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 -- jerusalem after a volatile night. israeli police are again clashing with palestinians as the threat of possible evictions stirs already heightened tensions. combatting covid-19 fatigue in the united states. >> i think everyone is tired.

and wearing a mask is a pain. but we're getting there. and the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter and brighter. and the push to get as many shots in arms to return to as close to normal as soon as possible. and this week in washington infrastructure investment versus political infighting. good to have you with us. we are following reports of violent clashes this morning between israeli police and palestinians. these confrontations are taking place both inside the al aqsa mosque and on the compound outside. we will have details in just a moment. all of this is worrying the international community. the u.n. security council will hold a private meeting in the coming hours to discuss it.

the palestinian red crescent reported at least 19 palestinians were injured sunday. the israeli police are temporarily halting visits by jews to the temple mount, also known as haram al sharif, or noble sanctuary. security is tight ahead of the annual jerusalem day march later monday. the possible eviction of palestinian families from the sheikh jarrah neighborhood triggered the latest clashes. and journalist elliott godkin is in jerusalem. he joins us now live. good to see you, elliott. what is the latest on these violent clashes and rising tensions in jerusalem? >> rosemary, they show no signs of letting up. you talked about some of the injuries last night. the palestinian red crescent reporting this morning that some 50 people have been taken to hospital. hundreds injured after violent clashes again erupted between palestinian protesters and israeli police.

the israeli police is blaming palestinian rioters. palestinians are blaming heavy-handed police tactics and provocations by jewish nationalists. and you can see and hear from the images, you know, stun grenades going off and tear gas wafting into the al aqsa mosque as well. so any hope that the banning of jewish visitors to temple mount later today or indeed the postponement of that court case, any hopes that was going to kind of relieve tensions seemed to have been dashed. at the same time violence isn't just restricted to jerusalem. the hamas-controlled gaza strip, there were rockets fired from the gaza strip into israel last night. there were more rockets this morning. and also protests in cities in the north of israel such as nazareth and haifa, which have large arab populations. any hopes the violence was going to be diminished haven't borne fruit. it seems to be escalating. and of course as it stands the

traditional flag march which takes place on what israelis call jerusalem day which marks what they see as the reunification of jerusalem, that is still going ahead. the police hasn't banned that just yet. it does traditionally go from the western part of the city to the western wall, the holy parts of -- kind of the outskirts of the destroyed jewish temple but it does pass through the muslim quarter of the old city. so it's possible police may demand a change if the route. it's possible they may ban it altogether. but as you can see, there are many dozens and hundreds of people turning up to the outskirts of the old city to go into it to celebrate jerusalem day. so there's every possibility that the violence that has already seemingly not abated and is only escalating thus far this morning could get even worse later on today. >> and of course as we mentioned the international community is very concerned about this. what is the likely next step? >> well, we know that the u.s.

national security adviser jake sullivan has spoken with his israeli counterpart meir ben shabbat. reports seem to suggest that mr. ben shabbat politely suggested that the u.s. shouldn't be concerned with the way that israel is handling these clashes with palestinians. we will wait and see. but of course there are very entrenched positions at the u.n. security council and among other countries around the world. but for now we are hearing voices from countries that are friendly toward israel. of course the u.s. in the forefront there. but also egypt, jordan and the united arab emirates calling for a de-escalation and pinning the blame on israel. as things stand, it's hard to see how, especially on a day like today, jerusalem day, that this violence is going to abate. but of course there is a hope that it will. we have to wait and see. >> and of course we will continue to follow this story. elliot gotkine joining us live from jerusalem. many thanks.

more than a third of the u.s. population is now fully vaccinated against covid-19. over 114 million americans in all according to the latest data from the cdc. and almost half of those eligible have received at least one shot. while many americans still need to get vaccinated, dr. anthony fauci says the country is moving in the right direction. >> if we get, which we will, to the goals that the president has established, namely if we get 70% of the people vaccinated by the 4th of july, one single dose, and even more thereafter, you may see blips but if we handle them well it is unlikely that you'll see the kind of surge that we saw in the late fall and the early winter. >> dr. fauci also told abc news he's open to relaxing indoor masking rules as more americans

