that means you'll have gig speed over wifi to power a house full of devices. learn more about gig speed today. be down. but slowing-vaccination rates have officials worried about vaccine hesitancy. woel take a closer look. plus, india's prime minister says the country is shaken as a devastating wave of new covid-19 cases pushes the healthcare system to the brink. and after a series of high-profile police shootings, there are loud calls for reform. but how should law enforcement be policed?

welcome to all of you watching here in the united states, canada, and around the world. i am kim brunhuber, this is cnn "newsroom." we begin with signs that the coronavirus vaccine supply in the u.s. may, soon, outstrip demand. according to the u.s. septembers for disease control and prevention, more than 93 million people have been fully vaccinated. but over the past few weeks, average-daily vaccination rates have started to fall. cnn's polo sandoval takes a look at what might be behind the drop. >> reporter: as johnson & johnson's covid-19 vaccine is cleared to go into arms, again. a slight, but ongoing, drop in overall shots being administered a day. that average number, according to the cdc, dipped below 3 million this week. the biden administration attributing it to vaccine hesitancy. it's a trend that the university

of washington's institute for health metrics and evaluation has been closely watching. even before j&j's pause. >> facebook runs a survey every day. and we look at that data, on a daily basis. and that's shown that vaccine confidence in the u.s. has been, slowly but steadily, going down since february. you know, not huge amounts. like, a percentage point, a week. but that starts to add up. >> reporter: some of that hesitancy being felt more among republicans. a monmouth poll recently showed 43% of gop voters said they will likely never get a covid vaccine, compared to 5% of democrats. the head of the cdc said, friday, that the government must perform, quote, extraordinary outreach when it comes to educating clinicians and patients. >> all right. i am getting the injection now. >> reporter: baltimore's former health commissioner, dr. leana wen, received a j&j dose before the pause. if given the option, she encourages certain women avoid it given the fresh findings about extremely rare blood clots. >> since there are two other

vaccines, pfizer and moderna, that do not carry this very small risk. i don't think i would have chosen to get the johnson & johnson vaccine, myself, knowing that risk. and i wish that the cdc and the fda had gone further in their discussions, yesterday, to explicitly put a warning for women under the age of 50. to say, if it is available to you, consider choosing one of the other vaccines that do not carry this particular risk. >> reporter: the consensus remains the same among health experts. all covid vaccines authorized for use in the u.s. remain safe and effective. >> if you look at the tradeoff here, this is still far better. it's far better to choose the take the -- the johnson & johnson vaccine, than to go unvaccinated given what we know about the risks of covid. >> 1,000 shots! >> reporter: a local canadian pharmacy in toronto celebrated administering its 1,000th vaccination this week. as here in the u.s., efforts at

a much-larger scale continue amid vaccine hesitancy. here in new york state, about 31% of the population are already considered fully vaccinated. in an effort to try to keep increasing that number, multiple locations, vaccination sites, continue to open up, including here in new york city where the america natural history museum now serving as a mass vaccination site. even offering free admission to the museum as added incentive. india has set another-global record for daily-coronavirus cases, for the fourth-day running. more than 349,000 new infections were reported by officials, sunday. india's also posted another record-daily death toll. hospitals are overwhelmed by covid patients and there are widespread shortages of critical-medical supplies, including oxygen. experts say the country's case surge could correlate with the rise in variants and that includes the so-called double-mutant variant first identified in india. anna coren is tracking all this for us and joins us live from hong kong.

anna, the u.s. government says it will deploy support to india to help with this crisis. but will it get there in time? >> well, you know, it -- it -- it's insurmountable. the task ahead. that is facing the indian government. of course, they would desperately want any-international help. but they need it, now. desperately, now. you talk about that -- that variant. that equates to about half the cases in the capital, delhi. now, this was first detected late-last year. this has, also, been found in switzerland and the uk. and this is spreading. so the concern, obviously, is that -- that -- that, you know, the vaccine, that -- that is out there. that is being administered. you know, around the world. will it be resistant to this mutation? to the -- the variants that are

