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 a grieving daughter laying

blame for her father's death from covid-19 on the u.s. president. >> good to have you with us. so democrats are making their case for a joe biden presidency on the first night of their unconventional national convention. former first lady michelle obama came out swinging against donald trump, criticizing his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his divisive character. >> 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. 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. >> four republicans crossed party lines to endorse joe biden. former ohio governor john kasich, saying they might disagree on policy, but he believes biden can bring the country together. senator bernie sanders made his appeal to the progressive wing of the democratic party, highlighting biden's move to the left on a number of issues he said are now mainstream. >> 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. 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. >> cnn's senior political analyst mark preston joins me now from washington, d.c. good to see you, mack. >> good to see you, rosemary. >> all right. so let's look at what all these speeches on the first night of this virtual dnc convention, what they were trying to achieve. former first lady michelle obama warned voters things could get worse if voters don't make a change in this election, really

telling them get out and vote. how likely is it that her words will resonate and encourage americans to do just that? >> well, she is an interesting messenger for the biden campaign to put out on the fist day in many ways. could be their secret weapon. when i say that, michelle obama is very reserved about how she uses her time, how she uses her likeness. she is only careful only to wade into the political waters when she really, really wants to. i think tonight we saw her do that. and she did that in a way that most politicians can't do it. she delivered her thoughts in a very sincere way. her requests in a very sincere way. and you have to wonder, are folks who are on the fence, or are their mother, are there young women throughout that perhaps who wouldn't be considering voting, who wouldn't want to take the time, wouldn't think that their vote would count, i think that's who michelle obama was trying to reach out tonight. she did so very effectively. now we'll see if in fact people

will go to the polls, and will she be more involved, rosemary, in the coming months. the fact is michelle obama was a good highlight for the democrats to kick off this very bizarre convention week. >> yeah, she was the main voice of the night, wasn't she? and of course the latest cnn poll shows this is going to be a very tight race. and it will require all of bernie sanders supporters voting this time around rather than staying home as they did back in 2016. did sanders go far enough in his address, appealing to the far left progressives who don't think the biden/harris ticket represents them in any way? do you think he achieved that, talking about authoritarianism? >> i think so. and it was interesting too that if you really listen to his speech tonight, i talk to one of bernie sanders's advisers right before the speech, and the adviser told me to listen to what bernie sanders says when he talks about authoritarianism and

talks about his own family. he doesn't often talk about his huge heritage or the fact how his family had to flee europe because of the nazis, but in fact that happened. so bernie sanders i think took a note from the obama book tonight. and that note is the sincerity note. if you compared about how he was endorsing joe biden tonight compared to the bitterness of the 2016 race when a lot of people who supported hillary clinton didn't think that he did enough, i think you'll see night and day. and i do think that you will see bernie sanders do whatever he can do, and it's very difficult in these campaigning day, whatever he can do to try to help elect joe biden. he doesn't necessarily agree with him, rosemary, on every issue. health care, for instance. but he looks at him and he thinks that joe biden can at least help preserve these real liberal progressive policies that democrats have pushed for and have been successful over the past couple of years, pushing more to the left.

sees joe biden as somebody who will keep on championing that. and if donald trump wins another term, bernie sanders tonight very starkly said to his follower, everything we worked for is going to be lost. whether that's true or not, we don't know. but still, it's a message he tried to get across. >> he was certainly making the clear message there is a choice of two guys here. you have to work out which one it will soon you. but that is your choice. so republican john kasich, his address of course was designed to convince other republicans that country comes before party. how well did he do with that? and is he the guy to let other republicans know that it's okay to vote for biden? >> he is certainly the guy for some republicans. john kasich is a very interesting fellow, very conservative, extremely smart. but somebody you either like john kasich or you don't like john kasich. tonight what you saw from john kasich, i go back to this one word, sincerity, this level of

sincerity. this is someone who ran for the presidential nomination himself and lost. this is somebody who i remember when i first came to washington was considered one of the most fiscally conservative and smartest individuals on capitol hill. but this is somebody obviously that doesn't share the same republican philosophy, that grounded republican philosophy that donald trump shares. and i think he was making that distinction tonight and trying to tell folks that if you don't necessarily support donald trump, if you're a republican, it's okay to come over here to joe biden. i don't necessarily think you're going to see a lot of republicans jump ship, but you could see a lot of people in the middle, and you could see folks like john kasich who say to themselves, you know, at this point, i can't be loyal to my party because of who the nominee. we'll see what happens in november. >> we certainly shall. we will be counting down. mark preston, always a pleasure. thank you so much. >> thanks, rosemary. well, a former senior trump administration official and long-time republican is

