welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. just ahead on "cnn newsroom" -- >> i'm just not willing to risk or play russian roulette with somebody's life. especially not a child. >> adults, we've let our children down. >> it is a battle over masks in schools and getting children vaccinated with one top health official saying some state officials are putting kids at risk. soccer superstar lionel messi's new football club is

less than an hour away from officially introducing him. we'll go live to paris for that. and tropical storm fred forms in the caribbean and barrels toward florida. the latest forecast just ahead. good to have you with us. president biden is taking his covid vaccination campaign to business leaders, he will meet with a group of them later today to discuss strategies for getting more americans vaccinated. the meeting comes as three major u.s. airlines have announced they will not require employees to get vaccinated. delta, southwest and american airlines say they are encouraging employee vaccinations but won't mandate

them. but uhe nited says its employee need to get vaccinated by late october or risk getting fired. right now more than a half million americans are getting their shots each day, highest since june, but about 30% of eligible americans are still unprotected and that is a big concern as millions of children head back to the classroom. many not yet eligible to get the vaccine and at least some of the parents refusing to get it. >> my concerns are deep. the reason children are becoming infected is because in most cases they live in low vaccination rate states and communities, and they are getting it from unvaccinated adults. >> all this also comes as new numbers show the delta variant is causing more kids to get

sick. even sending them to the hospital. on top of that, in many areas, the school year has not even started yet. one sxeexpert says the clock is ticking to get vaccines approved for children under 12 or we will see them suffer even more. >> children in school many of whom will be undervaccinated or unvaccinated and you have communities where the virus is spreading and our behavior this fall is much different than last fall. a lot of schools never opened, much looser -- the behavior is much worse this year and i do worry coming into the fall and winter that children will suffer even more. i think the clock is ticking as we move to late fall and early winter, you want a vaccine for young children, i certainly hope we have one in place by then because children need this. >> perhaps even more troubling, covid-19 transmission rates remain high across much of the united states. and health care workers are feeling the brunt of it. here in georgia, the state's

largest health care system is reporting a surge of covid patients at its hospitals including children. and wait times to see a doctor are taking longer due to a shortage of staff. and in north carolina, state university announced it will require masks in all indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status starting monday. it is part of an effort to control the spread of the virus. in the state of maryland, baltimore's new indoor mask mandate went into effect monday, the mayor bluntly sounded off on those who don't like it. >> none of us want to go back to what we went through. and for anyone frustrated about wearing a mask and you are not vaccinated, look in the mirror, it is your fault that we're going back to the indoor mask mandate. make sure folks get vaccinated. if you are not vaccinated, shut up, don't complain. >> quite a message there.

meantime covid hospitalizations are surging in texas. right now more than 10,000 people are in the hospital with coronavirus across the state, highest rate since early february. and the state can't take much more, with just over 300 icu beds still available. to help combat the rising cases, officials in at least three counties are taking matters into their own hands by asking for restraining orders and filing lawsuits against the governor's ban on mask mandates but the governor is doubling down. his press secretary says violating executive orders and rights of parents is not the way to protect children. ed lavendera is in texas with more. >> reporter: all of this happening as the number of coronavirus cases continues to spike and we talk about the pressure on the hospital system is immense, we are seeing hospitalization levels that we have not seen since the worst days of this pandemic back in

late january and early june. the governor has not responded directly himself to what county officials and city officials in the biggest cities in the state are doing in requiring these masks and defying the executive orders that the governor has issued, only the press secretaryth secretary has come out to say that the governor still believes that the time for mask mandates is over. he is urging people to get vaccinated and he is saying it is the personal responsibility of texans across the state to do what they need to do to help get the coronavirus under control. but fact of the matter is that there is much less interest in people wearing plmasks and the number of people vaccinated is still not very high, well under 50%. so the push to get people vaccinated here in texas is just moving very slowly at this point and hospital officials we've spoken with say they are alarmed

about how severe the spike in hospitalizations has become here in this state. ed lavendera, cnn, dallas. well, a similar showdown over mask mandates in schools is playing out right now in florida. state officials have informed at least three counties they are under investigation for noncompliance after the school districts refi'ed governor desantis and put mask man dades in place. but the governor is defending his decision. >> i can tell you kindergartens, everybody says you have to wear it fitted properly and tight. do you honestly think these young kids are doing that? so i think parents should look to say it is doing more harm than good. >> but one county school board children woman told cnn prior to the probe that they refuse to be