coming out of india. we talk about the acute shortage of -- of oxygen. and -- and, kim, you know, we've been speaking to people who -- who are running hospitals in new delhi. and -- and they are turning away patients because they simply do not have enough oxygen for the people they're already treating. they're -- they're basically saying, if you have covid, you come to our hospital. you must bring your own oxygen cylinder, and your own oxygen. you know, it -- it's -- it's one of those situations, kim, where every single hour that there is -- there is more-grim news. there is now a lockdown in delhi that's been extended for another week. and -- and the hope is that this may be able to -- to, somehow, you know, bring down numbers. but -- but as i say, the -- there is a catastrophe facing india right now. this is a national emergency. and it is gonna require so much work to try and flatten the

curve. >> i'm not sure what's harder to believe. the fact that some patients are being told bring their own oxygen. or the fact that it's taken this long for india's prime minister to, finally, make a public statement on this crisis. what did he have to say? >> yeah. it's staggering, isn't it? the prime minister, narendra modi, he gave his monthly-radio address a few hours ago. and he, finally, addressed this second wave. let's read one of the quotes that he made. he said covid-19 is testing our patience and capacity to bear pain. many of our loved ones have left us, in an untimely way. after successfully tackling the first wave, the nation's morale was high, it was confident. but this storm has shaken the nation. he talks about confidence, kim. and -- and people would say that it was arrogance. arrogance and complacency. that the government thought it

had beaten the first wave. that it had beaten covid. so, it allowed life to -- to resume as normal. although, social-distancing measures were eased. people were allowed to gather. gather for religious festivals. political rallies were held, and even the prime minister, himself. he attended a political rally in west bengal, earlier this week, in which thousands of people were there to see him, packed in. not wearing masks. he has been sending mixed messages, all along. and certainly, you know, his critics would say the warning signs were there, much earlier in the year, before cases shot up. but there was no preparation. no stockpiling. you know, it -- it's no secret that india's hospitals have been struggling. and -- and -- and, you know, certainly, buckle under the pressure, everyday pressure. let alone, a pandemic like this. and -- and we are seeing record numbers coming out of india. you know, that almost-350,000

daily infections the health ministry has reported. experts say that number could, in actual fact, be five-times higher because the testing in the cities is very difficult. and virtually, nonexistent in the rural areas, kim. >> yeah. very true. anna coren, in hong kong, thanks so much for that. a fire at a baghdad hospital that treats covid-19 patients has left at least 58 people dead and dozens more injured. officials say oxygen tanks exploded causing the massive blaze. these are some of the moments when the fire started. firefighters scrambled to get it under control, as healthcare workers fervently tried to evacuate patients from the burning building. officials say at least 200 people were saved. iraq's prime minister's ordered an immediate investigation. he says allowing the fire to happen is a crime, and those responsible should be held accountable. covid-19 has claimed the

lives of more than 119,000 people in italy. that's the highest number of deaths in the european union. hundreds of people continue to die from the virus each day, even though the government started vaccinating people back in december. critics say there are serious issues with the count rry's vaccine program. delia gallagher explains. >> reporter: months into italy's vaccination program, authorities realized something had gone terribly wrong. despite government recommendations to vaccinate frontline-healthcare workers, the elderly, and most vulnerable. some regions in italy were allowing other people to get their shots, first. >> translator: the regions proved sensitive to the lobbies. as we must say, the magistrates, the lawyers. >> prime minister mario draghi admitted the problem earlier this month and reprimanded the

queue jumpers. asking italians, with what conscience could they stip. in fr skip in front of older, more vulnerable people at risk of death? researcher for an italian think tank estimates 6,200-more lives could have been saved, from mid-january to now, if those shots had gone to the elderly. >> another complicating factor? the astrazeneca vaccine was initially only recommended for people under 55. it was the perfect storm that left some of italy's over-60 population stranded. a group which accounts for 95% of the deaths, according to italy's health minister. like 63-year-old teacher roberto, who died of covid on april 3rd in tuscany. >> when they started the vaccination, for the people of his age, he was already with covid. >> reporter: his wife blames italy's delayed and disorderly vaccination rollout for her

husband's death. >> they killed him. everybody of them. they killed him. >> reporter: by the first week of march, the region of tuscany had only vaccinated about 8% of people over 80. prompting a letter of protest from its residents. >> the organization of -- of all this. their decision of the government to open the schools without vaccinating. then, the -- the way how they started to vaccinate. they had to start with elder people, not with the younger ones. >> reporter: in march, prime minister draghi brought in a military general to head his covid-19 commission and clean up the mess. the general issued an ordinance to regions that they must toe the line. tuscany has since increased vaccinations for the elderly but a governor of the region in southern italy has said he is not going to obey the general's orders to vaccinate by age.

