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, a quarter of a million people have died of covid-19 in the united states, and the warning from health officials is blunt, it's going to get worse. in public, donald trump is still refusing to concede the election. in private, some officials are starting to reach out to the biden team. and is there a glimmer of hope for europe? the world health organization

says cases are falling but the continent is not out of the woods yet. we are live yet in paris. good to have you with us, well, soaring cases, rising hospitalizations and now a u.s. death toll from covid-19 that surpassed a quarter of a million. a grim picture, as officials warn, the worst of the pandemic may still lie ahead. right now, there are more than 11 1/2 million cases in the united states which continues to lead the world in both the number of cases and deaths. the assistant secretary of health and human services who spoke with cnn's erin burnett anticipates the situation will deteriorate even further. >> this will get worse.

we have had 1 million cases documented over the past week. our rate of rise is higher than it even was in the summer. there are so many more cases that we have that deaths are going up, and unfortunately we do anticipate this to continue at least for the next couple of weeks. >> and that dire warning comes as the pandemic rages in many parts of the united states prompting some governors to take tougher actions. cnn's nick watt takes a closer look. >> new york city is the biggest school district in the nation so many parents right now scrambling to balance work with child care for the morning. >> that's the law. an orange zone and a red zone, follow the facts. >> parents are still confused as well. >> they're not confused. you're confused. >> meanwhile in iowa.

>> i want to make sure you don't have a blood clot in your lung. >> more than 76,000 americans now hospitalized with covid-19. that's an all-time high. >> in some places, we're already out of beds and room to put even new beds. >> reporter: so montana's mask mandate goes statewide friday. in michigan, a three-week pause kicks in today. no more indoor dining, bars, movie theaters. >> inherently dangerous situations are when you are inside with people from a different household or many different households for a prolonged period of time with masks off. >> reporter: in south dakota, the governor still won't mandate masks. >> people that want to wear masks should wear masks and people who don't shouldn't be shamed because they choose in and out to. in oregon, there can be no more than six at a thanksgiving table this year. >> in a place like oregon to say

if you gather in numbers more than six we might come to your house and arrest you and you get 30 days of jail time. >> reporter: orwellian or just life saving. >> we're all in this together as a nation. if one element of the country or multiple elements of the country don't cooperate with an infectious disease, we are going to continue to be in trouble. >> reporter: 1707 lives reported lost tuesday, covid's deadliest day in america for six months. the average daily death toll is rising in p33 states. good news, the fda just thor authorized the first at home fast test. pfizer says its vaccine is 95% effective and they will file for fda authorization in days. moderna won't be far behind. >> by the end of december, we

expect to have 40 million doses of these two vaccines available for distribution, pending fda authorization. enough to vaccinate about 20 million of our most vulnerable americans. >> reporter: but likely early summer before it's widespread. >> there is light at the end of the tunnel. however, that tunnel is long. >> reporter: and some places panic buying is now back, also long lines at food banks and covid-19 testing sites. the pain of this fall now resembles the spring, and it's getting worse. >> reporter: the situation in new york city is very interesting. so they reached 3% positivity which triggers the closure of all schools, so now in new york, kids can't go to a classroom but an adult can still go to a bar to get a beer. it's complicated. if i c

nick watt, cnn, los angeles. america's top infectious disease expert says many americans are still in denial about the pandemic, and dr. anthony fauci said when people ignore solid data, his frustration quote borders on pain. >> when you look at the heat map of the country where the colors that get darker and redder show that there's increased activity, it's almost the entire country. so things are going in the wrong direction in an arena of increased risk, namely the cooler and colder weather. i mean, let's go, folks. what about that don't you understand? >> reporter: dr. raj joins me now from naperville, illinois, just outside of colorado. thank you, doctor, for being with us and for all that you do. >> thank you, rosemary. thanks for having me back on. >> unfortunately more than

