senate. president biden plans to sign it into law tomorrow. >> joining us now, cnn chief political correspondent, dana bash. the co-anchor of "state of the union." and dana, this will be an east room address, we understand. and we are told new details this morning. the president will honor the 500,000 lost to covid, the millions of people being affected. he'll discuss what's being done to accelerate vaccination efforts and lay out the next steps in getting the pandemic under control. that's the what. what about the why? why are we seeing this tonight? >> why is because the people in the biden white house, starting with the president himself, remember 2009. remember what happened the last time a democratic president started his administration with a giant piece of legislation that was passed by democrats. and it was completely attacked in such a big way that it helped to create the tea party and helped to create the 20102010 republican takeover of the house of representatives. and the feeling among a lot of democrats is that the reason that that happened is because president obama and other democrats weren't -- they didn't think they needed to sell it the way president biden's aides think he meeneeds to sell this. and they also need to combat the messaging we've seen in a very, very unified and strategic way on the republican side, by all the republicans that voted "no" is that this is a liberal takeover, this is socialism. so they want to try to nip that in the bud from the very beginning. and you know -- by the way, i'm saying that about the republican messaging, despite the fact that cnn's poll and others show how popular this is. they want to make sure that it stays that way. and more importantly, i don't want to make it that it's all about politics. they want to make sure that people understand how this is going to help them. because this is very, very real, very personal for people across the country. >> dana, have you also seen, at least to my ear, but you're much more trained in this, a bit of a casting about by republicans to settle on some complaint about this? so first with liz cheney, it was, it's not targeted enough, it's a tragedy. then you heard senator lindsey graham say, it's too targeted to focus on black farmers. that's not right. and senator mitch mcconnell had an entirely different complaint about it. here he is. >> we're doing damage to the future of this country by spending dramatically more money than we obviously need. we're about to have a boom. and if we do have a boom, it will have absolutely nothing to do with this $1.9 trillion. >> that's interesting. robbing it of the credit for helping the economy before it can get any traction. so do you think that any of these messages are resonating? >> i think it's an all of the above strategy, alisyn. the republicans are trying to take all of those things combined to try to rob, as you said, a joe biden credit and the democrats' credit for doing this, once people start to feel relief economically. once people start to get the vaccines in their arms, because there's money for that. once kids start to go back to school, i mean, there are other factors in that. you know, the list goes on and on and on about the relief that people should be getting. look, this is a very big bill. this is almost $2 trillion. when you say that out loud, it is really hard to wrap your mind around what that really means. having said that, i don't remember mitch mcconnell talking about runaway spending when donald trump was in the white house, who was the king of debt. he just didn't care. and i don't remember a lot of republicans saying that they were against targeted payments when donald trump was pushing for even bigger payments than what is in this bill. he wanted $2,000 payments. this is $1,400 payments. of course there's politics in this, no surprise, but that is why you are going to see president biden not only speak tonight, but he and his aides are going to fan out across the country to try to sell this and explain this and combat all of those messages that we've heard from republicans. >> so republican senator roger wicker of mississippi, he's got a different angle on this. he says it's awesome, at least parts of it. the guy who voted against it are saying parts of it are awesome. he talks about the independent restaurant owners have won $26 billion of targeted relief to ensure small businesses can survive. that's pretty -- i don't know, craven might be a word that i would use. comes to mind there. >> brazen, craven. of >> to brag about -- >> yeah. >> which shows you, republicans know that there will be people who feel real benefit from and quickly in ways that a lot of legislation, they just don't. >> that's exactly right. it is a shot in the arm, because we're talking about shots in the arm, in every way. and it is a shot in the arm economically. but what you just said about roger wicker, you guys remember, in 2009, it's another lesson. republicans slammed the stimulus bill and then they went out and edit photo ops with whatever opening or whatever groundbreak was happening in their district to take credit for it, even though it was in many cases largely paid for by the stimulus bill that they voted against. this is exactly what is already happening and is going to happen. and that, again, is why we are going to see and hear democrats try to be more aggressive in the pushback on the messaging on this. >> dana, thank you very much. >> good to see you guys. >> you too. now we want to get to the growing surge of migrants on the southern border. 