>> in the meantime, she wants justice for mistakes she thinks could have been avoided. >> he was brought here. >> reporter: for two weeks, roberto's body has lane here, in a cement block awaiting cremation. another, agonizing delay for an already-grieving heart. delia gallagher, cnn, pestoria, italy. protests continue in north carolina over the shooting death of a black man. the sheriff promises truth and transparency. we'll explain why he says he can't release the body-cam footage, even though he wants to. plus, the justice department opens an investigation into police practices in minneapolis. we will look at policing in america, next. stay with us.

some days, you just don't have it. not my uncle, though. he's taking trulicity for his type 2 diabetes and now, he's really on his game. once-weekly trulicity lowers your a1c by helping your body release the insulin it's already making. most people reached an a1c under 7%. plus, trulicity can lower your risk of cardiovascular events. it can also help you lose up to 10 pounds. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration, and may worsen kidney problems. show your world what's truly inside. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity.

my nunormal? fewer asthma attacks with nucala. a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. nucala reduces eosinophils, a key cause of severe asthma. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about nucala. find your nunormal with nucala. protestors in north carolina are demanding answers, after police shot and killed a black man, andrew brown jr., on wednesday. this was the scene, in the city of elizabeth for a fourth-day running. police were serving an arrest warrant at the time. witnesses say police shot into brown's car, but no shots came from his car. radio traffic from emergency

responders refer to a gunshot wound in the back. brown's family wants police to release the body-cam footage. saturday, the sheriff released a video on social media saying, that's what he wants, too. >> because we want transparency. we want the body-camera footage made public. some people have falsely claimed that my office has the power to do so. that is not true. only a judge can release the video. that's why i've asked the north carolina state bureau of investigation to confirm, for me, that the releasing of the video will not undermine their investigation. once i get that confirmation, our county will file a motion in court, hopefully monday, to have the footage released. seven deputies were placed on administrative leave, following the shooting. and three others left the department, entirely. in minnesota, many are welcoming the conviction of derek chauvin, and a federal

investigation into minneapolis police. but there are those, who say they don't go far enough. and that african-americans are still, too often, the target of police violence. cnn's sara sidner reports, from minneapolis. >> find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: a day after a jury found former-minneapolis police officer, derek chauvin, guilty of murdering george floyd. the department of justice announces it has set its sights on the minneapolis police department. >> today, i am announcing that the justice department has opened a civil investigation to determine whether the minneapolis police department engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. . >> reporter: no detail is too small. officials familiar with the investigation tell cnn, one of the items it may look into is the discrepancy between the initial press release saying floyd had a medical emergency, and what really happened. the head of the minnesota justice coalition, jonathan mcclellan says they have been asked federal officials for a federal patterns and practices

investigation, for years. while he and several other rights groups welcome it, he says it is terribly unfortunate it took the slow-motion murder of floyd to propel it forward. >> this case is significant, in the sense that it -- it brought the reality of what black and brown people face, into the living rooms of america. this is the same thing that happened, when the march happened over the edmund pettus bridge. when that -- the reality of what black people were facing, was brought into the living rooms of america. and that spawned a litany of legislation and the same things to happen with this, as well. >> reporter: in a cnn analysis of minneapolis police department data after floyd's death, the department reported using force on far-fewer people. but then, the use of force spiked, late-last year. and black people are, still, subject to the use of force, by minneapolis officers, at a highly-disproportionate rate. the analysis found, between 2008 and may 25th, 2020, when chauvin

