welcome to all of our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. thanks so much for joining me this hour. i'm robyn curnow. coming up on cnn, much of the u.s. is getting back to normal. but concerns about a new covid variant in asia and soaring cases in argentina show the world isn't yet out of the woods. meanwhile, benjamin netanyahu's time as israeli prime minister could be coming to an end as his political opponents work on a deal to oust him from power. the midterm elections are a week away in mexico, but it's not just fake news or election fraud most people are worried about, it's that dozens of their politicians are being murdered .

a solid year of lockdowns, face masks, and social distancing is gradually winding down in many places as more and more people are getting vaccinated. but covid remains widespread and dangerous. as you can see here, countries in red are still struggling. the world health organization is investigating whether four cases in vietnam came from a possible new variant. but wherever vaccines have been widely administered, cases and deaths have been steadily declining. 5,000 people in paris are finally able to enjoy a large, crowded concert on saturday. and then dining out in london is once again possible. the nhs says more than half of people in their 30s have now received at least one shot. in the u.s., many popular tourist spots are reopening just in time for the memorial day holiday. american airports reported nearly 2 million passengers on

friday, the highest one-day total since the pandemic. and more than 37 million americans are expected to hit the road this memorial day holiday. that's up 60% from last year. and the cdc says just over half of all u.s. adults have now received at least one shot. we get more from cnn's natasha chen in miami beach. >> reporter: a lot of people we're he's in miami beach say they're taking their first trips in more than a year, since before the pandemic began. so there's a lot of that energy with people who have been stuck inside their homes for so long, eager to come out, enjoy themselves under fewer covid restrictions. the mayor of miami beach told us the volume of people coming here is unprecedented. we saw those unprecedented crowds partying in the streets at night, creating a lot of traffic gridlock. a lot of people telling us that they feel more relaxed and they're eager to have fun, knowing that case numbers are falling and more and more people are getting vaccinated. but with the crowds comes a different problem. the mayor of miami beach here

talking about the need for law enforcement to keep a close eye on these crowds. >> the one thing that we've seen over the last few months has been an increase in both volume and disorder. what i mean by that is we're getting more people than we've ever -- than have ever come here, even on weekday nights. if you get 25,000 or 50,000 people in a small little area, which what is you're talking about, just a small percentage feel like they're acting out, it's very hard to control that without a huge presence of policing. >> reporter: hundreds of miami beach police officers are all hands on deck this weekend, plus they've got help from other jurisdictions as well. there are businesses here that are very happy to see all these people come with the dollars flowing in after a very difficult economic year. right now the hotel occupancy in this county is back to where it was in 2019 during this same week. according to the convention and visitors bureau, they're saying that the dining activity, people dining out, is actually more

than one-third higher than this point in 2019. santa monica, california, is heavily dependant on tourism and last year was a bust. but this year it's already looking much, much better. paul vercammen is there. what can you tell us? >> reporter: i'm standing on the pier in santa monica, which was completely shut down at one point during the lockdown. and this is a small tourism city that relies so heavily on tourism. the tax base was obliterated during the lockdown. but now the mayor here saying they're coming back. they got through this all with the help of federal aid. now people are on the beach. she says this is actually important for the entire psyche and mental health of southern california and the tourists who visit. and people were genuinely thrilled to be walking again on the santa monica pier. >> i think it's important not to forget the stuff that's happened, but the fact that

we're able to gather again, to be able to celebrate, not be in fear anymore, hopefully most people aren't, to be able to enjoy this beautiful water and the pier that's here, this is what it's for. >> i feel it's just a bit of relief, everyone's been so tied up at home, being able to see people again like this is just, i don't know, i feel like it's -- kind of a light at the end of tunnel. we're finally getting there. like, this has been such a test of everybody worldwide. i feel like we're finally getting towards the tail end of this thing. almost thought it was never going to happen. >> reporter: these are the largest crowds we've seen in santa monica in quite some time. if it seems like there should be more people in the water, think about this. the temperature right now is only 61 degrees. right over here, you see a roller coaster ready to get going on the santa monica pier. all of these rides pump more financial lifeblood into this tourism city. don't forget, in a little more than two weeks, california will

