see, this is the brilliance of the show. i say, always keep them running. all the time, running. run. run. run, yasmin, run like the wind! hello, and welcome to our viewers here, in the united states, and all around the world. i am michael holmes. appreciate your company. coming up here, on "cnn newsroom." day two of full competition at the tokyo games and the u.s. wins its first gold in the pool. one of its best golfers, meanwhile, is out due to covid. new cases are trending up in 49 states in the u.s., as vaccinations stall and the delta variant sends more and more americans to the hospital. plus, dry, hot conditions.

it's a tinderbox, out west. more than 80 large fires burning. the biggest of which, now, creating its own weather . and the competition for olympic medals in full swing at the summer games in tokyo. china and japan have, now, won three gold medals. each. the u.s., with the most medals, overall. seven, including one gold. on saturday, skateboarding and surfing made their olympic debuts. beside the pressure of playing, athletes, also, having to battle a humid-heat wave. and covid, of course, remains a serious concern. at least 137 cases, now, linked to the games. top-american golfer, bryson dechambeau, won't be competing after he tested positive just

before he was due to leave for tokyo. now, a top draw this sunday, as japanese tennis star, naomi osaka, who lit the olympic cauldron, of course. she will be playing her first olympic singles match, after bowing out of the french open, earlier this year. now, patrick snell of cnn world sport is standing by with me, with the latest on the competition. but let's begin with blake essig, who is in tokyo for us. and, blake, covid is, still, very much a focus of these games. but some people's attention are turning to the weather. >> yeah. you know, michael, look. the legacy of these olympic games will no doubt be defined by the global-health crisis. but before covid-19 turned the world on its head, it was the weather that was supposed to have been dominating headlines around these olympic games. and while cases in tokyo are surging, and olympic-related cases continue to climb. it's the weather that could continue to cause problems, here, for organizers. a tropical storm is approaching

japan, and could make landfall hitting the tokyo region on tuesday. japan's meteorological agency says the storm is unlikely to strengthen into a typhoon, but could, still, bring heavy rain, strong winds, and high waves as a result. rowing events have been cancelled, on tuesday, and pushed back to wednesday or thursday. now, while the surfers have avoided the tropical storm, at least for now, other athletes have high temperatures to contend with. as a threat of heat stroke remains a big problem here, and will remain a constant problem throughout these games. temperatures are now in the 30s, and will likely get much warmer, in the coming weeks. >> yeah. >> translator: japan's summer is abnormal. there is humidity and the heat is ridiculous. there are many issues to be considered, when holding the games, such as the pandemic. but frankly speaking, even without the virus, i don't think this weather is suitable for the olympics. >> and according to japan's

public broadcaster, nhk, more than 50,000 people are hospitalized and hundreds die, each year, in japan, as a result of the heat. and so far, just in the past few days, i have, personally, seen several people on the side of the road being treated by medical personnel for heat stroke. now, it is worth pointing out that when the olympic games were last held in tokyo, michael, back in 1964, they were actually pushed back several months to avoid the high temperatures. >> yeah. yeah. big problem. and the big city magnifies the heat, as well. blake, good to see you. thanks for that. blake essig there.. and now, let's turn to cnn world sport's patrick snell, who is following all the action for us, this sunday. but let -- let's start with this significant news about the american golfer, bryson dechambeau. >> one of the biggest names in the sport of golf, no question about that. another big clear and present reminder, isn't it, of the reality of covid-19 at these olympics. according to a statement, this is from usa golf.

the 27-year-old from california testing positive for covid, as part of the final-testing protocol, before he actually left the united states for japan. who is going to replace him? that's going to be patrick reid. dechambeau, who won last year's u.s. open at wingfoot quoted as say saying in that statement, i am deeply disappointed not to be able to compete in the olympics for team usa. representing my country means the world to me, and it was a tremendous honor to make this team. i wish team usa the best of luck next week, in tokyo. highly significant. once again, covid-19 making an impact at these games. >> yeah, so it's going to be a bit of a loss. you are going to be across all of the -- the latest for us, throughout the day, of course. um, but -- but some great st story lines that i know that you are following, especially for the host nation, japan. >> this sunday has been action packed. so much going on, michael. and yeah, really proud and special day, already, for japan. what a moment, in particular,

for yuto hirogome. this is in skateboarding after the men's street final. a truly historic achievement. remember, skateboarding is actually debuting at these games. huge pride for his country. japan's, by the way, third gold medal now, during these 2020 olympics bringing the host country's total-medal count to four. and elsewhere, what else is going on? so much more on the tennis courts this day. within the last few minutes, a first-round victory now for japanese superstar, naomi osaka. we saw that iconic image of her during friday's opening ceremony. she lit the olympic cauldron there. trying to win a first-ever olympic gold for her country, for japan, in tennis. a four-time grand slam champ. she would prevail in straights over china. but top-ranked aussie, you won't like this, michael, ashleigh barty has been beaten, surprisingly losing to spain in straight sets, too.

