his mouth like a walrus. ♪ hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. coming up here on "cnn newsroom." >> release, release, release. a new era in the space race begins, just hours from now. as richard branson prepares for an historic trip to the final frontier. the latest on that, and the future of space tourism with my guest, former-nasa astronaut, leroy chiao. also --

argentina is the 2021c copa champion. we will go to the stadium in rio. welcome, everyone. thanks for your company. the highly-contagious coronavirus delta variant is continuing to tear through the united states. and rising-case numbers are showing it. according to johns hopkins university, the u.s. surpassed 20,000 new coronavirus cases, for four-straight days, this week. that is the first time that's happened since may. dozens of state are now seeing an increase in new covid cases, as experts are warning the highly-contagious delta variant could cause mini surges in

places with low-vaccination rates. there is, still, a struggle to get americans vaccinated. it doesn't help that there was a little confusion, this week, as well. polo sandoval with that. >> reporte >> certainly, they need to listen to the cdc and fda. >> reporter: the nation's top infectious disease expert is saying listen to the cdc, and not pfizer, when it comes to needing a vaccine booster. on friday, this is what dr. anthony fauci told cnn about a phone call he received from the head of pfizer. >> the ceo, who's a really good guy, got on the phone with me last night and apologized that they came out with that recommendation. so, there is no -- not that apologized about the recommendation -- apologized for not letting us know that he was going to do it, ahead of time. >> reporter: this, after pfizer announced, on thursday, it was applying for emergency-fda authorization for a booster shot to protect against covid-19. a booster for americans to get as early as six months after their second dose.

pfizer set off alarms, when they released a statement saying that the immunity from its vaccine was waning. citing israeli health ministry data. the company said, quote, vaccine efficacy in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease has declined six months post vaccination. hours later, however, the cdc and the fda said fully-vaccinated americans do not need an additional dose of vaccine, at this time. another expert had this to say to cnn. >> in the uk, in scotland, and in canada, there are now three studies showing over 80% protection. so, pretty close to what we've seen. and that's the reason why we don't need to be concerned, right now, about getting the booster. >> reporter: this confusion coming, as the u.s. is moving in the wrong direction, when it comes to the number of covid cases according to the cdc, the highly-contagious delta variant makes up more than half of all-new infections in the u.s. much of that rise, in the southeastern united states, and a small portion of the midwest. health experts say the best

protection available from getting seriously sick from the delta variant is, still, the full dosage of a covid vaccine. and yet, about half of the country is, still, not fully vaccinated. also, on friday, the cdc updated its covid guidance for schools. saying they should remain open, in the fall. encouraging them to keep measures meant to mitigate the spread of the virus in place. >> what they are saying is, it's really essential for us to get our kids, all, back in person in school in the fall. to do that, we have to employ these layered-mitigation strategies. meaning that we have to look at it as layers. and so, if you cannot maintain distancing in schools, which many schools can't if they want to bring everybody back, then you have to do indoor masking. you have to improve ventilation. you, also, have to have weekly testing, if you are unvaccinated. >> reporter: polo sandoval, cnn, little rock, arkansas. now, the delta variant is, also, causing problems in other parts of the world. especially, the asia pacific

region. new cases, on the rise in several countries, and russia, too, just hit a new record. governments are instituting tighter restrictions and struggling to get enough people vaccinated. lining up in fiji for the vaccine. that spot in line, all the more important after the prime minister announced the country's new no-jab-no-job policy. public servants could be fired if they are not fully vaccinated by november. and private-sector employees face hefty fines for failing to comply. countries across asia, cracking down to try to contain alarming outbreaks of the virus. seoul, raising its prevention measures to level four. its highest level, ever, just short of a full lockdown. a top-health official warning, new cases could surpass 2,000 infections, a day, by the end of the month.

