believe his version of the story? congressman gosar becomes the first house member censured in more than a decade over a photo shopped video showing him killing another member of congress. and the women's tennis association threatens to pull out of china after a chinese player hasn't been seen now in public. >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. hello, everyone. happy thursday. it is november, the 18th. we are watching two criminal trials in the u.s. where who fired the fatal shot is clear. but the question revealed is not. both touch on racial divisions and feature claims of self-defense. now, in kenosha, wisconsin, a third day of jury deliberations will soon get underway in the homicide trial of kyle rittenhouse as his defense team seeks a mistrial. rittenhouse is charged with killing two men and wounding another at a racial justice protest. and in brunswick, georgia, the white man who shot and killed black jogger ahmaud arbery will take the stand for a second day of testimony. well, on wednesday, jurors got to hear travis mcmichael describe what happened on the day he shot ahmaud arbery. in the coming hours about 200 pastors are expected to head toe brunswick. a midday rally is planned at the courthouse followed by a march in the afternoon in support of the arbery family. cnn's ryan young has more on wednesday's testimony from brunswick. >> i shot. >> reporter: travis mcmichael fired his shotgun three times killing ahmaud arbery. he took the stand in his own defense today. >> he had my gun. he struck me. it was obvious that he was -- it was obvious that he was attacking me. that if he would have got the shotgun from me, then it was -- it was a life or death situation, and i'm going to have to stop him from doing this. >> reporter: mcmichael the first witness for the defense appeared emotional at times as he described his encounter with arbery in february of 2020. >> we got over there and pulled his hand down from under it. he was deceased. i looked up and the police were right there. after that it was -- it's a blur. >> reporter: during his testimony mcmichael said a neighbor pointed towards the direction where arbery was first running. travis said he grabbed his shotgun and he and his father got in their pickup truck to find him. >> we stopped him, asked what was going son. he didn't say anything to me. man, this guy -- this could be volatile. you have to watch him here. >> reporter: both mcmichaels told police they believed the man running was involved in the recent break-ins they heard about in social media. things took a deadly turn. >> i shot the first shot. i knew the shot. then the second shot, i shot again because i was still -- i was still fighting. i was still -- he was all over me. he was still all over the shotgun. and he was not relenting. >> reporter: in cross-examination, the prosecution struck at the heart of the defense's claims. they were going for a citizens arrest. >> not once during your direct examination did you state that your intention was to effectuate an arrest of mr. arbery until your attorney asked you that leading question. isn't that right? >> yes. >> reporter: the prosecution also pointed out that none of the defendants knew why arbery was running that day. >> you said he was running down the road, correct? >> yes. >> you didn't know where he was going when he was running down the road. >> i did not. >> all right. and you had no idea what he actually had been doing that day. >> not at that time, no. >> reporter: and reminded the jury there was an alternative to what occurred. >> you didn't tell your dad this is a really bad idea that could go wrong for us and we should call 911. you didn't say na, did you? >> no. >> reporter: ahmaud arbery's mother spoke about her pain watching today's testimony. >> travis was on the stand wiping tears from his eyes. but again, travis is alive. the tears he shed today was no -- can you imagine the tears that we have shared? >> reporter: a very difficult day for the family as they're processing all they heard from travis mcmichael. we know today there will be another sort of moment when it comes to the fact that so many pastors will be traveling in from around the country. they want to make their voices heard. they're going to have a prayer vigil. there is going to be a march in the city. it will be interesting to see how this all plays out on a busy day not only for the prosecution, but for what may happen in the streets of brunswick. ryan young, cnn, brunswick, georgia. well, civil rights attorney ben crump represents ahmaud arbery's father. he said the defendant's claims of self-defense are ridiculous. take a listen. >> this is a man who chased an unarmed black man and lynched him for jogging while black for two miles practically, when you add up all the distance that ahmaud arbery ran for his life. and it's so odd that he would say, well, i was thinking about my 5-year-old son. if he was worried about his safety and his son's safety, instead of trying to take the law into their own hands, why didn't he simply call 911? why depth he let the police come and do their job? or was it because they had pre-judged this black man as something that he wasn't? why is it that trayvon martin, unarmed and ahmaud arbery unarmed are looked at as criminals and thugs, not only by their killers, but also by the system, and