not feel supported by the royal family. at one point meghan admitted she'd thought about suicide. >> but i knew that if i didn't say it that i would do it. and i just didn't -- i just didn't want to be alive anymore. and that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. >> just one of many bombshell claims. another stunning revelation, harry and meghan say there were questions about what color their baby's skin might be. meghan says they were told the baby might not have security or get a title. and meghan says the tabloid reporting she made kate middleton cry ahead of her marriage to harry was exactly the opposite of what happened. it was kate that made meghan cry. at one point prince charles stopped taking harry's phone calls. and harry says he and his brother william still need space and time to heal. i want to get some reaction to all of this from ana stewart in windsor england. you've certainly covered the royal wedding and other events with the duke and duchess of sussex. out of everything they've said what are making headlines in the u.k.? >> reporter: well, we were all prepared to have some bombshells dropped. i don't think everyone was prepared to feel so concerned by some of the revelations that came out of this interview. and i think some of the big headlines is certainly meghan felt suicidal at times when she was in the u.k. as a working member of the royal family. she asked for help from the palace, from the royal family and she says she didn't receive any. and then there was the shocking claim not only was there sort of racist undertones to the media's reporting of meghan but also within the royal family. meghan says prince harry had a conversation with a member of his family about what the color of their child's skin would be. and this was in the early stages of meghan's pregnancy. take a listen. >> and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born. >> what? >> and -- >> who -- who is having that conversation with you? what? >> so -- >> hold up. >> there are several conversations. >> reporter: concerns about how dark his skin might be. now, the royal family member in question isn't named. meghan says it would be very damaging to them. prince harry was asked about this later on in the interview by oprah winfrey and he said it's not something he wants to talk about. this was a shocking interview, some really serious allegations made to the royal family. it would be very interesting to see what the reaction is. we've had no comment so far. they do have a general policy of never complain, never explain but i think they're going to break with that today. robyn? >> yeah, and my next question also who was this interview aimed at? american audiences, the british public, the queen, court iers i the palaces, who were they speaking to? >> certainly the american audience was the first to get it. the u.k. audience weren't able to watch it until this evening but of course it's over all the newspapers and news shows this morning so there won't be any surprises. this was the couple seeking justice in the court of public opinion. time and time again through the interview they point out narratives that were widely spread in the media and considered to we true that weren't true and often were the exact opposite. for instance, the moment meghan says there was a story about how she made kate, the duchess of cambridge cry up to the run up to her wedding, and she said it was the exact opposite. it was kate that made meghan cry. it's interesting given how split opinion has been particularly on social media. >> let's talk about the newspaper headlines in the u.k. as you said britains are starting to icwake up to some of th these headlines. previously they have been vocal. how much finger pointing was leveled at them? >> plenty. and that wasn't a surprise because as you say the duke and duchess of sussex have battled against the tabloid media in particular in the u.k. for years now and actually successfully with a recent victory on sunday. i haven't got physical copies because it's still rather early here in windsor. the daily mail, meghan accuses palace of racism. the sun, meg, i felt suicidal. these are the newspapers the duke and duchess of sussex are battling against. at least they're controlling the narrative for once and that was what this interview was designed to do for once. they can speak to whomever they like, whenever they like and put their stories forward and they can also say which stories weren't true. >> ana stewart there live in windsor. i think you're going to have a pit of a busy day. let's go now to our royal commentator and historian, kate williams. hi, kate. good to see you. everyone of course wondering just how far the duke and duchess of sussex would share how far they'd go, now has the answer to that, a lot. what to you were the key points? >> well, meghan this was a bombshell interview, revelation after revelation. and it was meghan and harry telling their story. so many false narratives put around them. we thought it was the case they didn't want archie to have a title, but it turns out this was a palace decision archie should not have a title, should not have security. and we saw in this interview, i mean, it was a bombshell interview. and the huge revelations and revelations that the palace can't just ignore. the palace have to address, and these are chiefly the fact that meghan felt so distressed when she was pregnant that she considered suicide, and she begged for help. she said i need to go somewhere for help and she was told no, it wouldn't look good, it wouldn't look good for the institution. and this was very striking because we have had mental health