the next two weeks of strict-social distancing meant to slow that spread. >> translator: i did not expect this massive outbreak, as it's already been a while since we started vaccinations. so i'm quite surprised by this sudden surge. >> grocery stores in bangkok crowded with shoppers over the weekend. new restrictions, now, in place there, too. including, a curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. that some people say is too little, too late. >> translator: the government does everything so slow. if they really want to impose a lockdown, they should have done it a lot sooner. >> in hard-hit jakarta, many people more concerned with how to bury their dead, rather than what shops are open. ambulances line up to pick up free coffins, distributed by the government from the back of a van. free face masks, also, being distributed in myanmar, as crowds push and scuffle to get the coveted supplies. new cases have shot up, across the country, in the past month.

forcing stay-at-home orders in some, major cities and townships. and some hospitals to run out of beds. sydney, australia, also, under lockdown. officials there warning it could get worse, before it gets better. the delta variant, moving faster than they can keep up with. >> i think what we see is chains of transmission and we're having difficulty getting ahead of those chains. >> getting ahead of this virus, all the more difficult, when so many places across asia are, already, behind. colombian police officers are now in haiti to aid in the investigation into the assassination of president jovenel moise. 26 of 28 people suspected in the killing are colombian nationals. authorities say several are retired members of the colombian army who traveled to haiti over the past few months. meanwhile, confusion over who, exactly, is running the nation has mounted since wednesday s killing. cnn's matt rivers with the latest from the haitian capital.

>> reporter: well, the manhunt here, in haiti, continues in earnest for the remaining suspects in the assassination of haiti's president. with haitian authorities not really having updated their official numbers in a little while, now. 20 suspects have been detained. three suspects have been killed, officially. and five remain on the loose, at this time. w we know that there's 28 suspects, in all. 26 of which are colombian nationals. two of which are haitian-americans. but that is about all the information that we really have from haitian authorities that's very solid. what we don't have is a motive. why did nearly-34 nationals come here to haiti to kill this country's president, as haitian authorities say they did? who financed them? who armed them? how long have they been in this country, before the assassination took place? that's all answers that we don't have, right now. and in the absence of official information, there is a lot of theories floating around the haitian public about why and how

this was allowed to take place. meanwhile, the political instability in this country continues, in earnest. it was on friday night that haiti's senate elected the senate president to serve as the interim president of haiti, overall. the swearing-in ceremony was supposed to take place, according to the senate, sometime during the day on saturday. that didn't happen and it was in the evening, on saturday, that the senate president tweeted out that the swearing-in ceremony had been postponed. without, really, elaborating as to why that is. it's, also, not clear that had that happened, other political factions all around the country would have expressly recognized that fact. it just goes to show how unstable, right now, the political climate is here, in haiti. this is a place that political unrest, it's not something that hasn't happened for a long time. there are a lot of protests over politics that happen in this country. some of them do turn violent. that hasn't heaappened yet but

are going to watch and see how this plays out over the coming days and weeks. matt rivers, cnn, port-au-prince haiti. anchts aid groups are also sounding the alarm about escalating violence and instability in haiti. unicef estimates at least 1.5 million haitian children are in urgent need of emergency aid, including medicine, food, clean water, and so on. the agency says the rising violence is only compounding that crisis. making it more difficult for aid workers to enter and get around the country. bruno mars is a unicef representative in haiti. he joins me, now, from port-au-prince. and thanks for doing so. you said -- i was reading earlier -- you said, quote, this is the worst humanitarian crisis the country has faced over the past few years. and it is deteriorating, week after week. politics aside. conditions for haitians have been appalling for years, now. how would you evaluate the

current situation for the people? >> well, indeed. as you said, near -- nearly one-third of all children in haiti, at least 1.5 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the rising -- the rising violence, constrained access to clean water, health, nutrition, disrupted education, but also protection services in times of covid, as well as hurricanes. and unicef is deeply concerned that further violence and insecurity following the assassination of haiti president could pose serious challenges to the humanitarian work of our teams, on the ground. and the ability to, safely, reach the most vulnerable children and families. >> and -- and -- and to that point, what -- what are the greatest needs? and to be frank, what are the chances those needs will be met?