then kyle rittenhouse, who actually had an assault weapon and shot three people, killing two of them, is looked at as a kid and given the benefit of the doubt and the benefit and the presumption of innocence when these dead black men were always presumed guilty? >> some strong words there from mr. crump. some legal experts think travis mcmichael's testimony isn't doing him any favors. >> they chased ahmad ud like an animal and they ran him until he could run no more. so the one thing he could do, when it's fight or flight, they ran him out of steam. there was no more flight left in him. all he could do was fight to try to keep a guy from shooting him with a loaded shotgun. why is travis out of the truck? why did he have the gun in your hand? if you're so afraid, why don't you get in the truck and drive off? what is your dad doing in the back with a .357? all he's doing is digging himself a bigger hole. imagine what ahmaud was thinking when he's running those last 100 feet before he gets to the truck, what am i going to do, what about my mama -- this is great fodder, and a great argument to be made by the prosecutor. that's why i really think at the end of the day tomorrow, she is going to wear him out on the witness stand. >> that was in brunswick. we we are also waiting, of course, for the trial of kyle rittenhouse who killed two people last year. the jurors were described as fatigued at the end of day two. cnn's sarah sidner is in kenosha, wisconsin, for you. >> reporter: on day two of jury deliberations in the kyle rittenhouse double homicide trial, the jury asked a question to the judge. that question was, can they review some of the evidence they have already seen in this trial. the judge decided that they could, and the evidence was mostly video evidence that they had seen, one of which was a video, a drone video taken by a civilian that is of big contention in this trial. the defense saying that it really shouldn't have been let in for evidence, that it is problematic because the high resolution version of that evidence wasn't handed over until five days into this trial, and the defense didn't get a chance to really look over it. here is why they said they felt like the jury should not be able to continually go over this particular bit of video evidence. and the prosecutors' response. >> we would have done this case in a little bit different manner if that was the situation. we didn't have the quality of evidence that the state had until the case had been closed. i'm going to be asking the court for a mistrial. but -- >> their client lied about this on the stand is the state's position. there seems to be evidence to support the position that he lied on the stand about raising the gun. he was confronted with the exhibit. he denied it. the jury wants to see these exhibits. >> reporter: the judge, however, did let that evidence in. however, there is already two requests for a mistrial from the defense. one of them has been filed, the judge taking that into account, the other is going to be filed, they said, and that is going to specifically talk about this drone video they feel was inappropriate to show this jury. the judge said he is concerned about it as well, but is going to let the case go forward. we will see what the jury decides day three of deliberations begins this morning. sarah sidner, cnn, kenosha, wisconsin. >> and be sure to stay with cnn throughout the day, of course, for our coverage of the rittenhouse as well as arbery trials. now, closing arguments are set to begin in the coming hours in charlottesville, virginia, after testimony wrapped up in the civil trial against organizers of the deadly unite the right rally in 2017. some of those injured in the rally in charlottesville are suing two dozen white nationalists as well as organizations. the lawsuit a us cooes defendants in the case of conspiring to commit violence. the jury suspected to begin deliberations on friday. we now have new information on chinese tennis star. the chinese state media released an email claiming she is fine and she denies making allegations of sexual assault. a verified account accused the leader into pressuring her into having sex. that post was quickly deleted and she hasn't been seen since. tennis authorities doubt the veracity of this new email and the tennis community fears for her safety. joining me from hong kong with more, christie, give me details about exactly this letter and what the wta's response has been to this. >> reporter: absolutely. let me tell you, calls have been growing for verifiable evidence. because of this letter that's been circulating. it was on wednesday cgtn, the english-run chinese media outlet not available in mainland china, to post a screen shot of an email allegedly by her. it runs ten sentences long. there is a cursor in the middle of the screen shot. in it she says, quote, everything is fine. then she goes on to backtrack, to recant her earlier sexual assault allegation against a very powerful man, the former vice premiere of china. it goes on to say this. let's bring it up for you. if the wta women's tennis association publishes information about me, release it with my consent, i thank you for your companionship and consideration. i hope to promote chinese tennis with you all if i have the chance in the future. i hope chinese tennis will become better and