murdered floyd, 64.6% of people who police used force on were black. since floyd's death, 62.6% were black. in a city that's 19% black, according to u.s.-census records. that comes, as no surprise to alan. alan is a founder of families supporting families against police violence. >> and for every high-profile case that you hear about, there's hundreds -- there's a hundred bodies, behind that high-profile case. >> reporter: alan and mcclellan say their issue with this kind of federal investigation is they want it to cover more police departments, across minnesota. not just minneapolis. >> the highest, the biggest-profile cases in history have come from the state of minnesota. philando castile. jamar clarke. george floyd. daunte wright. the biggest ones in history have come from this state. so, it is clear, that it is a

problem here, in the state of minnesota. >> reporter: sara sidner, cnn, minneapolis. joining me now is cheryl dorsey, a retired sergeant with the los angeles police. and the author of "black and blue, the creation of a social advocate." thanks so much for joining us. so, the -- the doj is investigating the minneapolis police department. during the obama administration, there are about-25 of these types of investigations. then, in the trump administration, the attorney general issued a directive, discouraging federal oversight of police agencies. so now, obviously, that policy, being reversed. but my question is do these types of federal probes into local-police departments, actually, lead to improvements? >> well, you know, they may behave during the time that there is a consent decree in place. or when, you know, agencies understand that someone is actually looking over their shoulder. but by and large, you know, for officers who work patrol, these kinds of measures really do little to deter bad behavior. and we know this to be true,

because we see it happening, over and over and over, again. and so, my concern is, you know, while they're revving the engine back up, that's great. i appreciate all of that. there -- there's talk of, you know, initiating new policies, and procedures, and reform. but what are we going to do about the problems that have been existing for decades? over these 18,000 police departments? >> well, they are trying to get at that, in congress. they are talking about police reform. we've seen bipartisan efforts on this issue. but the main-sticking point, broadly speaking, is the -- the issue of holding individual officers more accountable. both, criminally. you hear people referring to two-four-two. and then, civilly, the concept of qualified immunity. so, here, we are going to play something that stacey plaskett, the democratic congressional delegate for the u.s. virgin islands, said about that here on cnn. listen to this. >> qualified immunity has, in many instances, become the hood

for bad police officers to, in fact, act as modern-day ku klux klan members, against black and brown people in this country. and it has got to stop. >> you know, clearly, strong words there. do you agree? does any-meaningful police reform have to include an end to the laws protecting individual-police officers from prosecution? is -- is that a deal breaker for you? >> absolutely. listen, if you are not going to hold the officers accountable, then what's the point? i mean, holding an agency accountable, maybe, is being talked about. rather, than having the liability shift to the responsible officer. if you don't do anything to deter the bad behavior of one officer, who may be committing misconduct. how, then, do you stop that bad behavior? you have, in derek chauvin, an officer who was engaged in obvious misconduct. which led to 22 sustain -- or 22 personnel complaints.

only one of which he was ever disciplined for. and so, clearly, over his 19-year career, he learned nothing. collecting personnel complaints, as if they were gifts from a good friend. >> then, the -- the answer for some people at least seems to be more training. more training. deescalation and so on. i mean, i've seen some of the -- the training the lapd, your -- your former department does on that. i have been out on -- on patrols where they have used some of these interventions. but then, on the other side, some people argue the answer isn't more training. at the end of the day, you know, generally, police know what to do. it's that, as -- as we saw in the chauvin case, they go against their training. maybe, because they feel that they'll get the cover to do so. where do you stand on this concept of just, you know, we need more retraining? >> absolutely. training is not the issue. we know that officers, by and large, are well-trained. and i understand that it varies, from department to department, based on, you know, resources and funds that are allocated.

but officers, absolutely, know what to do. they would act -- have us believe that accountability is a four-letter word. something that they just don't want to say. and so, i'm back to, if you don't do anything to deter the bad behavior, how then do we change the problem? now, we know that one of the things that was different, in my opinion, in the case of the derek chauvin murder trial is that we had command-staff officers testifying truthfully as to the type of training their officers receive. now, there is a lot of talk about the blue wall shake -- shattering. that was not the blue wall. those are not patrol officers that were testifying. those are not, you know, folks who are in uniform, in a black-and-white day to day who have to worry about retaliation and not getting the adequate backup that you need, should your officer friends be bothered by you speaking truthfully. these are people who are up in the ivory tower, who haven't seen a police car or a foot

pursuit or a -- an -- an -- an assault, at the end of a car chase, in years. and so, maybe, the key is we need to bring more police chiefs in and ask them, under oegath, this how you train your officers? is this what you expect from your patrol officers? >> we will have to leave it there. thank you so much for speaking to us again. retired police sergeant cheryl dorsey, really appreciate it. >> thank you. the horrific massacre of armenians 100 years ago is finally called genocide by an american president. that was welcome news in armenia but the turkish government wasn't happy about it. we will have a live report from istanbul. and three strikes, and you're out. two shots, and you're in. how some major-league baseball teams are putting vaccinated fans in a league of their own. stay with us. or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7.