>> well, let -- let us, first -- you know, let us remember that, since early june, we had an escalation of urban warfare. new clashes between rival-armed gangs have erupted in some urban areas of the metropolitan area of port-au-prince. and i am mainly referring to -- and this led to hundreds of houses being burned down or damaged. and we have 15,000 women and children -- over 15,000 women and children -- who were forced to flee their homes due to the acts of violence in and around port-au-prince. they are currently on seven sites in different communes of the city. and unicef is providing emergency assistance to them.

but it's -- we have restriction, in terms of access to -- because of security. and we have a very vibrant, local society and we have very strong partnership to reach these children. >> and on top of all of these issues, there's covid. i mean, bring me up to date. has anyone in haiti been vaccinated? fully vaccinated? >> not at all. there are, definitely, delays in -- in covid-19 vaccination in haiti, for various reason. the first one is that there have been delays in the supply of astrazeneca vaccines, following the covid-19 epidemic that broke out in new delhi, india. and -- and where the government helped it, the export of vaccines to meet the needs of its population. but also, haiti doesn't have --

and is only equipped with a chain for routine-vaccination program. so we could not reach -- we could not get -- >> bruno mars, thank you so much. appreciate it there with unicef. >> thank you. thank you so much. now, australia's defense minister says his country has pulled all of its troops from afghanistan. pete telling sky news australia that the withdrawal happened in recent weeks and was ahead of a september deadline. the move comes, as the u.s., of course, nears its own military exit. and as the taliban claims another victory. the militants say they cut off a key highway to pakistan, as they lay siege to kandahar. cnn's anna coren reports, from kabul. >> reporter: the taliban is continuing its offensive across after afghanistan. targeting strategic road and border links as an embattled afghan security forces desperately tries to hold

ground. the militants claim to have cut the main highway between the southern city of kandahar and the border with pakistan. saying that all army outposts in a nearby town have been overrun. they also claim to have the city of kandahar, the birthplace of the taliban, under siege. in recent days, the taliban has taken control of one of the country's main-trading gateways with iran. the dry port is where millions of dollars worth of fuel and supplies cross, every day. customs officials, also, confirmed the militants took control of a border crossing with turkmenistan. the afghan ministry of defense said its forces had killed almost 200 taliban fighters, in 24 hours, in operations across afghanistan. and will continue ground offensives and air strikes to recapture lost territory. as the fighting rages, the u.s. special representative for afghanistan reconciliation is still campaigning for peace talks. he is traveling to qatar,

pakistan, and uzbekistan, to meet with regional stakeholders in an attempt to advance these stalled-peace talks. but many here, in afghanistan, are convinced the taliban is not interested in peace or sharing power. anna coren, cnn, kabul. the billionaire, richard branson, hopes to be making history, in the coming hours. just ahead on "cnn newsroom." business tycoons vying to be the first to get to space, in their own ships. we'll find out what it all means for the future of space travel. also, a former astronaut will be with me to describe what branson's crew will feel, when the flight reaches the high point. reeze° makes sleep...feel...cool. because the tempur-breeze° transfers heat away from your body... ...so you feel cool, night after night. during the tempur-pedic summer of sleep, save $500 on all tempur-breeze mattresses.

