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hello, everyone. i'm john vause. 2:00 a.m. here on the east coast, you are watching cnn "newsroom." on the first night of an unconventional national convention, democrats delivered their opening arguments for a joe biden presidency, and it came down to this. joe biden is a man of good character. donald trump is not. it was a u.s. political convention, like we've never seen arena crammed with delegat. the virtual format meant streamed live, leaving some speakers to struggle. while others, like former first lady, michelle obama, recorded her speech days earlier. and that speech was promoted as the highlight of the first

night. and for 18 minutes, she sliced, diced and filleted donald trump. >> they can start wars or broker peace. they can summon our better angels, or awaken our worst instincts. you, simply, cannot fake your way through this job. >> campaign swing through minnesota and wisconsin. president trump spoke of fascist democrats and left-wing extremists. and warned the only way he could lose the coming election, would be if it's rigged. four republicans broke party ranks, and endorsed joe biden on the first night of the convention. former ohio governor, john kasich, said despite policy disagreements, biden will be able to unite the country. and two-time nominee runner up, senator bernie sanders, appealed to the progressives within the party. focusing on biden's policy shifts to the left.

but as michelle obama speaks, that brought to life a relatively dull night. four years ago, she famously urged, when they go low, we go high. in the past few hours, she delivered a very different message. >> four years later, the state of this nation is very different. more than 150,000 people have died, and our economy is in shambles because of a virus that this president downplayed for too long. so, let me be honest and clear as i possibly can. donald trump is the wrong president for our country. he has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job. but he is, clearly, in over his head. he cannot meet this moment. he simply cannot be who we need him to be, for us. it is what it is. right now, folks who know they cannot win, fair and square, at

the ballot box are doing everything they can to stop us from voting. we have got to grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown-bag dinner, and maybe break facfast, too. because we've got to be willing to stand in line, all night if we have to. so if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this. if you think things cannot, possibly, get worse. trust me, they can and they will if we don't make a change in this election. if we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for joe biden, like our lives depend on it. >> cnn political kmecommentator van jones, a veteran of the obama administration. van, good to have you with us. how much of this speech will resonate simply because americans don't usually hear a first lady or former first lady

give a speech which is that pointed and political. kamala harris tweeted, michelle obama speaking truth to power. and not only that, it was in a way that was like sitting down at a kitchen table. >> i think michelle obama may be the most effective communicator on earth. if you have not seen the 17-18-minute speech, it's a master class in communication, period. she is able to appeal to young people. talking about their experience of seeing all these killings and disrespect on their cell phones. she is able to talk to moms. she's able to prosecute the case against the president. she's also able to talk about empathy, not just, you know, famously, empathy that joe biden has. but as a characteristic of the american people, that we need to revive. it is a tour de force. it is a master class in communication. and i think it may, well be, the

highlight of the entire convention. >> on the issue of race and justice, as far as i could tell, there wasn't a lot of mentions by michelle obama. this is one of them, when she actually brought the issue up. >> and here, at home, as george floyd, breonna taylor, and a nev never-ending list of innocent people of color, continue to be murdered. stating the simple fact that a black life matters is, still, met with derision from the nation's highest office. because whenever we look to this white house for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get, instead, is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy. >> yeah. addressed by all the speakers but as the keynote speaker, the star of the night, shouldn't the speech spent a little more than

30 seconds or a minute on what is a key issue driving one of the largest protest movements in u.s. history and that's for racial justice. >> well, i think she's got a lot of confidence the democratic party is going to be able to address that, over and over again. and i think that part of the great thing about a michelle obama is that she doesn't have to prove that she cares about that stuff. you know, the millions of people who are marching, not a single of those millions of people around the world, think michelle obama is anything other than an ally. but what i think she was trying to do was to create a permission structure for people who may be so disaffected by what they see, that they feel they shouldn't participate, at all. you have a lot of young people in the united states saying the entire system is corrupt, beyond measure. we're just not even going to vote. it doesn't matter. so, you know, i didn't think she had to prove to that crowd that she cared. she had to prove to them they matter. >> we learned a couple things on this opening night. as you say, she is probably the