3,400 unaccompanied minors now in the custody of border agents. the biden administration scrambling to find housing for them, even considering a vacant nasa facility as a temporary shelter. joining us now is democratic senator, jeff merkley. senator, thank you so much for being here. i know that this has been an issue for you, what's happening at the border, for years now. and so, is it fair to call what we're seeing today at the border a crisis? >> well, it's approaching a crisis. what we have is a surge of children. more than half of them were the children that were stranded for months, some for years by the trump administration in mexico under completely intolerable circumstances. and now that the border is not closed, they're knocking on our door. and you had a set of policies that were determined to treat children very poorly, so you didn't have essentially the systems in place under the trump administration and the biden administration is creating those systems, and they're doing it with a completely different vision and a completely different vision from the trump administration. the trump administration said -- go ahead. >> well, yes, i hear you pip understand, we remember well that the trump administration had this zero tolerance policy. they separated nursing infants and toddlers who couldn't speak english from their parents as a deterrent. we remember that. but is it possible that the more humane policy that the biden administration says that it is now behind, the more compassionate policy that they are using is having the unintended consequence of being seen as an opportunity for some of these unaccompanied minors. and it's actually spiking the numbers. >> well, i think it is absolutely fair to say that it's seen as an opportunity by those children who are stranded across the border for months and years and have been waiting for the ability to knock on our door. the question is, is it also going to be seen that way by children throughout central america and parents throughout central america who are in very difficult circumstances in very corrupt, oppressive regimes. and are they going to start coming north? and then we'll see a real crisis. >> how could it not be? how could it not be? given that there's been this change towards something, and i'm using biden's language, more humane, how could it not be seen as an invitation or an opportunity? >> i wouldn't call it an invitation, because the biden administration has been sending the message, do not come north. and they've been talking to governments throughout the region on their strategies. but, the process that they're really working on, remember that we had at one point 15,000 children in detention under the trump administration. they're trying to instead quickly move these children into sponsored families. and they're doing that by putting case managers on overtime, when sponsors can't afford the plane tickets, they're paying for the plane tickets, they're trying to make sure that the children spend the minimum amount of time in these border patrol stations, where the circumstances are totally inappropriate for children. so they're operating with the right heart. as you note, is that going to cause more to come north? well, the administration is certainly recognizing that that's a challenge. but who are we as a nation? are we going to return to the trump strategy of deliberately mistreating children? absolutely not. so we do have to have the process to be able to adjudicate these cases, go through and say, do you really qualify for asylum? do so in a timely manner. because doing so in that fashion will also send a message and affect the flow of any individuals. >> here's how senator lindsey graham categorized all of this yesterday. >> it's going to be an economic crisis for our cities along the border. and eventually, it's going to be a national security crisis, because they're children today, baa they could easily be terrorists tomorrow. >> children today, terrorists tomorrow. what's your response to him? >> well, it's the fearmongering that we saw so often about immigrants or rapists and murderers and terrorists. and it's simply not true. and we need to recognize that immigrants commit crimes at a far lower rate than do native-born americans. so let's not indulge in that type of rhetoric. >> senator merkley, thank you very much. we always appreciate talking to you about this issue that we know you have been focused on and we will be, obviously, monitoring the situation at the border for the next days and weeks. we'll talk to you again. >> thank you, take care. >> john? all right. masks now the focus of a legal battle in texas. the new response from one city mayor who's refusing to follow the governor's order, coming up. also, moments ago, prince william making his first public comments about prince harry and meghan markle. what he says about claims of racism within the royal family. still your best friend. and now your co-pilot. still a father. but now a friend. still an electric car. just more electrifying. still a night out. but everything fits in. still hard work. just a little easier. still a legend. just more legendary. chevrolet. making life's journey, just better. chevrolet. here's another cleaning tip from mr. clean. cleaning tough bathroom and kitchen messes with sprays and wipes can be a struggle. there's an easier way. try mr. clean magic eraser. just wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum... and caked-on grease from oven doors. now mr. clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. they're perfect for icky messes on stovetops... in microwaves... and all over the house. for an amazing clean, try mr. clean magic eraser, and mr. clean magic eraser sheets. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? 