get vaccinated. former fda chief scott gottlieb is on the same page. >> covid won't disappear. we're going to have to learn to live with it. but the risk is substantially reduced as a result of vaccination, as a result of immunity people acquired through prior infection. so i think we're at the point in time when we can start lifting these ordinances on a wholesale fashion and people have to take precautions based on their individual risk. >> the white house covid-19 response coordinator says the country is turning the corner on the pandemic but warns now is not the time for americans to let down their guard. >> i think everyone is tired. and wearing a mask is -- it can be a pain. but we're getting there. and the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter and brighter. let's keep up our guard. let's follow the cdc guidance. and the cdc guidance across time will allow vaccinated people more and more privileges to take off that mask. >> dr. eric cope'll is a

cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine at scripps research. he joins me now from la jolla in california. thank you, doctor, for talking with us and for all that you do. >> oh, thank you, rosemary. good to be with you again. >> all right. so let's start with all the mixed messages on when to wear a mask and when not to. dr. anthony fauci says it may be time to rethink indoor mask mandates as more people are getting vaccinated. is the cdc being too strict on this? what's your take? >> well, they've certainly been quite cautious. the outdoor masks, i think we can get past that. unless under extenuating circumstances like very pro prolonged contact in close quarters. but otherwise we don't need outdoor masks. and for indoor if we're with people who are vaccinated fully there really doesn't pose a worry for that. so we're going to see the mask

reduction, the need. and that's going to help people who have been reluctant i think to get vaccinated because part of that encouragement or incentive is this movement toward a precovid life. >> right. and of course the big aim right now is to get as many americans vaccinated as quickly as possible. but there's some suggestion that as the administering of these vaccines in the u.s. slows down that politicians will not be able to convince the most hesitant despite some gop doctors trying to win them over and convince them that this is a smart move. we're talking about 20% or so. how do you overcome that stubborn 20% that refuse to vaccinate and put everyone else at risk essentially? >> well, that's right. we need about 15% to 20% more of the american population to get to true containment. that is less than 1 per 100,000

people with covid at any time. we're growing to get there. but as you say, this last mile is a most difficult one. we haven't really rolled out the incentives as much as we could. we talked about masks as just one example. but also what's really encouraging is now we're seeing the full licensure application go into the fda. and when that gets approved, which hopefully will be in the weeks ahead, many employers such as we've seen with universities and health systems will require vaccination. that will be the fastest way we can get that 15% beyond things like incentives and education and our counteroffensive to the disinformation which holds a lot of people back. >> so essentially we'll put the onus on private businesses, airlines and establishments like that to sort of say, well, you can't get on board if you're not vaccinated. so many parents are apparently conflicted over giving the pfizer vaccine to their 12 to

15-year-olds when that is officially authorized. and parents of even younger children are trying to work out what to do when their turn eventually comes. what would be your message to any parent right now trying to figure out -- because there is a lot of misinformation out there that they're receiving. they're being targeted on facebook. what would you say to counter some of that misinformation? >> right. well, rosemary, the 12 to 15-year-old, we expect that's going to get approval this week. which is really exciting because it turns out although teenagers are not the ones who would get sick, it's quite rare that that occurs, but what is occurring is that they are transmitting, oftentimes unwittingly, to other people, particularly adults and older folks. so we've got to do what we can. the data for the vaccines in the 12 to 15-year-old is remarkable. that is it's highly effective

and safe. and so we really want to encourage this. and there shouldn't be hesitation because we have also as the vaccination front has just gone on we've seen it's more common now that younger people are the ones getting sick and not usually the ones winding up in the hospital. for their protection and also the people they network with because 12 and 15-year-olds do a lot of networking. >> yeah, indeed. of course there's still a lot of conspiracy theories out there. a lot of these parents have to make sure they can overcome that misinformation. dr. eric topol, thank you for helping us do that. we appreciate it. >> sure. good to be with you again. well, the country with the world's worst covid outbreak released its latest figures, and they've fallen a bit. india's number of daily cases is now below the 400,000 mark that it had been surpassing in recent days. while it's probably too son to expect the worst is over, the

