capitol. welcome it our viewers in the united states and all around the world. this is "early start." i'm laura jarrett. >> and i'm christine romans. it's wednesday, march 10th, good morning, everyone. in nearly a year since the pandemic hit this could be one of the most consequential days in american history. the president's $1.9 trillion recovery plan is near. and defying health experts by dropping public health measures. >> as for the recovery package it could deliver a generational transformation of the economy. poll after poll shows broad public support but the measure has no republican backing in the house or the senate. daniella diaz is live on capitol hill with the very latest, daniella, good morning. huge day on capitol hill. >> reporter: good morning, laura. that's right, the house is going to vote on this massive stimulus package today marking the last step before it ends up on biden's desk and he signs this legislation into law. this is a major achievement for the bind biden administration. show they could put cash in the hands of working families devastated by the pandemic. and he had to walk a tricky line to moderate democrats and progressive democrats to get both sides to sign on to support this legislation as you noted because no republicans supported this legislation when it went through the house the first time. and when the senate voted on this after the house. and we're not expecting any republicans to sign on to this legislation today during the final vote before it ends up on biden's desk. this was a full-party line vote. and house speaker nancy pelosi dismissed any notion that there will be any drama within democrats when this goes through the house today for the last step. we are watching closely progressive democrats who weren't happy that this $15 minimum wage increase was not included in this legislation. but we're expecting them to support this legislation and sign on anyway. and biden is planning on having a prime time address tomorrow night where he will mark the one year anniversary since the covid-19 shutdown. he's also going to jump on air force one and travel across the country to meet with americans directly to convince them despite the large price tag on the legislation it will help americans directly. and he's also expected to address a joint congress next month where he will lay out the new york stock exchange administrative priorities of his legislation where we're expecting infrastructure to come up. that's likely where congress will work on that as a priority for the biden administration. >> daniella, thank you. this relief bill is expected to help millions, again, with no republican support. congressman ryan wants to know why. >> heaven forbid that we pass something that's going to help the damn workers of the united states of america. weapon talk about pension, you complain. we talk about the minimum wage increase, you complain. we talk about giving them the right to organize, you complain. but if we were passing a tax cut here you'd be all getting in line to vote yes for it. now stop talking about dr. seuss and start working with us on behalf of the american workers. >> make no mistake this legislation is transformative and temporary. and it is geared towards low-income americans. the expanded tax cut credit, to readd rate income equality and cut child poverty in half. a single mother with one child could see $1500 when you add the tax credit. and put it all together and the tax policy center says a low income household with children would see an average tax cut of nearly $7700 raising their after tax income after 35%. 35% raise for working families. there's money for housing aid. incentives for paid sick leave. increase in food stamps through september. money for vaccine programs, and schools. and jobless benefits that lasts through the fall. and the first $200 of that tax free. and agriculture, disadvantaged farmers, a quarter of whom are black, with expanded plans for health care under the affordable care act. the bill makes insurance more affordable, full little be president biden's key promising. breaking overnight, public school etchers in los angeles striking a deal to resume in-person learning. under the plan, teachers will be given the chance to get vaccinated before april. high schools will be good to open by end of the april. los angeles is home to the country's second largest public school district with more than 600,000 students. >> but potentially deadly step backward in texas today. a statewide mask mandate covering 29 million people ends, even though health experts warn this move is premature. some texas cities are keeping their mask rules in place, despite the lack of the statewide policy. cnn has reporters covering the pandemic now coast to coast. >> reporter: i'm dan simon in houston where on wednesday, the state will officially lift its mask mandate and allow businesses to open up at 100% capacity. governor greg abbott made the decision. for now, though, the decision might be more symbolic as it appears most businesses will still require customers to wear masks. critics call misguided in part because the state has one of the highest positivity rates in the nation at nearly 15%. >> reporter: i'm martin savidge in atlanta. the governor of alabama said she's ordering up the national guard so that people in rural areas can begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine saying we need to use every tool in our toolkit, so that we can get covid-19 behind us. governor kay ivey says she has order the national guard to set up vaccination sites in 24 count this starting on march 23rd. the alabama guard says it has the capability of fielding two rotating vaccination sites, each with the ability to deliver about 1,000 doses a day. >> reporter: i'm erica hill. vermont is expanding eligibility for the vaccine to household members who accompany black, indigenous and people of color to their vaccination appointments. it's all part of an effort to expand equity and access throughout the state. that new policy goes in effect next