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 from cnn world h

headquarters. this is "cnn news room." >> after 18 months of masks and lockdowns people all over the world are sick of the pandemic and have been so for a long time. now thanks so several successful vaccines it looks like the global health crisis may final i will be on the decline. more than half of the u.s. has h at least one shot. airlines flew nearly two million bass jers on friday. the most in one day since the pandemic began. places like miami beach are

thrilled to have tourists again, they are also bringing problems. >> a lot of people meeting here say they're taking their first trips in more than a year since before the pandemic began. there's a lot of energy of people that have been stuck in their homes and ready to come out and enjoy fewer restrictions. the volume of people here is unprecedented. we saw them partying in the streets at night and creating a lot of traffic gridlock. people telling us they feel more relaxed. with the crowds comes a different problem. the mayor of miami beach hear talking about the need for law enforcement to keep a close eye on these crowds. >> the thing that we have seen in the last few months has been an increase in volume and disorder. we're getting more people than

we have ever come here even on weekday nights. and if you get 25,000 or 50,000 to a small little area, just a small percentage feeling like they're acting out, it is very hard to control that without a huge presence of police. >> hundreds of miami police officers, there are businesses here that are very happy to see the dollars flow in after a very difficult economic year. right now the hotel occupancy in this county is back to where it informs 2019 at this same week. and the diningti activity, peop dining out, is a third higher than this time in 2019. >> santa monica, california is heavily dependent on tourism and last year was a bust, but this year is already looking much,

much better. >> so standing on the pier in santa monica that was completely shut down during the lockdown, and this is a small tourism city that relies to heavily on tourism, the tax base was obliterated, but the mayor says they're now coming back and they have help with federal aide. people are on the beach, she says this is important for the s psyche of the mental health of southern california. >> it's important not to forget, but being able to gather again, for people tone joy this beautiful water and the pier that is here. >> i feel like it is a bit of relief. everyone has been so tied up at

hope and being able to see people like this again, it feels like a light at the end of the tunnel in has been such a task on everybody and we're finally getting to the tail end of this. >> these are the largest crowds we have seen in santa monica in quite some time. the temperature right now is only 61 degrees. right over here you see a role roller coaster ready to get going. in just a little more than two weeks california will get rid of all covid-19 restrictions. back to you. >> so, as americans return to their pre-pandemic lifestyles doctors are warning that not even is safe here. a little over half of the

country is at least partially vaccinated. those that are not should keep their guard up. >> we know who is not at risk, and those are the people fully vaccinated and generally healthy. so if you're vaccinated but if you're severely immunocompromised, you're still at risk. those vaccinated should feel protected. those are risk are children not eligible and adults that have not been vaccinated yet. their risk according to a washington post analysis is similar to their risk at the height of the surge in january. they should still take precautions including mask wearing and crowded indoor gatherings. >> americans may be flocking to restaurants this weekend, but

there may not be enough people to serve them. "the washington post" says many people that lost their restaurant dogs are not coming back despite plenty of openings and raises. the short age is getting in the way of their recovery. lori owns two restaurants in san francisco. thank you so much for joining us. you know just looking around so many people are vaccinated, covid measures have been relaxed. you think things would be looking up for restaurants. we have been hearing from so many employers, especially restaurant owners, that they can't take advantage of the fact that even has been couped up inside for a year is dying to eat out. what's the biggest problem here? >> a lot of it is from when we did a deep purple closure.

folks decided to just give up on our industry. they left l.a. and san francisco urban areas and considered it a opportunity to change careers, do self searching and say i don't want to come back to this industry. and that is causing a lot of stress. i felt it in april when we tried to start hiring again. >> that leads to the question, i want to ltell a quote from shakeshake. he say that's everyone is hiring at the same time. >> yeah, my staff included, we saw 15% self select not to come back. san francisco is an expensive

place to live. we have some of the higher mandated rates and health expe exp expenses. we also don't have the public school system back. the public transportation system is not back. the past b.a.r.t. trains stop at 9:00 p.m. and that doesn't work for the restaurant industry. >> there is another factor, they say the increase in the pandemic unemployment insurance companies is encouraging people to stay home instead of looking for work. many workers are pushing back against a narrative. they say it is not a worker short age shortage, it's a wage shortage. they say many restaurant workers are the lowest paid. will they have to increase the pay to attract people?