death toll is also down. meanwhile, nearly half of india's states and union territories are under lockdown. and the prime minister is under fire for not imposing a national lockdown. so let's turn to anna coren. she's been covering all of this from her vantage point there in hong kong. good to see you, anna. so lockdowns extended in many parts of india but covid cases and deaths are still too high despite perhaps seeing this slight drop. what is the latest on this and getting global aid to those in need? >> well, a minister has just announced his state has gone into lockdown. that's now 18 out of 36 states and union territories. so essentially half of india is in self-imposed lockdown. one of those states is uttarakand, which hosted the kamila back in april where we saw thousands upon thousands of people take to the ganges and offer their prayers as part of

this religious hindu festival. that was believed to be a superspreader event at the time. that state now imposing a lockdown because of rising case numbers there. new delhi has imposed another lockdown. this is the third lockdown it has implemented. we're now seeing these rolling lockdowns. and you'd have to assume, rosemary, as more and more states do this others will follow. but the question is where is the prime minister narendra modi in all of this? the last time we saw him was on the 20th of april when he addressed the public and said he didn't want to impose a nationwide lockdown of india like he did last year, which really i guess saved it from this first wave by not implementing a nationwide lockdown during the second wave is just giving the virus even more and more of a chance to

spread. so that is obviously very concerning. the supreme court of india has intervened over the weekend, rosemary, setting up a nationwide task force to distribute oxygen and work out the needs of states and the oxygen and medical supplies that they require. but this is something once again that the government should have done. it shouldn't have been left up to the courts, rosemary. >> absolutely. anna coren bringing us the latest from hong kong. many thanks. in neighboring nepal some hospitals in the capital katmandu are closing their doors to new patients. the covid outbreak has become so severe six hospitals say there's not enough oxygen or staff to treat anyone else. but over the weekend nepal's prime minister told cnn the situation is under control. he's asking parliament for a confidence vote to help him stay in power. that's after his government lost its majority last week. well, it's by no means

everywhere, but if you know where to look there are signs around europe of a gradual return to normalcy in the united kingdom. prime minister boris johnson is set to announce a further easing of restrictions in england. he's expecting to confirm a relaxing of most social distancing rules beginning a week from now. meanwhile, spaniards are making the most of their newfound freedom. the streets were packed with partygoers after a state of emergency expired across much of the country late saturday night. more than 1/4 of all spaniards have had at least one shot, and 1 in 8 are fully vaccinated. so for more on all of this i want to bring in cnn's scott mclean, who joins us live from london. great to see you, scott. england set to ease covid restrictions and spain ended curfews across the country. what is the latest on these moves toward some semblance of normal life, which is very encouraging? >> yeah, it sure is.

british prime minister boris johnson, rosemary, is going to hold a press conference later on today where he is expected to announce that the easing of restrictions is right on track. so that means that one week from today you will be allowed to gather indoors in small groups at bars, restaurants that will be allowed to serve indoors and even sporting events will be allowed to have some spectators in the thousands. not full but a lot more than we've seen in the past. this is all part of a plan to ease restrictions that's been in the works for several months. but the plan hinged on a couple of key things, notably that variations, mutated versions of the virus weren't going to derail the progress that's been made, the success of the vaccination program, which by the way has put shots in the arms of 2/3 of the adult upon laigs. and obviously that the vaccine was effective and that this country could withstand a third wave or fourth or fifth wave, whichever wave that we're on at this point, without overwhelming the hospitals or really having huge death tolls like we've seen in the past.

so boxes have certainly been ticked in this country. britain's infection rate is now the lowest that it's been since september and the uk is doing a lot better when it comes to both cases and deaths than the rest of europe thanks to the fact europe is still catching up in the vaccination department. in fact, the uk is doing so well that a lot of people in this country even from within boris johnson's own party are calling for restrictions to be eased much sooner because they believe that there's simply no going back given the levels of vaccinations we've had so far. restrictions were also eased in spain over the weekend. saturday night after six months under a state of emergency the government in most regions eased the restrictions. so people were partying in the main square dm madrid, on the beaches of barcelona. the only problem, though, is that that partying actually violated spain's new rules which said you shouldn't be able to gather outdoors in groups of any more than six, rosemary. >> absolutely. the big message here of course vaccines work. scott mclean joining us live from london. many thanks.

a manhunt is under way for a suspect in saturday's times square shooting. we will have the latest after the break. plus, ramadan is ending in heartbreaking fashion for dozens of families in afghanistan. after a horrific attack on a school in the nation's capital. at air wick, we craft authentic fragrances to bring the essence of nature into your home, but nature can't thrive without wildflowers. since 2009, we've lost 33 million acres of grassland and wildflower habitat in the u.s. great plains. air wick scented oils is partnering with world wildlife fund to re-seed one billion square feet of native wildflowers and grasslands, making our connecting to nature stronger. learn more at airwick.us.