try align, the pros in digestive health. bipolar depression. it's a dark, lonely place. this is art inspired by real stories of people living with bipolar depression. emptiness. a hopeless struggle. the lows of bipolar depression can disrupt your life and be hard to manage. latuda could make a real difference in your symptoms. latuda was proven to significantly reduce bipolar depression symptoms, and in clinical studies, had no substantial impact on weight. now i'm feeling connected. empowered. latuda is not for everyone. call your doctor about unusual mood changes, behaviors or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients on latuda have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, as these may be life-threatening, or uncontrollable muscle movements as these may be permanent. these are not all the serious side effects. this is where i want to be. talk to your doctor and ask if latuda could make the difference

you've been looking for in your bipolar depression symptoms. feeling stressed in your skin? you've been looking for not with new olay retinol body wash. which improves skin 3x better. from dry and stressed, to bright and smooth. so, i can feel my best in my skin. olay body. fearless in my skin. the bennetts really know how to put their wifi to work.

whether it's work work... works for me. school work... it worked! or a work out... oh i'm working... they've got xfinity, which delivers wifi faster than a gig for all their devices. it's more than enough to keep everyone working. can your internet do that? this is work! this is hard! now xfinity delivers wifi speed faster than a gig. that means you'll have gig speed over wifi to power a house full of devices. learn more about gig speed today.

and welcome back to all of you watching us here, in the united states, canada, and around the world. after waiting more than a century, the people of armenia finally heard the word, genocide, from a u.s. president. it's a reference to the mass slaughter of armenians during world war i, when present-day turkey was the ottoman empire. saturday's statement from the white house fulfilled a campaign promise, by joe biden. it also signalled a renewed emphasis, by the u.s., on human rights. biden's statement reads in part, each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the ottoman-era armenian genocide and recommit

ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever, again, occurring. let's renew our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world. the turkish government immediately rejected president biden's statement. and summoned the u.s. ambassador to make a formal complaint. our arwa damon is covering the turkish reaction from istanbul. a arwa, so how could this affect turkish relations with the u.s.? >> well, it's already a very fractured relationship, kim, over a number of other issues. this is, very much, not going to help the relationship, that's for sure. the turkish foreign minister was very harsh, in his rhetoric, aimed directly at the united states. saying that it was a vulgar distortion of history. also, going on to say, quote, we are not going to take lessons about our history from anyone. president erdogan, also, made

comments, prior to president biden's statements. and in them, erdogan repeated the same message that he has for years. he acknowledged the killings. he offered his condolences to ottoman armenians. but he also went on to say, the politicization of debates which historians ought to engage in by third parties and a tool in their meddling has not served anyone's interests. it's worth noting, though, both leaders spoke the day before this declaration was made by president biden and both readouts from the white house and from the turkish presidency. there was no mention made of president biden letting president erdogan know that he would be acknowledging these mass killings as a genocide. that, we found out, from a source, someone who is very close to these conversations. and who knew the content of

them. who also described the general sense of this conversation as being quite tense. biden and erdogan have known each other for quite-some time now. and their relationship is not exactly off on the best foot, to say the least. because prior to all of this, president biden, in 2020, had called president erdogan an autocrat. and then, of course, their history goes all the way back to the obama era. at the core of this, you have, once again, the politicization of the pain of a population. that, being that of the armenians. on the other hand, you also have big geo-strategic relationships that are at play here. we have two nato allies, once again, on opposite sides of a very key and central issue. >> all right. thank you so much, arwa damon in istanbul.