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>> what a year it has been. it's amazing when you sort of look at these retrospectives and see it all put together. a lot of questions still remain. world health organization, as you mentioned, what was their role? what will their role be going forward? for now, in future pandemics? but also something you point out, as a general, wealthier countries fared worse than poorer countries. why is that? these are some of the questions we asked. >> the world health organization is finally calling the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. >> that was march 11th, 2020, and this word "pandemic" came to define our very lives. but it was months earlier that the world health organization was first trying to get our attention. >> i'm declaring a public health emergency of international concern. over the global outbreak of novel coronavirus. >> the importance of that is that you raise the alarm before you're in a situation where the world is in a pandemic. >> reporter: maria van kerkhove is the w.h.o's technical lead for the coronavirus response. >> the worrying trend now are increases in europe. >> reporter: whether on our town halls or daily w.h.o news conferences, for the last year, she's been trying to change the trajectory of the pandemic. did countries respond differently? did they have more resources? what happens when the world health organization raises these alarms? >> every country is unique. it wasn't about rich or poor countries, it was about experience. it was about those countries that knew the threat that this was. they heeded our warnings. >> reporter: van kerkhove spoispoint s s to places like japan, south korea, nigeria. they heeded those warnings and have managed to keep transmissions relatively under control. but prepared or not, this novel coronavirus has been a tricky opponent. >> one of the important factors about learning about this virus is that people were most infectious at or around the time they developed symptoms. so the fact that people could spread this virus without feeling unwell was a game changer in that sense. >> reporter: but while infectious disease outbreaks typically crush poorer countries, this novel coronavirus has disproportionately affected many of the world's wealthiest nations. close to 9,000 cases per 100,000 people in the united states. 156 deaths per 100,000 people. compare that to india, where it's about a tenth of that. even though they have some of the most population-dense areas in the world. what accounts for this huge disparity between wealthy and poor countries? >> you can have really, really good medical systems in countries, hospitals, you know, the best treatments in the world, but that doesn't make up for the fundamentals of public health. in public health, it's more about prevention. you know, what do you do to prevent a situation from really taking hold, as opposed to caring for those who are sick? >> reporter: now in the second year of the pandemic, the cavalry has arrived. but so has a more advanced enemy. so van kerkhove says we not only need to be nimble when it comes to these new variants, but stresses we also need to get vaccines to all countries. according to the people's vaccine alliance, rich nations are now vaccinating one person every second, while the majority of the poorest nations have yet to administer a single dose. >> every life on this planet matters. look at those images of planes arriving in countries around the world. if you are not touched by that, if you are not moved by that, we need to see why that is. but everyone on this planet deserves to be protected. >> reporter: shot by shot, the world has started to see some hope. and for those countries who did need w.h.o's warnings, they are giving us a glimpse into a post-pandemic life. >> i see societies that are opened up. i see sporting events that are happening. i see a resilient community that is living their life, that has driven transmission down in some situations to zero. but i see communities and governments that are at the ready. >> at the ready is exactly where the world will need to be. not only for this pandemic, but for future ones as well. >> you know, it's almost overwhelming to look back, sanjay. even as we need to look forward and as we look forward, the questions are all surrounding the various variants. the ones seen in the uk, south africa. there is some reason to hope, sanjay, particularly as you look at south africa that these matters are contain containable. >> the south african variant started to emerge in october of 2020 in south africa. it caused a significant spike in cases as you see there, but they've come way down. why is that? not because of the vaccines, less than 1% of the country has been vaccinated, it's because of these same public health measures that we've been talking about for a year, as maria van kerf was just talking about. it's scary, these variants, but look how well they got it under control. >> sanjay, i really need your help understanding this new guidance from the centers of medicare and medicaid. here's what they say about nursing home. facilities should allow responsible in-door visitations at all time for all resident, regardless of the status of the vaccination of the resident or visitor. nursing homes were the superspreading events. why is this guidance of in vaccines going to be okay? >> i'm not sure it's necessarily. it's -- especially given the fact that just a few days ago, they're still not making it clear that vaccinated people can even travel. so on one hand, you can get together in nursing homes, which are some of the most vulnerable locations, but you can't