>> definitely and we're in a better place in san francisco than in a lot of other places in the country. we're already ahead of some of those points that we're looking at. folks advocating for. but yes, in mid april when we started running ads and our other colleagues did the same, we adjusted even that was not receiving tips. we adjusted their hourly rates and we adjusted all of our salary employee rates as well and we'll continue to watch that closely if we can afford it. we're coming off of some people, millions of dollars of losses and all of the debt that was accumulated. this is very unfortunate right now. >> so looking ahead now, the federal government has allotted some $29 billion to the restaurant revitalization fund, applications closed this past week. there was some 300,000

applications for about $70 billion, more than double the amount in the fund. it looks like the money will dry up before many get help which is what we saw with the triple p loan. so what's the fix for this? >> more money. the independent restaurant coalition has been doing heavy lifting asking the leaders of congress for that. we employ over 500 million people. and you have seen some of this it will be long, we're not looking at pre-covid levels in san francisco until 2025. so we need congress to do what leader schumer said they will do which is to cap up this fund and make sure everyone that applied can access that money so we can

reemploy everybody, do what we need to do, and have the industry come back. >> we certainly hope so. thank you for talking to us. lori thomas with the golden gate restaurant association. thank you. >> thank you. >> we're seeing reopenings in europe as well after being shut down for months. a french rock band performed indoors at a venue on saturday. a welcome return to pre-covid life. masks and tests were required. countries in red here, you'll see on the map, are still struggling. they are investigating if four cases in vietnam came from a possible new variant. the u.k. says they have given more than one shot to half of

the people in their 30s. new cases crept above 4,000 on friday. we are following developments for us in london. before we get to the bad news with the rise in cases for the indian variant, let's start with the u.s. opening up again. >> sure, vaccinations are up, cases are falling sharply, and things are starting to feel like old. on the streets of many cities and the capital and you have scenes like the one you showed, a concert indoors. italy loosen the restrictions, hungary doing the same. next week the swiss are bringing back indoor gatherings, doing away with their curfew. i ireland is restarting their tourism industry. and you have spain, portugal,

and greece all rolling out the c c carpet for tourists. you also have germany and france opening their doors. the u.k. is a country with fewer cases and a higher vaccination rate. the reason they're doing it is because of the indian variant. >> how much worse is the variant in the u.k. than in europe. of c how much of a risk is it to get things back to normal. >> yes, there are cases of this variant vcirculating in europe right now. as much as three out of every four of each new infection in this country is that new indian variant that spreads much quicker than the existing u.k.

variant. the jury is out on how much quicker. but still the risk is still there. hospitalizations also starting to take up and the government is really trying to speed up the pace of vaccinations. they just opened two-and-a-half weeks ago. more that half of people in that age group have gotten their first shot. they are shortening the time period to try to head off the potential damage of this new variant. now comes this big test. if you walk around the streets of london right now things feel pretty normal. there are some restrictions in place. it seems like a lot of people out to enjoy these freedoms are in their 20s. they're by and large unvaccinated. can the u.k. allow the virus to spread unabated in that

dete demographic and hope it can act as a fire wall in the older groups and stop people from being hospitalized and dying. that's the big test. >> scott mcclain in london, thank you so much. >> coming up, seismic political shift could be eminent in israel. plus, texas is trying to join other republican lead states that set sweeping limits on voting. stay with us. ♪ it comes from within. it drives you. and it guides you. to shine your brightest. ♪ as you charge ahead. illuminating the way forward. a light maker. recognizing that the impact you make comes from the energy you create. introducing the all-electric lyriq. lighting the way.

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israel is on the brink of a new government and beenjamin netanyahu could be replaced. this could be monumental. what is the latest? >> well, if it works out the way it is being reported is that this could spell the end of

benjamin netanyahu's time as prime minister. a leader of a stcentrist party s been talking to bennet. he could be the first in a leadership agreement. and bennet's party only wants seven seats in the latest election, but because of those seats and the way that divisions worked out, his party has become the kingmakers in all of this. things are moving and meetings are still going on, and they may hear from him in the next few hours about his decision and if they will form this election. it could be the end of netanyahu's 12-year run at prime minister. this would have a wide swath of parties from the left-wing

party. they would also likely need to the support of an outside party as well as a small islamist party all sitting together in the same government. if it works out they need to submit it for approval and the new parliament would need to be sworn in in the next week. >> it sounds like the most wide ranging coalition ever formed in israel. how would it govern with so many opposing and deeply held views. >> you're right, the one thing united all of the parties is they don't want benjamin netanyahu as prime minister. now according to the rules in israel they will have to submit their coalition agreements ahead

of time. ranging from your basic transportation issues to a potential future peace process with the palestinians. it could be that these might be very availablevague statements agreements, but that is a good point. we'll have to see thousand will shake out with such a wide ranging political ideology in government. how they will work together on the issues. we had here the conflict with hamas and gaza, tensions rising, tensions with the palestinians. there has been clashes at the compound. a lot of really pressing issues here that will be very big challenges for such a new government. >> so much at stake. we'll keep following that story as it develops throughout the day. >> texas republicans are one step closer to having their