bullied. >> i'm just not willing to risk or play russian roulette with somebody's life, especially not a child, a 5-year-old, a 4-year-old child that can't get vaccinated coming to a schooling, catches the coronavirus, goes home and in-effects the people in the house. lord knows how many we would have impacted with this pandemic. >> florida remains the new epicenter for covid in the u.s. and you can see how hospitalizations there have shot up in just the past few days. that is results in shortages of critical supplies such as hospital beds and ventilators. a health administration official says the federal government sent hundreds of ventilators to florida earlier this week but the florida governor claims he is unaware of any such request for equipment and would have to,

quote, check to see whether that is true. well, earlier i spoke with an infectious disease expert and i asked her about the decision by at least seven states to ban mask mandates in schools. here is what she had to say. >> they are going against science, they are going against what we know that works. they are going against what we know protects individuals including those innocent children where they cannot even get vaccinated. they need those masks to protect themselves from getting the virus. and it is very disappointing to see leaders, which should be the role model and that should be actually guiding individuals for the right thing to do, that they are just telling them to do the wrong things. >> so we know that the american academy of pediatrics is now urging the fda to speed up covid vaccine authorization for

children under 12. is is that what needs to happen now particularly with some of the governors banning mask mandates? >> that's correct. i mean, if there are governors which are banning these mask mandates which would protect those children that cannot even get vaccinated, the alternative is that those children are going to have to get vaccinated. and the only mechanism for this is to complete those trials quicker and get those vaccines available in to those arms of those children that need the protection from this delta variant. >> the doctor also says that the u.s. is at a tipping point and she says it will take every leader from all parties to get closer to herd immunity and put an end to this pandemic. in new york, kathy hochul is preparing to be the first woman to serve as the state's governor. she will take control in two

weeks from andrew cuomo who announced his resignation tuesday because of a sexual harassment scandal. governor cuomo defended himself as he tendered his resignation claiming that he had never intentionally made anyone feel uncomfortable, but he acknowledged the scandal had become too much of a distraction to stay on in the job. u.s. president biden had this reaction to the resignation. >> i respect the governor's decision and women should be believed when they make accusations that are on the face of them make sense and if they are investigated and the judgment was made that they said was correct. >> one governor cuomo's accusers is also speaking out. in a tweet, lindsay boylan said from the beginning i simply asked that the governor stop his abusive behavior. it became abundantly clear he was unable to do that, instead attacking and blaming victims until the end.

it is a tragedy that so many stood by and watched these abuses happen. well, cnn's brynn gingras is in new york with more on governor cuomo's resignation and the fallout surrounding it. >> the best way i can help now is if i step aside and let government get back to governing. >> reporter: new york governor cuomo announces he is stepping down, telling new yorkers he is a fighter, but it is time. >> wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing. and i cannot be the cause of that. >> reporter: the 63-year-old governor getting choked up at moments as he gave his resignation, speaking to new yorkers, his staff and three daughters. >> i've seen the look in their eyes. and the expression on their faces. and it hurt.

your dad made mistakes. and he apologized. and he learned from it. >> reporter: cuomo's decision comes exactly one week after the release of the state attorney general's report which concluded the governor sexually harassed 11 women in the past seven years. before calling it quits, the governor defended himself. >> it was also false. >> reporter: moments before the presser, his personal attorney laid out the faults that she found with the a.g.'s report, referencing some accusers by name. and said the governor wasn't given a fair process. >> this investigation took every possible negative thing that could be said about the governor and they put it in and they disregarded the positive, the things that would balance it, and the things that would undermine what some people were saying about the governor. and that is not right.

>> reporter: the governor also offering an apology to his accusers again attributing some of his actions as generational. cuomo specifically addressing his actions toward the trooper. >> the trooper also said in an elevator i touched her back and when i was walking past her in a doorway, i touched her stomach. now, i don't recall doing it. but if she said i did it, i believe her. >> reporter: and apologizing. >> it was a mistake. plain and simple. i have no other words to explain it. i want to personally apologize to her and her family. >> reporter: it was a dramatic fall from grace for the three term governor who cnn reported was actively fundraising for a fourth term but bringing relief to those accusing him of sexual misconduct, two women saying