travel? that's going to be a dissidence that the cdc is going to need to clear up. but when you look at what was driving this new nursing home guidance, they basically say, look, if you taking nursing homes, long-term care facilities as a unit, more than 70% of the people there have been vaccinated. so it's this idea of herd immunity maybe being applied to the bubble of long-term care facilities. and, you know, there was this idea that this is part of these compassionate care visits. people have gone for a year in some of these locations without a visit, so they certainly want to sort of expedite that. and also, if the positivity rate is too high or, you know, there's not enough people vaccinated in a particular nursing home, they may not allow visits. but you're absolutely right, i think they're getting the sequencing wrong in terms of how they're talking about this. can't fly but visit nursing homes, they'll have to clarify this. >> sanjay, we'll see you again in just a little bit, so don't go far. we want to remember some of the more than 525,000 americans lost to coronavirus. jesus and maria pina were married 52 years and died in tucson just days apart. maria was an early childhood erratic and jesus a part-time pastor. virginia capitol police master officer woodrow dowdy served 33 years on the force. state officials say he had a relaxed but professional personality that mixed well with everyone from powerful positions to lost tourists. he was 60 and leaves behind a wife and son. richard zuckernick had been teaching math for ten years. the principal at garfield high says he formed strong bonds with students, despite teaching virtually all year. his death comes less than a week before virginia schools are required to have in-person learning plans in place. we'll be right back. will there be an ev for me? 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>> i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. >> and you let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir? >> we're very much not a racist family. >> joining us now is dean stout, a former british special forces soldier. he's a longtime friend of prince harry's after they met in the army. dean, great to see you. >> thank you. >> so have you spoken to your friend, not spoken, communicated with, i know you guys mostly email and text each other, since he spoke out on oprah? >> we have, yes. we speak and have communications regularly. so i've kept in touch to let him know there's support there. it's obviously been quite a difficult week for the couple, but for all in the family. >> has he shared with you or do you understand why he chose to speak out in such a public way about this private family drama that they've been going through? >> i think up until now, before the interview, there was a lot of hearsay and second-guessing, a lot of white noise, especially what was being printed in the uk to tabloids. so it was an opportunity for them to spare the hearsay with facts. this is our part of the story. this is where we are now, and this is where we're going. especially moving forward with their life. it was an opportunity to sort of, you know, clear the air and get that off their chest. obviously, it was, you know, i thought it was very courageous. i thought it was honest. and yes, at times, it was uncomfortable to hear some of the comments that came out. >> what part was uncomfortable for you to hear? >> for me, personally, it was the mental health aspect. you know, harry, william and kate did so much to raise awareness of mental health, changing the way society viewed or approached mental health, taking it from a taboo subject to, you know, being openly able to discuss. and the fact that they were such great ambassadors and the royal foundation, the charity, were fully aware of mental health and how important it was, that meghan couldn't get help herself. and meghan's the one who's openly come out and said she asked for help. to me, it would be interesting to see who else before has reached out. >> let's play a moment of that, where meghan markle reveals just how bad thingsed th ed had gott her mental health. >> but we had to go to this event, skand i remember him saying, i don't think you can go, and i said, i can't be left alone. >> because you were afraid of what you might do to yourself? >> and we went. and -- >> i'm so sorry to hear that. >> -- and that picture, if you zoom in, what i see is how tightly his knuckles are gripped around mine. you can see the whites of our knuckles, because we are smiling and doing our job, but we're both just trying to hold on. >> dean, did you have a sense, because you have been in touch with him, of how bad things had gotten for meghan markle and for harry during that time? >> i did have a sense of it, yes. especially with the -- i call it global bullying, which was stemmed by the uk tabloids. of that extent of press and lies being reported, it's going to have an affect on your mental health. but for me, the real shocking thing is how much they've done to change our perception on mental health. and i was very fortunate to raise $1.2 million with harry for one of the mental health campaigns. so it was disturbing to hear that they couldn't ask for help themselves. it's not nice to hear. >> and did you know that harry was considering this kind of break with the royal family? was he alluding to this in conversations? >> the first i was made aware of it back in 2020 was when they announced it. that was the first time i was aware it was happening. obviously, i then sort of defended them back in the uk with the uk tabloids. for me, you know, he has a different path from that of iz brother. you