250,000 americans have now died from covid-19. cases and hospitalizations are surging. new york schools are closing indefinitely. new restrictions are being applied and while president-elect joe biden met with health care workers wednesday, the current president is absent, but blocking biden's transition. as a doctor, what is your reaction to where things stand right now in this country? >> so rosemary, i can only speak to what i'm dealing with, boots on the ground, and our hospitals are full. and as you know, mid tier and high tier institutions and also rural hospitals, we are full with covid in addition to all of the other emergencies that people come into the hospital with, and elective surgeries that people and then they get admitted to the hospital. we are full to the brim and now seeking strategies to try to increase our ability to house these patients, decrease elective surgeries which

decreases funding to nurses and doctors, and staff, which is critical. we're at a tipping point in illinois in particular in the suburbs of chicago. >> when the governors of minnesota, michigan, illinois, kentucky and wisconsin had a virtual meeting, they revealed the midwest is the epicenter of covid-19 to date with long lines of people getting tested, new restrictions put in place. you're a doctor in the midwest, what are you seeing at your hospital just outside of chicago. you mentioned the fact that you've got people coming in. it's all full up. but what are you doing in terms of different treatments, different approaches to the people coming in? >> it's a great question, rosemary. the last time you and i met we were just at the beginning of this illness. we had no idea to treat it. we thought we were going to do traditional clinical measures, traditional critical care measures to treat these patients when they came in with low

oxygen levels and low blood pressures. now we know better, we're not intubating or ventilating right away, we're putting them on high flow oxygen, giving them steroids when their oxygen levels are low. we have adequate access to remdesivir, and plasma, and in some cases anti body. and big institutions have that, and small institutions we are able to transfer them to other big institutions to get those patients those measures. we are much better at keeping them alive, unless they are dying from this. that being said, we're getting unundated with patients at the er. we are at an all time high volumes, and 10 to 20% staff out with covid, and they are suffering without pay, and they can't support their families because they have covid. this is a big problem, and we need them back because we need the help. >> what are you experimenting with that might help people fight in virus?

>> i don't mean to speak to patients as their doctor. as you know, i come on here just to give you a boots on the ground experience for what's going on. for my patients in a discussion with them and their doctors, vitamin d is a huge supplement and to treat covid-19. zinc supplements, and mel tonen, and there is antiviral to all three of these. anything i recommend has to be discussed with your personal doctor or emergency doctor. these are things that are safe and low risk helping my patients and also steroids. >> you are also seeing covid fatigue. it's right across the united states and across europe. we're seeing it right across the world in fact. how frustrating is that as a doctor, and why do you think some americans can't seem to comprehend the dangers posed by this virus, refusing to wear

masks and follow other health guidelines in the middle of a pandemic. >> because this is new and novel and we're americans, and this is a country where we propagate free speech and freedom to pine about anything that you want and that is the luxury of america. part of the curse of america is that in times like this, rosemary, i'm finding that it's challenging to convince people that we need to come together as a community to do the right thing. that being said, i have to respect americans for doing what they think is right, and everybody has to take on that risk and take on that burden when they are part of the problem. >> that is a great answer. dr. raj kelsey, you and all the other doctors and nurses are our front line heroes, thank you so much for your service. >> thank you so much, rosemary. thanks for having me on. president trump continues stone walling on the transition to a new administration but

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been seen in public since his election loss to joe biden, except his several rounds of golf. his official calendar remains empty of any events. he has not mentioned the worsening pandemic. instead, the president continues to push false claims of election fraud. but some two dozen court challenges filed on his behalf have either been dropped or thrown out for having no legal merits. his latest gambut is to seek a recount in wisconsin. biden carried the state by 20,000 votes. the recount is unlikely to change the final result. biden has made tackling the pandemic his top priority when he takes office next january but the trump administration is still refusing to cooperate with the biden team. cnn has now learned that some

current and former administration officials are quietly reaching out to biden to lend some assistance. cnn's jeff zeleny has those details. president-elect joe biden praising medical workers tonight on the front lines of the coronavirus fight. >> it's not enough to praise you. we have to protect you and we have to pay you. >> he's shining a light on their heroism and calling out president trump's obstructionism as his administration still refuses to cooperate with biden's transition team. especially on fighting covid. >> we have been unable to get access to the kinds of things we need to know about the depth of the stockpiles. we know there's not much at all, and there's a whole lot of things that are just -- we just don't have available to us unless it's made available soon, we're going to be behind by weeks or months. >> reporter: staffers inside the department of health and human services were instructed not to

communicate with biden advisers cnn learned, and asked to report outreach to top officials. >> we made it clear when gsa makes a determination, we will ensure complete cooperative transitions planning. >> reporter: as the u.s. reported the deadliest day of the pandemic in six months, a minnesota nurse begged biden for help. >> i'm taking care of coworkers as they fight for their lives on a ventilator. and knowing that they got sick because of the hospital or their government hasn't protected them. >> reporter: biden showing his empathy said this. >> i'm sorry i'm so emotional. >> no. you got me emotional. >> reporter: tonight, members of biden's covid-19 advisory board say biden's team will be ready, but say they were skeptical of any plans that exist inside the trump administration. >> we will be ready on day one. we have waited for ten months for a plan to be shared with the