week. >> reporter: i'm kristen holmes in washington, d.c., more states are expanding that vaccine eligibility as more doses are coming on the market. in louisiana and vermont, as soon as today, anyone over 16 with pre-existing condition will be eligible to receive a vaccine. for vermont, this comes a week ahead of their scheduled time line. in minnesota, they've announced that two phases will be opening at once. this will allow anyone with pre-existing condition, as well as those meat plant processing workers to be eligible for the vaccine. all of this coming on the heels of one of florida's largest health systems opening up their vaccine eligibility as well. now, we expect to see more and more of this as vaccine makers continue to promise a surge in doses by the end of the month. >> in alaska, now the first state to eliminate all eligibility requirements for a vaccine. it will be made available to every resident 16 and older. access to shot has been pretty uneven. some states still reserving them for older adults and other high-risk groups. >> the fbi releasing new video of the person wanted for planting the pipe bombs at the rnc and dnc headquarters a night before the capitol insurrection some two months ago. this is the clearest look yet at the suspect walking down sidewalks and alleys before planting the bombs. the fbi is offering $100,000 reward for information leading them to the suspect. the wanted poster includes these nike shoes you can see. the bombs were rigged with a one-hour timing device. it didn't go off. but that undercuts the theory that the bombs were meant to divert officials before the mob stormed the capitol. >> unaccompanied migrant children detained at the u.s. board, record levels of children there as officials struggle to find them shelter. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle 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along the southern border. according to data reviewed by cnn there are now about 3400 unabout companied minors in the custody of customs and border protection. and now arrested 100,000 people in the four weeks leading up to march 3rd, and that is the highest number in that same time period that we've seen in at least the last five years. so there are significant changes going on that we're witnessing along the u.s. southern border. and that is putting.biden administration under a great deal of scrutiny and intense fire. not only from republicans here in texas but also some democrats that are saying this is starting to reach a crisis level. the biden administration refuses to say this is a crisis. they say they're trying to take a much more humanitarian -- administration. but clearly, the numbers are starting to go up along the southern border. as more and more migrants are making their way to the united states. christine and laura. >> ed lavandera, thank you so much for that report. while republicans try to limit voting access in nearly a dozen states the de facto leader of the water, well, he shows once again how he won't hesitate to use the current rules to his an. according to election records, former president trump requested a mail-in ballot ahead of a municipal election in florida, that, of course, in spite of his nonstop relentless attacks on mail in voting before the election. he has voted by mail in florida before. he thinks florida is different. states are tightening limits on absentee voting. right now over 250 bills designed to make it harder to vote. >> iowa tightening rules on in-person voting. voting drop boxes could soon be banned in florida even though very popular with voters. the chairman of the election committee released a proposal that would completely ban drop boxes for ballots. he claims it's because of election committee concerns. those concerns, of course, repeatedly debunked. still ahead, buckingham palace with the statement and cnn is 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recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. harry, meghan and archie will always be much loved family members. they have learned the full extent the challenges the couple faces and suggests they weren't fully aware. also that line recollections may vary. a very diplomatic way of saying perhaps some the accounts of harry and meghan are certainly not as they saw them. this will be dealt with privately. this is the last we will hear of this, as we are led to believe, and that is really an attempt to draw a line under this. and that final line, i think, hoping for reconciliation, saying they'll always love harry and meghan and archie. that-l this be enough to stem the outrage around the world particularly around the royal family. i'm not sure. if anyone expected an apology, they will be disappointed. this is far more an acknowledgement. prince charles was out on an official visit in a vaccination center in london. inevitably, someone -- very statement, it says exactly what the royal family wants to say, and it's cleverly worded and no off-the-cuff remarks. i think the questions will be asked of the royal family on their engagements and they'll continue to dodge it. perhaps they've outworn the statement, some people will draw parallels again on how princess diana was treated by the royal family and how harry and meghan are treated now. >> anna stewart for us at windsor. thank you. laura. well, the royal family isn't the only one dealing were the fallout from the interview in the uk. >> i understand that you don't like meghan markle, you've made it so clear a number of times on this program. has she said anything about you? has she cut you off? i don't think she has, but you continue to trash her. >> okay, i'm done with this. >> no, no -- >> sorry, see you later. >> no, no, i'm being -- >> sorry, can't do this. >> this is absolutely diabolical behavior. >> you heard anchor piers morgan say see you there storming off the set. well, he is leaving "good morning britain" morgan has been critical of meghan markle for years. overnight, he dug in. >> if people want to believe meghan markle, that is entirely