several-thousand people marched through central london, saturday, calling the coronavirus a hoax and a myth. as you can imagine, most weren't wearing masks. and they were openly defying the ban on mass gatherings. london police say eight officers were injured trying to disperse the crowd. at least five people were arrested including assault on a police officer. well, for baseball fans, dreaming of a return to stadiums and hearing that first crack of the bat. here is an incentive. two shots and you are in. the l.a. dodgers are giving you your own fan section if -- and there is a catch here -- if you are fully vaccinated. cnn's paul vercammen has details. >> reporter: so, a sign of the times here, in the covid-19 era in california. where the positivity rate is just-over 1%. look across the way, at dodger stadium. this is a section that will only

allow in fans who have been fully vaccinated. they must prove this. and if the fans are between 2 years old and 15, they have to show that they recently passed a covid-19 test. that they were negative. they'll be able to high-five each other. they will be next to each other. they won't be interspersing between seats. and basically, the idea is to get these fans into those sections. and they'll feel comfortable standing and sitting around each other. you are in the vaccinated section. show us your whatever it is that's allowed you in. >> blue band. and then, we have to have our cdc card and our i.d. i feel safer. knowing that everyone around me is vaccinated, just like i am. not that we're going to be covid-free. but we're going to, definitely, enjoy our time. >> in our section, social distancing is not required because of the vaccine. and so, that is -- that is something that kind of makes it

feel more normal than the -- than people sitting, you know, 20, 30-feet apart from you. so hopefully, with this experimental project that they're working on tonight, that this might take off and actually encourage folks to go get vaccinated. >> reporter: as you saw, those seats were on the second level. they were more than $100 a seat. and we are seeing other teams in california emulate this, the san francisco giants and the san diego padres, to name a couple. the dodgers, exploring doing this again, in the future. as they are, all, experimenting with this idea of a section of vaccinated fans only. no one allowed who hasn't been vaccinated or recently tested negative if they're young, for covid-19. reporting from los angeles, i'm paul vercammen. now, back to you. still ahead. australia is bearing the brunt of china's retaliation after standing up to beijing on several-major issues. we will explore what caused the

latest escalation in tensions, next. gillette proglide. five blades and a pivoting flexball designed to get virtually every hair on the first stroke. so you're ready for the day with a fresh face for a fresh start. for a limited time get a 5th cartridge free. hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this... your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee... yeah i should've just led with that... with at&t business... you can pick the best plan for each employee and only pay for the features they need.

all right. we want to update you on a story we brought you a little while ago about a deadly fire at a baghdad hospital that treats covid-19 patients. officials say oxygen tanks exploded, causing the massive blaze. well, we have learned that the death toll from that, now, stands at 82. at least 200 people were saved, and iraq's prime minister has ordered an immediate investigation. australia is bracing for a new round of trade and political retaliation from china, as ties between the two countries broke hold. australia's allies say it is now paying ts price for standing up to beijing on several issues, including human rights. angus watson reports. >> reporter: if australia wanted china to ease up, to remove blocks on its exports, huge tariffs on agricultural products. to stop pressuring australian

journalists. it would not have targeted chinese president xi jinping's signature-economic project. but that's just what australia did, this week. vetoing a belt-and-road agreement signed by beijing and the australian state of victoria. >> we've been very clear to china and any other country, we are not going to have our values compromised. we aren't going to surrender our sovereignty. >> reporter: it was just a memorandum of understanding. there was no-tangible plan for victoria to participate in china's global project of ports, roads, and railways. but the government in canberra now says the 2018 deal contravenes the national interest. >> right now, beijing is using economic leverage it has over australia to coerce -- trading, coal, and even lobsters. so giving them more leverage to do more of that just doesn't make any sense. >> reporter: withstanding that economic pressure has not been easy. exporters have suffered.

