on the silver screen in telagu language movies. >> translator: i think people who come to visit the village, there are a lot of people who come here to see me. >> reporter: india's youtube sensation says she wants to keep growing her audience and show her fans that anyone can dream big. >> isn't she marvelous? and thank you so much for joining us. i'm rosemary church. i'll be right back with more news in just a moment. you're watching cnn. about the . these humans, those humans.

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welcome back to our viewers joining us here in the united states and, of course, all around the world. you are watching cnn newsroom and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, covid-19 resurgence, countries around the globe scramble to stop new spikes in cases. we will have a live report on that. back to school concerns as cases among children rise. hear from one teacher who wrote her own obituary. and meet jill biden, the story of the woman who could become the next first lady.