her right. i don't believe anything that's come out of her mouth. i think the damage she's done to the british monarchy and the queen and prince philip lying in the hospital is enormous and frankly incensable. and if i had to fall on my sword with meghan markle and that diatribe that she came out with then, yes. >> he also said that parting with itv was amicable and he and managemented agreed to disagree. two new alliances in the space wars. china and russia announcing plans to build a lunar space station together. the deal is signed regarding facilities on the moon surface and to its orbit. they say it will be open to all countries who are interested. not clear what this means for russia's partnership with the u.s. on the international space station which just marked 20 years of continuous human 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the most consequential days of the american recovery. with the family becoming known as the pandemic, on the other, one of the most crowded states in the nation is putting recovery at risk by defying health experts and dropping public health measures. >> as for the recovery package this is truly landmark legislation that could transform the economy, as we know it. and poll after poll shows broad public support. but the measure has no republican backing in the house or the senate. daniella diaz is live on capitol hill with the very latest, daniella, this is coming just in the nick of time as unemployment benefits are set to expire in four days. >> reporter: that's right, laura, the house is set to vote on this landmark legislation, this mass live $1.9 trillion covid relief package where it will land on biden's desk to sign the legislation into law. this legislation is a major achievement for the biden administration. they wanted to help americans directly to put cash into the hands of working class and poor families devastated by this pandemic. and biden had to navigate very tricky relationships in congress with moderate democrats and progressive democrats to be able to have them bone sign on to this legislation. and as you noted, there's absolutely no republican support on this legislation. and we're only expecting democrats to sign on to this legislation today again for the second house vote before it ends up on biden's desk. and house speaker nancy pelosi dismissed any notion that will be any drama with house progressives today who are upset that this $15 minimum wage increase was removed from the legislation after the senate parliamentarian ruled it could not be included. some democrats are upset there is no republican support. in fact, a passionate tim ryan took to the house floor to scold republicans for not supporting this legislation. here's what he had to say. >> heaven forbid we pass something that's going to help the damn workers in the united states of america! heaven forbid! we tilt the balance that has been going in the wrong direction for 50 years. we talk about pensions. you complain. we talk about the minimum wage increase, you complain. we talk about giving them the right to organize, you complain. but if we were passing a tax cut here you'd be all getting in line to vote yes for it. now stop talk about dr. seuss and start working with us on behalf of the american workers. >> so, agencs you heard there f tim ryan, he's very upset and as well as other democrats very upset and republicans who have signed on to support the legislation. that's not stopping biden for an address on this issue. he will have a prime time address to mark the one-year anniversary of the shutdown. he's also jumping on air force one to travel across the country to meet with americans directly to convince them despite the large price tag on the legislation it will help americans. he's also going to address the joint congress to lay out the next legislative priorities for it's legislation. we're expecting him to talk about a large infrastructure package. >> that's interesting he's not putting his names on the check despite his predecessor doing so. daniella, i want to talk about vaccines. johnson & johnson has been slow out of the gate on theirs, even though it's one dose. that's the subtext for a meeting at the white house today. tell us what's going on there. >> reporter: that's exactly right the ceos of merck and johnson & johnson will meet with biden today to discuss vaccine distribution. biden is putting a lot of importance on this specific johnson & johnson vaccine. as you noted it is one dose, and it doesn't need the ultra cold temperatures that the other vaccines need to be stored. making it a much easier vaccine to distribute. but we've learned that 400,000 doses of this vaccine will be distributed next week. biden is eager to get more vaccines out there, more shots for americans, that is why he's putting such importance in the sing-dose vaccine and meeting with the ceos today. >> daniella, thank you. the treasury department will have to make sure relief gets to states to people quickly once the bill is passed. treasury secretary janet yellen promising to get it done soon. >> if we do our job, i'm confident that americans will make it to the other side of this pandemic, and be met there with a pressure of prosperity. by the end of the year, i expect your city economies will resemble 2019, much more than 2020. that's going to be a part of this bill's legacy. helping americans endure the final months of this crisis. >> this is legacy-building legislation. families can expect thousands of dollars in relief. first with stimulus checks, then with the expanded child tax credit. the key here is direct monthly payments for families, instead of a lump sum at tax time. there's also an extra $300 in jobless benefits through the fall. the first 2,200 is tax-free. tax breaks for child care, elderly care, incentive to keep money in their homes. millions of people will benefit whenever this hits the president's desk, laura. life for 29 million people in the lone star state returning to normal ready or not. a statewide mask mandate lifted and businesses can open to full capacity, all despite warnings from public health officials who say niece new highly contagious variants, well, they make full reopening dangerous. some texas cities are keeping their full mask mandates most likely putting small business owners in line for conflict. >> we're hoping that most americans, texans, good hearted people, care about their neighbors and friends and the majority will follow the rules. unfortunately, we'll have folks that won't. i can see the conflict coming and the cops will be stuck in the middle just like we always are. overnight, alaska now plans to widen its vaccine availability. it's the first state to make vaccines available to everyone, 16 or older. 