better, unquote. this alleged email has not been verified by cnn. i should also note it was not reported by any domestic chinese media. the women's tennis association has issued its statement, casting serious doubt on the veracity of this email. so, too, human rights organizations. let's bring up this statement. this is from the chinese human rights defenders. they say this, quote, punish twats the latest statement released through state media should not be taken at face value. the chinese government has a long history of arbitrarily detaining people in controversial cases, controlling their ability to speak freely and making them give forced statements. until she is free, the burden of proof should be on the chinese government to prove she is not detained, unquote. the last two hours, the ministry of foreign affairs held their daily press briefing. the case involving her was raised and according to the spokesperson of the ministry is of foreign affairs, because it is not a diplomatic issue, that they decline to comment. she is a national icon. she is a sporting hero in china for being a two-time grand slam champion, winning in wimbledon and the french open and women's doubles tennis. it was on november 2nd, this is just about two weeks ago, when she made that accusation, that li had forced her to have sex with hitman. she made the accusation on her verified page. it was shortly and immediately taken down. she has not been seen or heard from ever since, isa. >> and so much focus, christie, has been on her and i think it's fair to say incredibly courageous post which you say has been taken down. what about the man she accuses of this, the vice premiere li? any word from him on this? what kind of pressure is he facing at home? >> reporter: immense pressure and no word. he is the former vice premiere of china. he was once -- one of seven individuals on the standing committee. this is the highest level decision-making panel in china. he literally rubbed shoulders with chinese president xi jinping until he retired in 2018. and now he is the target of this very serious sexual assault allegation by this chinese tennis star. we have also reached out for china's state council information office for any comment. nothing back yet, isa. >> keep us posted. kristie lu stout for us in hong kong. thanks so much. now, one of the most recognizable figures from the january 6 insurrection given one of the longest sentences so far. just ahead, we'll explain what it could mean for other defendants. plus, a rebuke for a republican congressman. they censor congressman gosar and stripped him of his committee assignments. >> i do not espouse violence towards anyone. i never have. ms, get your zzz's... and get back to your rhythm. ♪ the relief you need. the cash you want. when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep. woman: i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer ♪ ♪ yeah i feel free ♪ 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representatives. but now arizona's paul gosar has the dubious distinction thanks to a photo shopped video he posted online. cnn's jessica dean explains. >> the house will be in order. will representative gosar present himself in the will? -- well? by its adoption of house resolution 789, the house has resolved that representative paul gosar of arizona be censured. >> reporter: the democratic-led house of representatives took the rare and serious step of censuring republican representative paul gosar after he posted a photo shopped anime video showing him appearing to kill representative alexandria ocasio-cortez and attacking president joe biden. >> it's pretty cut and dry. do you find -- does anyone in this chamber find this behavior acceptable? >> reporter: ocasio-cortez addressed the house before the vote, framing the situation as a question of, quote, what we are willing to accept. >> our work here matters. our example matters. there is meaning in our service. and as leaders in this country, when we incite violence with depictions against our colleagues, that trickles down into violence in this country. >> reporter: in his remarks, gosar did not apologize, but instead doubled down on the message in the video about undocumented immigrants. >> for this cartoon some in congress suggest i should be punished. i have said decisively, there is no threat in the cartoon other than the threat to the immigration poses to our country. and no threat was intended by my staff or me. >> reporter: the final vote was 223-207, with just two republicans, representative liz cheney and representative adam kinzinger, joining democrats. republican representative david joyce voted present. gosar was also stripped of his two committee assignments. democrats argued the video was beyond the pale. >> death flthreats from our colleagues, death threats from members of congress? >> reporter: this is the first time a house member has been censured since 2010 when charlie rangel faced multiple house violations. kevin mccarthy called wednesday's vote an abuse of power. >> this is an old definition of abuse of power. rules for thee, but not for me. that's exactly what's happening here today. house democrats preparing once again to break another president of the united states house of representatives. >> reporter: ocasio-cortez criticized mccarthy for his inaction. she said he nor gosar ever