campaigns from within the palace, william, kate and harry talking about mental health, the importance of mental health. of course diana suffered suicidal thoughts when she was very newly married, and what does this say about the royal family and the fact there was no one to help her, and there was no one to listen to her? and the other big question, which is on front of all the newspapers today was this point, who was talking about archie's skin color? who was saying that archie, expressing concern that archie's skin would be as oprah put it, too brown? and it was said there was a connection between archie's skin color and the fact he wasn't made a prince. i should say archie would not automatically be made a prince. the automatic prince that was prince george, son of william and kate. but there was an intervention made so charlotte and louie could be princess and prince. obviously they were stressed about that and these conversations were happening at the same time as one expressing concern about the color of archie's skin. and as she put it, the commonwealth has many, many people of color in the common welt. and as she put it, wouldn't it be great to have a member of the royal family who looked like them, and yet that didn't seem to be what the conversation was about. and this was a very serious allegation, very distressing. and obviously harry and meghan aren't making it very clear these are the reasons they left. tabloid coverage, no support in the royal family and distressing attitudes as well. >> and you also rightly say that it's unlikely that the queen or prince charles or even prince william will respond directly to some of these direct allegations unless you think there's going to be a change in tradition. there is a tradition tat the duchess of sussex was clearly upset about of not replying to every story about the royal family. how difficult will it be, then, for harry's family to listen to all of that and not be able to offer alternatives or defend themselves from these allegations or to present another side of the story if there is another side? >> well, we understand the queen wasn't going to watch it. we understand she was going to be briefed this morning by courters who had watched it. tonight, this evening on our tv channel and so everyone knows what's in there. and although the royal family have a policy of not explaining and not complaining they do actually make interventions. often these interventions are made from sources -- they required lots of sors last year who were talking about how the crown was not all the truth, et cetera. and sometimes sources say this isn't the case. we have had this week there's been story after story, on some websites, 40, 50 stories about meghan always in the negative and some were coming from sources saying she'd been bullying and she was investigated for bullying. so there can be -- the royal family do make statements, they do answer to points. and it may be we do see an answer. not really the queen that they appear to be talking about here. it's other member of the courtiers and other members of the royal family. but certainly i think that these allegations have to be addressed in some way because they are really going to run and run and particularly as we're saying that meghan was in such a low state that she was suicidal and that there were racist comments about archie's skin color and this was viewed as concerning. >> kate williams, live in london, thank you very much for joining us. thank you, kate. so pope francis has visited iraq. that is now over, but he says the country will always remain in his heart. we'll have a live report on that historic visit. that's next. also the u.s. reports fewer covid cases and many more vaccinations, but experts say the country isn't out of the woods yet. why they still fear another spike in cases. that, too, is next. in a recent clinical study, patients using salonpas patch reported reductions in pain severity, using less or a lot less oral pain medicines. and improved quality of life. ask your doctor about salonpas. it's good medicine. my audible library is just like scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll, it's a lot. i downloaded audible and really, really enjoyed it. and then it kind of just became a lifestyle after that. audible allows me to find a space for myself. you just get way more than you pay for, one of those rare things in life. oh, the audible plus catalog is awesome. it's like having a streaming service, but just for audio content. there's audible originals... there's podcasts... i've used some of the meditations, it helps me relax. mythology, anthropology, a lot of the -ologies. audible recommended the right audiobooks at the right time. they pretty much have whatever you like. it's really enriched my life in so many ways. i can put on an audiobook, or a podcast, and be transported somewhere that is impossible to go, that is why i love audible. to start your free 30-day trial, just text listen 8 to 500500. ♪ for every idea out there, that gets the love it should ♪ ♪ there are 5 more that don't succeed ♪ to start your free 30-day trial, ♪ and so are lost for good ♪ ♪ and some of them are pretty flawed ♪ ♪ and some of them are slightly odd ♪ ♪ but many are small businesses that simply lack the tool ♪ ♪ to find excited people who will stop and say 'that's cool'♪ ♪ and these two, they like this idea ♪ ♪ and those three like that one.