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in a few hours, richard branson, billionaire founder of virgin galactic, hopes to make history. he and five other crew members are getting ready to take a short, suborbital flight. he will be the first billionaire to travel into space on a vehicle he helped build and fund. even his fellow billionaire, jeff bezos is wishing branson and his team well, as the amazon founder prepares for his own

cosmic date with destiny on his own rocket, later this month. and do be sure to tune into cnn's live coverage of the flight at 9:00 a.m., eastern time. cnn's rachel crane talked to the soon-to-be space traveler about his out-of-this-world event and the risks involved. >> reporter: the countdown is on. and in just hours, entrepreneur richard branson hopes to become the first person to ride a self-funded rocket into suborbital space. >> astronaut 001, richard branson. >> reporter: a launch, nearly-two decades in the making. tell me, how do you feel? >> um, well, i managed to avoid getting excited for 17 years, since we've started building spaceships and mother ships and space ports and all these things. and i finally got the call from chief engineer saying that every single box had been ticked on the safety aspect.

and that i was -- um -- um -- would i like to go to space? and i hit -- i hit the roof, i was so excited. >> reporter: the virgin galactic rocket-powered space plane is set to take off sunday from new mexico. the mother ship will release the spaceship at around 40,000 feet. the rocket will ignite and take branson, two pilots, and three others on a 2,400-mile-per-hour ride more than 50 miles up to touch the inner edge of space, as defined by the u.s. military and nasa. the crew will experience a few minutes of weightlessness, before gliding back to earth. >> when you are up there, the spaceship will turn -- turn over and these enormous windows, one's going to be able to float around and look back at earth. >> reporter: if successful, the space barren will edge out fellow billionaire and world's richest man, jeff bezos, who is set to ride his own company's rocket into space, in the coming days. the two men have jockeyed for the astronomical bragging rights that come with being first. branson has insisted there is no space race with bezos.

and that the missions are different. >> the kind of experience you're going to get with the two -- the two companies will -- are almost as different as talk and cheese. so, we don't see ourself as a direct competitor. >> two, one. >> reporter: while bezos's flight will be after branson's, his rocket system, new shepherd, will go even higher. past the carmen line, which is the altitude natiinternationall recognized to be the demarcation in space. his company, blue origin, taking a shot at branson's trip tweeting their rocket was quote designed to fly above the carmen line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name. >> if you fly 50 miles or 62 miles, you're in space. i mean, you are not going to notice the difference between those 12 miles. neither of these vehicles go into orbit, by the way. they touch space and then come right back down. >> reporter: both companies have had successful suborbital test flights over the past decade but with space travel comes inherent risk.

in 2014, a co-pilot for virgin galactic was killed during a test flight of a previous model of their spacecraft. >> i like to say that you can do risky things safely, if you know the risks you are taking, you know the controls you have in place and you verify that they are active and we do just that. i don't think the risk of this flight is high. it's not zero. >> liftoff. the final liftoff of atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle. >> leroy chiao is a former nasa astronaut. he joins me, now. always good to have leroy chiao on the program. first up, what -- give us a sense of what richard branson and the other people onboard are going to experience. what are they going to see? >> yeah, this will be a very exciting adventure for all of them. and when they get up into space, even before, just approaching space, but they will get that view of the earth. the atmosphere being lit up by the sunlight glowing these wonderful shades, bright shades of blue. and then, when they unstrap and get out of their seats, they are

going to get to look down at the earth and see all the beautiful colors. and it's -- it's pretty awe-inspiring moment. you know, was for me, the very first time i flew into space. those first-few moments were really special. >> i -- i can only imagine. i mean, in a -- in a technology sense, i mean, this is a suborbital flight. which, let's face it, alan shepherd did 60 years ago. but are there broader benefits of flights, like this? and -- and the technology that allows it to happen? >> sure. as you point out, the technology is -- i mean, it's a little bit different but, yeah, the event has happened before. suborbital flight is a lot easier than orbital flight. you know, orbital flight, you are going up to 17,500 miles an hour to get into orbit. and in this case, you're -- you know, you are going around mock three. so, you know, a lot slower, lot less energy. but you will get the experience of what it's like to be in space. and you will get the experience of weightlessness and, for a few minutes, anyway. and you will get to see that beautiful view of the earth. so, i think, it really helps to