they felt vin did i ind continu and grateful that their voices were heard. at least today one has faced some consequences. lieutenant governor kathy hochul will become the first woman to hold that top stop in new york government and we're told she did get a head's up from cuomo's team before he officially made those remarks in new york city. and we're also told that they spoke afterwards. we'll hear from hochul herself as she has her first public briefing in new york city later today. brynn gingras, cnn, albany, new york. even as eight provincial capitals have fallen to the taliban, u.s. president biden says that he doesn't regret the decision to withdraw troops from afghanistan. he has urged afghan leaders to fight for their country, but government forces are struggling to push the militants back. the u.s. special envoy for

afghanistan is in kiter in qata talks to inch a political agreement. the international red cross reports 4,000 afghans have been wounded in the fighting and hundreds of thousands more are at risk. clarissa ward is in kabul snd joining me now. of course the speed of the taliban advance has surprised u.s. officials and now the capital kabul could very well be next. what is the latest? >> reporter: i think a lot of people here on the ground are just shocked at the speed with which afghan security forces appear to be unraveling. as you mentioned just in the last five days, eight provincial capitals, that is roughly a quarter of all the provincial capitals in afghanistan and many more are under threat. we visited a couple of them,

both completely surrounded by the taliban. others like lashkar, site of heavy fighting. so there is the sense that things are disintegrating quickly indeed. they are calling on ordinary afghans to join the fight, to form what he called popular uprisings. he wants them to basically join forces with warlords in the various different areas across the country to try to push back some of the gains that the taliban has made. but i want to say that that might be a tall order because in the authorinorth where the nort alliance is situated, five provincial capitals have already fallen. so there is a sense that it is going to be a momentous challenge and that in turn is having an impact on the international community. we're hearing from kylie atwood in the state department saying that the u.s. embassy here is thinking about drawing down its

staff, this after they ordered all u.s. citizens to try to leave the country. there is a sense that things are deteriorating quickly. originally u.s. officials had maybe six months until the afghan government would fall here in the capital. but i should say it is relatively secure here, but now there is a sense that everybody is kind of recalibrating that estimate and looking at it being potentially much, much sooner with very worrying consequences for the future of afghanistan. >> it is such a big concern, isn't it. dla many thanks to clarissa ward. the u.s. estimates nearly 360,000 people have been displaced this year and some european leaders fear another migrant crisis. earlier i spoke with someone in

afghanistan. >> a lot of people are seeking shelter either in districts where the fighting has stopped or heading toward kabul with their families. often bringing nothing with them at all because they are leaving very quickly. but there are huge internal needs to meet the needs of all these people who have left their homes. and of course on the medical side, we're seeing the impact of the fighting and many are injured in the crossfire. we are receiving a lot of patients in our medical facilities with gunshot wounds, blast wounds. >> afghanistan is also dealing with another wave of covid and a severe drought. well, this just into cnn, the senate just voted to approve a $3.5 trillion budget resolution by a vote of 50-49.

now, this sets the stage for democrats to try to pass a sweeping economic package that would widely expand the country's social safety net. the resolution now goes to the democratic controlled house. the football star who wanted to begin and end his career with barcelona is now officially part of paris. his first news conference with his new club is quickly approaching. after months of negotiations, a major win for the biden administration with a potentially transformative infrastructure bill has cleared a major hurdle in the u.s. senate. >> after years and years of infrastructure week, we're on the cusp of an infrastructure decade. oils into a mist. with an extra boost of fragrance you can see... smell... and feel. it's air care redefined.

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so you can... retire better paris as the world awaits lionel messi's first news conference with his new club now just a half an hour away.

>> messi, messi! >> paris saint-germain fans have been cheering outside his hotel. me his initial debut in the french capital tuesday meeting with teammates and bosses and sealing the deal. it is reportedly a two year contract worth some $80 million. far less than he was previously making but still more than most other clubs could afford. so let's go to senior producer who is joining us from paris. good to see you. so a lot of pressure on messi to deliver. what is he expected to say next hour about his monumental move to paris and of course what has been happening so far? >> reporter: so we don't know that much about what he is going to say, but what i can tell you is as you said the anticipation here is building, the fans can't wait to see the press conference. it will be live on the screen just behind me, so they will be able to follow that. there are fans here but also fans lining up in front of the

