hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and around the world. just ahead here on "cnn newsroom." republican lawmakers in texas were said to pass a restrictive voting bill until democrats let their feet do the talking. the parades, barbecues, and big sporting events are back. as america rebounds from the pandemic. israeli leaders from across the political spectrum are in crunch talks to form a unity government as benjamin netanyahu fights to keep his grip on power. in the ongoing battle over

u.s. voting laws, there's been a dra dramatic late night turn of events in texas. the governor is making it clear the legislative fight is far from over. a source tells cnn house democrats received a text that read, take your key and leave the chamber discreetly. adopt go to the gallery. leave the building. that's what they did. walking out and leaving republicans without the required number of lawmakers to cast an official vote. that's all it took to effectively block passage of the bill that would make sweeping changes to the state's voting laws. a measure would have curbed in mail in applications and banned overnight, sunday morning, and drive through voting. it would have expanded access for partisan poll watchers and made it easier for judges to overturn election results. texas already has some of the most restrictive election laws

in the country and democrats say this was just the latest attempt at voter suppression. >> we used all the tools in our toolbox to fight this. tonight we pulled out that last one. and wes you'd -- we used what the rulebook allows. we are no longer going stand and allow them to continue to push measures that disenfranchise our voters. >> these men and women behind us, the democratic members not here, they're in with this fight day in and day out that have shown incredible resolve and have never blinked in our elect opposition to the harmful vote suppression measures that texas republicans continue to push to try to disenfranchise our constituents. >> but republicans aren't backing down and they are using

former president donald trump's lies about 2020 election fraud to justify new voting restrictions. >> there are a couple of fundamentals i think most americans agree with and that is asking for an id, you know, when someone votes. i don't believe that's voter suppression. it maybe more of an optics issue. rest restoring confidence with the american people. in my state, we believe there was tremendous fraud. >> in a tweet, republican governor greg abbott said he will add so-called election integrity to a list of topics for lawmakers to address in a special session he plans to hold. he gave no date for when it would happen. texas is trying to join 14 state that have enacted laws making it harder to vote. brennan center for justice and independent law and policy organization says 18 other

states are considering dozens of voter restriction bills. it is memorial day in the united states. nationwide events will be held to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. it's also joe biden's first memorial day as the nation's commander in chief. on subtle, he paid tribute to fallen service-members near his home in delaware. arlett saenz has more. >> reporter: president biden honored those americans who lost their lives in service to the nation. during a memorial day event in delaware on sunday. the president urged americans to remember the price that so many paid in order to defend our rights and liberties here in the country. it was also a personal day for president biden, six years ago, his son passed away from brain cancer. beau biden served in the delaware national guard

including a tour in iraq. the president spoke in personal terms relating to the loss that so many families endured in this country. take a listen. >> he didn't serve in the line of duty but he was serving in a national guard unit in iraq one of the proudest things he it in his life. thank you for allowing us to grieve together today. i know in the middle of your chest it may get sucked into it and never come out. greetings like this and gatherings help. i know nothing, i can say to ease the pain, i know each year it gets a little bit, little bit easier. >> president biden said the united states has ab obligation to speak out against human rights puces. he plans to raise that issue when he meets with russian president vladimir putin in switzerland next month. on monday, the president will

visit arlington national cemetery, he'll lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and deliver remarks marking memorial day. his first such remarks as commander in chief. traveling with the president to delaware, arlett saenz. last memorial day weekend, many of us were hunkering down, masking, and isolating. on the left is jones beach, new york back then. covid deaths had just passed 100,000 in the u.s. we were almost six months away from the first authorized covid-19 vaccines. on the right is jones beach on sunday. covid-19 cases are down. travel is up. more than half the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine. two different pictures of the u.s. memorial day weekend. paul burke hammon is in los angeles where parades and pool

parties are back in the yes column in most. >> reporter: memorial day weekend los angeles the return of the swan boats that echo park lake. it reopened after $600,000 worth of renovations. an upbeat mood in los angeles because the covid-19 numbers extremely good. very low positivity rate. the only sort of dark cloud we ran into was people getting gas. it is painful. a little over $4.20 on average. one man costing about $100 to fill up a big truck. >> almost around $100. it's hard. especially right now there's not many jobs. and, you know, for a bad situation economy wise, i feel like it's too overpriced. >> reporter: back on the lake