get more people having that experience. and hope, perhaps, experiencing what is now being called the overview effect where, you know, that perspective is -- is a bit life changing. >> we are seeing all these private operators, you know, getting into this. richard branson. elon musk. jeff bezos and so on. you're old-school nasa. i am curious your thoughts on whether -- is space set to become a moneymaker? and do you see a risk in -- in for-profit space businesses? privatization of technologies and so on, rather than sort of all being for the greater good? what are -- what are dwlurts on that? >> not at all. i think this is a natural evolution. as you pointed out, we have been going to space for a very long time. 60-some-odd years. and so, you know, nasa helped to develop the technology, in the beginning, along with the contractors. and basically, showed how to do it. and then, it's natural to kind of evolve it from a government operation, into a commercial operation to see if, you know, that can be a sustainable

market. so now, we're -- i'm glad to see that part of the commercial market. the tourism part is beginning. and it's still out of reach, for most of us. you know, quarter of a million dollars is, you know, you going to buy a house? or you going to go, for a few minutes, into space? you know, there are few of us that have the disposable income to -- to make that choice. but, you know, the more people that we get up there, i think, the better. the more awareness we -- we create for space exploration and space travel. and, you know, eventually, with more technological breakthroughs, hopefully, the price of a ticket will come down. so, i think this is all a very good thing. >> leroy chiao, always a pleasure. great to have you on. >> great to be on. thanks. >> cheers. now, after deadly white supremacist violence and years of waiting, it is a new era in charlottesville, virginia. what it took to, finally, remove these confederate monuments. that's coming up.

also, a number of the biggest conferences for u.s. conservatives is underway. and the star attraction's shaping up to be former-president trump and, of course, what is known as the big lie. we'll take a look, when we come back. what's on the horizon? the answers lie beyond the roads we know. we recognize that energy demand is growing, and the world needs lower carbon solutions to keep up. at chevron, we're working to find new ways forward, like through our venture capital group. backing technologies like electric vehicle charging, carbon capture and even nuclear fusion. we may not know just what lies ahead, but it's only human... to search for it.

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and welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. appreciate your company. i'm michael holmes. you are watching "cnn newsroom." a symbol at the heart of white supremacist violence has been taken down in charlottesville, virginia. on saturday, statues of confederate generals, robert e.

lee and stonewall jackson were trucked away, and put into storage. almost-four years ago, white nationalists commandeered the debate over the city's effort to remove the lee statue. their so-called unite-the-right rally turned violent and deadly, as neo-nazis fought with counter-protestors. cnn's evan mcmorris-santoro reports from charlottesville. >> reporter: three hours on a saturday morning, charlottesville has wanted for years. a monument to confederate general stonewall jackson on its way to storage. the notorious statue of general robert e. lee, which overlooked the park that held the deadly unite the right rally, also, hoisted away. >> it's only a moment for people who aren't affected. >> reporter: for zyahna bryant who kicked off the effort to remove these statues when she was in 9th grade. it was the end of an effort that brought the world to her doorstep.

looking back to that horrible day in august of 2017, when people were on this very park where we are right now. fighting over these statues. someone, eventually, died. at a moment like that, did you think we would ever see a day like today when these statues actually came down? >> no, i wasn't going to believe it until i saw it. so when it was finally lifted off its pedestal today, that's when i was able to have my moment and fully process that it was happening. >> reporter: bryant convinced charlottesville. the world outside the city took longer. in early 2017, the city council voted to remove the monuments. but groups, who defend the confederate legacy, took charlottesville to court. they succeeded in getting the removal delayed. >> we are a people! we will not be replaced! >> reporter: then, white nationalists, neo-nazis, and other groups joined the cause. in august, 2017, a woman was killed and several other people injured as white supremacists and other far-right groups fought with counter-protestors at a rally about the statues.