state pass sweeping new voting restrictions. the bill will make it harder to mail in ballots and it will ban after hours voting and driving options. it goes to the state house and the senate before it reaches the governor's desk. >> texans have a long history of racist voting policies. this fits right in with that. we called for safe and secure elections in the pandemic and they're the first things on the chopping block. this is a clear attack on voters of color right now. >> president biden is denouncing the proposed bill and other bills like it. >> president biden was forceful

in denouncing the state of texas. senate bill 7 said it is part of an assault on democracy that we have seen far too often this year and often disproportionately targeting black and brown americans. the president added in the 21st century we should make it easier, not harder, for every voter to vote. this is similar to sentiments that the president expressed in the course of the last year as more legislatures enacting voting restrictions in their state. the president called one georgia law jim crowe in the 21st century. in order to counter act the laws being passed, they have the "for the people act." a sweeping voting rights bill making it's way through congress at this moment. it passed in the house and now it's in the senate where it is

facing some roadblocks. there are not enough democrats or republicans on board to get it through and it seems unlikely at this moment that democrats will blow up the filibuster to push voting rights through congress. he is expected to speak more on this topic when he travels to tulsa, oklahoma, on tuesday to mark the 100th anniversary. the president has insisted that protecting expanded voting rights will be key for his administration. democrats are looking for a plan b. they're considering a select committee into the january 6th attack. it is early but republicans are already calling the move

partisan. . >> the irony of this is that mitch mcconnell and most republicans vote down, and they will criticize the fallout of that as being partisan. i think it is so clear. we can't have this commission because it will be counter. and are they willing to put something other than just getting their own power first? >> if they create the panel, it would give them the power to schedule subpoenas. >> some of those evacuated in the democratic republic of congo are making their way home despite the risk of a volcano

erupting again. and most people are addressing coronavirus concerns.

welcome back to all of you watching us here. this is cnn news room. for now, we're just 54 days away from the start of the tokyo olympic games. critics say there is no way that japan can host the games safely but they say that the games must go on. >> across japan covid numbers

remain high. still only about 2% of the population is fully vaccinated. as a result japan's prime minister extended the current state of emergency order. it will last until june 20th, just about a month before the olympics are set to start. organizers made it clear that the games would go ahead even if tokyo was under a state of emergency at the time. it seems that vaccinations will be key. the japanese doctor's union says vaccine or not the olympics should be canceled. >> 100,000 people will come to tokyo in a short time. i think they will mix to create a dangerous variant.

if a variant that is infectious to children comes out that is the worst case scenario. >> 80% of the people in the olympic village will be vaccinated and that doesn't include the 780,000 delegates in march. pfizer said they would donate vaccines to olympic participants and only 20 countries and territories are expected to participate. for others, pfizer says they're working to accomplish a central location where they can go to get vaccinated. they say it takes about five wieks for the first dose before you're considered fully vaccinated. of course other nations are using their own supply.

cnn, tokyo. >> many in bra vil are unhappy with the covid pandemic in their own country. so tens of thousands marched across brazil on saturday to demand better access to vaccines and they want leadership to be impeached. more than 16 million people have been infected. brazil's neighbor is all dealing with a soring number of covid cases. now this comes as the country is set to end it's nine-day lockdown. >> a lock down that doesn't feel like one. i see a lot of people, too many for me. it was the first working day

since argentina went on lock down to stop a devastating second wave of covid-19. frustrated drivers describe the long lines as chaos and a disaster. >> the truth is i was not expecting to many drivers on the roads. the president announced the lock down on may 20th saying argentina is leading the worst movement since the pandemic. he said people would only be allowed outside of their homes for 12 hours aday. schools and nonessential businesses were to remained closed. the three southamerican countries remain among the top ten with the highest numbers of daily confirmed new cases in the world. it was aimed at reversing the

trend and the explosion of cases that they had in the last few weeks. they are hope pg to become a major source of covid-19 vaccines. they are partnering to produce massive amounts of the covid 19 vaccine president the process has already begun. but they say the goal will be to launch production in early 2022. an additional 551 people died of the virus on thursday saying they broke their own daily record with 41,000 new daily cases. and the government has yet to find out if the current lock down imposed out of desperation will reverse the trend.

>> just ahead, if you're holding out on getting the covid shot, your government may have a special deal to get you vaccinated. we'll explain coming up. and the humanitarian disaster in congo. the volcanos that are threatening to erupt again. we'll have more details, stay with us. i'm still exploring what's next. and still going for my best. even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem.