party's most effective communicator. far better than the nominee, joe biden. and as much as democrats may wish it, she has no desire to be the party's nominee. >> that's so sad because if she were the nominee, the democrats would, not only, you know, take the senate, very easily. extend our majority in the house, very easily. but also, you would have a lot of people in the republican party who would feel very comfortable crossing over to be part of the democratic party. which would then isolate the w republicans and they would have to disgorge this racist, nationalist element. michelle obama is such a powerful person that she could, single-handedly, clean up both parties. unfortunately, isn't going to happen but it was good to see her tonight doing her thing. >> thank you, van jones, live with us there in los angeles. thanks. former democratic

presidential candidate, bernie sanders, took a sharply different approach than in 2016. this time, emphasizing the need for party unity to back joe biden. he said the price of failure is too great to imagine. >> and to heal the soul of our nation. joe biden will end the hate and division trump has created. he will stop the demonization of immigrants, the coddling of white nationalists, the racist dog whistling, the religious bigotry, and the ugly attacks on women. my friends, i say to you, to everyone who supported other candidates in the primary, and to those who may have voted for donald trump in the last election. the future of our democracy is at stake. the future of our economy is at stake. the future of our planet is at stake. we must come together, defeat

donald trump, and elect joe biden and kamala harris as our next president and vice president. >> meantime, at a campaign stop in the battleground state of wisconsin, president trump seemed to foreshadow, exactly what will happen in november, if he does not win the vote. >> we have to win the election. we can't play games. get out and vote. do those beautiful absentee ballots. or just make sure your vote gets counted. make sure, because the only way we're going to lose this election is if the election is rigged. remember that. it's the only way we're going to lose this election. a new cnn poll shows biden leading president trump by nine points nationally. biden, 51%. compared to 42% for trump. rod brownstein is senior editor

for "the atlantic." he is live, again, from los angeles. ron, thanks for being with us. forget about the polls. that's a national poll. it's all about the states, really. but, you know, the theme for the four nights of this democrat convention is uniting america. it seems the president is doing more than anyone else to unite americans against him. comments like the one we just heard will only grow and strengthen that anti-trump coalition? >> it certainly energizes them. and i think it does grow it. two words really define tonight for the democrats. breadth and depth. you saw the case against president trump being made by everyone, from john kasich and three other republicans, as well as ordinary, republican voters on one side. to bernie sanders all the way on the other, with michelle obama somewhere in between. it was trying to manifest i think called the coalition of conscience. you had, as you heard in that clip from bernie sanders, you had speakers credibly accusing the president of the united

states of trying to subvert democracy and move the nation toward something, some kind of authoritarian government. i don't think we've ever heard that charge before. and then, the other, obvious, big charge was that 170,000 americans are dead, through some combination of indifference, incompetence, and negligence. and you know, beyond anything that michelle obama said, probably the most memorable line of the night was from the young woman in arizona, whose father died from covid-19. when she said his only pre-existing condition was that he trusted donald trump. and that proved fatal. >> this first night. it was themed, we, the people. some of the people included every democrat who ran for president this time. have a listen. >> i ran for president because i think it's urgent that we heal the divisions in this nation. >> we are, still, in control of our own future. and we need to provide millions of americans a real path forward. >> a green jobs program. >> increasing the minimum wage.

>> passing a national paid leave bill. >> student loan debt. >> mental health, starting with our veterans. >> reproductive justice. >> economic js tis. >> racial justice. >> and there is so much a new president can do, to bring us together. >> it's time to get up. >> one of the emotional moments of the night. also, had four republicans. that would be former ohio governor john kasich. there are other speakers as well. in particular, african-americans. but not one muslim, as we noted there were just three speakers representing the progressive base of the party. seems more like, we, the people, who won't scare wavering republicans. >> four years ago, there was all sorts of tension on display. bernie sanders' supporters heckl