looking forward to the coming weeks when we have a further easing of restrictions in los angeles but for now, the people taking in echo park lake just enjoying a picture postcard memorial day weekend in los angeles. paul ver cammen. in south florida, police are hunting for suspects after this weekend's deadly shooting. the attack happened as a crowd was gathered for a concert. authorities say two people were killed and at least 20 others injured. $152,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest. this comes after another shooting in miami left one person dead and six wounded on friday. miami's police chief says more needs to be done to stop gun violence. >> seven people were shot in one

day. it's an indication of the problem we have, the discourage of gun violence in this country that we need to do more at a federal level to stop. >> natasha chen has more on the shooting from miami-dade county. >> reporter: miami-dade police said three people got out of a white nissan pathfinder sunday morning and started shooting indiscriminately at the crowd. they ayused assault rifles and handguns and fled the scene. police say a number of people standing outside at the time, including patrons of a lounge for a private concert was being held. that establishment advertised itself as a hookah lounge. throughout the investigation here, police have used dozens of yellow markings on the ground for shell casings. they brought in canines to assist. we've seen a couple of families come by the scene. one woman said her son and nephew were among the 20 people injured. >> it's my son.

my only son. my only child. graduated from college last year, so he's educated. he was going out with his educated cousin to celebrate. they had not made it into the club. they said some guys came -- three guys in hoodies and started shooting. >> reporter: we are expecting a press conference monday morning to get an update on the investigation. texas law enforcement officials said they were able to stop a planned mass casualty event from taking place. police arrested coleman thomas blevins on friday. they said he was networking with extremists and planning a mass shooting, possibly, at a walmart. local authorities said they worked with the u.s. secret

service, the fbi, and other agencies to discovery the alleged plan. authorities found firearms and ammunition inside his home. they said they uncovered books, flags, and documents promoting radical ideology. police say he may face federal charges. israel appears to be on the brink of a new coalition that, if fina finallized, could force longest serving prime minister out of office. netanyahu's rivals are working to form a unity government without him. right wing leader bennett detailed the plan sunday night saying it's the only way forward. >> translator: i am announcing that i'm going to work in order to connect a unity government in

order to return israel to its potential. >> elliot joins me live from jerusalem. good to see you. this isn't over yet, we have to say, of course. what did netanyahu's rivals need to do next toic ma the coalition government reality? what is netanyahu's next move to likely stop this? >> reporter: rosemary, they said a week is a long time in politics, don't they? i guess israelis this week it will seem like an eternity. there are practical things that need to be done and many things that can derail the potential of this coalition government. so, first of all, the various parties are negotiating among themselves the intricacies of how it works. they were up until 3:00 a.m., we are told, they are making good progress. then before midnight on wednesday, israel time, about 5:00 p.m. eastern time on

wednesday, they go to the president and say, yes, i've done it. i've got a coalition government that can command the support of more than half the lawmakers in the israeli parliament. it will be up to a week in which they have to fight on whether the coalition government will stand or not. they need to get more than half the votes in order for it to come into effect. in that time, of course, you can bet your bottom dollar that prime minister netanyahu will be doing everything in his powers to try to derail this coalition from forming before it comes about. to that end, encouraging supporters to protest against bennett and his number two. there have been protests outside of tel-aviv this week and they are increased security for both. netanyahu would also have to try to get some shenanigans going in procedure to try to slow things

down. there could be legal attempts. we're not there yet but closer than we've ever been to seeing netanyahu leave office. >> all right. elliot, thank you. coming up next on "cnn news room" en route to the olympics. an australian softball team is among the first heading to the summer games. is japan ready to host in the midst of the kroep crohn pandemic? why france is joining other eu countries that are putting travel restrictions on visitors from the uk.