a real shock there for the wimbledon champion. and another highly significant piece of news from the world of tennis because andy murray, remember, he won gold at 2012 and rio '16. he is out due to a quad strain. we do believe, though, we are told that he will continue to compete in the men's doubles tournaments, though. that is what we are learning on that situation. let's check in, then, on the medals table to recap, for you, the united states, then, with its first medals of the game -- of these games. both goals, too, in the pool today. for the host, more pride taking gold in the women's 400-meter women's individual medley. australia smashing the world record to win women's relay. now, the new-world mark to beat. and another, great story line, this sunday, teenaged tunisian

winning gold in the 400-meter freestyle at just 18 years of age. michael, oh, to be 18, again. or anywhere close to that age. >> i can't remember that -- that far back. >> you told me a couple hours ago, you were an -- >> that's why i love the surfing. i want to see some highlights of that pretty soon. >> we are working on it. >> yeah. great news on the skateboarding. i think that is very cool and japan winning. >> yeah. and the emotion on -- on the youngster there, winning that historic title for his country was wonderful to see. >> yeah. great -- great performance by the aussies. always got to say something about that. patrick smell, always a pleasure to have you here with us. and patrick will -- throughout the night, he will be bringing us new reports about the developments on the olympics. now, to another reminder of the challenges facing olympic organizers, as they navigate the games during the pandemic. during an off-camera interview, an international olympic committee spokesman told reuters that masks on the olympic podium

are not just nice to have, they are a must have. mark adams, apparently, made the remarks after swimmers were seen removing their masks on the medal podium, a short time ago. the tokyo 2020 playbook says masks should be worn, at all times, except when eating, drinking, training, competing, or sleeping. now, covid-19 cases, rising sharply in the united states. up nearly 60%, from last week. and the dangerous-delta variant driving the surge is, as we know, targeting the unvaccinated. just three states account for 40% of all-new cases. missouri, texas, and florida. florida, alone, accounting for one in five new infections, nationally. with a stunning, 73,000 reported, in just the last week. governor ron desantis has refused to put stricter-covid protocols or precautions in place.

so, the numbers in florida are likely to keep going up. and for those who think the worst of the pandemic might be behind us, got an alarming visual that might change your mind. have a look at louisiana's spike in new cases. rising to levels, not seen since the winter surge. the state now has the highest rate of new infections per capita. and hospitalizations there? well, they've quadrupled in the last three weeks. making matters worse. louisiana is among the least-vaccinated states in the u.s. probably, no coincidence then. cnn's suzanne malveaux reports. >> reporter: it is a dire situation in the state of louisiana. as it leads in the number of new-covid cases per capita. more than any, other state in the country, at this time. there are pop-up vaccination sites trying to address this crisis situation. but if you just take a look at the numbers, alone.

208% increase in number of covid cases over the last couple of weeks. 80% -- more than 80% -- coming from the delta variant. 40% of those in -- louisiana residents -- receiving one -- at least one out of two doses of the vaccine. that is much too low, according to the governor, who says that louisiana has a long way to go. despite the fact that there are some-1,400 vaccination sites, throughout the state, where folks can get it for free. there is, still, a sense of urgency here. take a look at these numbers. it is extreme here. of those people who are testing positive for covid, 92%, not fully vaccinated. of those hospitalized, 90%, not fully vaccinated. of those who have recently died, 91%, not fully vaccinated. healthcare professionals, who are monitoring and who are running this vaccination site, as well as the global outreach,

say that these are the main factors. these are the things to be concerned about. what is driving this, now. >> when you look at vaccine and the barriers to vaccination, there are four, major factors that impact that. and the way that i categorize them is, number one, is the issue of mistrust. um, the second one is misinformation. the third is complacency. and that alludes to that fact and the fourth is convenience. >> health officials are using a program called faces in spaces. that is going to where people are to reach them and try to convince them to get vaccinated. whether it's at a crawfish boil or a fish fry or the laundromat or here, at the mall, to stress the sense of urgency in getting that vaccination. suzanne malveaux, cnn, jefferson parish, louisiana. and globally, major cities, around the world, are seeing protests over covid restrictions.

that's the scene that was taking place in paris, on saturday. some protests, turning into violent clashes with police. but across france, tens of thousands of people rallied. now, what they're doing is rejecting/opposing mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers and the proposed extension of the country's health-pass system. and france is not alone. greek police using tear gas and water canon in athens, on saturday. this, as protestors used petrol bombs. the protestors want the government to back off requiring vaccines, also, for healthcare workers. and in australia, protestors marching in sydney, fed up over a month-long lockdown there, that could become even longer. officials warning, they might have to extend restrictions past next friday's deadline because of continuing-case numbers there. and they are not the only places that covid fallout is

creating backlash. now, this is brazil. demonstrations erupting there, across the country, on saturday. but protestors, not complaining about covid restrictions. instead, they're demanding the impeachment of the president, jair bolsonaro, over reports of corruption. and also, his handling of the pandemic. mr. bolsonaro is being investigated in the senate over corruption allegations tied to the purchase of an indian coronavirus vaccine. more than 500,000 people have died from covid there, and many in brazil have simply had enough. this is the second time, this month, that protestors have taken to the streets to vent their anger against the brazilian leader. and brazil's, certainly, a hot spot in the global resurgence of the coronavirus. but worldwide, there is an alarming surge in such cases. experts blaming it, of course,

on the spread of the delta variant. but vaccine hesitancy, in places like the u.s., as well as a vaccine shortage in other places like latin america and africa, are also enabling a spike in cases among the unvaccinated. let's get more perspective, now, on the growing threat the delta variant is posing, especially among the unvaccinated. i am joined by epidemiologist and cnn medical analyst, dr. larry brilliant. good to see you, doctor. let -- let's start with these international reactions, though. a lot of anger from the left and the right about the french president, for example, his move to essentially make life very difficult, in terms of access and movement for anyone not vaccinated, very similar. good idea? or an infringement on freedoms? >> michael, thanks for inviting me back. what a poignant, difficult moment, isn't it? i -- i worry that we're going to be seeing superspreader events.

i'm afraid that we're closer to the beginning of this pandemic, than the end. and on top of that, somehow, this little virus has managed to anger people, on the left and the right. it -- it's almost inconceivable. the -- the idea of having these vaccine certificates or immune passports. it's one of the ways, in which we can reward people for being vaccinated. by giving them access to other parts of the world. i wish we would do more of it. i, personally, would like to see vaccine mandates and i'm afraid that we'll, soon, have to reinstall vaccine-mask mandates. and that's all going to cause more trouble. you know that. we can feel it coming. >> yeah. you're right. um, in the u.s., you know, even with the delta surge, there is this fact that -- this statistic really blows my mind -- 99.7% of

deaths, 95% of hospitalizations are among the unvaccination. if that is not a message to get vaccinated, i don't know what is. yet, half the country hasn't done it. how -- how do you view the landscape, in those terms? >> let's put a number on it. it is about 125 million americans, who have not been vaccinated. and four states account for about 60% of all the cases and the deaths. they're all the states that you would expect. florida, texas, missouri. those are the states that have the most number of unvaccinated -- and they have the mandates that make it illegal for counties to do vaccine mandates. or even encourage people to wear masks in a very strong way. i think they're not paying attention, michael. this variant, this delta variant. it creates 1,000-times more viral particles in the nose than anything, previous, that we have

seen. the incubation period is half the time. it means, it is spreading faster than almost any disease you and i have seen, in our lifetime. it spreads faster and is more infectious than smallpox. maybe, twice as infectious as smallpox. >> when you -- when you put it like that, i -- i wanted, also, to ask you. europe -- europe's problem is similar to that of the united states, in some ways. vaccination levels. at or under 60% or so. less than that in the u.s. which is worrying but not as worrying as entire regions, like africa, being more like 2% vaccinated. the surges in southeast asia, in particular indonesia. how urgent is the need to get more vaccines to underserved regions? it's in everyone's interest and yet we have seen thousands of unused vaccines thrown out in the u.s. >> in the u.s. and canada and the uk have ordered three times the amount of vaccine that we could conceivably use, if we vaccinated everybody, twice.

i -- i think the time is to get real. i think that the major-economic powers in the world have got to start figuring out how to export vaccine-manufacturing factories. just as we did in smallpox and polio. i think we need to have multicenter production of vaccines. we have 100 countries, right now, that have less than 1% of their population vaccinated. they can't depend on the u.s. they can't depend on our manufacturers, as good as this magical vaccine has been. they're not getting it. we need to be able to move factories and move manufacturing all over the world. if we don't do that, then our countries are going to be importers of all the new variants. because, michael, delta is not the last letter in the greek alphabet. >> yeah. exactly. and a chilling warning, there. and -- and the more there is spread, the more likely variants will emerge. dr. larry brilliant, as always,

appreciate your expertise. thank you. >> thank you for having me. coming up here, on the program. dozens of wildfires, raging in the western u.s. and one in oregon, even spawning tornados. we'll have that, coming up. and also, the moment two people are pulled to safety, after raging floodwaters engulfed their vehicle. that's also in the western u.s. we'll be right back. no-no-no-no-no please please no. ♪ i never needed anyone. ♪ front desk. yes, hello... i'm so... please hold. ♪ those days are done. ♪ i got you. ♪ all by yourself. ♪ go with us and find millions of flexible options. all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with. what's on the horizon? the answers lie beyond the roads we know.

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what you are seeing there is a time lapse of a wildfire in northern california. watch as it overtakes, and completely wipes out this ridge. this is in the plumis national forest. it only took six minutes. at least eight large fires are burning in california right now and dozens more are tearing through the western u.s. in oregon, the bootleg fire has destroyed more than 400,000 acres. so massive, that it is creating its own weather, including a tornado last weekend, according to meteorologists. now, a different sort of weather extreme is playing out in arizona where monsoon-level rains are causing flash floods.

the conditions leading to a dramatic rescue near phoenix. have a look. video from the maricopa county sheriff's office shows two people -- you see it there -- being rescued by helicopter, after rising floodwaters swallowed their food-delivery truck. meanwhile, at least 136 people have died in western india, after heavy-monsoon rains triggered flooding and landslides. some of the heaviest-july rain in the region, in decades. some areas, seeing more than half a meter of rain, in just-24 hours. rescue crews, racing to find survivors. but the heavy rains have hampered those efforts, as well. bring us up to date on -- on the search and recovery efforts.

>> yes, michael, they are still going on and will continue for a couple days. there's been incessant rain in some of the districts on the western coast of india. now, about 200 kilometers away from india's financial capital, mumbai, is a village where there was a landslide. where over 40 people have died. there are a lot of people, still, trapped there, along with four other places in the state. and the coastal areas where landslides have taken place. you have the army, the air force, the indian navy, and the national-disaster response force personnel on the ground. they are trying to poull out survivors, as well as bodies. it's quite a grim situation, in these areas. also, along with that, is the challenge of covid-19, michael. because remember, still tops the list when it dcomes to india's territories and states as far as covid numbers. and so, it's been really difficult and the worry is that, in the coming days, this could go up. climate change experts have also said that this could be because

of the kind of work and construction going on in the western coast. michael. >> all right. appreciate the update in new delhi. thanks. now, strong winds and heavy rains are lashing eastern china, as typhoon closes in. shanghai and surrounding areas cancelled flights and shuddered businesses ahead of the storm. it is one of two, major storms churning away in the western pacific. the other, a tropical storm, is expected to hammer central japan, in the coming days. let's bring in meteorologist derek van dam. tell us where they're headed. of course, you know, the -- the storm heading for japan during the olympics. you know, a bit of a worry. >> yeah, not what we want. here is kind of a regional view of the western pacific. and you can see what is tropical storm nepartak, that is the one that will impact japan, come tuesday and wednesday. more on that, in just one moment. but the more-immediate threat is typhoon in-fa, which is now, as

you mentioned, reaching the eastern coastline of china, just south and east of shanghai. i have had some concerning satellite images over the past few hours. you can see kind of the flare up of activity on the northeastern wall. right in that center of circulation so that is the strongest part of a typhoon or a hurricane. by the way, for our domestic viewers in the united states, 120 kilometers per hour is roughly 74 miles per hour so this makes equivalent category one atlantic hurricane. so a low-end hurricane. but you can see that the storm will weaken, as it moves inland. but as it does so, it will wring itself out. so the available moisture in the rainfall will -- will be a concern. so flash flooding, certainly, a potential. so the winds will be deteriorating for shanghai, over the next-coming hours, as this makes landfall over this particular region. there is the rainfall totals. anywhere from 250 to 350 millimeters. that's over 10 inches of rain over the next five days. so flash flooding and mud slides, a possibility. here is the storm that threatens