don't know -- you can't control who you fall in love with. i think meghan then opened her eyes and said, you never will. but having work with the royal foundation and the charity, there's a lot of red tape and protocol being part of that institution. and their love for philanthropy is where they're headed. and actually them stepping back from that gives them more opportunity to do that. >> i think we're all getting this lesson right now this week that there is a difference now between the royal family and the so-called institution, the firm. and i'm not sure that americans quite understood that until now, hearing them speak out about it. but it was sad to hear just then that sound that we played right before we were talking to you, w prince william saying, no, he hasn't talked to his brother yet. >> yeah, i think what i got from the interview with harry and meghan, it was no -- i mean, as you've rightly said there, there's a big difference between the royal family and the institution. i don't think there's a problem in the royal family. i think there's a problem with the institution. i've been fortunate to remember shoulders with members of the royal family at numerous events. they're very down to earth and grounded. i can't say the same for some of the palace aides. they're very arrogant and feel they have title themselves. so from harry and meghan's inte interviewed, it would be very interesting to see how much they were suffering and how much was kept away from them. >> you make a great point. and there are more chapters to be written here with the family. dean, thank you very much for sharing your personal experience as being harry's friend, we really appreciate it. >> thank you very much. up next, we have a cnn exclusive for you. a look inside the civil war in yemen. hospitals struggling to care for starving children with dwindling supplies. why doctors say it is worse than it's ever been and what is urgently needed, now. what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena® when you switch to xfinity mobile, you're choosing to get connected to the most reliable network nationwide, now with 5g included. discover how to save up to $300 a year with shared data starting at $15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. you can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store. 400,000 children are at risk of dying in yemen as its six-year civil war rages on. that's according to the united nations world food program. now a heartbreaking new cnn investigation shows just how dire the situation really is. the biden administration says it wants to bring an end to the war, which was partially funded by american tax dollars, by no longer backing the said-led coalition, which has been fighting iranian backed houthis. u.s. backing of the war started under obama and escalated under trump. a cnn investigation has found it's been more than two months since the u.s.-backed saudi black i blockade has allowed tankers filled with food and supplies to reach starving families contcontrol by the houthis. this goes against the united nations agreement and making the situation on the ground desperate for innocent parents and children. cnn's nemima elbagir made the tp inside in order to show the world what's at stake. we do want to warn you, reality can be uncomfortable to watch. >> reporter: the derelict coastline of the north of yemen, rusting hulks tell a story of war, blockade and devastation. for years now, the houthi-controlled north has been increasingly isolated from the outside world. we secretly traveled through the night by boat after our previous reporting here led the government to deny us entry. on the road to the port, we get a sense of the humanitarian disaster kept from the outside world. along the roadside, hundreds of stalled food supply trucks with no fuel to move. in a country in the grip of hunger, their cargo stands spoiling in the hot sun. the port is the supply gateway for the rest of the country. it should be bustling with activity, but today it is eerily empty. a result of the u.s.-backed saudi blockade. the last time they could dock here was in december. in the echoing silence, it dawns on us. we are about to witness the terrible impact of this blockade. desperate patients and family members trying to get the attention of the chairman of the hospital. if he signs these papers, they get some financial relief for their treatments and medicines. he doesn't get far before he is stopped again and again. since the yemen war started six years ago, families has been in financial free fall. the fuel blockade has sped that dissent into oblivion. this is the main hospital and we're surrounded by doctors and nurses rushed off their feet. >> is this a normal day? is it this busy all the time? this is not a busy day? this is a normal day. he wants to show us some of his critical patients in the therapeutic feeding center. a 10-year-old girl whose growth has been so stunted by starvation she can no longer stand. he says that every hour of every day, they are receiving more and more cases of severe malnutrition that are this advanced, because the parents can't afford to feed their children. they also can't afford to bring them to the hospital to treat them. the u.n. says pockets of yemen are are in famine-like conditions, but hodeidah is not considered one of them, because it doesn't meet the metrics to consider famine. but the doctor thinks the reality on the ground has outpaced the u.n.'s projections. the saudi fuel blockade is biting. malnutrition numbers are spiking and at the same time, this busy hospital is running out of the vital fuel that keeps its generators running, which means that babies like miriam, who doctors say at two months weighs the same as a newborn, will die. yemen has been devastated by a civil war, which has pitted iran-backed known as houthis against the internationally government and a u.s.