get rid of almost all covid-19 restrictions. earlier i spoke with leonard marcus, the codirector of the national preparedness leadership initiative. i asked him how people should get ready to start traveling again. this is what he had to say. >> it's important to note, if you're vaccinated, that you can travel on an airplane with a high level of confidence. here in the united states, people are still required to wear masks when they're on public transportation. so keep your mask on. i double mask when i'm flying. if you have to drink or eat, make it really, really quick. slip it under your mask so you keep your mask on. especially while you're on board the airplane or while you're at the airport. keep distance as appropriate and as you can. and if you follow all of those precautions, if you're

vaccinated, the risks of air travel are very, very low at this point. >> what about the cdc saying that there is some risk, even if you're vaccinated? and how does that sort of -- how is that counterintuitive to all the sort of go forth and travel and enjoy your holidays messaging? >> well, there is some risk. and it's a question of whether we'll ever be beyond some small measure of risk. there are situations in which people have acquired a breakthrough case of covid-19. those situations are very, very rare. the cdc is encouraging people when they're traveling to maintain these precautions as a way of significantly reducing those risks, which is why i say, if you're vaccinated, you keep your mask on you keep the distance. all those things that we've become very accustomed to. you can fly with a high degree of confidence. >> we've had a lot of coverage,

particularly in the last few days, but it's by no means limited to the last few days, of the number of people getting agitatatat on flhts. sort of tempers flaring, whether it's over the issue of masks or whether it's just because people are feeling anxious. that is also something that seems to be on another level entirely, doesn't it? >> there are a small percentage of people whose behavior is just unacceptable when they're on a plane. and this, of course, presents a significant challenge tonight attendants. through our aviation public health initiative, we had the opportunity to interview many people in the aviation industry, including flight attendants. it's been a real tough haul for them. they in many cases have been the enforcers. a very small percentage of the population are unwilling to wear their masks. they're unruly when they get on the plane. and it makes it very difficult for everybody on board, in particular for the flight

attendants. >> leonard marcus, thank you very much for joining us. i really appreciate it. and hopefully very soon we can all be traveling and enjoying each other in beautiful places around the world, so thank you. >> thank you, robyn. parts of europe are also reopening to international tourists as more people get vaccinated. there certainly are still problems even as the uk ramps up vaccinations. new cases, we understand, have crept above 4,000 on friday for the first time in weeks. scott mcclain is following these developments in london. what can you tell us about this slight increase in the amount of infections where you are? >> reporter: first let me set the scene for you in europe. as mentioned, things are opening up quickly. that's thanks in part to vaccinations really starting to ramp up. more than one-third of the population has their first shot. you have scenes like the one you showed earlier, 5,000 people in paris partying as if it were

prepandemic. the only difference this time is they've got their masks on. you also have countries like italy and hungary loosening restrictions. last week switzerland, ireland set to loosen some of their restrictions. this coming week you have the big tourist hot spots like portugal, greece, spain, all competing for tourists from the uk. hold on a second, because by the same token, and this is where it gets a little odd, you have france and germany actually putting up travel barriers to people coming from the uk, making it harder to travel in. this is a country that has fewer cases and higher vaccination rate, a much higher vaccination rate than europe. the reason is because of the indian variant, which we know spreads more quickly than the uk variant, the previous dominant strain. the jury is out on just how much more. as you said, case counts hit 4,000 for the first time since early april, so ticking up a little bit. hospitalizations also starting to tick up slightly as well.