that made the monuments a national cause. and the driver of a dark moment, in recent-american political history. >> very fine people, on both sides. >> reporter: that created a national movement. >> no president -- sitting president's ever said anything, like that. and i realized that -- um -- things weren't going to change very much with this president. >> reporter: but in charlottesville, the statues, still, stood. the removal still tied up in court. the city council voted to shroud them in black just days after the august protest. in october, 2017, a judge ruled, again, that they couldn't remove the statues. and in 2018, a judge ordered that those coverings be removed. but charlottesville never changed its mind. the city kept fighting, in court. this april, the virginia supreme court ruled in its favor. then, came saturday. >> what happens, we have the ability to remove the statues, today. it has stood for 104 years and it doesn't need to stay, a

moment longer. >> reporter: the end of a long and bloody battle for one city grappling with how to tell our nation's story. >> there is a lot of work left to do but i am trying to find a way, as a black woman, who has been on the forefront of this issue, to celebrate the small wins as they come. and that is important, and i think this work is long and hard. it's not the end. it's not the beginning. u um, but it is a win. >> reporter: evan mcmorris-santoro, cnn, charlottesville, virginia. >> lee and jackson weren't the only statues to come down in charlottesville. the city council also voted to remove a monument to the american explorers, william clark and their native american guide, sacagawea. a little more than six months after the capitol was stormed by that violent mob of trump supporters, the final section of security fencing, added after the insurrection, has now been removed. there are, now, concerns about how the campus will be protected, going forward, and if capitol police will have the resources they need.

they're having some staffing and recruitment issues, and the house and senate have yet to agree on a funding package. the rallying cry of those who stormed the capitol on january 6th, of course, trump won. he didn't, of course. but it is being heard, again, this weekend at the conservative political action conference, or cpac. it's the biggest gathering of the year for u.s. conservatives. let's hear, now, from cnn's donie o'sullivan, who's there, at the convention. >> reporter: pretty much, everybody we have spoken to here, this weekend, at the conservative cpac convention in dallas, texas. they don't believe that trump, actually, lost the election. everybody, apart from this one man, have a listen. so, you are, you know, one of the very few people, i am likely to meet here, this weekend, who will tell me that biden won the election, fairly. >> that's unfortunate. i got to have the evidence. i got to see it. if you tell me you are going to

release the kraken, show me the freaking kraken, for crying out loud. and don't tell me to go to mr. pillar man's website to get the information. >> do you guys think the election was fair? >> no. >> no. >> no. >> they tried to tell us the tarrant county election we went blue for the first time since 1962. it's not called an insurrection, to me. what about it was an insurrection? >> they stormed the capitol. >> who? who's they? >> the trump supporters. >> [ bleep ]. >> i mean, i'm sorry. [ bleep ]. you don't know who those people were. >> some trump supporters were invited in and there's video and there's audio. that they said, come on. >> many people we have spoken to are in denial about the election, denial about what happened at the january-6th insurrection. and there is, now, also, some concern about the this conspiracy theory that trump could, in some way, be reinstated as president in this -- in the next few weeks or next few months. and how that could lead to further violence. trump is due to speak here, later this weekend.

and a lot of his base, a lot of his supporters, are going to be listening to see if he mentions or hints at this false-conspiracy theory that he might be able to be put back into office, before 2024. at cpac, in dallas, donie o'sullivan, cnn. we'll take a quick break. when we come back, record heat scorching the west with some regions reaching 130 degrees fahrenheit. searing temperatures. we are live at the scene and water weather center, next. >> we're going to stay hydrated with margaritas and iipas.