-backed saudi-led coalition. we're in houthi territory, some of whose officials have been designated as terrorists by the u.s. for targeting neighboring saudi arabia. we've been granted a rare interview with a leading houthi official. we must meet in an undisclosed location, because his aids say of the threat of assassination. we ask him to respond to allegations they are escalating this war. >> translator: not true at all. the battle is continuing and it has not stopped. >> do you trust america to take forward negotiations to bring peace here in yemen? >> trust must come about decisions. so far, we have not seen any concrete decisions being made. >> you've spoken about being subjected as a nation to international terror, but three of the leaders within the movement are designated by the u.s. as terrorists. one of your key slogans talks about death to america. how do you see this as pushing forward the negotiation and the possibility for peace in the future? >> when we say death to america, they're effectively killer with their bombs, rockets, and blockades. they provide logistical support. so who are bigger and greater? the ones who are killing us, or the ones who say, death to them? >> the biden administration has announced it has withdrawn support for the saudi offensive, but it comes after six long years of war. and for the children dying of hunger, it still hasn't brought peace any quicker. peace and help can't come soon enough. over half the hospitals in this district are threatened with shuttering. this is one of them. they need urgent support, urgent help. can you imagine what it would do to this consult if that facility was shut down? look at the chaos that there is already here, and that's while it's functioning. >> for years now, the u.n. has been warning that famine is coming to yemen. doctors across yemen's north tell us famine has arrived. another hospital witnessing wave after wave of children in the red zone, severe malnourishment, impoverished mothers desperate to keep their children alive are forced to make harrowing choices. >> just to get to the hospital, i stopped eating and drinking. not even water, just to get him treated. >> these doctors are keeping track of the numbers spiking beyond what they ever imagined. the doctor was saying, in 2020, this population, 23% of the children under 5 here were severely malnourished. in 2021, they think that number is going to go over 30%. there is no doubt in his mind, he says, that they here are in famine. nearly three years ago, the u.n. security council condemned the use of starvation as a method of warfare, demanding access to supplies that are necessary for food preparation, including water and fuel be kept in tact. here and in other conflicts. that clearly hasn't happened. what's more, the world has stopped caring. the u.n. needs almost $4 billion to staunch this crisis. they received less than half of that from donors. numbers don't lie, but numbers also don't reflect the full tragedy. ten months and struggling to breathe, he came into the hospital six days ago. he keeps losing weight, even with the critical care he's receiving. hours after we left, he died. one more child in yemen that represents so much more pain. the doctors here are desperate for the world to see and to help. cnn reached out to the kingdom of saudi arabia for comment, but we didn't receive any response to our requests, but minutes after this piece was first broadcast yesterday evening, the saudi ambassador to the u.s. released quite extensive commentary to the english language study newspaper in which he detailed and said was the kingdom's commitment to peace in the face of houthi terrorist aggression. she did not respond again to our findings, john. >> to the children dying. first of all, nima, thank you to you and your team for having the courage to go and do this reporting. i had to warn people before the piece that this would be uncomfortable to watch. but i hope it was uncomfortable. i hope this moved people. i hope people felt terrible about what they were seeing to an extent. and they need to see it and they are, thanks to you. what response have you received from the united states? >> reporter: we reached out to the newly appointed u.s. envoy to yemen and it was unusual, john. we do this all the time. we reach out for right to reply. we put our findings to him and he told us that we were wrong. that what we showed you in the piece did not happen. that chose ships off the port that had not been allowed to go into tport and that food was flowing unimpeded when you can see for yourself, as our audience did, those rows and rows of hundreds of trucks, food spoiling in the sun in a country that's going hungry. he says that the u.s. continues to push for peace, but without a realistic assessment of the situation on the ground, which by the way, is caused by a u.s. backed saudi blockade, it's difficult to see how both parties can trust the u.s. as an arbi arbitrator, john. >> it's alisyn here. you can see, obviously, the trucks as you did along the rad and the starving children. all of that video you got in the hospital of the children starving to death. i mean, obviously, that tells the story. that tells them, officials, everything if you can respond to that and explain how you got this incredibly rare access to show us video like this. >> reporter: we have been applying for visas to get into yemen for the last eight months. off the back