american public and health care experts on the vaccine program. >> reporter: the biden transition team is also placing a high priority on building the government, particularly the health and human services department. officials tell cnn that two democratic governors are top contenders for the post. gina gi gina, vivek murthy are among the leading contenders. firing chris krebs who was in charge of u.s. election cyber security for telling the truth about the election. >> it's dangerous. the entire transition, trump's whole behavior right now should frighten the american public. >> reporter: we're also learning a handful of current and former trump administration officials are reaching out privately to the biden transition team, and believe it's important to put country over party. they're reaping out to them directly one on one trying to

help with the transition even as president trump refuses to acknowledge the election. biden is clearly sounding the alarm as more than a quarter of a million americans have died of covid. jeff zeleny, cnn, wilmington, delaware. larry sabato, director of university of virginia center for politics. here's what we have a president missing in action, stewing over an election loss, using twitter to fire officials, claiming voter fraud, and most republicans complicit standing silently by as joe biden tries to prepare to take over despite being blocked by donald trump, what is going on here, and why is there not more outrage? >> well, first of all, as you suggested, the president is simply a sore loser and he's throwing a temper tantrum which he has done on many occasions since he became president.

second, he's trying to keep his base stirred up. he wants them to think that they were deprived of the victory that they so richly deserved and that he deserved, even though it's absolutely ridiculous, everyone knows joe biden won. everyone but people who are willfully blind, and i think to some degree, trump is sticking it to joe biden hoping that the fact that he can't get security briefings, the fact that he isn't getting that transition money, that he can't talk to the covid specialists who are working with the trump administration, all of these things will make his opponent who defeated him less successful as president, and that's disgraceful. their ought to be universal outrage about this. there's no excuse for not being outraged because it hurts the country: i wonder frequently what is wrong with people. have our standards fallen this far? >> apparently so.

and of course despite donald trump delaying his transition, president-elect biden has hit the ground running, meeting with health experts wednesday and governors on thursday, but his team needs those briefings you talk about. on the pandemic for vaccine distribution plans, and national security briefings to properly prepare for office on january 20th and going forward. otherwise, we're talking about the possibility of many lives being lost. what needs to happen next to move things along, and how should republicans be viewed if they don't make sure that happens. >> the head of the gsa general services administration needs to turn over the paperwork immediately. she should have done it right after biden was declared president-elect by all of the networks, including the conservative networks. she should have done it immediately. she hasn't done it, she claims to be on the horns of a dilemma. it's in her imagination.

it's very clear that biden qualifies under the wording of the law. it should be done immediately and every republican senator, congressman and governor should be demanding that it be done. because all of them are being hurt, and should be hurt by this. >> and with the trump campaign feverishly trying to rework the outcome of this election, what is the latest on the partial recount of votes in wisconsin and the georgia vote certification and how long can the trump administration keep these delay tactics going with no indication the outcome will change in any meaningful way? >> i suppose it's possible for them to keep this flat ball rolling for a while, but it's not going to last very long because for one thing, judges aren't going to stand for it. there's nothing behind their appeals, nothing behind their claims, and judges of various stripes, artisan, and ideological have said as much in court.

that ought to be embarrassing for the trump team but as we learned over the past four years, nothing embarrasses them. so it's a matter of trump continuing this tantrum, depriving his elected successor of the opportunity to succeed not for himself but on behalf of americans who may, as you said, otherwise die from covid or a national security crisis that may arise with the biden team unaware of facts they should know before inauguration day. >> yeah. american people are the losers right now, while this continues. larry sabato, always great to get your perspective. appreciate it. >> thank you so much, rosie. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo is in jerusalem where he has been meeting with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. during his visit, pompeo is expected to be the first top american diplomat to visit a jewish settlement in the west bank.