1 in 10 people in the u.s. now fully vaccinated. about 65% of people age 65 or older have received at least one dose. the cdc say it may update travel guidelines for those fully vaccinated when the science is clearer. the white house says developing a vaccine passport for american travelers is not on the table yet. >> right now, our focus as the u.s. government is on getting more people vaccinated. and we'll think about how people can demonstrate they are vaccinated, as we get more people vaccinated. but that's where we're putting our energy and resources. >> mahmoud ahmadinejad plans to remove all covid restrictions on restaurants and other businesses and lifting quarantine requirements for out-of-state travelers but keeping the mask mandate in place. 47 states and district of columbia are now allowing teachers and school staffs to receive vaccines. missouri, new hampshire and new jersey set to join them in the coming days. this morning there is growing concern for so-called long haulers. these are people suffering from covid effects months after fighting off the virus. new research shows originally, they may have had no symptoms at all. >> we did not appreciate the effects of people, a large number who didn't die, frankfully, but had substantial symptoms. we're going to find a large number of americans with substantial disability from this virus from this infection. and the cost of that human and financial is going to be long term, and we're going to have to manage that as a country. >> meanwhile, around 300,000 people are expected at a florida motorcycle rally in the middle of a pandemic. back in august, the sturgis motorcycle rally in south dakota was linked to dozens of cases in neighboring minnesota alone. university of california davis is offering incentive, $75,000 to spend during the break in the area to prevent travel and to put money instead into local businesses. text messages show a florida county commissioner and a wealthy developer discussing how a vaccine drive in a ritzy zip code could give governor ron desantis positive exposure. cnn obtained these through a positive records request. they talked about how 2022 is around the corner and plan to make a big deal out of the vaccination site because it could be, quote, huge for the governor. asked about the text said that the vaccine drive was to help older americans and claimed that the quote was demonizing the drivers because they didn't want people, quote, to be vaccinated who disagreed with themlically. day two in the trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin accused of murder of george floyd, prosecutors questioned nine potential jurors at the end of the day, three seated. two were white, the other person of color. opening statements will be march 29th. a reporter arrested while covering a george floyd protest last year taking the stand in her own defense. the des moines reporter was arrested with her boy frenld during a protest that turned chaotic. she said she complied with every police command. >> i didn't think it was a good idea to run from officers. i wasn't doing anything wrong. so i put up my hands, i said i'm press. i'm press. i'm press. he grabbed me and pepper sprayed me. as he was doing so, he said that's not what i asked. >> she faced misdemeanor charges. a verdict could come as soon as today. a landmark measure in 2018, texas democrat sheila jackson lee introduced this bill on monday. one republican brian fitzpatrick is supporting it so far. president biden co-sponsored the women's act as a senator back in 1994. we'll be right back. i'm a verizon engineer. we built our 5g nationwide so millions of people could do what they love in verizon 5g quality. and in parts of many cities, we have ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 14 day system. with a painless, onesecond scan i can check my glucose without 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secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determinatio. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. . ♪ almost five years ago a young entrepreneur returned to china after attending a prestigious state department program in the u.s., then he vanished. his sister believes her brother is one of the roughly 2 million uighurs and other minorities retained by the government in interment camps. cnn's kylie atwood reports. >> reporter: rayhan asat handy seen her brother in almost five years after he returned home to china and disappeared. now in a rare interview with cnn the chinese national living in the united states said recent images of him are shocking, she hasn't seen them herself but says he was described as -- >> absolutely unrecognizable. he lost tremendous weight. he looks like a bone with a human face, except the face is absolutely unrecognizable. >> reporter: ekpar asat, a successful chinese entrepreneur went missing in 2016 after arriving back in china from a state department program in the u.s. >> years have gone by and i'm still looking for answers. >> reporter: she said the chinese government without evidence or a trial sentenced him to 15 years in prison, on charges of incitement of ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination. the harvard law school graduate said 35-year-old ekpar never criticized chinese leadership. and believes he is up to one of 2 million uighurs and ethnic minorities detained