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in surfside, florida, the official-death toll at the collapsed condo has increased as more bodies were recovered on saturday. the grim job moving at a faster pace, now, after the demolition of the remaining tower. cnn's natasha chen with more. >> reporter: on sunday, the remaining members of the israeli

rescue team will leave the building-collapse site. on saturday evening, local leaders thanked them along with other first responders at a ceremony at a church a few blocks away from here. then, they walked to the sea view hotel to meet with family members of victims. it's been an emotional couple weeks with search teams finding not only people but their belongings, signs of the lives lived there. childrens' toys, passports, photo albums, among the rubble. meanwhile, families are still eagerly awaiting news about their loved ones. 86 people are now confirmed dead. 43 people, potentially, still, unaccounted for. pablo rodriguez, whose mother and grandmother were missing after the collapse, tweeted on saturday that they had been identified. he said, quote, last night was the first night since this nightmare started that i was able to get a little bit of sleep. the thought they suffered was weighing on me, heavily. and confirmation that they did not was a relief. it was the best, bad news i could receive, in this situation. only hope i had. also, among the victims was the

sister of the first lady of paraguay. her husband and one of their children. on saturday, their 23-year-old nanny was, also, identified among the victims. the paraguayan ministry of external relations tweeted the paraguayan president arrived in the u.s. on friday and will stay in florida until tuesday. natasha chen, cnn, surfside, florida. now, more than 30 million people across the western united states are under heat alerts, at the moment. another historic heat wave hitting from the canadian border all the way down to the mexican border. how hot is it? well, more than 100 record-high temperatures are forecast to be broken throughout tuesday morning. already, death valley in california hit 130 degrees fahrenheit, on friday. the hottest of the -- day of the year, so far.

and inching ever closer to the all-time record of 134 degrees. let's bring in meteorologist, derek van dam. what's going on, derek? >> yeah. you know, michael, of all the extreme-weather and natural disasters that we report on here at cnn weather. we have some of the strongest direct-linked evidence to the frequency and duration of heat waves linking that to climate change. more similarly, to coastal flooding than flooding. and less limited evidence, i should say, with linking climate change to things, like tornados and the frequency of hurricanes. but really, that heat wave frequency and duration is something that we have tallied over the past years. and we know, when we start breaking all-time record highs, like we have, once again, look at this. in needles, california. las vegas, today. bishop, california. these are just three of the many locations that have, either, set or tied all-time record highs. you are looking at all daily highs for the day, today. or just a sample of them.

so, what is happening here? we can call this kind of an atmospheric roadblock, let's say. it creates a very stagnant-weather pattern across an area, this time, it's throughout the southwestern u.s. and it creates a high-pressure system that allows for sinking air so it suppresses cloud cover, allows for maximum sunshine. traps in the heat and unfortunately that is called a heat dome and it really is just a vicious cycle of extreme, extreme temperatures. we've had our record all-time high temperature matched in las vegas today of 117 degrees. so you go back and all reliable data and temperatures have only reached 117, once, in that particular city. so, matching that, today. death valley, california, on friday, they reached 130 degrees. there wasn't the world record broken today. that was, of course, set back in 1913 at death valley. 134 degrees fahrenheit. but, of course, 130 degrees is nothing to laugh at, right? so here is the 30 million americans that are under

excessive-heat alerts from the great basin all the way to the southwest. it excludes the coastal areas, by the way. so we are getting some nice relief from the pacific ocean for places like san diego and los angeles. but nonetheless, the interior communities, sacramento, as well as las vegas, into the sacramento valley. but there's good news. temperatures are going to, quote/unquote, cool a little bit. we expect temperatures to drop into the lower 100 and 110-degree range for the early parts of this week. so, if you can call that relief, michael. i don't even know, really, if there is a weather term for that one. >> yeah, really. i mean, relief. not much. good to see you, my friend. derek van dam, thanks. wow. well, the heat wave on north america's pacific coast has had a surprising and smelly side effect. clams and other shellfish are, literally, being cooked alive on the hot woks exposed to the sun on western canada's beaches. a professor from the university of british columbia found dead

rot rot rotting mussels with open shells at a beach in vancouver. he said he could smell the stench, before he even got to the beach. well, jubilation in buenos aires, after argentina wins the copa america title. the highlights of the thrilling match against brazil, when we come back.