most of the international community consider those settlements illegal. cnn's oren liebermann joins us live from jerusalem. good to see you, oren. so what's the latest on this visit and it purpose. >> reporter: this morning secretary of state pompeo spoke alongside benjamin netanyahu. pompeo said the bds movement against israel will be considered anti-semitic and the state department will make sure any organization that works with them will not have funding from the u.s. department of state. he called the bds movement a cancer. prime minister benjamin netanyahu responding simply wonderful as a response when pompeo looked at him there. now pompeo is expected to head to the winery, there is a red wine named after pompeo, after they see positive steps for the st settlers. there he's expected to have

lump lunch before heading to the go lan heights. it is a celebration of the trump administration's foreign policy, recognizing the golan heights as part of israel and recognizing israeli solvereignty. who's celebrating, the pompeo and netanyahu, and evangelical christians, looking ahead to the future with plenty of rumors that he is looking at a 2024 bid of his own. this isn't the end of pompeo's trip. he heads to qatar and assault and battery -- and saudi arabia. if it succeeds, a foreign policy victory for the trump administration. it seems pompeo is not giving up. rosemary, it's worth remembering that pompeo has not yet publicly acknowledged joe biden won the election. >> critical point there. oren liebermann joining us live from jerusalem, many thanks. pfizer and its german

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europe's latest covid lock down approach seems to be paying off. some countries across the continent are seeing their first decline in cases in more than three months. the world health organization reports the region saw new cases drop by 10% during the past week after many countries tightened

restrictions but it's not all encouraging news, deaths are still climbing after the case spikes we saw weeks ago. melissa bell joins us now from paris with more. so melissa, what is the latest on the situation across europe? >> well, you're quite right to point out that all is not rosy and that even though those deaths continue to rise, their remains in some parts of worry, rising cases, we have heard that switzerland has reached practically its maximum capacity. all icu beds are full. italy continues to see worrying figures, poland, romania as well. we know countries like sweden with introducing fresh restrictions to try to bring their numbers down as well. yes, there is a sense that a corner has been turned in much of europe, and those countries that brought this thein their restrictions in france and belgium, are beginning to see

drops across the board in terms of new cases, in terms of hospitalizations, in terms of the number of people in icu in germany which brought in the partial lock down, 2 1/2 weeks ago. there is a sense that more restrictions might be needed or further tightening of them: angela merkel tried to bring them in yesterday, failed to agree or bring the right majority. we'll look next week at what might need to be done. a sense that restrictions need to be kept tight but a sense that they are beginning to work. as you mentioned, a 10% drop in cases europe wide is a significant development. we have not seen any drop like that in three months. even if there is hope the restrictions are bearing their fruit, there's a sense there won't be a lifting of restrictions that we saw at the end of the first wave and the mistakes made then will be learned this time. the world health organization is warning the vaccines while welcome may take many months to be enough to combat the pandemic

and instead countries are going to have to get used to more or less tight restrictions remaining in place to work alongside those vaccines until the pandemic can be brought under control, rosemary. >> melissa bell joining us live from paris. many thanks. tokyo is raising it coronavirus alert to the highest level. the city's governor says new infections are increasing rapidly, and tokyo's government just said thursday's count shot up to 534. the biggest jump since the start of the pandemic. cnn's selina wang joins us live now from tokyo. good to see you. so what's behind this increase in cases? >> great to be with you, rosemary. well, what's interesting is that even though we are seeing this alert level get raised to the highest one, this move is largely symbolic, despite the fact that we are seeing cluster in offices and schools, and restaurant establishments. what this alert level means is it is encouraging residents to

stay inside, to proceed with more precautions but the government doesn't have any legal means here to enforce it, which is why japan has never had a strict lock down. even though we are seeing japan overall report record cases, more than 2,000 new a day, japan is not moving with the state of emergency as they had declared over the spring. that allows local governments to urge residents to stay inside, but again, there is no legal enforcement there. now, prime minister suga has, however, said that japan is on quote maximum alert. he said, quote, experts pointed out the risk of infection through group dining. the advice to wear masks in conversation even at dining, please dine quietly be a mask on too starting today. the balancing economic growth with suppression of covid infections and if you compare japan to other countries in east asia, japan has taken a

relatively relaxed approach to covid-19. despite that, japan has managed to avoid the explosion of cases we have seen in other parts of the world like the u.s. and western europe. at the same time, hospitals here in japan have not yet been pushed to capacity. total deaths are under 2,000, reported deaths, as well as confirmed infections are just over 120,000. i have spoken to infectious disease experts here who are very critical as what they see as the prioritization of boosting the economy, juicing domestic tourism with the subsidies to encourage people to travel within the country. some experts blame this domestic tourism campaign, partially blame it for the new surge in cases! selina wang joining us live from tokyo, many thanks. pharmaceutical pfizer biontech will be applying for emergency use of their vaccine