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there has been a terrifying shooting in times square as new york tries to reopen after the pandemic. now the city's police department is on the hunt for a potential suspect. cnn's evan mcmorris-santoro has the latest. >> reporter: this remarkable video tells the story of a scary moment on a busy saturday evening in times square. shots ring out after a scuffle, police say. and three innocent bystanders are hit, including a 4-year-old girl. you can see police running through the scene with right after the shots were fired. she was shot in the leg and police say she was taken for surgery in the hospital and is expected to recover. police released this photo of a person they're trying to speak with in relation to the incident. this comes at a scary, scary

moment for new york city. we're to reopen here and get back after the pandemic has laid this city flat on its back. times square, the home of bro broadway, is hoping to reopen theaters at the end of the summer. and police and other officials are hoping a surge in gun violence won't prevent tourists from coming back. evan mcmorris-santoro, cnn, new york. well, six people were killed after a gunman opened fire at a birthday party in colorado springs. police believe the shooter killed himself at the scene and was the boyfriend of one of the victims. a seventh person who was injured later died at a local hospital. the governor of colorado sent out a statement saying the tragic shooting in colorado springs is devastating, especially as many of us are spending the day celebrating the women in our lives who have made us the people we are today. a developing story now in new zealand. police say four people were

stabbed at a supermarket in the city of duneden. all of the victims are in hospital with three reportedly in critical condition. authorities have one man in custody and believe he is responsible for the attack. prime minister jacinda ardern says it does not appear to be terror-related. well, dozens of families in kabul, afghanistan are spending the last days of ramadan burying their daughters. after a gruesome attack outside a school on saturday. the death toll has risen to at least 85 killed. many of them were young girls. almost 150 others were wounded. the taliban say they are not responsible, and they've announced a three-day ceasefire for the eid holiday. but for the families in mourning there's not much to celebrate. michael holmes has our report. >> reporter: loved ones gather to bury the dead.

dozens of schoolgirls killed in a blast as they were leaving class on saturday afternoon in kabul. an uncle cries out. >> translator: she was 15 years old and was studying in class 8. she was very intelligent and didn't miss a single day of school. yesterday her mother told her not to go to school but she said no, sir, i will go today but i will not go tomorrow. she told the truth, and we buried her here today. >> reporter: afghan's interior ministry says a car bomb initially exploded followed by two ieds just outside the school. >> translator: first it was the car bomb. and then the second blast went off. and afterwards came the third. i did not panic and rushed to the scene and suddenly i found myself amongst bodies whose hands or heads were cut off and bones were smashed. all of them were girls. i saw dead bodies were piled on top of each other. >> reporter: the afghan

government blames the taliban, but the taliban denies any involvement, blaming instead the actions on sinister circles operating in the name of isis. no group, though, has claimed responsibility for the attack. many insurgents in the country are known to despise the education of girls. but for the loved ones no claim of responsibility will bring back the dead. michael holmes, cnn. well, the former chief doctor at the russian hospital that treated aleksey nafli ni is missing. russian state media said he left on an all-terrain vehicle and hasn't been seen since. search teams have ound found the vehicle. the doctor was a chief physician at omsk emergency hospital when kremlin critic navalny was admitted for suspected poisoning. the doctor, however, gave

multiple press briefings at the time saying navalny suffered from a metabolic disorder which caused a sharp drop in blood sugar. he was later promoted. the doctor's disappearance comes after two other doctors from the same hospital died earlier this year. one of those doctors oversaw navalny's medically induced coma. it's not clear if the other had anything to do with navalny's treatment. and still to come, president joe biden wants more than $2 trillion to fix the u.s. infrastructure. and this week the battle begins to sway skeptical republicans leery of the pricetag. and this comes as republicans get ready to demote one of their top leaders for refusing to support the lies of ex-president donald trump. we'll take a look. you'd never wash your dishes in this. your dishwasher looks clean but, when grease and limescale build up, it's not as hygienic as you think. use finish dishwasher cleaner its dual-action formula tackles grease and limescale. finish. clean dishwasher. clean dishes.