psg stadium trying to get their hands on the number 30 shirt, it is not messi's shirt. this video from yesterday showing him getting the medical. and i want to talk about yesterday as well, it was such a big day for the fans. huge contrast to the tearful good-bye he gave on sunday this barcelona. yesterday he arrived and they lit off fireworks, the smoke machine, he waved from his window. exactly what the fans were hoping to see. and i want you to listen to what one of the fans told us. >> asking me if i'm excited? the g.o.a.t., that the best play he ever is coming to paris? of course. it is awesome. it is wonderful, it is great. another message that we are sending to europe and all over the world that paris saint-germain is growing up,

growing up. it is amazing. it is like living in a dream. >> reporter: so the fans finally believe that with messi they have a chance at winning that champions league. he is a six time winner. and so they are really banking on messi and of course now they will have a pretty strong trio. >> very exciting. many thanks. a u.s. senate panel wants to interview donald trump's former chief of staff, mark meadows, about efforts to overturn the 2020 election. documents obtained by the judiciary committee show meadows sent five emails in december and january to the acting attorney general asking him to look into fraud claims and other debunked theories. but jeffrey rosen who has already testified before the committee refused. the pressure is mounting for

the u.s. house of representatives to take up the massive infrastructure bill passed by the senate on tuesday. the white house says it is confident speaker of the house nancy pelosi can get the bill over the finish line. kaitlan collins reports it might be a while before president biden can sign it into law. >> reporter: capping off weeks of intense negotiations -- >> after years and years of infrastructure week, we're on the cusp of an infrastructure decade. >> reporter: with yes votes from 50 democrats and 19 republicans, the $1.2 billion infrastructure bill made its way through the upper chamber. >> i want to thank those senators who worked so hard. for the republicans who supported this bill, you showed a lot of courage.

>> reporter: president biden who was scheduled to be on summer vacation returned to washington to tout the chief mgt. >> america, this is how we truly build back better. >> reporter: for weeks, his top aides, ten senate democrats and republicans have worked fiercely behind the scenes to reach a deal. if passed by the house, it would revamp the nation's roads and bridges while boosting broadband connections and combatting climate change. >> this will deliver millions of jobs, clean drinking water and hide speed internet. >> reporter: lawmakers have said the cash infusion is urgent but nancy pelosi says she won't bring it up for a vote until another more ambitious policy package expected to have only democratic support also passes the senate. >> this message is he remains committed to passing each piece of legislation on dual tracks, that he will work in lock step with speaker pelosi.

>> reporter: modern house democrats are pushing for an immediate standalone vote as their progressive colleagues warn they won't vote for it until the $3.5 trillion package passes. democrats are immediately turning to the next part of biden's economic agenda with hopes of passing a $3.5 trillion trillion budget blueprint that would enhance the priorities that they left on the cutting room floor of the bipartisan talks. >> the two track strategy is proceeding full steam ahead. >> reporter: but first there will be a marathon of votes with mitch mcconnell warning of hundreds of gop amendments. >> we will debate and we will vote and we will stand up and we will be counted. >> reporter: and senator mcconnell and those other 18 republicans who voted to advance this infrastructure bill did so against the wishes of former president trump who tried to derail the efforts on several occasions and even threatened to primary some of those republicans who voted to get the bill passed. of course there is still a long

road ahead because it actually becomes law, because it has to go through the house and they have said that they will not take this up until they get that much bigger more ambitious package that they would also like to see among the progressives and house speaker nancy pelosi, but biden told reporters that he is confident both will happen. kaitlan collins, cnn, the white house. and in just the past few minutes, the senate approved the $3.5 trillion budget resolution kaitlan collins mentioned there. just ahead here, firefighters in greece say it could take moments to bring the country's raging wildfires completely under control. we are live on the island of ev iflt a. plus, a new tropical storm is bringing high winds and heavy rain to the caribbean. we'll have the latest on the forecast. if laundry stinks, it could be bacteria. detergent alone doesn't kill all odor causing bacteria. adding lysol laundry sanitizerr kills 99.9 %. lysol, what is takes to protect.