and as a result, the british government is really trying to get shots into people's arms as quickly as possible. they are speeding up as well the time period between the first shot and the second shot. just 2 1/2 weeks ago or so, they opened up vaccines to everyone 30-plus. now more than half of all people in this country in their 30s have already got their first shot of the vaccine. so that is undoubtedly a success. but now really comes the big test for the vaccination campaign because you have this odd situation where the uk has lifted restrictions to the point that if you walk around in london, you can see people eating outside at restaurants, you can see them eating inside as well. there are still restrictions in place, but you wouldn't know it, it feels pretty normal. most of the people, maybe not most, but a good chunk of the people out enjoying their newfound freedom are people in their 20s. people who haven't been vaccinated at all. the test is, can the uk essentially let the virus run rampant to some extent in this younger age group and count on the vaccine to provide a

firewall to make sure older people don't end up hospitalized and dying? so the uk has decisions to make on how quickly that final phase of loosening of restrictions will take place. >> great. thanks so much, scott mcclain live in london. protesters in brazil aren't happy with the handling of the covid pandemic in their country. tens of thousands marched across brazil saturday demanding better access to vaccines, and they want the president, president bolsonaro, to be impeached. >> translator: it's a duty to fight for democracy. this government is of no use to us. it doesn't serve the people and its political project is to kill us. we've taken to the streets because we have no alternative. >> the country is facing a possible third wave of covid. more than 16 million people are infected. less than 10% of the population has been fully vaccinated. brazil's neighbor, argentina, is also dealing with a soaring number of covid cases. saturday it surpassed 77,000

deaths from the virus. this comes as the country is set to end its nine-day lockdown. rafael romo has more on all of that. >> reporter: it's a lockdown that doesn't feel like one. >> translator: i see a lot of people, too many for me. >> reporter: it was the first working day since argentina had gone on lockdown to stop a second wave of covid-19. at checkpoints frustrated drivers described long lines as chaos and a disaster. >> translator: the truth is that i wasn't expecting so many cars on the roads. >> translator: president fernandez announced the lockdown on may 20th, saying argentina is living the worst moment since the beginning of the pandemic and people would be allowed outside their homes 12 hours a day, starting at 6:00 a.m.,

except essential workers. schools and nonessential businesses were to close until may 30th. argentina, together with brazil and colombia, are the three south american countries that remain among the top ten with the highest numbers of daily confirmed new cases in the world. the strict lockdown was aimed at reversing the worrying trend and the explosion of cases that argentina has had in the last few weeks, and the long-term hoping to become a major source of covid-19 vaccines. argentina is partnering with oxford university and astrazeneca to produce massive amounts of the covid-19 vaccine developed by both institutions. at a lab in buenos aires, the process has already begun. a lab representative says it will be the end of the year before they expect to start clinical trials with the goal of launching production by early 2022. meanwhile, covid-19 remains a deadly challenge for argentina.

an additional 551 people died of the virus thursday, the same day the country broke its own daily record with more than 41,000 new confirmed cases. and the government has yet to find out if the current lockdown, imposed out of desperation, is going to reverse the trend. coming up on cnn, a seismic political shift could be imminent in israel. the latest on a potential coalition deal that would see benjamin netanyahu out as prime minister. new details about a massive cyber attack targeting dozens of countries. how it might affect the u.s. president and russia's leader. freshness that lasts. sr crafted to give you amazingly natural smelling fragrances, day after day... ...for up to 60 days. give us one plug for freshness that lasts.

israeli media is full of speculation that prime minister benjamin netanyahu may soon be out of a job. it hinges on right-wing leader tylee bennett, said to be considering joining with a centrist to form a new government. let's go to jerusalem. had das gold brings us up to date.

>> reporter: if this shakes out way it's being reported, it could be the end of prime minister benjamin netanyahu's career as the longest-serving prime minister of israel. his 12-year term could be coming to an end if this does shake out. what's being reported that could happen, and a source close to the negotiations is telling cnn they are cautiously optimistic this is how it will work, naftali bennett could be joining with the centrist yarery la pead to form the government. it's part of the deal, bennett would be the first prime minister as part of a rotating leadership deal where bennett would be the first prime minister followed by la pead. naftali bennett's party only won about seven seats in the election but his party has been the kingmaker since elections in march where it was sort of who he decided to sit with that could be the next government. this new government, this coal coal