reached out to her following the video. >> in response to the republican leader's remarks when he says that this action is unprecedented, what i believe is unprecedented is for a member of house leadership of either party to be unable to condemn incitement of violence against a member of this body. what is so hard -- what is so hard about saying that this is wrong? >> reporter: house minority leader kevin mccarthy also suggested during his remarks on the floor on wednesday that there could be retribution toward democrats if the gop retakes the house majority in 2022, that they might push to censure or strip democrats from their committee assignments as well. one moderate republican, don bacon, telling cnn that while he thinks that would be bad for the institution, he does see that things going that way. jessica dean, cnn, capitol hill. well, republican members of congress ran the gamut in their defense of gosar. some claim the move to censure him was distraction for president biden's failures. others claim democrats have said similar things and gotten away with them. take a listen. >> here we go again. censuring speech, the most fundamental liberty we have is the right to speak our right, the right to communicate and they're going after that today. because they don't like freedom. >> democrat policies are so pathetic and have done so tourly the left has nothing else to do but troll the internet looking for ways to ghetto fended, and then try to target members and strip them of their committees. this is a dumb waste of the house's time. >> i just think it's a mistake to take people off committees because this is a precedent that they have to live by when they're the minority. i say it's bad for the institution. retribution is not good. i think it's going to happen. >> with a little more than an hour after the house voted, they tweeted after the conservative podcaster. it contained the violent video that got him censured in the first place. the post no longer appears on either of his twitter pages. now, in north america, washington state and british columbia grappling with flooding after torrential rain. washington state's governor said flood waters rushed in at stunning speed causing extensive damage. search and rescue teams have found the body of a man believed to be swept away in flood waters. it is the second storm-related death in the region. meanwhile british columbia is under state of emergency as officials warn the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days. the region is now bracing for more rain. cnn meteorologist is is tracking it and joins me now. good morning, derek. you were telling me in the previous hour the rain is going to continue, but there will be brief respites. >> yeah, the respite comes this weekend. that's the good news. we still have to contend with precipitation today. and once again next week. have you seen these videos, isa? this is incredible to see what community members are doing in the aboughtsville region. this is in southern british columbia, the west coast of canada. this is such a multifaceted disaster. not only the humanitarian problem. the fatalities that have occurred from the flooding. the economic impacts, but the impacts on agriculture and the supply chain as well. take, for instance, the port of van you're. all inbound and outbound rail service, the largest port within canada has now been suspended because of these floods. and the satellite imagery tells quite a tale. in fact, what we're looking at here is an image from space. here is abbotsford struck hardest by the flooding. here's vancouver. we're on the west coast of canada, british columbia. i want you to notice the runoff from the frazier valley river. this is an incredible amount of sediment that's made its way into the open ocean. this is concerning, but it shows you just the significance of the flooding that has occurred here. in fact, the capernicus along the frazier valley shading of blue, that is the flood thiago curd. this is the precipitation moving through. this is water vapor imagery. plenty of clouds, plenty of moisture. we don't want more rainfall at the moment. unfortunately they have light showers in high elevations, snow moving through. notice how it starts to clear. pay attention to the time frame in the top portion of this tv screen. you can see how it clears out friday afternoon and evening. there's the respite we get into by the weekend. and then we have to start monitoring for the potential of more rain and more high elevation snowfall for monday into tuesday, as yet what is called another as months -- atmospheric river aims itself at the west coast. >> thank you, derek. bad pollution typically gets worse in november as farmers burn their crops. now the government is banning nonessential vehicles from entering the capital in an effort to cut down on pollution. they have also ordered fire power stations around new delhi to temporarily shutdown. the pakistani city of la hal has consistently bad pollution. now an air quality group has declared it the world's most polluted city. the foul air in pakistan is attributed to diesel fumes, seasonal crop burning and other factors. still ahead right here on the show, the man known as qanon shaman admits he was wrong to attack the u.s. capitol and deserves to go to prison. the judge agreed. plus they now have sthelter away from the cold. the battle betetween polled and belarus is still unclear. that's next. 