♪ ♪ and that's 'cause personalized ads ♪ ♪ find good ideas for everyone ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪like an echo in the forest♪ [singing in korean] ♪another day will return♪ [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ jackson hewitt knows your job description [singing in korean] ♪may have changed this year. to say... account manager... third grade teacher... and senior vice dog-walker. don't add tax preparer. let jackson hewitt do it for you, so you can be certain your taxes are done right, guaranteed. welcome back. it is 15 minutes past the hour. i'm robyn curnow. and the u.s. is reporting more positive developments in the fight against covid, but experts are urging people to not let their guard down soon. even though daily infection numbers are fallen in recent weeks experts say the decline has plateaued at a very high rate averaging more than 55,000 cases a day. but the good news is that vaccination rates are also up. the u.s. has now administered more than 90 million doses. dr. camilla is an emergency room physician. she's chris crossed the country helping ers from new york to most recently california battle covid, and she joins me now from denver. doctor, hi. thank you for joining us. so since this pandemic began you've packed up, you've left your family. you've cared for thousands of patients in emergency rooms across eight states. i know you're tired, but how do you keep on fighting? how do you keep on doing this? >> you know, i think it's just that feeling you need to really go out and help and there's people that need the help. a lot of colleagues, right, a lot of health care workers, a lot of doctors, nurses, physicians out there that are just really just can't keep up with the volumes, and i think that's where you feel like you have to kind of run to the fire. as a doctor i've always felt like i needed to be there to help, and we've dup really well here in colorado, so and i've always just said okay wherever you need me, i'm going to go there. >> and so as you go there, covid has put everyone through so much. you're asking people to keep on sacrificing. what's your message to say to them i'll consider opening up again or lifting these mask mandates? >> you know, just at this point after a year of doing this, after a picking up and leaving your family and just seeing so much heartache and so much destruction of communities, of families, of lives and of holding so many hands as people die and pass away. and they're so alone when they die from covid. i'm the last person that they see. i think this last trip really kind of broke me. i think i finally just realized, gosh, i'm exhausted. and talking to my colleagues we're all exhausted. i don't think any of us have the ability to just say, gosh, you know, we can't keep doing these surges over and over and over again. we don't have it in us anymore. so the idea all of a sudden we're going to stop wearing masks, that everything is going to go back to normal, i think all of us are just so afraid, we're shell-shocked. like, we can't do this again. and so this is a plea to the public, please wear a mask. please, i think sometimes we take it for granted that health care workers are going to be there to help you. and we want to be there, but we're so tired and we just need your help. we need you guys to help us. everyone's actions matter and this is where if you can get vaccinated, you can wear your mask it's going to help us help you. >> you sound tired. and i mean is this the kind of exhaustion that is just deep within your bones and it's not just a physical exhaustion? is it a mental and emotional exhaustion by just having to be there on peoples death beds like you said over and over again? >> yeah, you know, it's one of those things where i think for a long time you say oh, gosh, i went into this to save lives and i think covid has been just so different because there's so little that we can do. and you get to the point you realize, gosh, we just prevented this. if i had just not had this person come into my emergency department, if they had not gotten sick they would be back with their family. and it's young people, old people, grandfathers, it's daughters, mothers. it doesn't discriminate. it finally gets to you you go these are my friends, these are my family members. and there's other coworkers and colleagues -- the place that i went to, they lost their own nurses and doctors on their floors, actually people that they took care of. and so when you lose your own i think you kind of just go this is too much. >> camilla, thank you very much for all of your work. and the exhaustion i know i can see it, but i think all of us watching. thank you for the moments you've shared for people who have needed you. thank you. >> thank you. so right now pope francis is on his way back to rome after historic visit to iraq. the pope participated in a farewell ceremony at baghdad airport last hour. before he left the pontiff visited four key cities and celebrated mass at a stadium packed with people and said iraq would always remain in his heart. our senior international correspondent ben wedemen is live. ben, talk us through some of these moments. >> reporter: they were extraordinary moments, and this is a trip that so many people didn't think was a good idea. so many people thought would not go off or would be plagued by problems. but it seems to have gone off without a hitch. and everywhere the pope went he was met by very enthusiastic crowds of muslims as well as christians. the high point of his day yesterday was a mass in the stadium here in erbil attended by at least 8,000 people. and at the end of that mass he did come out with some arabic and apparently the crowd went absolutely wild over that. and certainly every step of the way he was met by enthusiasm and happiness. there was for some people for instance among the suny community who felt he didn't focus