and thousands fleeing across the border in africa, seeking refuge from an erupting volcano. >> it is sunday, may 23rd, thank you so much for waking up with us. christi, always great to see you. >> and you as well. let's get into these conversations this morning. as u.s. officials are pushing to get more people vaccinated, there's another state that's reached a critical milestone this morning. according to cdc data, rhode island is now the 8th state to have administered at least one vaccine dose to 70% of its adult population. this is a prime achievement as the country is really trying to reach herd immunity as you know. >> yeah, the news comes amid an unprecedented surge of covid cases in southeast asia. india now surpassing 26 1/2