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coronavirus concerns are growing as we are 53 days away from the olympics. australian softball players are on their way to japan. among the first to travel to the games. the team departed a short time ago and they have a stop over in singapore before heading on to tokyo in the coming hours. when they land, they will arrive as japan is under an extended state of emergency due to covid-19. the country's prime minister has called the situation unpredictable. cnn's angus watson is following

the developments for us. he joins us live from sydney. good to see you. how concerned is australia's softball team about the covid emergency in japan and how it may impact the upcoming games? >> reporter: on a normal year, it would have been about that. the excitement of young players going off to represent their country without concerns like they have this year. coronavirus was what was most talked about at the airport as they jetted off first to singapore and then to japan. they arrive tomorrow, as you said, among the first cohorts to get there. japan is, as you said, under coronavirus stress at the moment. a state of emergency. the players know they have to be careful when they get there. they'll arrive in japan and go through stringent checks to make sure they had the vaccines and the tests they need. they'll drive to just outside of tokyo they'll go into a bubble

for a month and a half. they'll get the chance to practice. sacrifices was a term used by the team. today they are happy to go through these measures to get what they need done. here is what one of those players had to say to me. >> we've got to go through lots and lots of covid testing but, look, we're all prepared. we want to do everything we can to make sure that we're safe when we get there and in japan, as well. >> reporter: the safety of the japanese people is something their government is very concerned about at the moment. as you mentioned, that state of emergency is in place through 20th of june. cases are too high in certain prefectures, including tokyo. the hospitalizations are too high, as well. the entire country of japan has on a seven-day average over 3,000 cases per day. the players in the bubble have to get there early, though, because of the coronavirus's

impact on their preparation. they haven't played together, because of the virus, rosemary, since 2019. >> that's extraordinary. angus watson bringing us the latest from sydney. appreciate it. the ipd began government said it will deliver nearly 120 million doses of covid vaccines in june. about half will go health care and front line workers and people over 45. india is the world's largest vaccine maker but has been unable to deliver on 200 million vaccine doses it promised to the global vax program due to a string of virus outbreaks. officials hope announcing the latest delivery will ensure better planning by states. starting today, france will require british travelers to quarantine for a week when entering the country. it's due to a rise in new covid infections in the uk, even with a relatively low case rate, experts said britain is a

battling the spread of the variant first identified in india. other eu countries are also taking notice of britain's rise in cases. germany and uaustria have place restrictions on flights or travelers from the uk. and cnn's bianca nabilo is standing by in london. good to see you. it's hard, isn't it? the successful vaccine rollout but still cases going up. what are medical experts saying about this? >> reporter: medical experts are concerned. their concern is growing. initially the british government was not too concerned about the so-called indian variant. scientists also said they are confident that the vaccines were effective against that variant, however, over the last few weeks, the picture of data has become more concerning. over the last seven days, for example, the cases of coronavirus in the uk have

increased by 25%. the indian variant is the dominant strain. our health secretary said last week it's likely 3/4 of the new cases could be down to the indian variant map will happen? because lockdown is supposed to be lifted and all legal limits on social contact lifted on the 21st of june here in britain. will it be delayed because of the rise of the indian variant? that's a possibility. and there's a race against time with the vaccine effort. at the moment, 39 million people have received first dose of vaccine. about 25 the second toes. there's probably a three-week lag between two doses and full immunity. the government trying to figure out how effective is the vaccine against the indian variant. is it 60% or more? trying to nail down the exact transmissability. both will help us have an answer to that question. whether britain will have to remain in lockdown longer than

expected. >> bianca, thanks. protesters in brazil are calling for the oust of the president bols narrow. tens of thousands marched across the country over the weekend. they are unhappy with the president's handling of the pandemic and want better access to vaccines. the coronavirus has been raging out of control there. brazil reported more than 43,000 new cases on sunday alone. the death toll is now above 460,000. cnn's rafael romo has more on the protests. >> reporter: screaming at the top of their lungs, people on the streets said the leader of their country must go. it was one of the massive multicity protests held across brazil this weekend against the president bols narrow.

this government is no use to us, this protester says, it doesn't serve the people, and the political project is to kill us. the demonstrations against the president in cities like sool palo is some of the largest since the beginning of the pandemic. demonstrators had to make demands calling for the president's impeachment, and getting better access to covid-19 vaccines. impeachment now he must go this protester says. add more people will die if he stays in power. early in the pandemic, the controversial military officer down played covid-19 as a little flu. the president also questioned the effectiveness of vaccines. was often seen getting crowds of supporters without a mask before contracting the virus himself. brazil is facing a possible third wave of covid-19.