of our previous reporting into the impact of aid cuts by the u.s. and saudi arabia and the emirates and other key allies and we have been stalled consistently and we knew -- i, barbara, our amazing producer, alex plat, who was with us, we knew that there was something that we were being kept from and that that meant we needed to go in. and that is actually a huge part of the story, the world needs to see this because as you said, alisyn, these are starving children. there isn't more you need to explain when you show a starving mother saying she stopped eating and drinking to afford to take her child to hospital. it wasn't a great journey. i think it is the best way to put it, it was really difficult. we had to sail into a northern yemeni port, but we believed really strongly as did cnn that this was the story we needed to tell. >> yeah, not a great journey, but an important journey and important story. we thank you and we thank your team for having the courage to do this. thank you. >> thank you. we have a reality check next. do you need help finding an apartment? 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john avlon has the answer in our reality check. >> so the republican obsession with cancel culture is actually a bit ironic, because they're busy trying to cancel your votes. more than 250 bills that would restrict voting are making their ways through state legislate c tures, seven times more than last year. election integrity is a feel good way of saying voter suppression. the arizona gop wants to scale down the state legislature to overturn the will of the people and select presidential electors. and then of course there is georgia, with a full court press to restrict voting including rolling back no excuse absentee ballots and that provoked yet another case of republicans saying the quiet part out loud. in this case, far right senate candidate lauren witzki. >> we will not have a prayer in 2022 or 2024 if we don't get election reform. i'm going to save georgia. we're pushing through a bill that gets rid of vote by mail, that requires voter i.d., bans the ballot drop boxes, it will cut stacey abrams off at the knees, like i said, i only care about winning. >> yeah, not subtle. the knee part. after the last four years we should know we can't take our democracy for granted. that's why house democrats just passed hr-1 for the people act. it has senate republicans reaching for the fire and brimstone. >> everything about this bill is rotten to the core. this say bill as if written in hell by the devil himself. >> okay. that's a little overheated. especially from a senator who once said we're not a democracy. don't get swayed by the literal demonization of the bill. look what's actually in it. its goal is to expand access to voting and ensure elections aren't rigged by special interests. done through national standards for automatic voter registration, no excuse absentee balloting, nonpartisan redistricting commission, so no single party can rig congressional elections, disclosing donors, making social media companies say who paid for ads, stop members from congress from using taxpayer dollars to settle harassment claims, create more oversight on lobbyists on foreign agents and disclosing tax returns. got it. this is ambitious stuff. is it really that scary? all the partisan rhetoric aside, ask yourself whether these provisions with make it easier or harder for every eligible citizen to vote? it isn't complicated but it is important. strengthening democracy shouldn't be a partisan issue. it is an american responsibility. and that's your reality check. >> as always, john, thank you very much for that reality. >> does the devil use microsoft word or google docs when it's wr writing? thank you very much. "new day" continues right now. >> this is "new day," with alisyn camerota and john berman. >> welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. this is "new day." president biden with his first primetime white house address to the american people tonight. he will sign the $1.9 trillion relief bill tomorrow. we have new reporting that the speech tonight will honor the 500,000 plus lost to coronavirus. we'll talk about what's being done to speed up vaccinations and lay out the next steps to getting the pandemic under control. it is a safe bet the president tonight will also mention the $1400 direct payments to millions of struggling americans. the relief bill also extends unemployment benefits, increases child tax credits, and gives more money for vaccines, reopening of schools, farmers and healthcare. there is one thing the bill does not have, the support of any republicans in congress. joining me now is brian dietz, the white house national economic council director, director, welcome to "new day," thank you for being with us this morning. when will americans feel first impact of this bill? >> well, i think they're already feeling it now in the sense that they can rest a little easier knowing they're going to get some money in their pockets and things like unemployment insurance that more than 10 million americans are relying on now won't run out at the end of this week. in terms of the major provisions, we're laser focused on the question of how to implement this bill quickly and effectively so the resources get out to those americans who need it. including those direct payments which will start going out in direct deposit for those who have filed their tax returns with direct deposits and we expect those direct deposit checks will start going out this month. >> this month. okay. "the washington post" notes this morning that the messaging around this law has changed from covid relief to an