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we'll have a look at these images from the democratic republic of congo. these people are standing on hardened lava ta came from the volcano in a erupted aweek ago. already the city is unrecognizable with damaged roads, no water, and hundreds of roads watched away in the lava. the cost of repairing the infrastructure will be huge and

another eruption could be cat stropic. workers from the national park race to repair from the eruption of the volcano and the after shocks that followed. there was 61 earthquakes in 24 hours. >> it is a huge problem because it deprives the population and because it is the pain source of energy. we can't get clean water two two million people then more will surface. many homes, shops, and a power

grid and water fsupply that sustain them were left to the la have. >> you're talking about infrastructure and roads. unfortunately it is huge, but i think if the situation stays as it is maybe something can be done right. >> some took refuge and are trying to rrn. some think the danger is over even though the government says it is still not safe to return. >> the scene has to do with the congo that was one man saying he did not want to leave because he thought the conditions were dangerous. >> i said no, if the vol cay

nose erupts i will stay. >> they say food shortages are likely, thousands are looking for shelter and potable water. hundreds of people have been separated from their families. it is a humanitarian nightmare that scientists say could get even worse if another eruption happens. especially if that going to bring more toxic gases. we got new pictures of the volcano that we want to show you here. cnn was on a flight with a team of experts surveying the volcano today. have a look at these close up views of smoke and ash still billowing. the fear is that it could erupt again. we're expecting to get more

pictures soon. stay tuned for that. i want to bring in derek van dam. as we said the big fear here is another eruption, what's the risk here? >> i think it is important that we look at the astounding new images because they tell a big story here. you're looking at the creator here and according to the experts from the observatory this is very consistent with what they have been saying it continues to collapse. there has been over 60 reports earthquakes in the last 24 hours and you see the ash from the crater as well as the volcano. and these earthquakes are very consistent with what is the movement of magma under the ground through what is called a

f fizzure system. and it is a real threat going forward, but according to the volcanic observation network they highlighted a few potential scenarios. four, in fact. the first being the best case scenario. earthquakes and eruptions cease, the magma stays under ground, they continue which they are right now, and the lshs ava not reaching the surface is a better case scenario. health cares and eruptions could continue but the lava could grow on to the land. that would be a concern and the fourth scenario is that this is a real, real concern. the least likely to take place. it could create an eruption

where it actually allows for some of the particles to be released from the lake. carbon dioxide specifically. but they cannot rule out that potential there. a very dynamic situation ongoing across the democratic congo. back to you. >> we'll keep watching it and hope for the best. thank you, appreciate it. fears over personal freedoms of many in hong kong on edge. and has christie lou stout explains, the united kingdom is often the place of choice. a family said farewell to hopg congress. the stock trade ere turned you

tuber streams advice on self imposed exile. >> my channel is sharing my life. where you drive, where you live, during the impact of a sweeping new national security law he moved to the uk with his wife and daughters. he says he has not found a new job and he is living off of his savings. they launch add $59 million fund to support hong kong residents that were emigrating. >> hundreds of thousands are expected to move under the program which is a path to citizenship for three million

people. >> china slammed the program. >> this action severely invaded china's sovereignty. >> paul, and his wife, not his real name, are considering the offer. they are looking for plans to leave with their young daughter. >> they want to brainwash you. especially the national security education. >> they have a passport and he plans to stay put, but he has been advised to leave. >> i have never been so uncertain before. some kind of uncertainties, and

i have been warned by many people. >> wachb left his parents behind. he misses the comforts of home but he relishes his new home. >> everyone should be able to speak freely and criticize your government. you should be able to do this. >> in every host, he shows a black crazy prodemocracy protestor, a token of free speech. we'll be right back, stay with us.

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it's an offer you wacan't refuse. countries are pulling out all of the stops helping people be encouraged to get vaccinated. michael holmes explains.

>> a catchy rap song about one of the best ways not to catch the coronavirus, local officials in southwest china releasing this video to encourage people to get their covid-19 vaccinations. it's a carrot over stick approach that is catching on in countries around the world. at least it is for those that have enough vaccines to encourage people to roll up their sleeves. in hong kong they are organizing a lottery for people to win a $1 million flat. >> after we got vaccinated, we got the next one a few days

later, so yeah, i'm definitely going to sign up for this, why shot, right? >> others are less flashy and maybe more practical. one mayor raffling off a cow a month. no shot, no chance of winning. israel has one of the most high vaccination efforts offered free pizzas. a pass to ride the subway gives you an opportunity you could get the jab. >> i heard about the extra incentive and i was even more motivated. >> some businesses are offering freebies to anyone flashing near vaccination card. united airlines has a drawing to win free flights.

>> and just announcing the first winners of the vax a million lottery. >> i did come up from cincinnati to look at a used car, i think it is still in my future. that's about as far as i have gotten. >> a new set of wheels and the freedom to move about both compliments of a vaccine that people wish more people would take. love finds a way even in a pandemic. boris johnson has married his girlfriend in a small service on saturday. the british press ka called it a secret wedding. they will celebrate with their family and friends next sunday. >> i will be back in junction a

moment with more cnn news room, please stay with us.

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we're getting towards the tail end, and it almost felt like it was never going to happen. >> crowds descend on beaches. that doesn't mean that the s pandemic is over. and new voting restrictions. could israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's record settin