enough on them. his focus was obviously very much on the shia and the christians as wells, thbut by a large i think he has left iraq a better place with people peopling that as one woman told our senior digital producer yesterday at the stadium, that perhaps now there's hope. robyn? >> hope, which is a big word for folks there in iraq. certainly you talk about these wonderful moments, this wonderful trip. how much of a lasting impact do you think it'll have beyond the symbolism and the gestures? >> reporter: it's difficult to say, but i think for iraqis this was sort of a moment that crystallized what their country could be. keep in mind, for instance, that the median age here in iraq is 21. and the last time life could be described as normal was before the iran-iraq war which began in 1981. and therefore you have to be more than 40 years old to remember anything from that time. and the scenes we've seen over the last four days were absolutely stunning. now, reality will quickly sink in. for instance, this is a country that is dealing with a spike in covid cases. the economy has suffered greatly as a result of the drop in demand for oil as a result of the covid pandemic. there is rampant corruption. there have been frequent outbreaks of mass protests with people unhappy with the state of the economy, the state of governance and basic public services. so, yes, it's hard to say how -- what sort of lasting impact it will be. but as i said it gave iraqis a glimpse of what this country, which has huge potential, human potential, economic potential, agricultural potential, everything -- it allowed people to see that perhaps there is light at the tunnel for a country that has suffered so much for so long. robyn? >> yeah, and great as you've been reporting that folks are seeing a good news story coming out of iraq. ben wedemen, always great to have you there on the ground. so coming up on cnn, harry and meghan did not hold back, did they? some of what they said even stunned oprah winfrey. more on that highly anticipated interview just ahead as well. th, "ooh!" but if you get home and your "ooh" is more of a "hmm..." you have 100 days to change your mind. that's the visionworks difference. visionworks. see the difference. overspending on a retinol cream? just one jar of olay retinol24 hydrates better than the $100 retinol cream. for smooth, bright skin or your money back. olay. face anything. and try new retinol24 max. stressballs gummies, with herbal ashwaganda help turn the stressed life into your best life stress less, live more with stressballs ♪ ♪ ♪like an echo in the forest♪ [singing in korean] ♪another day will return♪ [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ ♪ ♪ four, five, turn, kick. [singing in korean] ♪like we got chased bypened♪ these wild coyotes! they were following her because she had beef jerky in her pocket. (laughing) (trumpet playing) someone behind me, come on. pick that up, pick that up, right there, right there. as long as you keep making the internet an amazing place to be, we'll keep bringing you a faster, more secure, and more amazing internet. xfinity. the future of awesome. welcome back. to all of our viewers here in the united states and all around the world, thanks for joining me. i'm robyn curnow, and it is 28 minutes past the hour. so oprah winfrey's wide ranging interview with the duke and duchess of sussex has stunned many viewers on many levels. pick your topic. the couple poke candidly about everything from the british tabloids to mental health and the shocking revelation as well meghan said she felt so alone at one point she felt suicidal. and there were questions about what color their baby's skin might be and there was an implication that might impact his security and standing as a royal. >> but the idea of our son not being safe and also the idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be. >> sandra is an entertainment journalist and a former royal correspondent and joins me now from los angeles. hi, lovely to hear you. lovely to see you. if all families are complex especially ones that have conflict or broken relationships, this was such personal family stuff. i want you to take a listen. >> i feel really let down because he's been through something similar. he knows what pain feels like, and this is -- archie's his grandson. >> he's talking about his dad, the future king of england, prince charles. why do you think the tuque and duchess gave this interview, gave so much, went so public? >> they clearly had a lot to get off their chest. and if this interview was a boxing match it would have been stopped halfway through to save the royal family from further punishment. meghan came out throwing punches. harry added a few hay makers of his own at the end, and it was a knock out. and yes, it wasn't all in the trailer. there were some amazing revelations. all hail queen oprah for getting a great interview. >> clearly so much pain, so many hurt feelings. how much, then, was this about oprah's moment as well as the duke and duchess'? >> she's very killed at empathy and getting people to open up. and i think there are very few interviewers on the planet who would have got such a reaction. the most poignant moment of the interview for me was seeing meghan talk about the deep level of her pain and no matter if you're team queen or team meghan anyone would fail to be moved -- anyone could not fail to be moved by that emotional outpouring. and it was -- we'd heard these rumors for years but to actually hear meghan herself voice it and then harry share his feelings as well, that was an emotional gut punch. >> so who was the audience then? and i've asked this