heckled. so very different tonight. they could not have asked for anything more from bernie sanders. he seemed genuinely committed to this. but you are right. i mean, there is going to be an issue -- you know, joe biden has undeniable strengths as a candidate. particularly, his ability to reassure those previously republican, right or center-right voters. his big weakness is connecting with, inspiring, mobilizing younger voters, younger voters of color, and progressive, younger voters. and that is still a cham ledlle for him. all of this -- anything -- what anything anybody else can do for him, ultimately it comes down to his speech and his ability to convince those voters that he understands their problems, and is relevant to their lives, 50 years after he is first elected to office. >> very quickly, would you say the overall strategy, at least at this point, is play it safe, don't distract, don't talk policy, let this be a referendum on donald trump, not a choice

between trump and biden? >> there was very little policy tonight. oddly enough, bernie sanders who delivered it. yes, right now, donald trump is not, so much, running against joe biden. donald trump is running against the virus and he is losing. his approval rating is stuck well below 45%. and no matter how many, unless he can concede that by at least a few percentage points. >> ron, good to see you. thank you. democrats seized on what they see donald trump's greatest failure. the staggering death toll from the virus, which the president insisted would just disappear. we'll have more on that, in just a moment.

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- [announcer] for just $20 a month, 67 cents a day, or any amount, you can give a child hope. call the number on your screen or visit wish.org to grant wishes today. with the death toll from the coronavirus approaching 180,000 in the united states, the failure by the trump administration in responding to the pandemic has been a major focus of the democrat convention. this virus claimed another 445 lives on monday. and the number of cases, approaching 5.5 million. still, some americans are partying, like it's 2019. people just tested positive in maine, after attending a wedding. and with universities now back in session, college parties are picking up.

cnn's nick watt has the very latest. >> reporter: a college party in georgia. can't see any masks. not a lot of distance. crowds, also, snapped outside student bars in alabama. and four covid clusters uncovered this weekend at unc chapel hill, where classes resumed one week ago. unc will now, from wednesday, shift to online only. >> you are going to get cases. there's no questionabili about . the question is whether you can stop at five cases or 500 cases. >> meanwhile, the death toll in the u.s. just passed a staggering 170,000. >> covid is now the number-three cause of death in the u.s. >> young people are not immune. infection rates among under 18s rose steadily, from march through july, says the cdc. meanwhile, more evidence that minority communities are hardest hit. a study just found that, for

example, in ohio, 13% of people are black. but 31.8% of hospitalized covid patients were black. in virginia, less than 10% of people are latinx. but, more than 36% of hospitalized covid patients were latinx. and the latest on testing. experts have long said we should be doing 5 million a day. here's president trump, late april. >> well, we're going to be there, very soon. >> but we have never achieved even one-fifth of that 5 million goal. >> we're probably missing eight out of ten people who are contagious. >> reporter: and since july, the average number of tests every day has actually fallen. >> supplies aren't being shipped to places that can test. i think it's part of a strategy not to count how many people are infected. >> reporter: but a newly-authorized, quick, and cheap saliva test could be a game changer.

>> actually, give same-day results in most situations. and that, alone, can help us guide activities and reopening strategies. >> an interesting admission from dr. deborah birx from the white house coronavirus task force. that, basically, the u.s. didn't lock down well enough. she says that she wishes this country looked a bit more like italy. where people, during lockdown, weren't even, really, allowed to their lea leave their houses. but as she says, americans don't necessarily respond well to that kind of prohibition. compare how the two countries are doing right now. well, sunday, italy reported four deaths from covid-19. the u.s., 571. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. >> a global health expert from harvard says the u.s. response has been one mishap after another. but, what really sets the u.s. apart, he says, is from believing the virus is a hoax. to, now, believing the pandemic is nearly over.

>> i think it's pretty fair to say we may have the worst response, of any major country. you could argue brazil's response is as bad as ours, or worse. but when you are competing with brazil for the worst respond in the -- response in the world, it's not where you want to be. >> doctor is a cnn medical analyst and one of the world's most renowned epidemiologist. and he is with us from california and, dr. bremieller, thank you for joining. >> i want to talk about the u.s. response being the worst of any developed nation. now, is that an objective statement? an accurate statement, which can be backed up just by, simply, looking at the data and the science? it's not a political one? >> first of all, i deeply respect dr. jha. he is a terrific epidemiologist and scientist. it is hard to use the right

language to characterize the u.s. response, as anything other than a abysmal betrayal of public health. the united states, with 4% of the world's population, has 25% of the disease. country after country is closing its borders to american citizens because we, indeed, are the ones who are carrying the greatest risk. that's not the way american is during epidemics. look at how well we behaved in ebola. it was america that brought so much money and talent, cdc's expertise, to the fight against hiv-aids. i admit that we were late and that we made some very bad, first steps. but we recovered. >> which brings us to a young woman who spoke at the democrat convention monday night. her father died of covid-19. >> my dad woke up on june 11th with a fever, a cough, and extreme exhaustion.

the trump administration was downplaying the virus. that was a death sentence to my father. my dad voted for donald trump. he basically told me he felt betrayed. we're told to follow our leaders, in times of crisis. that's what my father did, and it cost him his life. >> so, clearly, this is political. but just, if the president had followed scientific advice, if he had acted sooner, more decisively. take the politics out. is it possible to quantify what that would mean in terms of the death toll? where might it be now, as compared to the reality, which is 170,000 more americans dead, at the present time? >> you know, politicians take stories of individuals and make them come alive. epidemiologists tried to take numbers and make them become people. and a really wonderful modeler, jeff shaman at columbia

university, approached answering that question. he looked at the cases that began west coast and in new york. the east coast. and he computed what were the orders that were given by government to stay at home, to wear face masks, to social distance. and when were they done? and then, he reran that model, trying to do those same interventions 30 days earlier and two weeks earlier. and he determined that, if president trump had acted one month earlier, he would have saved 50,000 american lives. prevented 50,000 deaths. and he did that model, zwrjeff shaman did that model in may. i think if he reran that today, there would be lives lost, needlessly, by delay. >> we should note the dnc convention is underway. you were an adviser on safety

protocols. everyone is tested, every day, during the convention. they must obey social distancing rules, at all time. self-isolate for 72 hours before arriving. ppe. personal protection equipment. avoid bars, restaurants, wear a mask all times outside the hotel. assuming most people adhere to these guidelines, zero spread at this event? and is this the future for the time being of mass gatherings, if you like? >> well let me answer the second first. it isn't a way you can make a country or world safe. it is a intensive use of resources. and wlhen you are trying to create a movie studio that's safe. or, you know, a musical event or studio event, you have to do extraordinary things during the pandemic to make it safe. and, yes, i think that following these protocols will make a -- a convention as safe as science can make it.

>> at least, until there's a vaccine. dr. brilliant, thank you so much, as always, for be with us. always a pleasure. >> thank you you. >> well, very little applause but democrats did manage to land some blow on donald trump, on first night of the convention. more ahead on that. you're watching cnn "newsroom."

welcome back. you are watching cnn "newsroom." 2:31 here in the morning. thanks for staying with us. on the first night of the democratic convention, it was all about unity. not just party unity, but building an anti-trump coalition. progressives, moderates,

republicans, all spoke out on why they supported joe biden for the president. while, at the same time, making a devastating case against donald trump. here is jeff zeleny reporting in from wilmington. >> reporter: in the age of a pandemic, an unusual democratic national convention, now underway. very unconventional. democrats in the u.s. are not gathering in one space, but certainly watching from across the country. a virtual convention. but the highlight of the first night of speaking, no question, michelle obama. the former first lady delivering one of the most political speeches we have seen her give, in her time in public life. going after donald trump. saying he is the wrong man for the job. he's not fit for the presidency. and then, she delivered somewhat of a stark warning to americans. she said if you think things can't get worse, they can. she also implored progressives and others, who may not love joe biden and kamala harris, to support the ticket, anyway. and she urged young americans to vote. it was not something we've heard

michelle obama speak in this way, almost a moral speech as much as a political one. but senator bernie sanders, of course, was the last-man standing to joe biden. he, too, delivered a forceful endorsement of joe biden and urged processives to vo urged progressives to vote for him as well. so certainly, the democratic convention, at least in the first evening, the speeches ran the gambit of ideology from progressives to moderate. even some republicans got in on the act. former ohio governor, john kasich, and a handful of other republicans said that it is time to put country over party, and support joe biden. so the question here, of course, is going forward, this race is going to be a very competitive one. president trump also out campaigning here in the u.s. watching this convention, as well. but it will all culminate on thursday, when joe biden will, really, fulfill a lifelong dream and accept the democratic party's nomination to be president. should he win in november, he would be this country's 46th

president. jeff zeleny, cnn, wilmington, delaware. >> washington now and cnn senior political analyst. mark, good to see you. if there were two things tonight, repeatedly, it was joe biden is a good guy. he is he a man of character. donald trump is not. he is totally lacking in character. with that in mind, here is a little more from former first lady, mish ochelle obama. >>. i know joe. he is a profoundly decent man, guided by faith. he was a terrific vice president. he knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic, and lead our country. and he listens. he will tell the truth and trust science. he will make smart plans and manage a good team. and he will govern, as someone who's lived a life that the rest of us can recognize. >> that was nice, michelle.

because kind of attack michelle went after trump in a majoring way. a blistering critique. the end of it seemed to be a bit like that catchphrase from "the terminator." come with me, if you want to live. >> yeah. and does so, in such a level of sincerity that it almost draws you in. this is one of those nights where i think a lot of people didn't know what to expect, john. and it was slow, at times. but when you have michelle obama as your anchor speaker. as somebody who is going to bring it home, she did that tonight for the democrats on what was a very difficult night. and she did it, in a way that was very encompassing of all. but also, was also very motherly and also very plainspoken, right? there was a level of sincerity this, john, that you don't often hear from professional politicians. not that she is a professional politician. but she, clearly, is about as close to a professional politician as you can be, without building one.

>> well, speaking of professional politicians or lack thereof. i mean, it's uncharted territory but the whole thing kind of felt like public-access tv. everyone gets a tote bag or something. it just kind of lacks something. >> yeah. well, it's hard to compare what we saw tonight, and what we are going to see over the next couple days. as well as, what we're going to see from the republicans next week as well. and try to compare to what we have a seen in the past. these conventions are not necessarily about all the speeches that occurred. it was about the energy, the excitement, the buildup and the raw gems that would come out of these conventions. barack obama being one of these raw gems that came out. he ended up using the 2004 democratic convention to springboard to run for president, himself. and it doesn't have that energy. and i think that people tuning in tonight, trying to plug into that energy, were probably disappointed. but, having said that, you know,

given the situation, michelle obama certainly delivered, i think, tonight for the democrats. >> took two hours to get to her. there was some expectation with this different, scaled down format that there would be more focus on policy. less focus on the politics and, you know, the other stuff. there was virtually no policy on this first night. doesn't seem to be policy on any of the other nights, either. >> well, i think when it comes to trying to build up this character of joe biden or at least rebuild this character of joe biden. reintroduce him to the country. what they try do do tonight was to create the foundation. the moral foundation. the character foundation. the guy that we can trust foundation. i do think, as you go along, you are going to hear more and more stories from people. who look at the policy proposals that joe biden has -- has either championed or says he will champion. and try to compare those against what donald trump is doing. i think there's how they are going to try to compare and contrast between the two, john. >> well, there's three more

exciting nights to go. ple plenty to talk about. good to see you. thank you. >> thanks, john. >> still to come. the republicans endorsed joe biden on this first night of the dnc. and the case they make for other conservatives to do the same.

the virus is still spreading. california's economic challenges are deepening. frontline workers stretched too thin. our nurses and medical professionals in a battle to save lives. our schools, in a struggle to safely reopen, needing money for masks and ppe, and to ensure social distancing. and the costs to our economy, to our state budget? mounting every day. we need to provide revenues now, to solve the problems we know are coming.

well, more now on our top story. the opening night of the democratic party's nagtional convention. extraordinary, because it was mostly virtual and notable for the number of prominent republicans who were given primetime speaking spots to endor endorse joe biden. among them, former governor of ohio, john kasich, said he cannot imagine four more years, like the ones we have just had. >> i'm a lifelong republican. but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country. that's why i've chosen to appear at this convention. in normal times, something like this would, probably, never

happen. but these are not normal times. i'm proud of my republican heritage. it's the party of lincoln, who reflected its founding principles of unity and a higher purpose. but, what i have witnessed, these past four years, belies those principles. >> rick wilson is a political strategist, a former republican, and co-founder of the anti-trump lincoln project. his latest book is "running against the devil." he is making a return appearance. this time, from tallahassee, in florida. rick, good to see you. >> good evening. thanks again. >> okay. on opening night of the dnc, four republican speakers given primetime convention spots. that's more than the entire number of latinx speakers for the rest of the week. is it really that hard to convince wavering republicans it's okay to vote for a democrat and against the guy who advised them to drink bleach and eat

poison in the mid ofdle of a pandemic? >> well, listen. there's a very simple rule in politics and it's called base-plus. the democrats cannot win without capturing republican voters. there is a squishy middle in this country. it's gotten smaller, over the years. sq but it's still there and in the election college states, in which this election is waged, you have to win places in the center. places like ohio, wisconsin, michigan, arizona, florida, you are going to have to go get some republican voters fif you are going to win. >> does it hurt it wasn't carried by fox news? the most conservative of all news channels? >> not at all. i expect them to be running my pillow ads or whatever they're going to do but they have no interest in voters seeing anything outside of their bubble. >> former chief of staff at homeland security has gone public with a blistering attack

on the president. he appears in the ad for republicans against trump. >> he told us to stop giving money to people, whose houses had burned down from a wildfire because he was so rageful that people in the state of california didn't support him. and that, politically, it wasn't a base for him. the policies at the border. he said he wanted to go further. and have a deliberate policy, of ripping children away from their parents. to show those parents that they shouldn't come to the border, in the first place. and even though i'm not a democrat. even though i disagree on key issues, i am confident that joe biden will protect the country. >> taylor is one of the most senior, former trump officials to endorse biden. i think it's a safe bet no one has a clue who this guy is. so where are the big names? where's rex tillerson and james mattis? in this case, does silence give consent? >> there are a lot of people who have worked for donald trump that have said affirmatively, on

the record, that he is an insufficient manager, terrible leader, the wrong man in the office. but there is, also, something in this country that american politicians and american leaders fear, and that is donald trump's twitter feed. and he will use that twitter feed like a weapon against them, and they all know it. they all hate it. they live in terror of it because trump's base, essentially, are -- at this point. and they're -- they're afraid of becoming the focus of donald trump's social media anger mob, and so, they stay quiet. and i think it's an insufficient response to it. i think that, as -- as, you know, folks like me have learned, once you deal with it for a little while. you become hardened to it. you become brave about it. and it's a liberating feeling. i wish they were doing that, right now, en masse. i wish they were pushing this out in a way that -- that got them the notice and got their experience the notice it should

have. but, here we are. >> yeah. most of the polls show a pretty similar story, at this point. that more voters are voting for a democrat president, in opposition to donald trump, than in favor of biden/harris. the enemy of my enemy is my friend strategy, i guess. so where is the weakness in that? what are the derriangers here f the democrats in putting together this coalition? >> well, it's important for the democrats to remember that this is a referendum on donald trump. this is a decision, based on donald trump's horrifyingly terrible leadership, on every axis. it is not a referendum saying that the democrats should go out in this convention or this campaign and say, oh, our policies are these. because, in a lot of ways, trump really wants that fight. he wants a fight where he can say, oh, it's me versus the socialists. it's me, versus the big, government liberals. when, in fact, the democrats are advantaged by a donald trump campaign, that is about donald trump and his ego and his failings and his corruption and his cruelty. and all the things that have

defined his brand, during the course of this presidency. >> yeah. we're ought of time but it really is an election, like no other. thanks for being with us. appreciate it. >> pleasure, as always. thank you. >> and when we come back, under pressure to step down, the president of belarus says, not until you kill me. also, many parts of europe report rising infection rates. what france, italy, and spain are doing to stop a flare-up from becoming an outbreak. he used to have bad breath. now, he uses a capful of therabreath fresh breath oral rinse to keep his breath smelling great, all day long. (combative yelling) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores.