in the u.s. final results of the phase 3 trial show the drug is 95% effective even in older adults with no serious safety concerns. cnn's frederik pleitgen spoke with biontech's ceo, who says initial distribution could begin in a matter of weeks. >> we might get an automization already in 2020, which might help us to start distribution of the first vaccine batches already in 2020. our goal is to supply several hundred million doses in the first four to five months in 2021. this will already have an impact on the control of covid-19. >> are you confident that these vaccines are now or the existence of these vaccines signal the beginning of the end of the pandemic? >> i am confident that if everything goes well and if we

have a well-organized vaccine supply, that we could have a normal winter, 2021, normal summer and winter 2021. >> the data you released today showed very good efficacy in older people because they're obviously some of the most vulnerable. can you just walk us through how important that is? >> now we see that we have an overall efficacy of 95%, and in elderly people, we have more than 94%. that means there's no difference. there's no difference between the age, different ages and there's no difference between ethnicities, which makes of course the pandemic supply and control very very very efficient. >> now, the challenge in distributing the vaccine is it needs to be stored at about 94 deed of release below zero. but biontech says it's now working on a formula that would enable it to be shipped at room temperature. that is quite some progress

there. well, in australia, a long awaited military investigation has found evidence of unlawful killings by some special forces sent to afghanistan. the report on suspected war crimes is forcing australia's top general to apologize. cnn's ivan watson is tracking the developments and joins me now live from hong kong. and this is shocking news. what are you finding, ivan? >> well, australia's top military commander has apologized to the people of afghanistan and apologized to afghanistan's top military commander directly. this after this four-year inquiry came up with credible information as chief of australian defense force angus campbell put it t 25 australian special forces predominantly believed to be from the elite special air service regiment are responsible for the unlawful killings of some 39 people all

described as civilians. take a listen to what further general campbell had to say. >> those alleged to have been unlawfully killed were all people under control, in lay terms, prisoners, farmers, or other civilians. this shameful record includes alleged instances in which new patrol members were coerced to shoot a prisoner in order to achieve that soldier's first kill. in an appalling practice known as blooding. further to this, throw down weapons and radios were also reportedly planted to support claims that people killed were enemy killed in action. >> the defense chief says he is

accepting all of the inquiries 143 recommendations which, for example, call on some 36 matters being handed over to the australian federal police for criminal investigation, for reform of this elite sas regiment, and for ordering the reviews of honors and awards that have been granted to the australian military and revoking meritorious unit citations as well. we have spoken with the head of afghanistan independence human rights commission. she is welcoming this as a first step and is calling on the australian government to provide compensation for the victims who have been identified in this voluminous report. roa rosemary. >> ivan watson bringing us that update from hong kong. appreciate it. and still to come on cnn, how stacey abrams mobilized

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the u.s. state of georgia is the focal point of american election news today. officials are expected to announce the results of the statewide recount in the coming hours. president donald trump and his allies have accused georgia of widespread voter fraud but georgia's secretary of state, a republican, has repeatedly said there is no evidence of it. the order is expected to reaffirm joe biden's victory. at the same time, control of the u.s. senate hangs in the balance in georgia. a runoff election in january will determine which party gains control. incumbent senator republican david perdue here on the right is facing a tough reelection fight with democrat john ossoff.

perdue told fox news what's at stake. >> i think president trump has every right to demand that every legal vote be counted and every illegal vote be removed, and that's what's at stake here. we're in the fight of our life here. we're the last line of defense in georgia. that's what makes every vote count in this. if we win georgia, we save america. >> a key to victory for both parties in georgia is voter turnout. the democrats believe they have an edge in january's runoff election, thanks to stacey abrams. the former gubernatorial candidate has spent two years ramping up voter registration in georgia, especially among black americans. cnn's kyung lah has our report. >> reporter: in atlanta. >> let's do it again. >> reporter: the heart of where democrats flipped georgia blue. >> elect people that vote for you vote blue times two. >> jihan gary helps get out the vote for january's crucial

senate election. >> we can do it again. >> reporter: you think you can do it again? >> i think we've got a fighting chance, and i know the republicans are mad as hell but at the same time, it's a new day. >> reporter: she did not expect this just two years ago. >> it was disrespectful. it was absolutely disrespectful. >> reporter: gary, like so many other black voters were angry with what happened to then gubernatorial candidate stacey abrams. >> reporter: did it discourage you when she lost in 2018, how did it affect you? >> i was pissed. >> the democrat lost the race by 55,000 votes. one marred by aellegations of voter suppression among black voters. >> are you going to go out and vote january 5th. >> abrams loss set a wildfire under the grass roots movement she helped build for years, a movement that now turns to the two senate runoff seats. >> senator david perdue, and jon