coalition, would have parties from the left to the right and would likely need outside support from a small islamist party as well. it would be a very interesting party, very wide ranging. i should warn that in israeli politics, things change quickly. bennett has already apparently delayed a meeting with his party to later this afternoon. there's a lot of things moving behind the scenes. but if they announce they have struck a deal and they have struck this coalition agreement, it is possible that within the next week, this new government could be sworn in. again, things can change quickly in israeli politics but if this shakes out the way israeli media is reporting, we could see the end of prime minister benjamin netanyahu as prime minister. >> haddas gold live in jerusalem, thank you so much. protesters outside belarus are turning up pressure on its government over the arrest of an opposition activist. rallies were held across the globe saturday to demand the release of roman protasevich, arrested after belarus forced an

international flight to land last week and took him off the plane. a topple belarusian opposition leader who took part at a rally believes better days on the horizon for her country. >> translator: i am very touched by the support i see in lithuania and around the world, but it's a pity it's been a year and we haven't won yet. but i'm soon changes will come, new elections will come, because there is no other way. >> the leader of belarus, alexander lukashenko, met with russian president, vladimir putin, for the second time in two days. they discussed the status of the activist ace girlfriend. she is a russian citizen and was arrested with him. thursday, microsoft said russian hackers targeted email accounts in dozens of countries, including one used by the u.s. agency for national development. matthew chance is in moscow.

>> reporter: i guess it's the timing of this alleged cyber attack that's the most striking. just a few weeks before the u.s. and russian presidents are set to meet in switzerland for a much-anticipated face-to-face summit that's already filled with a long list of disagreements between the two countries, between the two pets. russia's support for belarus in the latest crisis, its ordering down of an airline in order to arrest passengers on board. the treatment of alexei navalny, russia's opposition leader. the fresh hacking allegations to add to the historical ones that are already there. to make matters worse, it's only been a few weeks, really, since president biden imposed tough sanctions on russia for precisely this kind of cyber attack. the solar winds hack which was focused on u.s. government agencies and was blamed by washington on the svr, russia's foreign intelligence service. at microsoft, which detected the latest incidents of hacking of u.s. aid agencies, think tanks,

and humanitarian groups, mainly in the u.s., says that the same group of russian hackers were responsible this time around. the kremlin has denied any knowledge, as it always does, saying that it has questions about why russia is again being blamed. matthew chance, cnn, moscow. love finds a way even in a pandemic. number 10 downing street no exception. british prime minister boris johnson reportedly married his girlfriend, carrie symonds, saturday in a low-key ceremony, as required by government rules. those rules were recently relaxed to allow for 30 guests. it was a secret wedding at westminster cathedral with close friends and family in attendance. downing street has declined to comment. coming up on cnn, texas is trying to join other republican-led states that have set sweeping limits on voting.

hear why the u.s. president calls those laws unamerican. mexico's potentially pivotal midterm elections are just days away. why the country is seeing a rise on violent attacks on candidates, what's behind these political killings next. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger.

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welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world.

thanks very much for joining me. you are watching cnn. texas republicans are one step closer to passing sweeping new voting restrictions. a conference committee agreed on a bill that will make it harder to mail in ballots and will ban after-hours voting and drive-thru options. it has to pass the state house and senate before it reaches the governor's desk. voting rights activists are outraged staying it clear what state republicans are trying to do. >> texas has a long, ugly, and racist history of voter suppression, and this version of senate bill 7 fits squarely into that. it is limiting access to many of the pro-voter policies we saw utilized in the 2020 election to make sure that we can hold safe and secure elections in the middle of a pandemic. those are the first things on the chopping block in this piece of legislation. we know they were disproportionately used by communities of color. this is a clear attack on voters of color in texas right now. >> the u.s. president is denouncing this proposed bill and other bills like it.