vaccination has been slow. less than 10% of the total population of 210 million is fully inoculated and the south american country currently has the third highest number of infections after the united states and india. some protesters say his lack of action is tantamount to genocide. cemeteries are full. refrigerators empty, this banner reads. the brazilian senate has opened an investigation into the president's handling of the pandemic. the protests happened only a week after a maskless president lead a former cycle rally where he once again questioned the usefulness of measures to prevent the spread of covid-19. rafael romo, cnn. working away. north korea said young orphans are volunteering to labor in the country's mines and fields. we'll show you what is really going on. it's been called an

unthinkable loss. details on what happened to hundreds of children who disappeared from a residential school in canada. (vo) i am living with cll and i am living longer. thanks to imbruvica. imbruvica is a prescription medicine for adults with cll or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. it will not work for everyone. imbruvica is the #1 prescribed oral therapy for cll, and it's proven to help people live longer. imbruvica is not chemotherapy. imbruvica can cause serious side effects, which may lead to death. bleeding problems are common and may increase with blood thinners.

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welcome back. the u.s. missile defense agency said a u.s. warship failed to intercept a ballistic missile during a test on saturday. barbara star explains what happened. >> reporter: the whole idea was that there's a navy ship out there and it is equipped with something called the standard missile and advanced version, not a fancy name but advanced, very high-tech. they were testing to see if they

could fire those missiles against what would have been a stimulated ballistic missile target. not a real one but in a test, of course, you want something that is a target and try to shoot it down. it fells you if the missile defenses work. this time it doesn't work and they don't know why yet. an investigation underway into the failed test. the u.s. is working to fine tune the missile defenses to guard against threats like countries like north korea. regetting north korea's first reaction to the summon between joe biden and his south korean counter part. over a week since they met in washington, north korean state media is slamming the u.s. for lifting missile guidelines with south korea calling it a hostile act. with the lifting of the guidelines, south korea is no longer bound to any restrictions in its missile development.

state media is also claiming that hundreds of north korean orphans are voluntarily working on farms and in coal mines after just graduating from middle school. the regime calls it patriotic service to the nation. as will ripley reports, it's actually state-sanctioned abuse on a mass scale. >> reporter: answering the call of duty from their supreme leader kim jong-un. north korea's orphan children in pressed uniforms, flowery wreaths, racing to work at coal mines and farms. >> you can't determine their exact age. they look young and like middle school students is accurate. >> have you ever seen students that young doing this kind of work? >> this is a little bit different because of how young they appear on camera. we can see with our eyes how young they are. >> reporter: north korean propaganda praises the so-called

child volunteers. how wide spread is? how young are the children? >> almost all children that do not come from -- backgrounds or have money to pay instead of working. child labor is a very serious problem but the sad reality for north korea it's quite common. >> reporter: north korea denies allegations of forced child labor. just last week, the foreign ministry accused developed countries of exploiting children. state media says these orphans are eager to show their loyalty. to fulfill their oath to repay the ruling workers' party and the leader they call father. >> that's how they repay the love of the party is to go to the coal mines and repay that debt. >> the mines have horrible conditions and, you know, there's constant accidents.

>> reporter: on my trips to north korea, orphans told me heartbreaking stories. some lost their parents to industrial accidents. others to starvation during the north korean famine of the late 1990s. my parents died a long time ago. i was so young she told me in 2015. at the time, she was barely out of school. working full time. caring for seven other orphans. she hopes they would grow up strong to serve the nation. our country is one big family, she said. in north korea, country always comes first. even if it means a childhood of hard labor. will ripley, cnn, taipei. flags in canada are flying half-staff to honor hundreds of children whose remains were found buried on the grounds of a former school for indigenous

children. the news is drawing strong reactions from across the country. cnn reports. >> reporter: the discovery is astounding and so, too, the anguish of leaving community members and much of canada reeling. the remains of 215 children, some as young as three, buried for decades. their deaths believed to be undocumented. graves unmarked. the indigenous community calls it an unthinkable discovery i are and former students of the school, like harvey mccloud who was subjected to abuse there, with they thought of nothing else for decades. this was one of the largest residential schools of its kind