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welcome back, everyone. a criminal group from russia is believed to be responsible for a major cyberattack that prompted a temporary shutdown of one of the largest fuel pipelines in the united states. that is according to a former senior u.s. cyber official who also tells us the criminal group is known as dark side. the white house set up an interagency working group over the weekend in response. the gasoline supplier, colonial pipeline, says some of its smaller lines are back online but their main lines are still down. the company transports nearly half of all fuel for the east coast. there are concerns over how the attack could impact fuel supply ahead of the summer travel

season. the white house is also gearing up for a major push in support of infrastructure legislation. president biden has meetings with congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle this week and with key republican senators. the white house chief of staff says bipartisan support is the goal. >> building bridges, building roads, connecting people are broadband, building electric charging stations for the roads of the future, all these things, these things shouldn't divide our political parties. >> but republican senate leader mitch mcconnell says 100% of his focus will be on stopping mr. biden's agenda. this of course as the specter of the former president still dominates the republican party, which is set to oust a member from its leadership ranks in the house. wyoming republican liz cheney drew the anger of donald trump by refusing to back the lie that he won the election. republicans will likely vote

this week to replace her with new york representative elyse stefanik. but there are other party members who disagree. >> oh, i think they're concerned about retaliation from the president. they're concerned about being attacked within the party. and you know, it just bothers me that you have to swear fealty to the dear leader or you get kicked out of the party. it just doesn't make any sense. >> so i think what the reality is is as a party we have to have an internal look and a full accounting as to what led to january 6th. i mean, right now it's basically the "titanic." we're like in the middle of this slow sink. we have a band playing on the deck telling everybody it's fine. and meanwhile as i've said donald trump's running around trying to find women's clothing and get on the first lifeboat. and i think there's a few of us saying guys, this is not good, not just for the future of the party but this is not good for the future of this country. >> ron brownstein is a cnn

senior political analyst and a senior editor for "the atlantic." he joins me now from los angeles. great to have you with us as always. >> hi, rosemary. >> so the republican party is in disarray struggling to find its identity but now it's clearly deciding who to keep and who to kick to the curb and liz cheney looks set to be expelled from her leadership post. will that help or hurt the party in the end, essentially making a martyr out of cheney? >> it's an extraordinary moment when a political leader with the name cheney is insufficiently loyal in the minds of much of the house republican and indeed the republican electoral caucus. i actually think this is an important symbolic moment because what it is basically -- we know that roughly 3/4 of republican voters, maybe 80% of republican voters, are perfectly fine with everything donald trump has done since the election, don't blame him for january 6th, don't even necessarily view january 6th as that big a deal, don't think he

acted improperly since the election. but there is roughly 20% to 25% of republicans who are on the opposite side of all of those questions and who are uneasy about everything trump has done since the election even if they don't like democratic spending and taxing policies. and what the house republican caucus is going to do this week is send a very clear unequivocal signal to that 20% or 25% of the party that you are now the minority, you are now in a subservient position to the trump majority of the party. and it just kind of underscores my belief that one of the critical political questions of the next few years is what does that 20% or 25% of republicans do? do they simply accept subordinate status in a party that is allegiant to trump or do they begin to drift toward the democratic alternative that joe biden represents? >> it is extraordinary to think just 25% represent what the gop used to stand for. so what does it say about the republicans that they replace

cheney but keep the likes of marjorie taylor greene? >> yes. it's extraordinary. we talked about this months ago. i wrote a piece asking whether the extremist caucus in the republican party was now too big to fail. and i think first of all the answer to that is clearly yes. kevin mccarthy and the other gop leaders have basically decided that they cannot confront or excommunicate in effect voices like marjorie taylor greene, that she speaks for too much of the republican electorate. you know, in polling now consistently half to 55% of republicans are saying they believe the american way of life is so threatened that we may have to use force in order to save it. and that is kind of that sentiment that she represents, that obviously trump stokes at times. this may not be a problem for republicans in 2022. the electorate is smaller. the way the election plays out is kind of fractionated over obviously states and districts.