or arlette saenz has more. >> reporter: president biden was quick to denounce a bill in texas to enact new voting restrictions saying it's part of an assault on democracy that we've seen far too often, often disproportionately targeting black and brown americans, it's wrong and unamerican. the president added, in the 21st century we should be making it easier, not harder, for every eligible voter to vote. this is similar to sentiments the president expressed the course of the past year as more republican-led state legislatures have enacted voting restrictions in their state, calling it jim crow in the 21st century. in order to counteract laws being passed the president is urging congress to act to pass two voting rights measures including the "for the people act," a sweeping voting rights

bill making its way through congress at this moment. while it passed in the house, it is now in the senate, where it's facing roadblocks. there are not enough republicans or democrats on board to get it through. it seems unlikely that democrats are willing to blow up the filibuster in order to push voting rights through congress. but the president has insisted voting rights will remain a priority and he's expected to speak more on this topic when he travels to tulsa, oklahoma, on tuesday to mark the 100th anniversary of the race massacre that occurred there. the president has insisted protecting and expanding voting rights will be key in his administration. the question is whether congress will be able to come together to act. arlette saenz, cnn, wilmington, delaware. >> the efforts we've been seeing in conservative states to limit voter laws, it's all a republican effort. most democrats believe traditional american pro-democracy values will

prevail, but cnn political analyst ron brownstein says that may not be true anymore. >> what you are seeing is for a significant share of the republican coalition, the fear of demographic eclipse is eroding the baseline commitment to democracy. we don't fully have a language or understanding what that means in american politics. it's what we see in parties in countries like poland, turkey, that win an election and use tools that make it difficult for the other side to ever win again. this is as i wrote in "the atlantic" debate among groups concerned about this, about whether president biden himself and senate democratic leaders are showing enough urgency about what's happening. mexico is suffering a wave of political killings in the run-up to their midterm elections next week. more than 80 candidates have been killed in recent months. hundreds of others have been targeted. matt rivers has more on the

surge in the political violence. >> reporter: here is abell m morieta, candidate for local office. crime was his number one issue. just one day after filming this ad, he was dead. shot and killed may 13th in broad daylight on a busy street while handing out campaign flyers. state authorities say morieta was deliberately targeted but don't know by whom. specks or not, it's just further proof that in mexico, politics can be deadly. from september last year through may 25th, at least 88 politicians or candidates have been killed, according to mexican consulting firm, part of the 565 politicians or candidates overall that have been targeted by some sort of crime ranging from murder to

assault to threats, the firm says. the government says it believes both numbers are actually far lower, though they don't say how they tally their numbers. still, it admits there's a problem. "it's a difficult time for these campaigns," says mexico's president. "we're going to keep protecting them." though mexico has consistently failed to protect its candidates. political assassinations have been a problem for decades but this is particularly bad. >> i think this is going to be considered one of the most violent elections in mexican history. >> reporter: security experts say politicians are killed for a number of reasons, but it most often involves organized crime. in many cases she says criminal groups want their preferred candidate in office, so they might target others they don't like, especially candidates who make crime a centerpiece of their campaigns. >> candidates that talk the way of mo morieta clearly are going

run bigger risks. >> reporter: he was known for challenging criminal groups and drug cartels. as a lawyer he was representing an outspoken family with dual u.s./mexico citizenship that lost nine members when they were murdered by suspected cartel members in mexico in late 2019. adrian, member of the family, tweeted saying in part, they have killed my defender what do we call this, the rule of law? >> do you believe he was killed because of his opposition to the cartels? >> yes, he was always exposing them. to me, he died a martyr. >> reporter: authorities have not identified any suspects or motive in the murder. the victim seemed to know he was at risk, saying this a few days before he died. he said the streets belong to

the people, not to criminals, and some of those people turned up here to his funeral in caheme. a standing occasion as his coffin was led out. now to a gruesome discovery in canada decades in the making. the remains of 215 children have been found near a former indigenous school in british columbia which started operations in the 1800s. some children buried there were as young as 3. canadian prime minister justin trudeau says this news is heartbreaking, a painful reminder that shameful chapter of canada's history. a report six years ago detailed the devastating history of the country's dismantled residential school system which was designed to so-called simulate the children. many of these children never returned home and their parents never found out what happened to them. the threat of anotherlooms e

democratic republic of congo. continuous smoke billowing from the volcano and officials say the crater remains active. if it happens, it would be the second eruption in a week. that's why thousands of people have fled their homes. many pouring into shelters. what's left behind in goma is damaged roads, no water, hundreds of homed washed away in lava. a flat in hong kong or $100 million? what governments around the world are doing to encourage you to get the vaccine. body cam footage shows police pulling a man to safety just before a huge explosion. we'll hear from the officers ahead.