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well, there is no mistaking the expectations of number 10 downing street as england prepares to face italy in the euro 2020 finals. the prime minister, boris johnson, you see him there, showing off the english flag on saturday at his suitably decorated residence, he and queen elizabeth also sent letters of support. sunday's match at wembley is a huge deal, if you weren't aware already. but for england, it is not only because the title is on the line. don riddell reports. >> reporter: a tournament delayed by a year and then

played by 24 teams across 11 different countries will finally be settled on sunday night when england play italy at wembley stadium in london. these are two countries who are both craving success after the emotional pain of covid-19 and the lockdown, and on the field both teams will have something to prove. italy are no strangers to success. this will be a tenth major find for ta team that has won the world cup no less than four times. however, by their own standards, italy have kind of been in the wilderness. they failed to qualify for the 2018 world cup, but they haven't lost a game this the three years since. >> translator: we'll need both attributes tomorrow, because you can't survive a final at wembley against england without a warm heart and nor can you do it without cool heads. because there will come types when we need to be a little bit more dare, when we need to go for it. and there will also be times when we need to be a bit more

cooler and try to keep the situation under control. >> england have ridden a wave of euphoria to the final, playing five of their six games so far in london to reach their first major final since 1966. that was the year they won the world cup. their only trophy to date, and their families dreaming of lifting another trophy some 55 years later. >> what has gone before is not unimportant, because we recognize the contribution other people have made, and we're respectful of that. but the near misses and the tournaments that haven't gone so well weren't important for this team. over the last four years they've knocked down so many barriers, and they've come through so many different challenges, different ways to win matches. had to come back from being behind. had to go through extra time. had to go through penalty shootouts. so their resilience and experience as a team have really

prepared them well for this moment. >> while italy have consistently excelled over the years, england have really struggled. a series of tournament blowouts to heartbreaking near misses have become so infamous and so painful that the misery and yearning for success are almost part of the national psyche. ♪ all of that heartbreak was captured in a song back in 1996, three lions and their fans have been sing it throughout the tournament. they'll be singing the chorus, it's coming home again at wembley on sunday. is the trophy coming home or is it going to rome? we'll soon see. back to you. >> our thanks to don riddell there. well, argentina is the 2021 copa america champion. they beat brazil 1-0 on saturday in rio de janeiro. cnn brazil has more.

>> reporter: it's being 29 since the kickoff of copa america, despite all the questions about brazil's ability to host the tournament. it happened successfully. the final took place with few supporters, only 10% of maracana's capacity. 7,000 spectators were allowed by rio de janeiro officials to watch. the first title concurred by lionel messi. the supporters maintained a safe distance from each other. brazil accepted hosting copa america after their refusal of colombia and argentina. a last-minute decision taking only 12 days before the competition is started. the tournament was joined by ten

american nations. during the covid-19 crisis in brazil. during the tournament, more than 28,000 covid tests were made, and 179 people tested positive for covid. it represents less than 1% released. everton souza, cnn, brazil. >> and thanks for spending time of your day with me. i'm michael holmes. you can follow me on twitter and instagram at home. do stick around. kim brunhuber picks it up with more "cnn newsroom" in just a moment.

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oroweat small slice. i wonder if this has the same quality ingredients as the original whole grains bread? great question, dad. and it does. it has all the same nutritious deliciousness as the original slice but only a little bit smaller. just like timmy here. my name's lucas. oroweat small slice. i wonder if this has the same quality ingredients as the original whole grains bread?

great question, dad. and it does. it has all the same nutritious deliciousness as the original slice but only a little bit smaller. just like timmy here. my name's lucas. as new cases of the delta variant spike across the u.s., concern is growing about parts of the country where the vaccination rates are extremely low. in just a few hours, the billionaire race to space blasts off as richard branson prepares to fly on his space plane into suborbit just days before jeff bezos takes flight. and it's a historic win for one of soccer's top stars as lionel messi leads his home country argentina to the copa america title. welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada,