hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom," and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, in the u.s. politics, the pandemic and the start of school are on a collision course, and medical experts are sounding the alarm. thousands in greece flee their homes and more than 500 wildfires burn across the country. the president calling the fires a natural disaster of

unprecedented proportions. and the u.n. issues a stark warning to the world. the window to limit catastrophic climate change is closing fast. ♪ good to have you with us. well, the battle over mask mandates rages on in the united states. florida governor ron desantis is threatening to withhold salaries of officials like school superintendents if they violate his order banning school mask mandates. and as you can see here, florida is just one of several states that have passed measures banning mask mandates in schools. and the timing could not be worse. lucy kafanov shows how the pandemic numbers are suddenly

trending in the wrong direction in the u.s. >> reporter: as children across the nation head back to school, covid-19 cases are surging. hospitalizations and deaths have nearly doubled over the last two weeks. the u.s. is now averaging more than 109,000 new covid-19 cases each day and more than 500 deaths per day. florida reported more covid-19 cases over the last week than any other seven-day period during the pandemic. 50 florida children admitted to the hospital on friday alone as many districts return to class this week. a jacksonville church saw six members die from covid-19 in the past ten days alone. >> four of them were under the age of 35. all of them were healthy. the only thing they had in common was each of them were not vaccinated. >> reporter: now the church is pushing to get as many people vaccinated as possible. texas cases and hospitalizations have doubled in the last two weeks. an 11-month-old baby girl battling covid-19 had to be airlifted because there were no

more beds available in any of the pediatric hospitals in houston. >> it gets me kind of mad that, like, everybody is taking covid as a joke and it's not a joke. like it's very, very serious. our babies are in danger. >> reporter: louisiana also seeing the sharpest rate of increases in new covid-19 cases. the head physician of a new orleans children's hospital concerned about a surge in young patients. >> we are hospitalizing record numbers of children. half of the children in our hospital today are under 2 years of age, and most of the others are between 5 and 10 years of age. so they're too young to be vaccinated just yet. >> reporter: health experts are worried about the impact of the delta variant on children. >> i certainly am hearing from pediatricians that they're concerned that this time the kids who are in the hospital are both more numerous and more seriously ill. this is a virus that's not only more contagious but potentially more lethal. >> reporter: experts say vaccinations are key to protecting against future

variants that could be even more problematic. >> if you give the virus a chance to continue to change, you're leading to a vulnerability that we might get a worse variant, and then that will impact not only the unvaccinated. that will impact the vaccinated. >> reporter: vaccine advisers for the cdc will meet on friday to discuss covid-19 booster dioceses. this as health experts urge more americans to get vaccinated. lucy kafanov, cnn, denver. >> and dr. scott miss ca vich is a family physician and a national consultant for covid-19 testing. he joins me now from hawaii. good to have you with us. >> thank you, rosemary. >> so, florida's governor desantis is threatening to withhold the salaries of school officials who violate his order to ban mask mandates in schools, essentially punishing officials for trying to protect children from covid-19. what is your reaction to this intrusion of politics into public health policy?

>> it is just amazing to all of us because, you know, we sit and get together every day as we strategize, how do we deal with this contagious delta variant? you know, we keep looking at things that we know work. number one, it's masks and appropriate-fitting masks is the number one thing that works. in the school-age children, where we're saying the cdc puts children three feet apart, and this delta variant is so contagious, we're going to have entire classrooms taken out. so it is going to lead to the hospitals being further pushed to the brink as we saw in the prior piece where we're having children airlifted or the children in icu now are just overwhelming the health system. >> and, of course, the pentagon is expected to mandate covid-19 vaccines for all active-duty military by mid-september. we're also seeing some private companies mandating both

vaccines and masks. is that what needs to happen across the board if we are to stop this virus in its tracks? >> i mean vaccination is the only single way we will stop this virus in its tracks. and i had major discussions with colleagues across the country today, and we're all preparing for the fda approval of the vaccine because that's when we believe there is going to be a massive surge of employers and states and counties that will finally be pushing to turn the switch to mandate. i totally believe that it is coming to that because the health risk to everyone, whether it's a church for a school, the number of people who will die if you are not responsible enough to get a vaccine is now just too numerous to count. >> i think so many of us are still scratching our heads why it is taking the fda so long to give that full approval to the covid vaccines, considering

hundreds of millions of people certainly in this country and elsewhere across the globe have received that shot. >> yeah, exactly. we're looking at this right now. the data is very clear. remember, people ask me all the time, what is the fda approval? what they do is they're taking those hundreds of millions of shots. and then as a medical provider, we're required by law to put in every adverse effect or any question about that virus. they take that data. then they study it and they look at the root cause. and you know what, rosemary? for us in the field, it's crystal clear. these vaccines are safe. the amount of data that we have now is enormous, and the safety is beyond what we could ever have dreamed about. >> again, as you say, the sooner they can get that done, the more likely more people will actually start to get the vaccine. i want to ask you about that because of course we know that more than 99.9% of fully vaccinated people have not

experienced a severe breakthrough case according to cdc data. so these vaccines, they're clearly working, and yet the message is not getting through to about 25% of the population. what needs to be done about that? >> well, you know, i think that if you really look at it, you're going to see that there is -- the stats are very clear. 12% to 17% depending on the state you're in are saying they will never get the vaccine no matter what. so that group is going to be very hard. you know, we've crossed over 50%. there's 35%. there's 30% we should be able to convince to get this. i do believe there are going to be more pushes to get mandates. but, again, i'm also a strong believer education and from my standpoint, it's really surprising to me that more people aren't stepping over because of the first degree in separation. everyone knows someone who has either contracted severe covid or who has died. and you'd think that would be

enough to push them over the edge. >> and if they don't now, they will very soon sadly. dr. scott miscovich, thank you so much for sharing your time and expertise. >> thank you, rosemary. for the first time since the pandemic started, canada's border is now open to u.s. travelers. but they must be fully vaccinated to enter. long delays were reported at the border on monday after the ban was lifted. at least one crossing reported a seven-hour wait. all of this comes as the delta variant drives up new covid cases here in the united states. and the u.s. senate is expected to hold a final vote on a critical infrastructure bill in the coming hours after months of negotiations. the bipartisan package is worth an estimated $1.2 trillion and could potentially reshape the country. the spending reaches everything from modernizing roads, bridges, and rail to rebuilding the

electric grid, expanding broadband internet access, and replacing lead pipes in water systems. the bill's passage would be a major victory for the biden administration. both parties could, in fact, claim a win. but as manu raju reports, it's not a done deal just yet. >> reporter: after it passes the senate, the question will be how does this move through the house? nancy pelosi, the house speaker, has made it very clear that she will not move on this package unless the senate first moves on a $3.5 trillion democratic-only package that includes a wise range of priorities by their party, whether it's expanding health care, whether it's e expanding immigration provisions to deal with undocumented workers as well as dealing with climate change, a major democratic priority. a wide range of provisions in that. but moderates in the house are pushing back. they want an immediate vote on this infrastructure proposal. that's something that she's going to have to navigate in the weeks ahead. a very narrow majority, and she

can't afford many defections. >> manu raju with that report. well, more than 500 wildfires are raging across greece. crews are doing all they can to battle the flames. but the prime minister says even the best efforts have not been enough. the latest in a live report. plus a code red for humanity. a new u.n. report explains how climate change is making wildfires, floods, and heat waves even worse. and we may be past the point of no return. not touching is still touching protection. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria. detergent alone, can't. lysol. what it takes to protect.

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of firefighting efforts. protesters gathered in athens on monday, saying the government isn't giving enough financial support for firefighting resources or doing enough to protect the environment. the prime minister has apologized for any weaknesses in the country's response to the fires, saying their best efforts simply have not been enough. >> translator: it is obvious that the climate crisis is now knocking on the door of the entire planet with fires that last weeks. this is the reason, but it is not an excuse nor an alibi, and i will say it clearly. we may have done whatever is humanly possible, but in many cases, this did not appear to be enough in the unequal battle with nature. >> some of the most devastating wildfires are now burning on the island of evia, and that's where cnn's alenny giokos are standing by. the images are horrifying. what are you seeing on the ground there and what is the

latest on this firefighting efforts. >> reporter: look, we saw some horrific fires yesterday. this morning when we woke up, emergency services said there were no active fires but the big fear was rekindling. we are now in a village in evia and we have seen fire trucks moving towards villages. the fires have now moved back in and we also have been following the slovenian firefighting crew. they arrived this morning in evia to assist local authorities and they are also en route to try and put out the new fire that has just restarted. i want you to take a look at this landscape, rosemary. i cannot even describe how thick the air is. my eyes are watering. you have ash in the air and of course the smoke that is so difficult to breathe in evia,

and in all parts of evia, we heard from the prime minister saying that there have been issues and weaknesses in their response. the locals here have told us that for so many days, they did not receive the needed assistance and that ask why fires in evia carried on for seven days. almost half of evia, virgin forest has been burned to the ground. homes have been lost. hundreds of people have been evacuated. of course now emergency assistance from international countries and other countries have arrived in evia. we've also been seeing many pickup trucks driving past with water for assistance. volunteers, locals, men and women coming together, putting out fires with branches. and those are the kind of scenes that we have been witnessing. but importantly here, rosemary, you also have this big worry about what's to come. when you have so much forest and so many people livelihoods being

destroyed, the question is what happens next? and the government, many people say, should be doing a lot more to try to get this under control. >> tragic. of course the government says they've done all they can, but eleni giokos keeping a very close eye on the fires in greece. many thanks. the wildfire season in the u.s. is already shaping up to be one of the worst yet. there have been nearly 40,000 wildfires so far this year, well above average for early august. the fires have burned through more than 3.5 million acres of land, roughly three times the size of the grand canyon. right now, more than 100 active fires are burning in the u.s., largely fueled by hot and dry conditions in the west. so for more, we are joined by meteorologist pedram javaheri. pedram, what are the conditions looking like right now, and what's it's going to take to contain these fires? >> my goodness, rosemary, i'm

here to tell you things are about to change and for the worse across parts of the western united states. the latest models here suggesting a tremendous heat wave. we've kind of seen this over the last several days as it develops, and now it looks almost certain that we're going to see another historic heat wave across portions of the western united states. upwards of 108 large active fires across 15 u.s. states. this is all in the backdrop of this heat wave developing and the national weather service taking this very seriously across washington state, where nearly the entirety of the state underneath excessive heat watches. work your way into oregon, excessive heat warnings. portions of northern california dealing with the warnings and watches in place, and high pressure beginning to build, will peak between wednesday and start around the western united states. temperatures this time of year should be around 79 degrees in seattle. they're close to it on tuesday. notice what happens by thursday and friday. the century mark yet again back in view there across portions of the northwest while in portland,

should be 84 degrees this time of year. they'll be aiming for around 107 degrees in parts of town come thursday into friday. so this incredible heat wave where temperatures run 25 to 30 degrees above average for some are once again back in store. we have the second largest fire in state history in california, the dixie fire. some 753 square miles of land consumed. notice that six of the top seven fires have all happened since august of 2020 for the state of california. so it really again speaks to what has been happening and the current state of affairs across parts of the western u.s. out across the atlantic ocean, it is beginning to approach peak season for tropical activity. we do have a potential tropical cyclone. this is poised to become tropical storm fred. the storm system, again, at this point looks like it will interact with land quite a bit here on its journey as it

approaches portions of hispaniola, cuba, and eventually this weekend possibly south florida. so we'll follow this carefully. again, that land interaction looks like it will weaken the storm system on approach for the united states. we don't expect this to be a major player, but it is getting going across the atlantic. >> unbelievable what we're seeing on the weather front. many thanks to you, pedram, for keeping a close eye on all of this. well, it's not just wildfires. heat waves, droughts, storms and floods are all happening more often and with more intensity because of climate change. a major new u.n. report warns the crisis is threatening life as we know it, not in the distant future but right now. the u.n. secretary-general calls it a code red for humanity. the report says some of the effects are irreversible but deep cuts to carbon emissions are necessary to slow the trend.

>> according to this report, we are still having a chance to start the negative climate trend by limiting of use of fossil fuels and by stopping deforestation. >> the vice president for climate change at conservation international joins me now. thank you so much for talking with us. >> thank you for having me. >> so this ipcc assessment report represents a wake-up call with a code red for humanity. what are the main points raised in this report that you want global leaders to focus on right now, and what action should they be taking? >> yeah. in my opinion, this report will probably be seen as one of the

most important scientific documents ever produced. it's referenced more than 14,000 studies. it's the first of its kind since 2013. it integrates advantagcements i science and comes at a critical moment when so many of us are personally experiencing the impacts of climate change like fires, droughts and extreme storms. there's nothing particularly surprising to those of us that work on climate change, but it does tell us a few things with more accuracy, urgency, and reconfirms why this must be the decade of action. so three points. the first is this report speaks about the certainty on the responsibility that human activity has had on rising temperatures. it's really unequivocal that human influence has warmed temperatures in our ocean, land, and atmosphere, and this is because of the higher precision that we have in understanding climate sensitivity. the second is that this past decade was most likely the hottest than any period in the

last 125,000 years. we also know that the combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation have raised the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere higher than they've been in 2 million years. so there's a certain degree of warming that we are now committed to, and we will keep seeing extreme impact with more severity if we continue on the course we are now. and how much worse it gets is in our hands and depends on what we do about it. >> well, of course it is important to note that despite extreme weather conditions across the planet with wildfires in some parts of the world and flooding in others, there are still world leaders and individuals who don't accept that humans have played a role in climate change. and as a result, they choose not to take any action at all. what would your message be to them? >> i think it's getting harder to deny the scientific consensus and the scientific fact that our planet is warming. and the evidence is all around us, and we're seeing these

impacts affecting all communities from all walks of life. but it's those that are on the front lines of climate change that are bearing the brunt of the most severe impacts. i would say that the cost of inaction, we've already begun to see, and it will just accelerate unless we act on climate change. the cost of inaction is much higher than the cost of action. >> so let's look at solutions, then. what do all nations and individuals need to be doing right now to save this planet? >> yeah. so the most important thing is lowering our emissions, is reducing and eliminating our reliance and dependence on the sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the combustion of fossil fuels. it also means stopping deforestation. we know that one of the largest sources of emissions is the burning and clearing of natural ecosystems. so we need to get serious about transitioning to zero or no-carbon energy. we have to get serious about

resolving and fixing unsustainable models of growth that assume infinite levels of consumption will be compatible or possible in the future. it means promoting renewable and regenerative materials and economies. and most importantly, unleashing the talent of human innovation, of our creativity and ingenuity to retool the rules and how our economy is designed. >> and are we as doomed as this report suggests? >> so the findings are dire. we've committed warming probably until the middle of the century, until 2050. we know that heat waves and fires are going to become a new normal. flooding, sea level rise. we've already locked in a certain degree of those impacts. but it is in our control to prevent or avoid some of the most catastrophic tipping points

that are expected, which would completely potentially displace millions of people, cause ecosystem collapse. avoiding those severe impacts is still within our reach, and it's still possible. >> all right. let's hope everyone can do their part. thank you so much for talking with us. we do appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. af ghans are fleeing the fighting in their country but they're running out of safe places to go. the latest on the taliban offensive. that's ahead. and will barcelona legend lionel messi be moving to paris? we're live at the psg stadium where fans and media are anxiously awaiting an update. back in just a moment. i wouldn't be here if i thought reverse mortgages took advantage of any american senior, or worse, that it was some way to take your home. it's just a loan designed for older homeowners,

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the taliban now controls six provincial capitals in afghanistan. a local official said the entire northern city of ear bach has fallen. with afghan forces under siege across the country, the u.s. envoy for afghanistan will meet with other regional officials to try to formulate an international response. civilians desperate to escape the taliban's offensive in the provinces have abandoned their homes to reach the relative safety in kabul. cnn's nick paton walsh has reported from inside afghanistan for many years, and he joins us now from london. good to see you, nick. what is the latest on these taliban advances and of course the implications for the afghan government and troops? >> reporter: we are now at a total of six provincial capitals that have fallen to the taliban

since friday. the town of abak is now quiet. it appears the insurgency has moved in. ghazni, a key city that it seems was greatly under threat yesterday by another taliban offensive, that is quieter according to a witness inside that city this morning, suggesting security forces are at least holding their positions. but it is extraordinary how the urban map of afghanistan has changed over the weekend and also i have to say extraordinary how the u.s. is responding to this crisis. yes, they said yesterday that there would be a use of drones and ac-130 gunships over the country. that is consistent with their desire to continue using air power to assist the afghan security forces at least for the next three weeks. but diplomatically dispatched the special envoy back to the capital of qatar, doha, for

three days of consultations with the taliban to try and impress upon them the need for a cease-fire, the need for them to slow down their offensive. i think this brings to mind again the slight disconnect of the u.s.-backed peace process here. it's been something that they initiated with afghan government disapproval, then tried to push the afghan government into. it appears frankly to have stalled and it is little worth the paper that it's currently written on. it's extraordinary that the diplomatic response we're seeing to essentially beseech the taliban, resting on the leif in some u.s. diplomat's minds that the taliban essentially want to be internationally recognized as they get their hands on the levers of power in the country and they don't want to repeat their position in the 90s of being an international pariah hit by sanctions. that doesn't appear to be having any impact on the taliban's

desire for a military victory on the ground. there is a younger generation, the sons frankly of the older leaders, leading a lot of this fight on the ground, and they do appear to be hungry for victory. so we will see how that plays out in the next few days on the ground territorially. there are cities under threat. there are afghan security forces who just recently found themselves putting a new general in charge of a key division. a lot of, i think, assessment happening with the afghan military's higher ranks as to how they go ahead and confront this constant series of changing fires that need putting out around the country and how that essentially begins to erode their capacity to respond and enables that taliban sense of momentum to grow. rosemary. >> all right. nick paton walsh bringing us the very latest from his vantage point there in london. appreciate it. a senior afghan official says government forces need close air support. as he put it, things are getting nasty. but u.s. president joe biden has said he won't consign another

generation of americans to the 20-year war. and the pentagon is firm. it's afghanistan's battle to fight. >> we don't have forces on the ground in partnership with them, and we can't -- we will certainly support from the air where and when feasible. but that's no substitute for leadership on the ground. it's no substitute for political leadership in kabul. it's no substitute for using the capabilities and capacity that we know they have. they have an air force. the taliban doesn't. they have modern weaponry and organizational skills. the taliban doesn't. they have superior numbers to the taliban. and so, again, they have the advantage -- advantages, and it's really now their time to use those advantages. >> kirby added there isn't much the u.s. can do if the afghan forces don't put up much of a fight.

meanwhile, canada has begun resettling afghan nationals who provided support to canadian armed forces in afghanistan. the government said it was working with urgency to resettle afghans who put themselves at risk to support canadian soldiers. officials said the first group of refugees is already beginning a new life there. canada is not releasing any more information about these resettlement to ensure the safety of the refugees. well, the belarusian president is denouncing a new wave of sanctions slapped on his regime by the uk, the u.s., and canada. the coordinated sanctions are a response to his crackdown on dissent. they were timed to coincide with the anniversary of his election, which many believe was rigged. during a news conference in minsk, alexander lukashenko lashed out. >> translator: we haven't had even the faintest idea for millenia about this great

britain. listen, you would start a third world war. is that something you're pushing us and the russians? do you want to win in this war? there will be no winners. if there are ones, it will not be you. >> president lukashenko went on to say he is open to negotiations. well, paris saint-germain fans are hoping to gain one of the game's all-time greatest. that's after barcelona legend lionel messi said it's possible he will sign with psg, capturing the crown jewel from a champion league's rival would be quite a coup but can the parisian club afford him? so what are you learning about whether messi will head to paris? >> reporter: well, rosemary, what i can tell you is that the long wait for lionel messi

continues, and many of the psg fans who have been hoping to catch a glimpse of messi ever since yesterday, some of them were lined up at le beurre jay airport just north of paris where messi's private jet could land. others were here at the psg stadium. some were even in front of the american hospital in paris where psg players get their medicals done. now, we were on the champs-elysees and we were able to speak to some of the fans that were right in front of the psg store. many of them now have high hopes for the champions league. take a listen. >> i think it's a very good news for the psg because it's the greatest player of the world. >> i think that this is a very important thing for the city of paris and for the football in paris because it's next-level

for this team. and i think that now it's time for psg to win the champions league because, yes, sergio ramos, messi, i think that now it's time. it's time to win. >> reporter: as you can hear, that anticipation, that excitement has been building ever since those reports that psg had offered messi a two-year contract. and we will just have to keep waiting until messi arrives. you will see behind me the police presence. we spoke to the police. they told us they had set up this safety perimeter for the fans that are expected to come back today. they could come back tomorrow. they'll be here until messi arrives. rosemary? >> we'll see what happens. saskia van dorn joining us live from paris. many thanks. just ahead on "cnn newsroom," the world is watching as china races to contain its most severe coronavirus outbreak

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officials in china are trying to contain a growing number of covid cases. with 15 high-risk areas now reported in 13 provinces. some cities are conducting several rounds of mass testing as new local infections continue to rise. journalist monisha tank joins us from singapore. china is using all the tools available, vaccines, masks, lockdowns. so why can't they contain these cases. >> reporter: rosemary, we're dealing with a very difficult variant, aren't we? the delta variant, which is highly infectious. that has a number of officials

in countries across the asia-pacific talking about the fact that it's going to be difficult to live with zero covid. that has been definitely the experience we've had right here in singapore. but picking up on the china story, people in beijing have been told they cannot leave their city to travel to these places where these cases have been reported. they only can in an emergency of some kind. those who have traveled are being monitored. all of this course six months before the beijing winter olympics are due to happen. and i'm sure that no doubt, organizers of that will be keeping a close watch on cases. but it's a really serious situation across the region. if we swoop on into thailand, for example, really ominous numbers coming from the country here in southeast asia. a record number of deaths reported, 235. that's in the last day or so alone. meanwhile, over in australia, you've got local authorities there talking about how they were thankful that it's been seven weeks of lockdown because the case numbers could have been even worse. there you have new cases being

reported in new south wales, 356 new ones. in the capital, sydney, that's where the bulk of them are coming from. what is very much in discussion is vaccination rates. australia's vaccination rate running at just over 22.5%, which is still too low really, the government is saying, to open up a country that was able to shut its borders. this is the problem that many countries that did shut its borders are grappling with is how long is that sustainable when you've got a variant on the loose that is as infectious as it is? elsewhere, vietnam, this was a country that was hailed at being such as a success in keeping numbers low. now 9,700 new cases, more than a third of them coming from the country's largest city, ho chi minh city.

how to get that rollout moving in countries where these case numbers keep going up and up, rosemary. >> it's dreadful. thank you for bringing us the very latest of what's happening in china. a chinese court has upheld the death sentence for a canadian man convicted of drug smuggling. robert lloyd schellenberg was initially sentenced to death in 2019 but a lower court. he says he's innocent. cnn's stephen jung is following his case and joins us live from beijing. what is the next level avenue available to schellenberg, and what is the background to this? >> reporter: now, rosemary, his case goes for final review by the supreme people's court before any execution could be carried out. but this case is attracting global attention because of geopolitical implications. the canadian government has condemned this latest court

decision but also vowing to continue to engage with chinese officials at the highest level to request clemency for him. but for many of beijing's critics, of course, this case is another example of china's so-called hostage diplomacy. that's something obviously the chinese government has strongly denied, but it's work taking a look at this case's timeline. schellenberg was first tried as an accessory to the smuggling of more than 200 kilos of meth back on november 28th, 2018. he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but decided to appeal. now, that date was important because a few days later on december 1st, a very high-profile executive from china's tech giant huawei was arrested at the vancouver airport by canadian authorities on behalf of the u.s. government for her alleged role in dodging u.s. sanctions against iran. that move by canada infuriated the leadership here with chinese officials promising unspecified but serious consequences for

canada. and within weeks, schellenberg was ordered to face retrial, and it was during that proceeding the prosecution claimed they had uncovered new evidence. so they decided to try him as a principal to the case and then convicted him and sentenced him to death in january of 2019. of course he decided to appeal again. but as we know now, he lost that appeal. but the timing of today's announcement is also interesting because the case in canada has also entered the crucial final fac phase of argument. >> we'll keep an eye on what happens next. steven jung joining us live from beijing. many thanks. one of jeffrey epstein's alleged victims is now suing prince andrew, saying she was sexually abused by the duke of york. virginia roberts giuffre says he forced himself on her when she was 17 years old.

in her lawsuit she claims it happened multiple times at epstein's home in new york and his private island and that his partner, ghislaine maxwell's home in london. prince andrew has said that he's never met giuffre despite this photo of the two of them. cnn has reached out to the prince's representatives for comment on the suit. buckingham palace has previously denied these allegations. still to come, a london landmark gets locked in place, and social media can't stop laughing. it's the most comfortable, body-sensing, automatically-responding, energy-building, dually-adjustable, dad-powering, wellness-boosting, foot-warming, temperature-balancing, recovery-assisting, effortlessly life-changing proven quality night sleep we've ever made. save up to $1,000 on select sleep number 360 smart beds and adjustable bases. plus, no interest until january 2024 on all smart beds ends monday.

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welcome back, everyone. well, london's tower bridge isn't falling down, but it wouldn't come down on monday. the bridge was raised to let a boat pass through, and then it got stuck. as cnn's jeanne moos reports, many on social media bridged the gap with jokes. >> reporter: when london's tower bridge got stuck in the up position, vehicular traffic came to a halt. but social media traffic jumped as posters made sarcastic suggestions. have you tried wd-40? and created godzilla memes.

i think i see the problem here, tower bridge. the much documented tower bridge lift occurs about 800 times a year. the buttons are pushed. >> stand by. >> reporter: the joystick is pulled. on monday, it was to let a wooden tall ship called the tenacious pass. but the bridge itself became tenacious when it was time to lower the roadway. the famous landmark had to endure puns. tower bridge just seemed a bit stuck up. and lots of commenters rewrote the lyrics to a diddy about another london bridge. ♪ london bridge and falling down, falling down, fouling down ♪ >> reporter: the lyrics were changed to "tower bridge ain't falling down." and ♪ tower bridge has broken down ♪ as well as

♪ london bridge is stuck upright, no one's moving ♪ the landmark's moveable radways were portrayed at pinball flappers. the lift has been memorialized in movies like "spice world". >> hold on to your nickers, girls. >> reporter: the bridge seems to bring out classic lines like john wayne in branigan, exclaiming -- >> oh, nuts! >> reporter: john wayne made the leap, crashed into a dumpster. when something this famous gets stuck in the upright position, prepare for mockery. ah, tower bridge is having a viagra moment. jeanne moos, cnn. >> oh, nuts! >> reporter: new york. >> thank you so much for joining us this hour. i'm rosemary church. i'll be back with more news in just a moment. do stay with us.

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. hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. just ahead on "cnn newsroom" -- >> bringing together large numbers of children, congregating them in classrooms with masks being optional, is just a formula for disaster. >> health experts warn children returning to school face bigger risks as states debate whether to make them wear masks. we're just hours away from a final vote in the senate tha