after the australian government angered china, by calling for investigation into the origins of covid-19. now, after ending victoria's association with the belt and road, australia is bracing for further backlash. china reserves the right to take further action, foreign ministry spokesperson said, this week. this makes an already-strained relationship between china and australia, even worse, he said. but the united states says australia isn't going it, alone. >> we continue to stand with the people of australia, as they bear the brunt of the prc's coercive behavior. >> reporter: but for u.s.-china talks in alaska, last month, the biden administration made it clear that the u.s. relationship with china could not improve, until china stops its economic coercion of australia. >> i think, xi can be deterred, when his cost calculation changes. and the biggest thing that will

change his cost calculation is to have a cohesive, multilateral response to his aggression and policy directions. that's got to be about security, technology, and economics. >> reporter: australia is seen, by many now, as a cautionary tale. for what might come to those who criticize china. >> there is considerable affection between australian and chinese people. there's every basis for a friendly and close relationship. but this type of pressure confirms all of the worst fears that people have about, you know, the rising-communist power in beijing. >> reporter: for the moment, that friendly and close relationship between australia and china could not feel further away. angus watson, in sydney, australia. david fincher's movie "mank" about a famous screenwriter has the most oscar nominations this year but will it take home the

most academy awards? we will head to hollywood next for a preview of today's oscars, coming up. plants clean the air. when applied to stained textiles, plant-based surfactants like the ones in seventh generation detergent trap stains at the molecular level and flush them away. plant-based detergents clean your clothes. it's just science! just... science. seventh generation. powered by plants. tackles stains.

i've lost count of how many asthma attacks i've had. but my nunormal with nucala? fewer asthma attacks. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection-site reactions, back pain, and fatigue.

ask your doctor about nucala. find your nunormal with nucala.

hollywood hands out the oscars later today.

but tv ratings for award shows like this have been slipping, lately. still, the producers of the academy awards are hoping this year's show can be an audience smash. cnn's stephanie elam explains. >> reporter: from struggle. to desperation. >> needs work. i like work. >> reporter: the times are felt in this year's oscar nominees. >> are you concerned about an overreaction from the cops? >> reporter: but, so is the silence. including from viewers, whose lack of interest made most-award shows, this year, a bomb. >> if the ratings continue to decline, you are going to see some changes. i think, some award shows might go away. >> reporter: the oscars want to reverse the trend. gone is the internet-remote access field that hindered shows like the golden globes. >> it ended up being like a bad version of an office meeting. >> enter, steven soderberg and stacey cher. the team ironically behind the

film "contagion." the pandemic will be a big theme, they say, but soderberg wants a show unlike any other. >> and he has said that he wants the ohs scars to feel like a mo. they are going to have shots from behind shoulders of people. moving cameras. >> the show is moving to a smaller venue here to l.a.'s iconic union station. itself, in hollywood films like catch me if you can and the dark knight rises. and with vaccines out and fewer restrictions, the biggest challenge may not be the pan pandemic but the movies, themselves. absent of any theatrical hits like years past, this year, the best films come, mostly, from streaming platforms. >> it's very different than choosing to go to a movie theater, buy your popcorn, sit in the theater and watch a movie. people just become attached to those movies, in a way that they don't when they're on streaming. >> reporter: mank leads with ten nominations but "nomadland" is the front-runner for best

picture. >> i know what i am doing. >> chadwick boseman is expected to win a posthumous award for best actor but the pressure to win may just be on the oscars, them. >> will they be able to get that audience, back? when there are movies in theaters. or is this just accelerating a trend that already existed and those audience member are not coming back? >> in hollywood, i'm stephanie elam. joining me now is the film critic for the los angeles times and npr's fresh air, justin chang. justin, great to have you on. so, first, quickly, just on the oscars, themselves, more broadly. the types of films that have been chosen. does it speak to a -- to a broader trend? or is this year been so extraordinary, it's just kind of a one off that we can basically write off? >> thanks for having me, kim. i wouldn't write it off at all. i mean, some have spoken about like should there be a special asterisk next to this year's academy awards? because, as if it doesn't really count, because, of course, this

was a year without a lot of big-studio movies. and a year when most of us, of course, stayed home. and -- and watched movies at home if we watched new movies at all and i know many haven't and concern about the ratings of the oscars tomorrow. but i would say that this has been one of the more interesting years for the academy awards. and that a lot of really terrific movies were recognized, that might not have had a chance to be recognized in other years. >> so then, i mean, what happens to those big tent-pole movies that you were talking about that were kind of held and held back and held back again. though, presumably, they will be released later. but -- but do those films still get made going into the future? considering the different ways that we're -- we're consuming movies and so on. or -- or has there been a sea change that might see fewer of those movies, more of the types that we are seeing now, recognized in the oscars? >> i am actually not too