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. scary video from arizona which has been plagued with weeks of monsoons and flash scu this one where a man had to be pulled to safety after a flash flood overwhelmed his truck. and we're tracking a new tropical storm that has developed in the caribbean. tropical storm fred is the sixth named storm of the atlantic hurricane season. pedram javaheri is tracking the storm. >> good morning, rosemary. yes, we do have tropical storm fred and this is a storm system that forms in latter portions of the month of august. a little ahead of schedule here, but we have a 40-mile-per-hour storm gusting upwards of 50 miles per hour just south of puerto rico, precisely where we

have hurricane warnings this place at this hour and that stretches along the virgin islands and back toward the west there across portions of the dominican republic. this is a storm system that is projected to move directly across these islands, and eventually reemerge around portions of the caribbean and potentially the gulf of mexico. all of these areas, 82 degrees fahrenheit. and so plenty of warmth in the waters to siupport a system. but when you take a look at the track, a lot of land interaction is expected to keep the storm at bay. notice the cone of uncertainty does stretch over portions of water and also land. so if it favors more of the water, it could be a stronger storm. if it favors more of the land, especially across the mountains of cuba, it will be a weaker storm on approach to the united states. at this point we're expecting one on the weaker he said would

end would be a strong tropical storm across portions of the gulf. and person portion of the state of florida. so we'll follow it carefully and see exactly where it goes as we approach late this weekend and early next week. >> thanks so much for that. the prime minister of greece is pledging almost $600 million in emergency aid for people affected by the country's raging wildfires. many villagers on the island of evia are refusing to leave their homes, instead working alongside firefighters to battle the flames. cnn's eleni giokos is live in evia and is joining us now. so what is the latest on efforts to contain these fires and of course the impact on residents there? >> reporter: absolutely. look, we have heard from emergency services this morning that rekindling of fires is a reality today and that is the big risk. you can hear the helicopters

above. we've seen helicopters move in various directions carrying water, we also know visibility is still very much a problem. i don't know if you can see this wind today, every day we've spoken we haven't seen wind, which was actually a very good thing. this now perhaps creating another risk. what you see around me is olive plantations and we spoke to firefighters, this is what they are trying to save, plantations and pristine and virgin forests. when we spoke to the firefighters this morning that had been working for 48 hours straight, they say that they fear that this could carry on for honesties. a and when you get a fire under control, it keeps burning slowly.honesties. and when you get a fire under control, it keeps burning slowly. we went to some of the information investigations that had been decimated and you still see smoke coming from the ground and that is what you also see in other parts of greece. we spoke to emergency services

and they say there are active fires, rekindling of fires. and so the situation is still very much dire. when we hear from the prime minister, he has said that he apologizes for the weaknesses in response, but he also announced measures, tax breaks, remunerations to assist the people affected around the country. >> eleni giokos joining us live, many thanks for that. and wildfires are also sweeping through the western united states. the dixie fire in california is already the second biggest fire in state history, and it is only 25% contained. cnn's camila bernal has our report from hard hit greenville, california. >> reporter: firefighters have made some progress and containment has gone up, but for communities like this one, it is just too late. greenville will never be the same again. if you look here behind me, this used to be a hotel and then

across the street here, this is what used to be a locally owned drug store, down the street a hair salon, all of it nonexistent at the moment. and those families are having to deal with this loss. i spoke to a local volunteer firefighter who grew up here and will myers says he watched as the flames approached his town, this is what he told us. >> it was gut-wrenching. just knowing that there was so little that we could do to save it. the wall of flame was just rolling into town, propane tanks were exploding everywhere. really felt like we were in a warzone. >> reporter: and i've talked to other firefighters, one who described the fire as god being angry. another one describing it as a stubborn fire saying that sometimes it is calm but then it takes off again. a lot of these firefighters are

frustrated, they are tired, but they know there is still a lot of work to be done. the weather is not cooperating. the entire week we're expecting temperatures approaching 100 degrees. the high temperatures and the low humidity all contributing to what will likely be a fire that continues to grow over the next couple of days. camila bernal, cnn, greenville, california. the covid-19 pandemic is worsening among america's children. pediatric icus are filling up with kids and teens infected with the delta variant. ahead, why experts and hospitals are warning it is going to get worse.

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comcast nbcuniversal is investing in entrepreneurs to bring what's next for sports technology to athletes, teams, and fans. that's why we created the sportstech accelerator, to invest in and develop the next generation of technology that will change the way we experience sports. we've already invested in entrepreneurs like ane swim, who develops products that provide hair protection so that everyone can enjoy the freedom of swimming. like the athletes competing in tokyo, these entrepreneurs have a fierce work ethic and drive to achieve - to change the game and inspire the team of tomorrow. parts of louisiana are reporting an uptick in the peace of covid vaccinations, an