by the chinese government and put in interment camps. >> he spent three years in the concentration camps. and only in january 2019, he was transferred to prison. >> reporter: the chinese government says it's a policy of reed indication. the u.s. government has called genocide. the chinese dispute those claims. >> translator: the claim that there's genocide couldn't be more preposterous. it's just a rumor fabricated with ulterior motives and a lie through and through. >> reporter: after years of staying silent, rayhan has begun speaking out, taking to new social media platforms and speaking with us. a great risk, she says, to her and her family's lives. what do you think would happen to you if you went back to china? >> i think i would also disappear into the shadows of these interment camps. >> reporter: your parents are still in china? >> they are. >> reporter: do you fear for their safety? >> i do. every time i speak out, i do. >> reporter: now, asat is turning her attention to the new biden administration. which is facing mounting pressure from human rights advocates to hold china accountable for these camps. former detainees tell cnn inmates are subject to rape and forced sterilization which the chinese government denies. president biden voiced concern about these alleged human rights abuses in china's region during the first phone call with president xi. biden publicly claims china will face repercussions. his administration has yet to offer specifics. >> but i think the question that we are posing to like-minded allies and partners around the world is what collectively can we do. >> reporter: for her part, rayhan is very clear, she believes the biden administration must put this genocide above everything else when dealing with china. >> i would love to have an opportunity to make a case for president biden and secretary blinken that any sort of future engagement with china has to have some form of conditions. and one of which, to release my brother. >> reporter: kylie atwood, cnn, the state department. >> what a story. kylie, thank you for that report. well, arkansas just passed a near total ban on abortion. the measure bans the procedure except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency. anyone who breaks the law, well, they could face a $100,000 fine and up to ten years in prison. opponents are vowing a legal challenge on this. 11 similar bans have been passed in 2019 but none have taken in effect. let's take a look at markets around the world right now asian shares closed mixed. europe also mixed. paris and frankfurt slightly higher on wall street. futures this morning, mixed as well. look, yesterday was a recovery on wall street, the dow closed up slightly. the big story, tech. tech stock surged. nasdaq up 4%. big recovery there, best day since november. it's now up 64%. the nasdaq over the past year. investors have been worried about what the recovery could mean for tech stocks. some analysts say tech will still benefit from online shopping and streaming services even after pandemic restrictions ease. investors on wall street paying close attention to consumer price index that monitors inflation. if that number comes in hot again for february it could give investors another reason to sell. again, tech stocks have hit that official correction and bounced back. still a great year for tech. the biden administration administration signaling it will be tougher on tech, leading critics of the industry joining the white house. a new national economic council, and lena khan, both are outspoken on tech and a major shift on how the administration handles antitrust. watch this space, laura. > miami heat apologizing for using a slur. andy scholes has more. andy, this came out because of avid yoa video game? >> yes, he's going to be out while using that slur call of duty. and live streaming it all. leonard apologized promising to do better adding while i didn't know what the word meant and my ignorance and how offense to the jewish community is absolutely not an excuse. and i was just wrong. the heat released a statement saying the words used by myers leonard were wrong. and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise. the miami heat will cooperate with the nba while it conducts its investigation. leonard had shoulder surgery last month. and the ncaa tournament, a perfect 26-0 record. but it wasn't easy. the bulldogs rallied back from their biggest halftime deficit. beat byu, 88-78 last night. gonzaga plays and 40 years to end the tournament with a perfect record. so far, 11 teams have clinched spots in the ncaa tournament. the full field of 68 is going to be announced on sunday. >> gonzaga's women, meanwhile, also champs beating byu at the buzzer. down to 6 seconds on the clock. the team mates rush to the court to celebrate with her. it was townsend's first two points of the game, they were big ones. bulldogs winning their first conference tournament title in three years in dramatic fashion there. all right, finally a huge honor for university of texas rio grande texas coach, lew hill has been named coach of the year. he was battling a rare bone marrow disorder. and also recently battled covid-19. lew hill was just 56 years old. guys, the coach of oklahoma worked with hill for many years and said the world lost a special person when hill passed away. he touched so many young men's lives. >> just too young. thanks andy. then this, a new york woman just filled a prescription for the best medicine of all. that's a tender lasting moment for evelyn shaw. she's now fully vaccinated and finally able to hug her granddaughter for the first time in a year because the pandemic. look at that, her doctor wrote an actual prescription saying she is allowed to hug her granddaughter. >> you have heard from me, i've been waiting a year to hug my grandma. news alert at 10:00 when it happen. can't wait. >> i know, i can't wait for her to get her second shot. >> thanks for joining us. i'm christine romans. >> i'm laura jarrett. 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