and there is that tendency for a backlash against the president's party in the first midterm. but in 2024 when we are looking at the bigger electorate and it is the question of who do you trust to run the country, the inability or refusal of republicans to isolate themselves from this kind of extremism i think is going to be much more of a problem than it will be probably in 18 months from now. >> and we're also seeing restrictive voting bills pop up all over the country. a gop effort to prevent certain democratic voters from casting a ballot. and this is being done in clear sight. how will that likely impact elections in 2022? >> well, first of all, we said before, 3/4 of republicans basically say they believe the rex was stolen. and this is more than just a rhetorical observation. it is in fact fueling what is the most systematic effort to roll back americans' access to the ballot box since the passage of the voting rights act in 1965 that ended the jim crow era of state-sponsored segregation in voting. and this is a serious issue.

essentially, what we are seeing is the most pointed efforts coming in states like texas, florida, georgia and arizona, where republicans face a daunting demographic reality, that a majority, in moffett of those cases in the states i named, a majority of the people turning 18 every year are kids of color and republicans i think are stacking sandbags against the demographic changes in those states by trying to make it harder for that new electorate to vote. there's always the potential of a backlash, and when you tell people you don't want them to vote they become more determined to do so but i think there's also something else that is in train here, which is the possibility of a true social and political crack-up in 2024 because if republicans succeed in what they are doing and actually follow through on some of the things that are being put into law in places like georgia that allow these state republican officials to override local democratic officials on election boards and counties, for example, you are really lighting the flame for a level

of political, social, and kind of in the streets conflict that we have not seen even in 2020. so this is a very dangerous game republicans are playing, and obviously the key question in many ways is whether democrats can overcome the resistance of those last few senators, kyrsten sinema and joe manchin, to reforming the filibuster in a way that will allow them to set national voting standards that would override many of these efforts in the states. >> ron brownstein, always great to get your analysis on all things political. appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. and still to come, facebook's oversight board decided to keep donald trump off the platform for now at least. but a bigger decision is looming for founder mark zuckerberg. and we'll explain. plus, why some of the world's biggest tech companies are now pouring more money into africa. back with that in a moment. t yor digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down.

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welcome back, everyone. well, the clock is ticking for facebook. the social media giant has six months to decide whether former president trump can ever return to the platform. just days ago the company's independent oversight board ruled that facebook was justified in its decision to suspend then president trump from its platform after the january 6th insurrection. but the board also said that doesn't automatically mean he can be banned forever. >> the board clearly stated that the suspension of former president trump was necessary to keep people safe, that the posts on the 6th of sqjanuary were encouraging and legitimizing violence and therefore were a severe violence. but at the same time the board has clearly said that an indefinite suspension is not consistent with international human rights standards and that its rules have to be clear and consistent and transparent and the failure to have rules that

are clear, consistent and transparent will have a chilling effect in the long term on freedom of expression. >> trump himself called the overside board's decision a total disgrace, arguing the decision is an attack on his free speech. well, some of the world's biggest technology companies like facebook, twitter and google are expanding their presence across africa, setting the region's economy up for a multibillion-dollar boost. cnn's neda bashir reports. >> reporter: when it comes to big tech investment, the giants of silicon valley have traditionally looked to asia. but some of the world's leading tech companies are now shifting their focus to a new market and investing big in africa. >> it's a vote of confidence in the tech industry in africa. we have seen a lot of innovation coming out of africa. they're attracting a lot of funding. and this is driving the interest

of the big internet players like twitter, google, facebook, et cetera. >> reporter: twitter is among the latest big tech firms to establish a presence on the continent. the company is building a presence in ghana which move which has been welcomed by the continent's big tech industry. >> how important is it for ghana that twitter has announced it will be establishing its first africa base in your country in. >> twitter's coming in is like a seal of approval on the steps we've been taking so far. we're excited about their come asking hope to build on that and hope we can also use them to attract other world-class companies to come and make ghana their home. >> reporter: like twitter google has also chosen to invest in ghana, launching its first artificial intelligence on the continent in the country's company, accra. meanwhile, amazon expanded its footprint in south africa in 2020, launching a new web