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(vo) ask your doctor if it's right for you. learn how we could help you save on imbruvica. this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. i'm isa soares. if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date. our top stories this hour, the man charged with killing ahmaud arbery will take the extend in the second day of testimony in georgia. a rally planned outside the court in support of the arbery family. chinese state media released an email from the tennis star that says she is fine and denies making allegations of sexual assault. she hasn't been seen in public since making the accusation against the former communist leader. of course, we will continue to follow both those stories throughout the day here on cnn. now, former trump adviser steve bannon is expected to plead not guilty to contempt of congress. an arraignment has been set for the coming hours, though it may not happen. bannon defied a congressional subpoena to produce documents and to give a deposition in the investigation of the january 6 riot at the u.s. capitol. one of the most outlandish people to storm the capitol that day was jacob chansley who burst into senate chamber wearing a fir head dress and a spear. now known as a qanon shaman, he pleaded not guilty to a felony charge. on wednesday he was sentenced to nearly 3 1/2 years in prison. cnn's brian todd has our report. >> we won the [ bleep ] day. >> reporter: prosecutors call him the flag bear era mong rioters at the capitol on january 6. jacob chansley stomping around the senate chamber carrying a flag mounted on a spear wearing head dress and face paint. chansley also known as the qanon shaman has been sentence today 41 months in prison for obstructing congress's counting of the electoral voits that day. chansley's lawyer says he respects the judge's ruling. >> he is absolutely embracing being held accountable for that. >> reporter: legal analysts say it could be a shot across the bow against those who attacked and a message to them. >> it is a message to those who feel the whole thing was okay to climb over the capitol, to deface the capitol, to in still violence. all those videos that we've seen, people that are trying to deny this, that this was a serious event, it's a message no, it's not okay for this to happen in america. >> reporter: with his outlandish costume and brazenness, chansley became the symbol. he came into the chamber minutes after vice president pence vacated the spot. investigators say chancely left a message for pence. his antics were controversial. he went on a hunger strike until he was allowed to be served organic food behind bars. he asked for and was granted to be transferred from one jail or another. his attorney said he was suffering from mental health problems on the day of the attack. >> if you look at the video and how he acted on january 6, this is a different person. >> reporter: chansley also angered judge lambert when he did an interview with "60 minutes" which the judge called a lie. >> police were waving people into the building. >> reporter: chansley's punishment could influence others in capitol attack cases. >> maybe this will give political cover for judges that might be sheepish about stronger sentences. >> reporter: for his part, jacob chansley spoke for about 30 minutes to the judge before his sentencing. chansley said he regretted entering the capitol on january 6. he would do everything differently if he could do it all over again. chansley said he's not a violent criminal or insurrectionist and described wanting to live his life like jesus christ and gandy. judge lambert paid attention but didn't hesitate before leveling the sentence. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> now, in the coming hours, two men convicted of killing american civil rights activist malcolm x are expected to be exonerated 55 years after they were found guilty. that word coming from the lawyers of islam who died in 2009 and aziz was released in 1985. the 83-year-old released a statement saying he was victimized by the criminal justice system. they found evidence of the man's sentence. the conviction of the third man still stands. now, an oklahoma man is hours away from execution and the state's governor still hasn't said whether he'll follow the recommendation from the parole board to commute the sentence. julius jones has been on death row for nearly 20 years for a 1999 murder he has maintained his innocence. his supporters gathered outside the governor's mansion for a vigil. a petition with 6 million visitors says jones has inexperienced lawyers and an alleged racial bias among jurors and propertsecutorial misconduc. his friends and family are waiting for a decision. take a listen. >> i saw it, but i've been seeing it through a glass. a lot of people get to hug him. i don't get to hug him. and he's not this monster that people have portrayed him to be. >> we provided what the governor asked for, so after the first commutation he passed in september, he came back and said, well, i'm trying to decide and i want you guys to go through clemency, right. we did that. guess what, the part of the parole board voted in favor again for a second time. so we provided him not only one time, but