of other guests as well. was it the queen? was it prince charles? was it the british public or was it americans or courtiers? who was it? who were they talking to? >> they were talking directly to the royal family. this was payback. meghan started off almost tap dancing through a minefield, not wanting to say anything too explosive, being very careful to compliment the queen. but when they start talking about taking titles away who do you think does that? the queen is the ultimate boss. so to me this was almost an act of war on the royal family. the relationship is fractured. this was blowing it much further apart. there's clearly a lot of bitterness and resentment, but it was their pain was so real and conveyed so well. this is a turning point in history for the royal family. they may need to change their entire policy of answering these things because they have so many questions to answer. >> yeah, that was going to be my next question. there's a tradition of not answering every slur or every wrong story or every truthful story, that there's a tradition of silence within the royal family. so do you think they need to answer every -- every accusation that was laid out, or do you feel like a line has been drawn in the sand here and that perhaps this family can move on after harry and meghan have had their say? >> that policy has worked for the royal family for the most part except in 1995 with the bombshell princess diana interview, and now in 2021 with meghan and harry talking to oprah. the royal family are surrounded by some very skillful communications and pr operators, but they've never had an opponent -- and i use that word deliberately -- like meghan who is incredibly savvy in modern media communication. this is a war. and it's interesting to find out who's going to win it. >> so do you think there will be another salvo then from the royal family, some in britain many only waking up to the details of this interview. some britains will think this is disrespectful of the queen, that it's airing dirty launddry. others will agree with oprah and the duchess of sussex saying this is their authentic truth. in many ways is this about trying to bring down the monarchy, burning the house down? this is the grandson of the queen who's making these very, very tough accusations about the very family he comes from. >> it's shakespearean, it's dramatic, it's operatic. and yes, there were clues in the interview itself about what might happen next. meghan talked about the british tabloids being invited to the palace. you, you might see that as an opportunity to build bridges rather than seeing the media as the enemy. but when they were talking about all the stories that have come out in negative about meghan and harry, who do they think is the source of those stories? it would be really interesting because buckingham palace is leaking like a sieve. who in the royal family and the senior royal family is the source of all these stories? i thought as good as oprah's interview was, we didn't get quite all the names. it left us with an awful lot of questions as well, and there's so many bad ones for the royal family to answer going forward. i think they will use the press in whatever way they can to hit back. >> good to speak to you. thanks so much for your expertise and opinion. >> god save the queen. >> we'll be right back. you're watching cnn. scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll, it's a lot. i downloaded audible and really, really enjoyed it. and then it kind of just became a lifestyle after that. audible allows me to find a space for myself. you just get way more than you pay for, one of those rare things in life. oh, the audible plus catalog is awesome. it's like having a streaming service, but just for audio content. there's audible originals... there's podcasts... i've used some of the meditations, it helps me relax. mythology, anthropology, a lot of the -ologies. audible recommended the right audiobooks at the right time. they pretty much have whatever you like. it's really enriched my life in so many ways. i can put on an audiobook, or a podcast, and be transported somewhere that is impossible to go, that is why i love audible. to start your free 30-day trial, just text listen 8 to 500500. security forces in myanmar throwing flash bang grenades in yanggong saturday night. they were conducting raids and making arrests. but it's not stopping proat the theers. they were marching again today. paulue is in seoul with latest developments. every day we speak there seems to be another escalation, another push back from protesters in the face of this ongoing violence. >> reporter: and robyn, we might see very significant crowds today certainly from the live streams we've been seeing people are coming out in inbes. on sunday we had 18 labor unions calling for a nationwide work stoppage, for a shutdown for everybody to come out onto the streets for a full extended shutdown of myanmar's economy. so it will be interesting to see just how many people do decide to come out onto the streets today. as you say there was another crack down by security forces over the weekend. we know there were -- there was tear gas. there was also rubber bullets, live ammunition into crowds of proat p protesters and we know there were arrests saturday night including one member of aung san suu kyi's national member democratic party. according to the aapp, the assistance association for political prisoners, they say that one particular individual has died in custody. they say he was arrested saturday night by security forces and that he was tortured to death in his cell. now, cnn has been unable to independently verify