ossoff, kelly loeffler. and raphael warnock. >> running against republican incumbent senators, david perdue and kelly loeffler, in races that will determine control of the u.s. senate. >> we have two senate seats in the state. >> are you planning on voting for the runoff election? >> reporter: this is georgia stand up, one of several voting rights groups in the state. in the run up to november, it and other grass roots groups that had worked with abrams hit the pavement hard, registering new voters. motivating black turnout. and helped flip georgia for the democrats in the presidential race for the first time in two decades. >> i was surprised it took so long. but i wasn't surprised that it happened. and i won't be surprised of what happens in january. >> reporter: debra scott has been in this fight for nearly 20 years. when it comes to georgia's voting rights, it's black women leading the charge. >> black women leading

organizations and organizing, and canvassing, and phone banking, and organizing youth, and organizing churches, and organizing it every pocket of georgia. >> reporter: at this senior center, every worker helping these residents fill out absentee ballot applications is a black woman. >> strong women is behind the democratic party. >> it's women that are really driving this ground game. >> reporter: so do you think that black women are the ones who flipped the state of georgia. >> we are the highest demographic in turnout of any other besides white, so i would say yes, we do. >> kyung lah with that report. and still to come, art in the time of covid, we will look at the price london's west end is paying to keep culture alive during this pandemic. ♪

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police in new zealand have unveiled a new feature on their uniforms designed specifically for muslim women. it is a specially made hijab designed by zina ali.

she was the first member to wear the garment. having the police branded hijab, means muslim women who may not have considered policing in the past can do so now. chances are it will be a long time before we feel safe enough to sit in a darkened room next to a bunch of strangers. movie theaters, stage productions, the ballet are all trying to figure out how to survive in a post pandemic world. here's cnn's anna stewart. ♪ >> the royal ballet had a spring in their step. after months of preparation, they performed for their first live audience in early november. >> it was amazing. it was amazing. it was such a feeling for everybody in the whole house. everybody worked so hard to get us to this point. and so it was very bittersweet that it was our opening night but also our closing night. >> the next day marks the start of england's second national

lock down. this time, the show will still go on, at least online. >> reporter: tell me why you made this decision. surely you could have followed the company. >> we could have. but it's just so important for them to do what they're trained to do, and to be in the studios and rehearsing together, and performing. it's their job. it's their life. they need to be here training, and we need to be performing for the public. >> reporter: we caught a dress rehearsal, the final stage of preparation before the live stream performance. behind the scenes, dancers have spent months preparing, classes have been socially distanced and tested twice a week. outside london's west end is empty, its guilded theaters boarded up. most theaters never reopened between lock downs. >> there's a huge appetite for just a cultural experience, but we have no time frame yet as to

when we think we might be able to return to being viable businesses and by viable businesses, i mean, able to operate without social distancing. >> reporter: the uk government has a $2 billion arts recovery fund in place. a mix of loans and grants for struggling venues. on top of the renewed furlough scheme. it's probably up venues of all sizes across the uk, although not all have received money yet. >> the thing that i'm really most concerned about is the freelance workers, you know, because we rely on those amazing artists that come in and design ballets, lighting designers, you know, choreographers, that is the real worry because they have slipped the net. >> more help may be needed for this sector, when the rollout can fling open it doors once again, less than half the usual audience size will walk through them due to social distancing.

it's financially unsustainable. a high price for keeping culture alive during covid. anna stewart, cnn, london. >> everyone still trying to figure this out. and kazakhstan now has an island of vivid color. these bright pink flamingos stopped by during their seasonal migration, and were cap cured on camera by a local nature lover, an official from the nature reserve where the lake is located say they will fly to iran or southern kazakhstan when the weather gets cooler. beautiful. we'll leave you with that. thanks for your company. i'm rosemary church, "early start" is coming up next. you're watching cnn. have yourselves a great day. want to brain better? unlike ordinary memory supplements-

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, this is "early start." i'm laura jarrett. christine romans is off. it's thursday, november 19th. 5:00 a.m. here in new york. every morning we show you a lot of numbers and a lot of graphs, but today's number is one that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. 250,000. 250,000 american mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, friends and colleagues have now been killed by coronavirus. that's a milestone that's been reached during a dangerous coast to coast surge