central japan. this is nepartak. and the good news is that this forecast calls for the storm to stay north of tokyo. but still, some of the outer-rain bands and the strong-gusty winds could, certainly, impact those northern-venue sites at the olympics. michael. >> all right, derek, appreciate the update. derek van dam there for us. >> all right. pleasure. now, taliban gains may be driving a new wave of afghans to flee their country. coming up, a retired u.s. general explains why the better-equipped afghan military is still losing to the militants. we'll be right back. today let's paint with behr ultra scuff defense... so that you can live that scuff-free life. honey, i'm home! honey! scuff defense. i love our scuff-free life. behr ultra scuff defense. exclusively at the home depot.

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and welcome back to our viewers here, in the united states and all around the world. thanks for your company. i'm michael holmes. you are watching cnm "newsroom." the united nations is warning of increased threat from groups linked to isis and al qaeda. it says north africa is a particular-growth area, as is an old, familiar location, afghanistan. and as nic robertson reports, easing of covid lockdowns might be an opportunity for jihadists to strike, again. >> reporter: covid-19 travel and other restrictions have kept international islamist-terror threats at bay. a new u.n. report reveals. but it hasn't killed their threat. >> one of the things that we highlight in the report that's just come out is the possibility that the relaxation of lockdowns might mean that some preplanned

attacks can, then, take place. >> reporter: the report, 20 years after al qaeda's horrific 9/11 attacks reveals a world of growing-jihadist threats and waning efforts to counter them. from somalia, in east africa, where u.s. forcesi backing the government left this year. al qaeda affiliate, al shabaab, is spreading south into kenya. other al qaeda affiliates making gains through the sahel region, too. meanwhile, in central and west africa, isis is strengthening. crossing borders from mali into burkina faso. niger, senegal, and from nigeria into cameroon. in nigeria, the death of an al qaeda-affiliated leader as i isis-affiliated fighter surrounded him. likely makes the isis affiliate

the biggest outside of syria. >> these regional structures is that these will enable them to increase the interoperability of their global network. and ultimately, to mount a more effective threat and particularly in the west. >> reporter: another risk gaining momentum. the birthplace of the 9/11 attacks, afghanistan. although it is too soon for the report to conclude the impact of the taliban's recent gains and the u.s. drawdown. one member state estimates isis, who claimed a rocket attack narrowly missing afghan leaders, attending prayers in the capital tuesday to have 500 to 1,500 fighters. and be focusing on the capital, kabul. and al qaeda, whom u.s. forces chased from the country after 9/11, now have a presence in at least 15 of the country's 34

provinces. are fighting alongside the taliban. and appear to be counting on a military victory. >> that gives them time in which to stabilize, to continue to use afghanistan as a platform. um, and then, in the longer term, to review whether it's possible to use it as a platform, also, for international attacks. >> reporter: 20 years on from the 9/11 attacks, al qaeda's then-number two, now its chief, is thought to be unwell. his expected replacement, the report says, is in iran. likely, assessing if afghanistan is safe for his return. nic robertson, cnn, london. >> and afghan officials are hoping a curfew in dozens of provinces will halt, or at least slow down, the taliban. the restrictions ban people from leaving their homes, from 10:00 at night, until 4:00 in the

morning. but it's unclear, if it can actually be enforced or what effect it would have. as u.s. and nato forces withdrawal, the government appears to be losing its grip on control outside of major-population centers. now, this animation shows rapid-taliban gains over the last few months. it's striking to see. it comes from the long war journal. a group that tracks territorial control in afghanistan. cnn can't independently confirm it. now, as the taliban do gain ground, more afghans are fleeing their country. since earlier-this month, turkey says it has detained more than 1,400 mostly afghan migrants near the border with iran. lieutenant general mark hertling is a cnn military analyst and former army commanding general for europe and the 7th army and he joins me, now, from florida. spent a lot of time in iraq, as well. i wanted to get your -- your assessment of the result, so far, of the u.s. pullout. what it's meant for the taliban who, you know, clearly, want to