in canada. there were well over a hundred across the country. many, like the one there, was run by the catholic church and later by the federal government. according to canada's truth and reconciliation commission, indigenous children were forced to attend the schools separated from families and many neglected and were physically and sexually abused. many disappeared. the families never knowing what became of them. >> the report when children were missing, they were told they ran away. >> reporter: yet the community knew it couldn't be true. survivors and families of the missing children were sure a mass grave would be found. they were unprepared for the loss of 215 souls. >> it was devastating. >> handicapped began prime minister tweeted it's a painful reminder of the dark and sinful

chapter of our country's history. governments own commission said thousands of children likely died of abuse or neglect at these schools. legacy now is one of intergenerational trauma for many of canada's indigenous communities. the archbishop of vancouver and other individual societies acknowledged the abuse, the catholic church has never formally apologized. in 2019, trudeau agreed decades of abuse amounted to cultural genocide. now nato leaders said it's time the government step up. 215 pair of shoes are laid on these vancouver steps. finally their souls symbolically are at rest. the parents of u.s. journalist are making an appeal for their son's release. 3.

he's believed to be held in a prison by the country's million tear regime. his parents said he told them of worsening conditions for journalists following february's coupe. they appeared on cnn's "reliable sources" and delivered this message. >> i think their efforts to squelch journalism and get the word out is just -- it just -- it just kills life and it kills freedom. it kills truth. i think that they need to let him go immediately. he has not committed any crime there. >> he was on his way home to surprise his family when he was detained at the airport in yangon. a volcano in the democratic republic of congo has many on edge. activity has been reported more than a week after it erupted. we'll have those details after the break. plus, some 6 million people in the u.s. are at risk of severe storms today.

we'll tell you what to watch out for. back with that in a moment.

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zblvrjs dozens of small earthquakes and tremors are being recorded around an active volcano in the democratic republic of congo. it erupted a little over a week ago killing at least 31 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate the nearby city. and there are concerns another eruption is still possible. joining me now is cnn's reporter. he joins us live. god to see you, larry. what is the latest on the deadly volcano and this fear over the possibility of a nother eruptio? >> that's still a possibility.

t they're monitoring that and trying to give regular updates. it's concerning for a city of about 2 million. they have two active volcanos that threaten to essentially sweep everything in its path at a moment's notice. so it is quite a situation that is of concern. we had a good look what is happening. and they have been studying them for the last -- since 1995, essentially, saying there is no imminent danger but it is a few more days to really get a look at the science and say that. 400,000 people are forced to flee because the authorities declared a mandatory evacuation

order. they are afraid the longer they stay might be exposed to cholera. they're in confined churches and more. they're the lucky ones. behind me are some of the people who are nowhere to return to because their homes are flattened by the volcano. for them it's going to be a long journey. >> it's a concern along with the others. you mentioned coal are a and there's covid. it's very problematic. larry, thank you so much for bringing us up to date on this situation. there could be severe storms on the horizon for roughly 6 million people in the united states today. southwestern texas could see strong winds, hail, and tornados. wisconsin might see damaging

winds. on sunday large tornados were reported in colorado, texas, and oklahoma. a crazy weekend and possibly a crazy day ahead. so let's turn to meteorologist tyler mortar to bring us up to date on the features and what is going on. and it's just unbelievable. and a lot of extreme weather across parts of the country. how bad could it be? >> yeah. the extreme weather today, i think, the main focus is across texas in portions of new mexico. that's where we have the really potent system pushing eastbound. unfortunately today is memorial day. there's memorial day plans that could be in jeopardy across portions of the southern plains and also across wisconsin. here in southeastern new mexico and west texas, this is where the storm prediction center has level two out of five risk for severe weather. we could see damaging winds here and large hail. in wisconsin, we could also see some damaging winds. we is the. pushing across the plains is a

slow mover. we have picked up a lot of rainfall. we'll pick up more in the days to come. we have flood alerts in effect from north texas on to the panhandle of oklahoma. across east oklahoma in the green country. going on into arkansas and missouri. we will see as the system moves slowly to the east 4 to possibly 6 inches of rainfall in that region. it's enough to cause the rivers and those small streams to swell which will lead to flooding. on the flip side, across the west coast, it's terribly dry. it doesn't look like we'll see in rain. it will stay dry and we'll see the temperature shoot up. we're talking record heat. we could see more than 130 temperatures get broken this week. temperatures are going to be in the valley of california above 100 degrees. in is more than 20 degrees above average. it's not just there. it's all the way into portland, portions of the west coast. that will move east and we'll