encouraging sign for a state hit hard by the virus. and officials say they are seeing more younger people getting the shot. that is good news as the country sees a spike in cases among children and teens. in new orleans the spike is alarming authorities, and hospitals warn it could get worse. nick valencia has our report. all >> reporter: when you think of people infected with covid-19, think of nelson, a 17-year-old with down syndrome has been in the pediatric icu at the children's hospital of new orleans for a week. every breath he takes is a struggle. hard to breathe? is that oxygen helping you? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: a little more than a week ago, nelson's parents knew something was wrong when he stopped eating. his mother says things got so bad, they thought he was about to die. when they brought him into the hospital, he was immediately placed in the icu. his parents say he has since

lost 20 pounds. >> he was very sick. >> yeah, he was vomiting. he vomited a lot. he was sweating more. >> oh, yeah. >> he expressed his discomfort more. just knew it. >> reporter: it has been a widely held belief that it virus doesn't get kids as sick as adults, but with the emergence of delta variant, that may be changing. >> the icu is being paed here with covid patients. this small girl behind me isn't even two years old. >> reporter: 18 children are being treated with covid here, six in the pediatric icu. kendall jaffrey has worked here throughout the pandemic and says it has never been this bad. >> over the last year we haven't seen as many kids get acute covid lung disease as much as we're seeing now that the delta variant is hitting them a lot harder and faster than we had seen in the past.

kids are definitely sicker than they have been. >> reporter: the surge of covid-19 cases across the country is alarming. american academy of pediatrics says there has been almost 94,000 reported cases counted in kids and the week ending august 5, calling it a substantial increase from a week before. chief physician dr. mark klein says it is disorienting and unnecessary to see so many children suffering from the virus. >> our ticket out of this is vaccination. vaccination of every eligible adult, of every eligible adolescent. >> your mom and dad are really worried about you. the doctors here are helping you out a lot. >> reporter: for nelson and his parents, his dying though sis h diagnosis has made the family reconsider getting vaccinated. until now, they said they didn't want to get the shot because they weren't sick but he is on the road to recovery, but they say seeing their son fight for his life have them rethinking

their decision. >> i want everyone to take precaution because it is serious. no one wants to set up here and watch their child fight for their life. you want to go home. i know, we're getting there. we're getting there. >> reporter: we know those images are difficult to see especially for parents. but this is the sad reality of covid in this country today. inside the children's hospital, we saw baby, some just a few weeks old, struggling to fill their tiny lungs with air. and what is even more troubling is what doctors say here they expect to happen is with the school year starting back up, that we're no where near as bad as it will ultimately get. nick valencia, cnn, new orleans. and still ahead here, convicted of espionage in china, a canadian businessman faces a long prison sentence. why the verdict may be linked to another legal case thousands of miles away. hey, i just got a text from my sister.

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taliban. this is in the northern part of the country. the official says government forces retreated to a neighboring province early wednesday morning local time. the official said both sides suffered heavy losses. canada's prime minister is calling it unacceptable and unjust. china's conviction of a canadian businessman on espionage charges and a prison sentence of 11 years handed down just hours ago. he was detained in 2018 along with another canadian, both were arrested after a top executive at the chinese tech giant huawei was arrested in canada. so let's bring in kristie lu stout in hong kong. what is likely the legal move next and could there be room for negotiation here? >> reporter: that is the hope and i'll explain that in a moment. look, after more than two years

in detention in china, finally a verdict in the case of the detained canadian businessman, the kurtcourt sentencing him to years and also said that he could be deported and some western observers are interpreting that ambiguity saying that came open the door to possible negotiation about his fate. i want you to listen to this. >> i think there is plenty of ambiguity and that is always good in these sort of cases because from a chinese perspective, it gives them bargaining power. and from canadian perspective, to allows us to expect more favorable outcome than 11 years sentencing. >> reporter: it was june last year when the two were charged with espionage in china, they were arrested in china december of 2018.

shortly after canadian police officers detained meng wanzhou, of course the chief financial officer of huawei and daughter of the ceo. and she has been charged of misleading hsbc about huawei's business dealings in iran potentially causing the bank to violate u.s. sanctions laws. so she is fighting extradition while under house arrest. and china meanwhile is thzing that there is no link here between the two detained canadians and the case of meng wanzhou, but western observers say this is an example of hostage diplomacy. and earlier today a strongly worded statement was issued by the u.s. embassy against the sen sentencing. >> kristie lu stout joining us live from hong kong. many thanks. getting the covid vaccine paid off for one teen in nevada quite literally.

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