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welcome back. i'm robyn curnow.

some of america's top researchers will be helping to track down the origins of covid. the national laboratories will be part of efforts to find out if the virus emerged naturally or if it leaked from a chinese laboratory. the national labs is a collection of 17 research facilities at the energy department. a white house official says they were brought in because of their ability to crunch massive amounts of data. sources say this renewed investigation won't involve newly acquired data, but digging through vast amounts of untapped evidence. it's certainly an offer you can't refuse, at least that's what countries all over the world are hoping, pulling out the stops to encourage more people to get vaccinated. condos, cash, cows up for grabs to lure the vaccine hesitant into getting a shot. >> reporter: a catchy rap song about one of the best ways to not catch the coronavirus. local officials in southwest

china's sichaun province releasing this video to encourage people to get their covid-19 vaccinations as the country aims to inoculate 40% of its population by july. it's this carrot-over-stick approach that's catching on in countries around the world. at least the ones that have enough vaccine supply to try to encourage people who might be hesitant to roll up their sleeves. some of the incentives are pretty hard to beat. in hong kong, property developers are organizing a lottery with the grand prize of a million-dollar flat. only residents who have received both doses of the vaccine can enter the drawing. less than 20% of hong kong's population has gotten that first shot. >> i got vaccinated, only one jab, though. going to get the next one a few days later. so yeah, i'm definitely going to sign up for this, why not, right? lucky. >> reporter: others are less

flashy, but maybe more practical. the mayor of a rural town in the philippines raffling off a cow a month. no shot, no chance of winning. israel has one of the most successful vaccination drives in the world. it offered free pizzas to lure people to its vaccination centers. a free seven-day pass to ride the subway in new york comes with the jab at selection stations across the city. >> i was in no harry because i had coronavirus april last year. once i heard about this extra incentive, i got even more motivated. >> reporter: to scale up motivation, some businesses are offering freebies to anyone flashing their vaccine card. crippy cream giving away a free glazed doughnut. united airlines has a drawing to win win free flights. ohio just announced the first winners of its vax a million lottery. one woman a million dollars richer for getting vaccinated. >> i did come up to cleveland

from cincinnati to look at a used car. and i think buying a used car is still in my future. so that's about as far as i've gotten. >> reporter: a new set of wheels and the freedom to move about body compliments of a vaccine scientists wish more people would take. michael holmes, cnn. gavin macleod had roles that cemented his reputation. he died saturday. a fixture on american tv in the 1970s and '80s, he was known as captain stubing on "the love boat," and he played the brokenhearted news writer murray slaughter who pined for mary tyler moore's character on her self-named show. gavin macleod was 90 years old. the singer b.j. thomas has died at age 78 from complications of lung cancer. thomas sang country, pop, and gospel. with "raindrops keep falling on my head," enshrined in the

grammy hall of fame. his hits included "hooked on a feeling." he won five grammys for gospel songs. before he died he wrote, he was blessed to share wonderful songs. coming up on cnn, we'll go inside the mysterious and opaque world of art dealing and the legal fight surrounding the most expensive painting ever sold. a cnn exclusive report next. it's a simple fact: nothing kills more germs on more surfaces than lysol spray. it's a simple fact: it even kills the covid-19 virus. science supports these simple facts. there's only one true lysol. lysol. what it takes to protect.

a texas man owes his life to two austin police officers who pulled him out of a truck fire with sens to spare. watch this amazing body cam footage. is. >> get out! come on, come on out!