be running the country, again. >> michael, i think we've seen, over the last several months, probably more than that, the last year or so, that the taliban has been increasingly making inroads in most of the provinces throughout afghanistan. that's dangerous because they have been chipping away, like any good insurgency does, at -- at areas which are easily brought over to their support. they have used intimidation. they have used the kinds of things that the taliban have always used. killing of security forces. threatening of -- of families. pushing women's rights off the table. and what we're seeing is they are, truly, expanding their capabilities, in the rural areas. and i think the cities are, soon, going to be at risk. >> yeah. yeah. it seems to be a matter of time. when -- when you talk about the taliban and their tactics. i mean, tell me about this. i mean, with the doha talks,

why, on earth, would the taliban be trusted when they say they are going to be about inclusion? they're not going to carry out revenge. and yet, we see more and more evidence. people being slaughtered. the targeting of those who work for both the central government and the u.s. what the taliban says and what its fighters and commanders do are vastly different things. >> yeah. i think anyone that's been to afghanistan, as i have, or who has served there. or who knows the taliban's history. it doesn't take much to unde understand. they refer to themselves as the islamic emirate of afghanistan. they believe in the extreme version of -- of sharia law. they harken back to the 14th century. believe in the harsh interpretation of -- of genocide, denial of food, arbitrary extrajudicial punishment. why the united states would be

having sessions with them in doha over the last few years during the trump administration, is beyond me. but our government did just that. they placed them on equal footing. and also, without the government of afghanistan having representatives in the room. you know, to -- to sign a peace treaty with this organization is just -- it's mind boggling and g gobsmocking. >> naive, beyond bheef. i want to ask you this, too, because i know you have been following this as have i. when it comes to evacuation of those who worked for the u.s., there have been pleas for months and months and months for that to happen. even now, it hasn't effectively started and the administration is now telling these workers get yourself to kabul, at a time when, as we have been discussing, the taliban controls so much of the country. and these people can't get to kabul. many have already been killed. why do you think this wasn't better organized? started earlier when vac nation would h evacuation would have been

easier? >> i can't explain it, michael. only to say that i think this was something that requires a long-term plan. you know, we talk about afghanistan but the same thing is happening to iraqi refugees and immigrants. so these are individuals and, literally, thousands of them. the state department, initially, said they would pull 25 -- 2,500 out. then, it raised it to 3,500. that's a drop in the bucket for the number of people that worked for the united states government. >> absolutely. 100%. and you are right to mention the iraqis, too, who are still waiting. real quick, we have only got a minute left, mark. on the battlefield, the special-forces units trained by the west are doing what they can. um, but isn't it the case that afghanistan's regular security forces just aren't up to it? they can't secure what the special forces might gain, you know? and less inclined or motivated to fight. >> yeah, chairman milley and secretary austin addressed this, the other day. and they made a very interesting

point. they said that the u.s. and nato have trained over 300,000 for the afghan-security forces. and intelligence estimates say there is only about 75 -- 75,000 taliban with additional al qaeda and other terrorist groups. so, it would seem that -- that this fight would be in the favor of the afghan-security forces. but there is an old-military formula, michael. and that's, power equals resources times will, with a factor of leadership involved. the -- the afghan-security forces have the resources, right now. they have the numbers and the equipment. unfortunately, the taliban have the will. and they have better leadership than some of the afghan-security forces, other than what you say, the special operators that are doing a very good job. and unfortunately, i think, we're going to see some really difficult fighting, in the next several months. >> yeah. agreed. um, lieutenant general mark hertling, always a pleasure. great analysis. >> thank you, mike. well, venezuela's president

says he is ready to enter talks with the country's opposition. nicolas maduro said, saturday, that everything has been prepared to open negotiations with the opposition leader in early august. and these talks could include participation from other nations, such as norway and the u.s. in an interview with venezuela's state-run television, mr. maduro says his government has, already, discussed a complex agenda with opposition groups. cnn has reached out to the team for comment. no response, yet. now, there is pushback on the streets of hungary against a new law that has been blasted as homophobic. coming up. a clear message from a pride march in budapest. so, are you gonna buy the car? please! if i could just go home, and discuss things with my wife-

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some 30,000 people joined a pride march in budapest on saturday. a pushback against the new law in hungary that's been widely slammed as homophobic. it prohibits any discussion of lgbtq issues in schools, and even bans gay and trans characters and certain others from appearing on television for much of the day. but prime minister victor orban says the law is about letting parents decide how their kids should be educated. but opponents say, not true. they say, the law is part of a standard-political playbook by mr. orban. but as melissa bell reports, they believe that, this time, he might be getting more than he bargained for. >> reporter: the gay pride here in budapest was not just a usual celebration, this year. but also, a protest. for the lgbt community, a show of force. the organizers say that tens of thousands turned out, despite an atmosphere that they say has become increasingly oppressive.