this, but this is clearly something that is very worrying piece of information. and certainly those from outside myanmar will be looking at this very closely. we're also hearing reports verified in some part by the united nations they're also hearing these reports that the military is starting to occupy some of the hospitals within myanmar itself. we had been hearing that the military was trying to take possession of some patients or even some of those deceased in the protests, and that appears to be something that the u.n. is looking at very closely as well. robyn? >> okay, we'll continue to monitor that, too. pa paula hancock live in seoul. for our international viewers "world sport" is next. for our viewers in the united states more news after this quick break. stick with us. you're watching cnn. ♪ ♪ ♪like an echo in the forest♪ [singing in korean] ♪another day will return♪ [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ ♪ ♪ stressballs gummies, [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ with herbal ashwaganda help turn the stressed life into your best life stress less, live more with stressballs ♪ jackson hewitt knows times have changed... ...both how and where you work. and your taxes could have changed too. let our tax pros work for you and fight for every dollar you deserve. at visionworks, we want you to feel safe and we want you to see yourself in your new glasses and think, "ooh!" 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important in the country right now. well, george floyd's heartbroken family spoke this weekend. they told reporters they feel their pain and losses deeply as ever. >> i think about my brother over and over again. i have no choice. you all have no choice. you see him every day on somebody's tv, somebody's t-shirt, and it's pain that we're feeling every day. my brother said i can't breathe multiple times, but the officer sat on his neck with a smirk on his face. my brother screamed, tell my kids i love them, as his soul left his body. i can't stop thinking about that. >> just one member of the floyd family will be allowed into the trial each day because of covid restrictions. omar himenez reports on the preparations inside and outside the courtroom. >> reporter: this is the beginning of a process that's been a long time coming in this case and a process that's not expected to be an easy one. now, what we do know is cameras will be allowed in the courtroom but no potential or chosen jurors will be shown. this was be a sequestered jury selection process meaning each of these potential jurors or chosen ones will be examined separately from one another and prospective jurors were sent a 16-page questionnaire asking about everything from their prior knowledge of this case literally down to what news sources they primarily consumed as the trial for derek chauvin gets under way. from calling for justice to letting the justice system play out, derek chauvin, the former officer seen on that now infamous cellphone video kneeling on the neck of george floyd for nearly 8 excruciating minutes. he's standing trial for second degree unintentional murder and second degree manslaughter. both of which he's pleaded not guilty but the first carrying a weight of up to 40 years in prison if convicted. the case is likely to bring protesters and renewed attention to george floyd's death. his family remains at the center of it all, balancing grief with the weight of a racial justice movement. now with the trial on the horizon, preparations are under way on a number of fronts including closing the intersection where some of floyd's final moments played out, leaving it as a central grieving point as it was in the immediate aftermath of his death. >> we fully expect our minneapolis residents to engage in the time-honored tradition of their first amendment rights and speech. i we want to make sure that that right to protest is protected in every way, shape and form. >> reporter: but with some protests over the summer devolved into is still fresh in the minds of city officials. it's why they say to expect an increased law enforcement presence over the next weeks even months with up to 2,000 national guard prepared to respond. >> we cannot allow for any sorts of unlawful activity. >> reporter: not to mention the physical barriers going up around the government center where the trial will be taking place. then there's covid-19 protocol. chauvin will be the only of the four former officers on trial this spring with judge peter cahill citing limitations of the courtroom. make it possible to comply with physical restrictions in a joint trial beginning with all four defends. given the number of lawyers and support personnel the parties have now advised the court are expect to be present during trial. and the judge said it's the largest courtroom they have. tied to that only one member of the chauvin family and one will be allowed in the courtroom at a time. a decision the floyd family called disappointing. >> the video is enough. there is nothing else to talk about. you can make a judgment off of that, because chauvin showed you he was the judge, the jury and executioner all at once, right then and there when he took my brother's soul from his body. >> reporter: and with jury selection beginning march 8th, opening statements weeks later, a country watches as a test of police accountability gets under way, which many see as a major step toward justice for george floyd. and every day starting monday until potentially up to mar 26th, jury selection begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern time and goes until 6:00 p.m. outside of jury selection, the judge in this