>> those officers spoke earlier about their dramatic rescue with cnn's jessica dean. >> officer panetta, does your training kick in? or adrenaline? walk us through how that goes. >> it's actually our training at that point. i felt adrenaline after everything was done. but during the actual moment, it was training kicked in, just react. >> since that explosion the officers have been recognized for their heroism by their department. the video and their story have gone viral online. something no roller coaster fan should ever see, cars at a standstill. we're told 20 people were rescued after getting stranded in san antonio saturday. no reported injuries. everyone was upright and had water during the rescue process. a spokesperson says the ride will remain closed until the park completes a full inspection. the name of the ride is

"poltergeist." the most expensive painting ever sold at the center of a legal fight shaking up the art world. leonardo da vinci's portrait of jesus was presumed lost for hundreds of years only to be rediscovered this century. the expert to put the multimillion-dollar price tag speaks exclusively to cnn. shining the light on the murky world of art dealing. >> reporter: billion-dollar lawsuits, claims of subterfuge surrounding the most expensive painting. the bouvier affair as it's dubed the fiercest feud witnessed in the art world, an industry that's developed a rocky reputation for its way of doing business. >> opacity, lack of transparency, greed, tax evasion, money laundering, dishonesty, dissembling,

disingenuousness, corruption. where does it end? >> reporter: a russian oligarch who made his money in fertilizer. so-called gangster capitalism. he claims he's been swindled on a $2 billion collectioning including the salvatore mundi. others believe it's not entirely original. on the other side, his former swiss dealer, eve bouvier, who admits to making money on hefty markups but says it was above board and claims his life has been ruined. >> translator: i was blacklisted by auction houses, banks wouldn't transact with me, my business was destroyed. in the future when it is over, i don't know what i'll do, but i'll certainly see the world differently. >> reporter: a representative declined to be clued.

a spokesman told cnn these matters are being fought in the courts where we expect to prove what happened and that bouvier's fansiful story is false. for now what is notable what is bouvier does not dispute. as an art adviser he pretended to help clients assemble an art collection at a cost of $2 billion while secretly reaping half that price for himself. yet bouvier does dispute that he was ever an art adviser, a matter at the heart of the litigation and allegations of breach of trust. "i am an art dealer, all my invoices explicitly describe me as the seller." the six-year drama has prompted lawsuits from monaco to manhattan and switzerland to singapore. in a letter submitted to prosecutors, bouvier claims he's been followed and spied upon by private investigators. all of this lifts the veil,

experts say, on the ugly side of a market for the most beautiful items in ways seldom seen. >> art's a very good way to hide your wealth. it's difficult to evaluate it. it's easy to move it around. >> reporter: the affair also highlights the vast sums stashed away in priceless works. take the alva tore mundi, bought for $127 million. but the dealer paid much less than that himself. >> translator: my company made $40 million. i turned it around and sold it in two days. that's a very good deal for my go. i'm not going to complain. at this level, art is opaque. secret, anonymous. people don't want others to know how big their fortune is. look at the case of the salvador mundi when it was sold in 2017, all buyers on the phone bidding

anonymously. >> reporter: countries are cracking down on the sale of art in general, with the uk and the eu requiring more transparency. meanwhile, the u.s. senate report in 2020 said art could be used to evade sanctions. >> the salvatore mundi, $4 million -- >> it hasn't been seen since it was sold in 2017, reportedly to saudi crown prince mohammad bin salman. however, legal wrangling between its former owners continues. some chelsea fans are waking up after a long, long night of partying. ♪ eruption in cheers saturday after their team clinched its second champions league title. celebrations went on into saturday morning out chelsea's stamford bridge stadium in london. the blues beat manchester city

1-0 in portugal. the victory was sealed by kyle havertz who scored this goal before halftime. a couple in the uk says they were speechless when a diver managed to find their engagement ring from the bottom of largest lake in england. the ring slipped off as the couple was having pictures taken. local 20-year-old free diver angus hoskin came to the rescue. after about 20 mince in the frigid water with a metal detector, he returned to the surface with the diamond ring. the engaged couple say they'd love to thank hoskins by inviting them to their wedding if restrictions allow. thank you for spending part of your day with me. follow me on twitter and instagram @robyncurnowcnn.

start of the pandemic. and beenck anyone netanyahu's 12 year run could be in it's final days. we're live with the latest. live fro