now, legislation that passed that came into effect, earlier this month. it is the culmination of what has been a months-long -- several-months-long campaign of demonization, essentially, of the lgbt community. and so, a lot of people coming out to try and show their support. so far, victor orban, in power for 11 years has used a fairly successful playbook in order to galvanize his base. we have seen it with migrants. we have seen it with the homeless. we have seen it with transgender people. this time, the question is really if he -- if he isn't trying to take on a minority, that is simply not small enough to not cost him when it comes to next year's elections and when they are hoping for is a real show of support to say, look. hungarian society is not in favor of this referendum he's announced it is behind what brussels is now doing, which is taking on victor orban over this very controversial legislation. we have been meeting with a bunch of people these last few days, families, who say this time, they are really standing up against the government. against victor orban's populist

streak in order to make themselves heard. the next, big test will be the referendum that we expect to be held before the end of the year. melissa bell, cnn, budapest. nasa is digging for answers, on the red planet. the mars rover will, soon, collect rock samples to see if life ever existed on mars. what scientists are, already, finding out, when we come back. ah, there's no place like panera. enjoy the toasty, saucy chipototle chicken avocado met on freshly baked bread.. panera. . order on the app tod. we're a super active family. anything outside is great by us. and it's really nerve-racking to go out and teach your kid to ride a bike if they're not insured.

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jackie mason, a star of the old belt resorts in new york state, has died at age 93. mason was once an amateur boxer and became a rabbi. as a standup comedian, he hit the big-time. his rapid-fire schtick was decidedly jewish and riddled with yiddish references. he was a tv variety show regular but had a one-man show on broadway and later voiced a character on "the simpsons." a friend said mason died at a hospital in new york on saturday with friends and family at his bedside. nasa's mars rover has begun its search for signs of ancient life. it's about to dig up its

first-ever samples of martian rock. scientists back on earth hope it will give them important clues to the red planet's secrets. nasa's rover is set to begin one of its top missions, to search for signs of ancient life. after setting in and testing its gear for nearly seven months, perseverance will start reaching out with its robotic arm and pick up promising rocks. it will begin extracting the samples from where it landed, helping scientists on earth determine if there was once life on the red planet. like any tourist, since its landing, perseverance has been busy taking photos of its surroundings, the crater which was created by a meteor impact. the rover has been sending those photos back to nasa headquarters, where scientists have been studying them. according to nasa, the crater contains clay which only forms in the presence of water, so

this has led to the assumption that it was once a lake. >> it was a lake, it was a lake that was about 40 kilometers across. we are not looking for things that would have been growing in the sea. the other important aspect of this is that we are looking very, very far back in the history of the solar system. what that means is that life would not have had much of a chance to advance very far, and that's why we always say that we are looking for evidence of potential microbial life. >> reporter: the rover's robotic arm will dig out samples and store them in tubes and analyze them. >> the front of the rover then has another sample handling arm which manages those tubes and the samples inside of them to do imaging and measure the volume, and then we will seal those and store those for planned future return to earth. >> reporter: although it's still unclear if perseverance will be back, it's possible its collections of rock samples could be back on earth in a decade.

for the first time astronomers have detected a ring around a planet outside our solar system. what's more, it seems to be able to coalesce into new moons. the xo planet is orbiting a star nearly 400 million light years away. it's a gas giant similar to jupiter, but it ring is about 500 times larger than the rings of saturn. and that's equivalent to the distance between the earth and the sun, in case you were wondering. take a closer look and you can see a moon starting to form as it pulls more and more matter from the gigantic ring. thanks for your company, spending part of your day with me. i'm michael holmes. follow me on twitter and instagram. my colleague alison kosik will have more "cnn newsroom" in just a moment.

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, i'm alison kosik. ahead on "cnn newsroom," the u.s. breaks through. swimmer chase kalisz taking the country's first gold medal in the 2020 tokyo games. the delta variant causing a spike in covid cases across the u.s. we take you to one of the hot spots, the least-vaccinated state, louisiana. and thousands take to the street in countries around the world to protest tighter coronavirus restrictions