endorsing joe biden's presidential campaign. miles of taylor served as chief of staff to homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen and is one of the highest ranking former officials from the trump administration to back biden. in a video message, taylor achoosed mr. trump of using his office for political purposes. >> he told us to stop giving money to people whose houses have been burned from a wildfire because he was so rageful that people in the state of california didn't support him and 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 rippinger children away from their parents to hoe the parents they shouldn't come to the boarder in the first place. even though i'm not a democrat, even though i disagree on key. >> i'm confident that joe biden will protect the country. >> while joe biden is enjoying the support of a former trump administration official, new polling results show he's also

maintaining a lead over president trump, though it has narrowed. cnn's poll of possible, which combines six nonpartisan surveys found biden now leading by a 9-point margin nationally. on july 20th, biden had a 12-point lead. and while the president is making up some ground, he is still warning about the potential for election fraud, even though there is no evidence of it. some of his starkest language yet came monday on the campaign trail in wisconsin. take a listen. >> 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 lose this election. >> well, u.s. house democrats are making the postal service crisis a top priority. the postmaster general will

testify next week amid accusations the trump administration is sabotaging the service to prevent mail-in voting for the november election. cnn's kristen holmes has more. >> no, we're not tampering. >> reporter: president trump today insisting he is not behind recent delays in u.s. mail. >> it's been run horribly. and we're going to make it good. >> reporter: and denying he is using the postal service to meddle in november' election. >> wouldn't do that. i have encouraged everybody speed up the mail, not slow the mail. >> reporter: that's not stopping speaker nancy pelosi, who called the house back early from summer recess and plans a weekend vote to stop the administration from implementing any changes ahead of november. >> i'm all about piecemeal. if we can bring on postal, let's do it. >> reporter: outrage sparked by postal workers who sounded the alarm that recent changes by trump's postmaster general like cutting overtime and post office hours have slowed delivery

times, something the postmaster called, quote, unintended consequences in a recent letter. documents obtained by cnn also show a plan has been underway to remove nearly 700 high volume mail sorters from postal facilities across the country this year. but the white house chief of staff telling jake tapper on "state of the union" that will no will be removed before. that's not happening. >> are you saying that sorting machines have not been taken offline and removed? are you asserting that, that that did not happen? >> i'm saying that sorting machines between now and the election will not be taken offline. >> reporter: the president today once again attacking the mail-in ballot process, with false information on dropboxs, tweeting who is going to collect the ballots, and what might be done to them prior to tabulation? a rigged election? state officials have pushed back on these claims.

>> the clerks empty these things a couple of times a day, actually. and they usually are in very prominent place. i think it would be really difficult to vandalize one of these boxes. >> reporter: in colorado, where mail-in voting has been running smoothly for more than a decade, 75% of voters return ballots in dropbox, but the rest rely on the postal service. now multiple states are considering legal action against the administration and president trump. >> i will not allow him to suppress any american and will fight him with all options on the taking. >> reporter: kristen holmes, cnn, washington. the biden team says president trump has shown his true colors yet again by retweeting russian propaganda. on sunday, the president amplified a tweet that u.s. intelligence officials have described as a part of a russian campaign. they say it's meant to spread false and misleading information about biden and his dealings with ukraine. the biden camp says the release

is blatant russian meddling against the former vice president ahead of the election. well, a woman who lost her father to the coronavirus created one of the most powerful moments so far at the democratic national convention. her scathing rebuke of president trump. that's ahead. ave time to go to the post office they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the services of the post office plus ups only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4 week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/save and never go to the post office again concentration - in we suppohectic times .oments, and focus to win the day. unlike ordinary memory supplements... neuriva's clinically proven ingredients fuel 5 indicators of brain performance.

take the neuriva challenge with our money-back guarantee! to practice these healthy habits,e brought to you by lysol. wash your hands often with soap and water and monitor your health. always use the inside of your elbow to cough or sneeze. be sure to cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover around others. and keep about 6 ft distance from them. and remember to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. the best way forward is together. lysol. what it takes to protect.

well, it's no surprise the most dominating story of the year, the coronavirus is capturing a lot of attention at this week's democratic national convention. one of the most compelling moments came when a woman who lost her father to the virus blamed the u.s. president directly. she says her father believed president trump when he said the virus was under control and would disappear. >> after the stay-at-home order was lifted in arizona, my dad went the a karaoke bar with his friends. a few weeks later he was put on a ventilator. and after five agonizing days, he died alone in the icu with a nurse holding his hand. my dad was a healthy

65-year-old. his only preexisting condition was trusting donald trump, and for that he paid with his life. >> and the coronavirus claimed another 445 lives in the u.s. monday, and the number of confirmed cases is approaching 5.5 million. erica hill has the latest from around the country. >> i wish this 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. >> just getting americans to wear masks has been a hurdle in many place, including schools. they're not mandatory in georgia, one of nine states where positivity cases topped 10% and where students and staff are now quarantined. outbreaks in cherokee county north of atlanta forcing three high schools to suspend in-person learning through at least the end of the month.

nationwide, the number and rate of coronavirus cases in children has been steadily increasing since march. in arizona, more than 100 staff members in one district called out sick. school there canceled for the day. >> i was glad that they have decided to kind of take a pause for monday, because this is going to impact our community as a whole. >> reporter: multiple schools in two florida districts also adding quarantine orders as others worry they could be next. >> we do all types of drills for emergencies and tornadoes and fires, and even active school shooters. but there is no foolproof way to have a drill to avoid covid-19 infection. >> reporter: unc-chapel hill moving all undergraduate classes online after reporting several clusters on campus. an entire sorority house at oklahoma state is now quarantined. and these images from a crowded party near the university of north georgia sparking concern

that school could be next. >> we're setting them up to fail, and then we're going to blame them for being irresponsible. and i think we're the ones that are quite frankly being irresponsible by allowing that kind of thing to happen. >> reporter: deaths topping 170,000 with the country now reporting an average of more than a thousand deaths a day for the past three weeks. and while new cases over the past week are trending down in 20 states, at least a dozen of those are also reporting a decline in testing. >> we're probably missing eight out of ten people who are contagious. and any decrease in testing is worrisome, because we're already not doing well. >> reporter: a new saliva test granted emergency use authorization by the fda offering help. >> these tests can be done very rapidly, very inexpensively, lots of them and with a quick turnaround time. and that's a big difference from where we are today. >> reporter: further evidence communities of color are being

hit harder, new analysis of 12 streets published in jama internal medicine finds black, latino and native populations were hospitalized at a disproportionate rate. and vaccine trials have been slow to recruit black and latino participants. currently just 10% of those who volunteered, despite making up more than 50% of confirm cases in the u.s. >> it's on us in medicine, in public health to build those bridges with communities of color and say, look, these are going to be safe trials, and we need your involvement because we want the know the vaccine will protect not just some americans, but all americans. >> reporter: erica hill, cnn, new york. william haseltine is a former professor at harvard's medical school and school of public health. he is also the author of a covid back to school guide. and he joins me now from roxbury in connecticut. thank you, sir, for talking with us. >> my pleasure. thank you.

>> so we're doigoing to start w dr. deborah birx saying she wishes the u.s. had locked down the same way italy was where people weren't allowed to leave their homes except to buy groceries once a week. she acknowledges americans don't react tooele that sort of prohibition. so why wouldn't she and other task force members insisted at some point on a national mask mandate to reduce the spread of the virus, but also keep the economy moving? >> i think that the health authorities, whether it's a cdc, the nih, the task force, the people who are trained in public health gave the right advice. but in a political setting, giving advice and getting action are two different things. and unfortunately, this administration did not act on the advice they were given. >> so you don't think that we'll ever see this administration call for a mask mandate across the nation?

>> i don't think we're likely to see that from this administration. i don't think we have seen the kind of steps we need to control the covid epidemic. as you know, the united states, with 4% of the population, accounts for one quarter of all infections and deaths. this is an unmitigated disaster for a country that has traditionally been the leader in public health. it shows you what a difference leadership makes. >> right. and of course los angeles schools have announced massive testing and tracing for students and staff, but the university of north carolina chapel hill just announced they are suspending in-person learning after just a week of classes due to numerous covid-19 clusters. how inevitable is it that we will see other schools and colleges close and move to remote learning? >> it's absolutely inevitable.

if you're in a zone that's yellow, orange, or red and you open, especially with the rather careless procedures that we have, it is inevitable that many people will be infected in colleges. we're doing the same thing with our public education, and it is inevitable that we're going to see many infections, many quarantines, and many closing. and a very large number of unhappy and distressed parents. >> and president trump and his administration are pushing for all schools to open for in-person learning, insisting the children are immune or not vulnerable, even though studies show that is false. when would bit safe to open schools and colleges for in-person learning, and could that newly approved saliva-based test be key to doing this? >> well, let's take the

saliva-based test. it isn't all that it seems. there are some good parts about it, and it shows that you can use saliva, but it's still a test that needs to be supervised. you are to spit under supervision, and then you have to send it off for testing. it is not a home test. home tests are being devised. those will make a difference. they should be fast. they should be cheap. but the saliva tests that was just approved is not that. all it essentially does is replace the long swab that goes into the back of your nose with a saliva test. there are some simplifications of the reagents they claim may make things faster. it's not the reagents that make things slow. it's bad bureaucracy that make things slow. >> reporter: well, let's hope in some way that problem with testing can be solved. william haseltine, thank you so much for talking with us. we do appreciate it. >> you're welcome. thank you very much for the opportunity.

well, president trump calls out new zealand for its coronavirus outbreak. but the country's prime minister isn't valving it. hear her response in just a moment. plus, joe biden won't speak until later this week, but there were plenty of other powerful moments on the first night of the democrats' convention. what makes for a good speech? we'll look at that. audible is my road-trip companion. it's kind of my quiet, alone time. audible is a routine for me. it's like a fun night school for adults. i could easily be seduced into locking myself into a place where i do nothing but listen to books. i never was interested in historical fiction before, but i'm obsessed with it now. there are a lot of like, classic and big titles that i feel like i missed out since i don't have time to read, mean i might as well listen. if i want to catch up on the news or history or learn what's going on in the world, i can download a book and listen to it. because i listened to her story over and over again,

i made the decision to go ahead and follow my own dream, which was to help other veterans. i think there's like 180 books in my, in my library now. it changes your perspective; it makes you a different person. it's true, it's so true. to start your free 30-day trial, just text listen25 to 500500.

tiredefined the wordng th'school' this year. it's why, at xfinity, we're committed to helping kids keep learning through the summer. and help college students studying at home stay connected through our university program. we're providing affordable internet access to low income families through our internet essentials program. and this summer, xfinity is creating a virtual summer camp for kids at home- all on xfinity x1. we're committed to helping all families stay connected. learn more at xfinity.com/education.

well, on the first night of the democratic convention, the message of unity came from all points of the political spectrum, progressive, moderates and republicans who crossed the

divide all outlined their support for joe biden while condemning president trump. jeff zeleny has our report. >> reporter: in the age of a pandemic, an unusual democratic national convention under way, very unconventional. democrats 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 is 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 independents and others who may not love joe biden to support the ticket anyway. and she urged young americans to vote. it's something we have not heard michelle obama speak in this way almost as much as a moral

authority speech as a political one. bernie sanders was the last man standing to joe biden. he too delivered a forceful endorsement of joe biden and urged progressives to vote for him as well. said elect the democrats in november and then progressives can work on their agenda. so certainly the democratic convention, at least in the first evening, the speeches ran the gamut of ideology, from progressives to moderate, even some republicans got in on the act. the former ohio governor john kasich and a handful of other republicans said 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 life-long 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. >> cnn senior political analyst john avlon joins me now who is also the author of washington's farewell and wingnuts. and a one-time speech writer for former new york mayor rudy giuliani. good to have you with us. >> good to see you, rosemary. >> so a loft notable spookers lined up for the week for the dnc convention. we've already heard from some, including from former first lady michelle obama. what stood out in her address particularly? and what is the key to a great and memorable convention speech? >> michelle obama is actually a great communicator in her own right. and she really has an ability to speak from the heart but to throw some subtle jabs. i think at the heart of her speech was about character. she said it's the most important thing in a presidency and it's what is most thoroughly lack about this president. she tried to tie aspects of the

obama legacy to a broader bipartisan legacy of presidents shoring up international organizations, mentioning reagan and eisenhower, two republicans and saying look, donald trump has been a stark departure from that and he has an inability to empathize with other people, and that's what the presidency is about. you know, a great convention speech. and there have been many of them. ultimately is about trying to put forward a positive vision of the nation and project it forward. some democrats sometimes have a hard time embracing patriotism in a full sense. some want to keep it at arm's length. but successful progressives in particular know how to tie their vision to something that's fundamentally patriotic. great speeches do. and you're seeing that tone get hit over and over so far in this convention. >> yeah, we certainly saw that very much at the start of it, didn't we? and also republican john kasich

spoke. how significant is it that he's from the rival party and do you think that could potentially change the hearts and minds of other republicans who may be questioning the direction of their party right now, which of course is clearly the hope here on the party of the democrats? >> i think it's easy to forget how extraordinary that moment was. and it wasn't just john kasich. it was christie todd whitman, governor of new jersey and a bush administration official. it was meg whitman, a businesswoman who ran for california, a close ally of mitt romney. it was susan molinari who spoke in the '96 republican convention. so it's not just kasich, but it is so extraordinary and unusual to have that many members of the opposition party line up to say that they cannot support the incumbent president of their own party. as meg whitman said he is bad at business. john kasich said he is bad for the soul of america.

look, donald trump is very popular among republicans, to the tune of 85 plus percent, but there are a large number of influential republicans showing major signs of dissent. and it's very difficult to find folks who voted for hillary last time who are going to vote for donald trump this time. it is not as difficult to find folks who voted for donald trump who aren't going to do it a second time. and it's almost impossible to imagine that republicans pulling off anything similar at their convention with this president. >> interesting. and just very quickly, historically, how often has a convention speech moved the needle in any significant way? >> look, candidates can get a big bump out of their conventions. john mccain got a bump out of his with a very strong country first speech despite being dragged down a bit by the nomination of sarah palin at that convention. bill clinton's '92 convention speech is a classic where we talked about a new covenant. george bush's convention speech very strong, and barack obama in denver, he's a great orator. and those moments matter, and

they can create real bumps. but again, it's about tying the personal vision to a patriotic perception of the country, tying the past with the present and projecting it on to the future. that's what great speeches do, and that's what folks should look for. >> john avlon, great to chat with you. thank you so much. with racial injustice a central issue of this campaign, democrats took time to remember the black man who died under the knee of a white police officer. we'll be back after this message to the convention from george floyd's brother. >> it's up to us to carry on the fight for justice. our action also be their legacies. we must always find ourselves in what john lewis called good trouble for the names we do not know. the faces we'll never see. those who can't mourn because their murders didn't go viral.

please join me in a moment of silence to honor george and the many other souls we lost to hate and injustice. and when this moment ends, let's make sure we never stop saying their names. ♪ love them, hate their laundry, protection. lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria. detergent alone can't. lysol. what it takes to protect. ® i'm a talking dog. the other issue. oh...i'm scratching like crazy. you've got some allergic itch with skin inflammation.

apoquel can work on that itch in as little as 4 hours, whether it's a new or chronic problem. and apoquel's treated over 8 million dogs. nice. and...the talking dog thing? is it bothering you? no...itching like a dog is bothering me. until dogs can speak for themselves, you have to. when allergic itch is a problem, ask for apoquel. apoquel is for the control of itch associated with allergic dermatitis and the control of atopic dermatitis in dogs. do not use apoquel in dogs less than 12 months old or those with serious infections. apoquel may increase the chance of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or pre-existing cancers to worsen. do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. feeling better? i'm speechless. thanks for the apoquel. aw...that's what friends are for. ask your veterinarian for apoquel next to you, apoquel is a dog's best friend.

officials in new zealand have reported another 13 cases of covid-19, most of them linked to the recent outbreak in auckland. now this comes a day after prime minister jacinda ardern

postponed the general election, citing the rise in infections. on monday, u.s. president trump took a shot at new zealand, calling its cluster terrible. >> in fact even new zealand, you see what's going on in new zealand. they beat it. they beat it. it was like front page. they beat it because they wanted to show me something. the problem is big surge in new zealand. so, you know, it's terrible. well don't want that. >> but new zealand's prime minister was quick to set the record straight on that. >> 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 u.s. is approaching 5.5 million. well, even members of the white house's own coronavirus task force are saying the u.s. has botched the response.

dr. deborah birx says america's restrictions did not go far enough, and she wishes the lockdown would have been much more strict. >> 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. >> and italy is now reimposing some of its restrictions after seeing a rise in new cases. it's one of several european countries trying to prevent a second wave. cnn's melissa bell is live from paris. she joins us now. good to see you, melissa. so it's a lesson to us all not to let our guard down with this virus, isn't it? what is the latest on the situation in france and in italy? >> i think that's right. i think what's happening in europe is really interesting, because as we just heard a moment ago, there are so many countries here that really did

enforce very strict lockdowns, that did manage to get their crisis under control fairly quickly. but what's been happening over the past few weeks with the reopening and perhaps more specifically with the reopening of the borders within the eu and the lifting of any travel restrictions between eu states, what's happened is in that post lockdown world, rosemary, we've seen the number of cases rise. we've seen it the last few days in france. two record days over the course of the weekend. a smaller rise in the number of new cases yesterday. but more people admitted to hospital. here in paris, rosemary, what we've seen over the course of the last 15 days is a sixfold increase in the number of coronavirus cases. new clusters in places like marseille and the south of france because that is where so many people have traveled, not just from within france but other european countries. they've traveled also to spain, to greece, to croatia. so many countries that hoped to attract tourists this summer to try to compensate some of the losses to their economies and who found in fact there were direct increases in the number

of coronavirus case, croatia and greece in particular having to bring in fresh measures to try and bring those numbers of cases down. so that's what's so interesting about what's happening. governments here in this post lockdown world working out exactly what the necessary measures that need to be taken are in order to keep their economies open and what we have seen here in france, but elsewhere in europe is it is almost daily announcements. fresh, many fresh parts of cities where the wearing of masks will be mandatory, even outdoors. the closing of places like nightclubs and bars in greece and italy, anything that will try and keep tourists and the young safe, because that's another of the important statistics coming out of what's happening in europe, that the hardest hit in terms of these fresh rises in coronavirus case, the younger generation, rosemary, those 25 to 35-year-olds, all too keen to be able to travel again, all too keen to be able to live again who are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus. >> melissa bell, many thanks joining us live from paris. appreciate it.

thousands of people gathered for a party in wuhan, china over the weekend. the former epicenter of the pandemic reportedly hasn't seen any new coronavirus cases since may. and you can see the audience packed in tightly for this concert at a water park with very few masks inside. officials are hoping to boost the economy with the lockdown lifted. to do that, they have waived ticket fees at hundreds of to tourist sites. a short break right now. just ahead, the president of belarus under pressure to step down. but he says not until you kill me. we'll be back in a moment. as we move forward, let's continue to practice these healthy habits, brought to you by lysol. wash your hands often with soap and water and monitor your health. always use the inside of your elbow to cough or sneeze. be sure to cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover around others. and keep about 6 ft distance from them. and remember to clean and disinfect

frequently touched surfaces daily. the best way forward is together. lysol. what it takes to protect. we were paying an arm and a leg for postage. i remember setting up shipstation. one or two clicks and everything was up and running. i was printing out labels and saving money. shipstation saves us so much time. it makes it really easy and seamless. pick an order, print everything you need, slap the label onto the box, and it's ready to go. our costs for shipping were cut in half. just like that. shipstation. the #1 choice of online sellers. go to shipstation.com/tv and get 2 months free. shipstation. the #concentration - in ofwe suppohectic times .oments, and focus to win the day. unlike ordinary memory supplements...

neuriva's clinically proven ingredients fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. take the neuriva challenge with our money-back guarantee!

anti-government demonstrations in belarus are now in their second week. thousands of people filled the streets of minsk for the ninth straight day monday, protesting what they call a rigged election. meanwhile, embattled president alexandr lukashenko was booed and heckled by factory workers. he says there won't be any new elections, quote, until you kill me. cnn's matthew chance is live in moscow. he joins us now. good to see you, matthew.

pretty blunt message from lukashenko. what might it reveal about his likely next move, and of course how far will russia go in supporting him? >> well, obviously from my perspective here in moscow, it looks like alexandr lukashenko is doing everything he can to remain in office as president of belarus. whether he'll be able to sustain that i think is something that remains to be seen. we're still watching to see what unfolds over the coming days and weeks. in terms of what russia is prepared to do, well, that's also unclear there has been a whole lot of speculation that you'll be aware of the idea of russia sort of preparing to provide assistance of some kind to alexandr lukashenko. that assistance could take the form of military assistance. that's at least the speculation. but there is very little sign of that actually happening on the ground. and i expect the kremlin is

looking at this situation, as we all are, very carefully and weighing the risks. and they'll know that of course if they were to send in forces to support the regime of alexander lukashenko, that would have significant political and economic blowback. economic because undoubtedly, there would be sanctions imposed on russia for undertaking that kind of action. and politically because both in russia and in belarus, there would be a good deal of popular resistance to russia taking that kind of overt military action. and remember, i think it's key as well, these protests in belarus are not anti-russian protests. they're not pro european union pro nato protests like we saw in 2014 that compelled the russians to move in and seize crimea, for instance, back in 2014. these are anti-lukashenko protests. and to a very large extent, the kremlin itself isn't a big fan

of alexandr lukashenko. could probably live with the idea of somebody else coming in, taking over who they could work with. and so, you know, i think all this speculation about russia possibly preparing a military intervention is just that at this stage. >> all right. we'll watch it very closely, see what happens next. matthew chance joining us live from moscow. many thanks. the first time in two years, the u.s. navy is providing cnn can rare behind-the-scenes footage of a reconnaissance patrol over the disputed south china sea. china has claimed much of the sea, despite objections from a number of other countries. cnn's ivan watson reports the south china sea is a growing potential flash point. >> final preparations before takeoff. rare footage of u.s. navy air crew flying a mission over the south china sea last week. >> you see that?

>> reporter: this aircraft bristles with high-powered scopes to conduct surveillance. >> we're serving as the eyes and ears, patrolling ahead of the force, closely monitoring our advocacy adversaries. >> reporter: the adversary here is china. and it's not long before a chinese voice calls out over the radio and tells the u.s. plane to leave. >> depart immediately, depart immediately. >> united states military aircraft military operations in international airspace. >> reporter: i witnessed similar challenges two years ago on a different u.s. navy flight over this increasingly tense region. at least seven different governments have competing claims to parts of the south china sea, but beijing claims virtually all of the sea for itself. to cement its claim, china embarked on a mavis island building project, constructing runways and radar stations on what had been reefs and atolls. last month, the trump administration declared beijing's position illegal. >> we rejected china's unlawful

claims in the south china sea once and for all. >> reporter: the defense department says it has stepped up, deploying warships and planes on what it call freedom of navigation operations through the sea. prompting beijing's top diplomat to accuse the u.s. military of trying to destabilize the region. >> translator: in the first half of this year alone, the u.s. sent military aircraft more than 2,000 times. >> reporter: but it's not just the u.s. that is challenging china's territorial climbs here. >> china coast guard, china coast guard -- >> reporter: late last year, indonesian ships faced off against chinese vessels. >> you are in indonesian water, sir. please move away and go back to your territory, sir. >> reporter: indonesia deployed fighter jets to an island that it controls. >> if any possible conflict affecting to the -- our territory, we will protect our

interests, national interests. >> reporter: meanwhile, other countries like malaysia, vietnam and the philippines growing increasingly assertive against beijing's maritime claims. the philippines building up one of its own islands, while the commander of the philippines navy warns about alleged chinese provocations on the high seas. >> the first one to fire the shot loses public support. and i'm sure they want us to take the first shot, but we will not. >> reporter: with so many navys operating in such close quarters, there is growing risk of a first shot that could trigger a wider conflict. ivan watson, cnn, hong kong. >> and thank you so much for joining us this hour. i'm rosemary church. i'll be back with more news in just a moment. hike!

simon pagenaud takes the lead at the indy 500! coming to the green flag, racing at daytona. they're off... in the kentucky derby. rory mcllroy is a two time champion at east lake. he scores! stanley cup champions! touchdown! only mahomes. the big events are back and xfinity is your home for the return of live sports.

hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world, you are watching "cnn newsroom" and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, the first night of the u.s. democratic national convention had nothing conventional about it, and it was former first lady michelle obama who stole the show with a withering attack on donald trump's presidency. covid-19 dashed hopes for a packed convention hall this year and the infection numbers keep rising. we will bring you the very latest on that.