concerned about those big movies. i think that there is always going to be an appetite for them. and i think that studios recognize that pictures they can sell as big events are, you know, an -- an obvious and an easy -- maybe, the easiest way -- to get people to buy tickets and go to movie theaters. i'm more worried about things that aren't superhero movies. i am more worried about movies, quote/unquote, for grown-ups. again, the more-mid-budget types of films. the award season does, of course, provide an apparatus and an appetite for these kinds of movies. so it's not like they are going away forever. but it's the kind of -- the in-the-middle pictures that, i think, i'm a little more worried about. >> we've seen, you know, movies released, free, on to streaming platforms. we have seen video on demand, home release. so everyone is asking that question, you know, when -- when we finally -- enough people have been vaccinated. will audiences go back to the old ways, movie theaters, popcorn, and so on?

or have we changed so much because of the pandemic in msom, you know, irrevocable way. will -- will that have an effect on the industry? and also on movie theaters. i mean, we have seen so many of them close during the pandemic. will they stay shuddered? or will you see a resurgence, will we go back to the way things were? >> well, kim, you know, right now, i think a lot of us in los angeles, where i live, are still reeling from the devastating news that the pacific theaters, one of the biggest changes here, has closed and unless something changes those theaters are not coming back. i mean, that's just a crushing blow for a film exhibition in one of the movie-going capitals of the world. i think it's very touch and go, at this point, as the industry is trying to figure out a lot of things. speaking for myself, although i don't think i am alone. i think there is an extraordinary hunger to go back to theaters. as there's a hunger to go back to live events, and to go back to museums. the -- i -- i think a lot of us are going to want to go back to

theaters, with a vengeance, when it's safe. >> and then, lastly, quickly, i wanted to ask you about l.a. the city. i used to live there. it's hard to convey exactly how all-encompassing the industry is there. seems every coffee shop, running lines, discussing projects. is there a sense that things are getting back to normal? or has this kind of changed the way people will work, going forward, in l.a.? >> i certainly hope it does. i mean, i live in pasadena, and i have been a little -- i feel distant from l.a. proper myself, a little bit. just having, you know, working from home. you know, all the time. and so, but absolutely, i miss, you know, seeing -- seeing the shoot setup. and just seeing the immersion. the immersion in the entertainment industry, as you describe it, that is just part and parcel of living in this great-movie town. i am very curious to see how the oscars are going to be tomorrow night at union station.

you know, which is a very iconic location. very, very hollywood-iconic location. i know, not everyone's happy about it. but i am just fascinated to see how, and if, they are going to pull it off. >> all right. we are, as well. we will have to leave it there. thank you so much, justin chang, really appreciate it. >> thank you, kim. and that wraps this hour of cnn "newsroom." i am kim brunhuber. for our international viewers, living golf is next. but if you are in the u.s. or canada, "new day" is just ahead. up at 2:00am again?

tonight, try pure zzzs all night. unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. bipolar depression. it's a dark, lonely place. this is art inspired by real stories of people living with bipolar depression. ptiness. hopeless struggle. the lows of bipolar depreson can disrupt your life and be hard to manage. latuda could make a real differencen your symptoms. latuda was proven to significantly reduce bipolar depression symptoms, and in clinical studies, had no substantial impact on weight. now i'm feeling connected. empowered. latuda is not for everyone. call your doctor about unusual mood changes, behaviors or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients on latuda have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, as these may be life-threatening, or uncontrollable muscle movements

as these may be permanent. these are not all the serious side effects. this is where i want to be. talk to your doctor and ask if latuda could make the difference you've been looking for in your bipolar depression symptoms.

good morning, and welcome to your new day. i'm boris sanchez. >> and i'm christi paul. >> president biden will give his first joint address to congress and lay out his legislative priorities. how much must he get through a closely divided congress, though. >> worried signs on the vaccine front. new data showing the pace of vaccinations is slowing down. the new incentives being used to get people to take the shot. signs of life as air prices pick up and home prices are surging. repeat offenders, officials warning that former president trump's continued lies about the