services infrastructure region in capetown. facebook too favored south africa for its first office on the continent, establishing its johannesburg base in 2015 followed by an announcement in 2020 that the company would be launching a new office in lagos. and more than three decades on from opening its first office in africa, microsoft has announced its latest endeavor on the continent, working with the nigerian government to develop the country's high-speed internet infrastructure. with a growing population of tech entrepreneurs, big tech investment is set to have a transformative impact not only on africa's digital landscape but on everyday life. >> we are hoping this will create the opportunity for us to learn from each other's experiences and see how technology can oip this space, energize our economies, create wealth for our young people, provide alternative livelihoods. >> reporter: a report by google and the international finance

corporation projects major growth in africa's internet economy, with the potential to contribute nearly $180 billion to africa's economy by 2025 and more than $700 billion by 2050. it's an economic boost with the potential to create millions of jobs and new opportunities in education and innovation. a winning combination for a continent striving to become the world's next big tech hub. neda bashir, cnn, london. the winner of this year's kentucky derby could be stripped of his victory. up next, the controversy sounding medina spirit and how it might impact the next leg of the triple crown.

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so, we're partnering with world wildlife fund to re-seed native wildflowers and grasslands. learn more at airwick.us. welcome back, everyone. well, japanese prime minister yoshihide suga is speaking out about the olympics. amid growing opposition within the country to the games going ahead, he insists that protecting the public's health during the coronavirus pandemic has always been his priority and that any final decision on the olympics is up to the

international olympic committee and not him. the prime minister's remarks come as tokyo is currently under an extended state of emergency due to a spike in covid cases. the olympics are set to begin july 23rd. well, the winning horse at the kentucky derby may have that victory disqualified after failing a drug test after the race. medina spirit tested positive for more than double the legal threshold of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid. race officials will now test another sample before a possible appeal or taking any disciplinary action. the horse's record-setting trainer denies every treating the colt with the drug. >> it's disturbing. it's an injustice to the horse. i don't know what's going on in racing right now but there's something not right. and i don't feel embarrassed. i feel like i was wronged. i do not feel safe to train.

it's getting worse. how do i, you know, move forward from this? knowing that something like this can happen. it's just -- it's a complete injustice. but we're going to -- i'm going to fight it tooth and nail. >> organizers of the next big race this saturday's preakness stakes will review the case before deciding whether medina spirit can run the next leg of the triple crown. biologists are tracking a gray whale thousands of miles off course in the mediterranean sea. wally the whale as he's being called should be enjoying the warm waters of the pacific ocean, and scientists say if he doesn't find his way home soon he may never make it back. cnn's saskia van doren has more. >> reporter: this lost whale is oceans away from home. nicknamed wally, the great whale

has been spotted swimming in the mediterranean sea near france. it's on the second sighting by biologists ever of a gray whale in the area since they normally live in the pacific ocean migrating along the coast of california. biologists think wally was in the arctic and took a bad turn because some of the northern routes only passable in the summer melted early because of warmer waters. >> translator: with global warming accelerating the mounting of the ice, this young whale made a mistake and instead of descending along the pacific coast it descended along the atlantic coast. >> reporter: scientists say the 2-year-old whale then became even more disoriented, crossing the jgibraltar strait into the mediterranean which doesn't have the food sources gray whales need to survive. zwlt italians have estimated he has less than 37% of the mass of his species at his age. apart from that it's just that very very close to the coast.

we'll really have to watch out for this animal. >> reporter: moving about 80 to 90 kilometers a day, wally is believed to be making his way back to the gibraltar strait following france's southern shores and approaching the spanish coast. >> translator: hopefully it will leave the mediterranean through the gibraltar strait in a few days and we'll see. if other organizations like ours observe it in other areas, we'll be able to track its moves and know whether it returns to its usual hab tatd. >> reporter: the whale became entangled in a fishing net a few days ago but managed to get free and face even more articles, finding foods and avoiding the busy shipping traffic of the strait, all of which wally will have to navigate if he is to find his way to familiar waters. saskia van doren, cnn, paris. >> thanks for joining us. i'm rosemary church. i'll be back with more news in just a moment. do stay with us.

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hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn news room." i'm rose ma-- rosemary church. violent clashes between israeli police and palestinians in around the mosques. the latest on the soaring tensions in jerusalem. mask mandates under scrutiny. some medical experts think we need new guidance now that more americans are vaccinated. and a mystery in russia. a top doctor