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the coordinator of the white house coronavirus task force appears to have broken ranks big league with president trump. dr. deborah birx says the country's pandemic restrictions did not go far enough to deal with the lockdown which she now wishes was tougher. >> i wish that when we went into lockdown, we looked like italy. but when italy locked down, i mean people weren't allowed out of their houses. americans don't react well to that kind of prohibition. >> italy is reimposing some restrictions after a rise in new confirmed cases. just one of a number of european countries trying to prevent

another major outbreak. we have details from cnn's melissa bell. >> reporter: here in france, sharp rises over the course of the weekend in the number of new coronavirus cases, the highest rises we'd seen since the end of the lockdown, and authorities really looking for fresh ways of trying to bring those numbers under control. parts of paris and other french cities have now seen an extension of that rule mandating the wearing of masks, even outdoors. we've seen similar rises also in neighboring countries in spain particularly, but also in italy. in both countries authorities announcing that they're closing down the nightclubs, a remind other telephone demographic that's really seeing the most of these rises in the number of new cases. authorities trying to find that careful line between ensuring that the economy can continue and the lockdown can stay in the past, and yet ensuring that those new coronavirus numbers are brought back under control. melissa bell, cnn, paris. and perhaps a glimpse of what life could be like if

everyone follows the science and breaks the chain of transmission. in wuhan, china, where the virus was first detected, a city that endured a weeks' long lockdown thousands of partiers gathered for an electronic music festival. no masks, no social distancing, just a lot of partying and fun. the city has not reported a single new case of the virus since mid-may. officials have been trying to boost the economy by waiving ticket fees at popular tourist sites. officials in new zealand have reported another 13 confirmed cases, mostly to a recent outbreak in the main city auckland. this comes a day after prime minister jacinda ardern postp e postponed the election bay month citing the steady rise in infections. president trump has called the infection in new zealand terrible. >> i don't think there is any comparison between new zealand's current cluster and the tens of thousands of cases that are being seen daily in the united

states. >> new zealand has reported about 1300 cases since the pandemic began. the united states is approaching 5.5 million. well, with anti-government protests in belarus now in their second week, long-time president alexandr lukashenko is going toward defiant. he says there will be no new reelection until, quote you kill me. fred pleitgen reports from minsk. >> reporter: belarusians banding together to oust long-time dictator alexandr lukashenko. these are industrial workers supporting state media workers on strike, saying they're fed up with untruthful reporting. >> translator: i've decided to quits because many of my friends ended up locked in prisons and tortured. and these are not just some people i read about. these are the people i know personally. >> reporter: the journalists want to finally report on the massive opposition protests that are bringing hundreds of thousands to the streets and

tell the truth about a brutal crackdown and thousands of arrests and reports of torture after last sunday's election which the opposition says was rigged. the opposition has called for a general strike here in this country, and that means that many factories are also walking off. and they say that pressure is not going to stop until alexandr lukashenko cedes power and also allows for a new election. lukashenko's answer a clear no. "my response to", he says, we held the elections and until you kill me there won't be any new elections. lukashenko tried to speak at one factory, but was booed which workers, yelling "get out." many russians fear leukemia shenko may be trying to drag vladimir putin into invading belar belarus. lukashenko falsely claimed nato is massing forces at the

borders. nato has denied that. and lukashenko says the protests are a threat to russia as well. while putin said he would help if needed, so far there are no signs he has any interest in moving his army into belarus like he did in ukraine in 2014. while european leaders have strongly condemned lukashenko, weaker comments from president trump. >> that's a terrible situation, belar belarus. we'll be following it very closely. >> reporter: but for many belarusians, there is no turning back. they vow to continue their action until they finally get free and fair elections. fred pleitgen, minsk, belarus. >> thank you for watching "cnn newsroom." i'm john vause. please stay with us. rosemary church takes over after a very short break. you're watching cnn. bill assumed it was a costume party.

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hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. just ahead -- >> donald trump is the wrong president for our country. >> we must come together, defeat donald trump. >> the democratic convention opens with urgent appeals for the party to unify and save america from four more years of the trump presidency. and the pandemic a key thing. we will have the strong words from