case initially dropped a third-degree murder charge that prosecutors wanted for chauvin, but an appeals court judge ruled that this initial judge needs to reconsider reinstating it. so it's unclear whether any reenstatement would affect the timing in this. but for now jury selection monday. opening statements set for march 29th. omar jimenez, cnn, minneapolis, minnesota. president biden has signed an executive order expanding voting access across the u.s. the white house calls it an initial step to protect the right to vote and to ensure all eligible citizens can freely participate in the electoral process. this move comes as republicans and state houses around the country work to roll back voting access in the wake of the 2020 election. president biden signed the order on sunday, the 56th anniversary of bloody sunday. that's the day when peaceful african american demonstrators demanding voting rights were attacked by state troopers in selma, alabama, as you can see from these iconic and horrifying pictures still. so a recent study from the brennan center for law and justice found lawmakers in 43 states have pushed more than 250 bills aimed at limiting voter access. cnn political analyst april ryan says the drive for voter suppression comes from republican desire to counter the success of democrats. take a listen. >> it's what was about 1965 when the voting rights act was passed into law and signed into law by then president lbj. it's about voter suppression. suppressing people from speaking, having a voice, wanting to be heard, to say what they want. at the end of the day, today in 2021, 56 years from bloody sunday, we are seeing many of these legislatures in these 43 states that are republicans trying to suppress the vote. why? because they don't want to see the other party succeed. and we know from data, data has shown us that democrats have a tendency to early vote. democrats are the ones who put georgia over the top, a republican state. democrats made a noise in texas. they were fearful. many republicans were fearful they were going to lose texas scott. this is a groundswell game that stacey abrams, lebron james, and so many others have put in the forefront and there is a fierce fight, a fears fight in 2021 by these republican-led legislatures to change the dimic, to change it back to red. >> and april mentioned the nba star lebron james. he is turning his focus from basketball to voting rights. the organization founded by james and several other athletes and artists is looking to draw attention to these recent republican-backed legislations, legislation that aims to restrict voter access in a number of states. now the campaign made its debut at the nba all-star game on sunday, which took place right next door to the cnn center here, and that's where lebron james also led his team to victory, 170-150. this year the nba combined the weekend into a single day of events. andy? >> reporter: the normal nba all-star weekend happening all in one night there may not have been a packed house for this all-star game, but it was special, raising more than $3 million for historical black colleges and universities. the league honoring different abcus and front line workers throughout the game. before the game started, actor michael b. jordan chatted with vice president kamala harris. she is a proud graduate of howard university, and she encouraged everyone in that chat to get the covid vaccine when it's their turn. the game featured team lebron and team durant. the first time ever lebron and steph curry were teammates. but this game was the steph, giannis antetokounmpo and damian lillard. steph shooting threes from half-court. he scored 28 points. giannis made all 16 of his shops. he was named the mvp of this one, and lillard winning the game from way downtown as team lebron would beat team durant in this one, 170-150. now the game was steph curry's encore, because earlier in the night he put on a show in the three-point contest. the 2015 champ putting up record 31 in the first round. and then steph needed to hit his last two shots in order to beat the jazz's mike conley. and of course curry made them both to become the seventh player ever to own multiple three-point titles. now at halftime of the game with the dunk contest, and i want was the blazers, anfernee simons outlasting ob toppen, skying high, almost kissing the rim to become the 2021 slam-dunk champion. lebron and the nba using all-star weekend fight voter suppression. many states have introduced legislation to restrict voting. and in a new ad for more than a vote, lebron says there is still plenty of work to do. >> this isn't the time to put your feet up or to think in #s and black squares is enough. because for us, this was never about one election. it's always been more than a volley. >> lebron saying before the all-star game, he will continue to highlight and educate people on what's going on in communities around the country. >> thanks to andy scholes there. thanks for spending part of the day with me. you can follow me on twitter and instagram at robyn curnow cnn. and another hour with my colleague rosemary church begins right after this break. enjoy. [singing in korean] ♪another day will return♪ [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ ♪ ♪ hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom," and i'm rosemary church. just ahead in a deeply personal interview, the duchess of sussex says the royal family had concerns about her son's skin color, and she revealed the pressures at one point made her suicidal. vaccination rates are up, but health officials are warning covid variants could spark another wave if americans are no