see our temperatures stay above average across much of the u.s. in the days to come. still to come on cnn news room, racing out of lockdown. why the crowd may have been the biggest story at sunday's indy 500. one of stennis' brightest young stars is facing a stiff penalty after winning at the french open. why osaka is getting in trouble for what she didn't say. back with that in a moment e sci. . y aveeno® really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. really?! this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. impressive! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature. impressive! 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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an impressive victory for osaka after her straight set win on sunday. less impressive, however, is getting fined $15,000 for not fulfilling her media obligations after the win. the four-time grand slam champion said last week she wouldn't be doing news conferences at the tournament citing mental health concerns. organizers say anymore violations by 0 sack can could lead to tougher sanctions. she spoke briefly in an interview on the court.

>> -- progress. hopefully the more i play, the better it gets. >> osaka also tweeted after wards saying anger is a lack of understanding. change makes people uncomfortable. ill owe castro nevada vez won the indy 500 on sunday. the race was about so much more than his record timed victory. the event was billed as the sporting event with the largest crowd in the u.s. since the beginning of the pandemic. all though capacity was still limited, every ticket sold out almost immediately. cnn's coy wire reports from indianapolis. >> reporter: 135,000 strong at the indie 500. 40% capacity. the track sold all available tickets making it the biggest single day sporting event in the u.s. since the start of the

pandemic. it was loud! it was very crowded in high traffic areas but it's a massive venue. capacity about 350,000. plenty of space if you wanted to have it. fans were excited to be back in an event of this magnitude. you could feel it. it was emotional at times, as well, educspecially before the e with a flyover. they honored 105 health care workers and first responders. it was the fastest indy 500 ever. second place finisher was alex was 4 years old when he won in 2001. the former "dancing with the stars" champ fourth indy 500 win. spiderman climbing the fence once again after an emotional win in front of returning fans. of course, he drank the traditional jug of milk, as well. 2% strawberry was his choice. what a career.

a 20-year span between his first and latest indy 500 wins. >> it means a lot. it means a lot of people want this to happen. i want to hug everyone. i draw this positive attitude from them and i guess it paid off today! so incredible. i was very touched by it. >> reporter: the year of i'm still here in sports. tom brady won another super bowl at 43. phil mickelson became the oldest to win a golf major at 50. and now cast nevada vez winning at 46. with 145,000 fans returning, it felt like a celebration. the quest to return to normalcy. this memorial day weekend an annual motorcycle ride returned to the streets of the u.s. capitol where hurnds of bikers paid tribute to the nation's military veterans and those missing in action. cnn reports from washington.

>> reporter: it's a familiar sight here in the nation's capital over memorial day weekend. motorcycles rumbling through the streets of washington, d.c., to honor veterans. last year's event was cancelled due to covid concerns. it was back this year. under a slightly different name. rolling to remember. organized by the veteran's group am vets. the famous rolling thunder rally held for more than 30 years ended in 2019 because of rising costs and logistics complications but the missions the same. 20 honor veterans. to remember the more than 80,000 troops, they say, who are still missing in action, and to raise awareness about veteran suicide. more than 20 every single day across this country. as the riders were looping around the national mall, they rode past a veteran marine in full dress uniform saluting them as he has for the past 20 years. we spoke to him about why it's important. >> it weighs heavy on my heart. that's why i do things. not just on this day but every day that i can represent my

service. that i cannot let it go in vain. that's how i can play my part. they didn't do as much as i did but i'm not going to stop serving. >> reporter: it was the capstone of three days of memorial events. participants tell us there were fewer riders, which is understandable, but the fact that the event was held at all is a real sign of the country opening back up and getting back to some sense of normalcy more than a year into this global pandemic. nice to end on a positive note. thank you for your company. i'm rosemary church. be sure to connect with me on twitter. "early start" is up next. you're watching cnn. have a great day!

welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is a special holiday edition of "early start." we have reports from jerusalem, florida, berlin, los angeles, delaware, beijing, and the democratic republic of congo. i'm laura jarret. christine is off today. it's monday, may 31st. memorial day. it's 5:00 a.m. in new york. we begin this morning in texas where democrats have locked a new law making it harder to vote. they did it by walking out. democratic lawmakers walked out leaving the gop majority