a second time of approval. so we provided the governor exactly what he asked for, and now we're coming right down to the wire, you know, with pure silence on his behalf. >> and the case has drawn widespread attention due partly to a 2018 documentary. we'll stay on top of that story for you. while many of the migrants stranded at the belarusian/polish border still holding onto hope. >> they are waiting for a decision from germany about whether there is some kind of humanitarian corridor that could be opened. >> coming up, the tensions are starting to ease, but there's still a lot of uncertainty about what happens next. we'll explain. moving is a handful. no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. now, the atmosphere at the belarusian/polish is somewhat calmer. the thousands of migrants stranded there is still in question. many have been placed in a makeshift place. many migrants are from iraq and the transportation ministry says they will put them on a flight today. cnn's matthew chance is there. take a listen. >> reporter: they are still being told there is a possibility is that they could go to germany, that they could enter the european union. there's been no indication from the poles that they are going to open the barricades or germans are willing to open a humanitarian corridor. they are saying that decision in germany has not yet been taken. the fact is if these people are not given some kind of passage into the european union, they will most likely be deported back to their country of origin, which in the case of the vast majority is iraq. people say they are from iraqi kurdistan. >> german chancellor angela merkel has urged the bell russian president as well as the e.u. to provide aid to migrants. germany stands firmly with poland. salma abdelaziz joins me now. let me pickup from matthew chance. some of the families with children are still hoping and clinging onto the belief that perhaps they'll get to germany. talk of human corridors, is this going to happen? what are you hearing? >> this is absolutely unlikely at this stage. as you read there from chancellor angela merkel right now, the focus is on aid and on repatriation, sending these families back to their home countries. in many cases that is iraqi kurdistan you heard from our colleague matthew chance, a place of conflict, a place of war. these are families that survived isis, that survived brutal battles and have put everything on the line, isa. all their savings, all their life accounts. they've been brutalized, beaten as they made this journey along, come with their children, their hopes and dreams. turning them back is the worst case scenario. >> so we're looking at deportation, the first i think 400 or so people being deported today. this is not a long-term solution because you're deporting many people. more will come because we're in a standoff really here between belarus as well as europe. >> absolutely. we have to go back to the language we heard from the european union. these are families that were lured, deceived, tricked, given false information that led them to believe that they should put all of their life savings, should put their own children at risk because they believed or were told to believe that there was an opportunity -- >> what can they do? what can europe do, what can the u.s. do? >> i think every diplomat across the region is wringing their hands trying to answer that question. the fifth round emphasizes, the fifth round of sanctions went into place this week from the e.u. against belarus. we are expecting more sanctions from the united states. of course, there have already been very targeted sanction against russia, against president putin who is seen as backing bac backing lukachenko. that has not been stopped by the sanctions. what we have seen in the past, unfortunately this again falls on the global south, sometimes these actions are taken back at their home nations, back at their home states -- where there is conflict. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. now, the leaders of the u.s., canada and mexico will meet today at the white house. it is the first trilateral summit with america's closest neighbors since 2016. and a chance for president biden to try to patch up relations that soured during the trump administration. and also comes as the u.s. relaxes travel bans against mexico and canada for those who are fully vaccinated. biden is back in washington after selling his domestic agenda to the public. he traveled to tout the electric vehicles and the infrastructure bill he signed this week. and to boost support for his social spending plan. take a listen. >> this infrastructure law along with my build back better plan, we're going to kick start new batteries, materials and parts production and recycling. boosting the manufacturing of clean vehicles with new loans and new tax credits, creating new purchase incentives for consumers to buy american made, union made clean vehicles. >> well, he made his remarks at a general motors factory that produces electric vehicles. gm says it hopes to make zero emission vehicles by 2035. still to come right here on the show, germany hits a pandemic record of new cases as europe is caught in the clutches of covid. the latest on the efforts to prevent new outbreaks is next. ever rushed to a doctotor's appointment and thought: [whispers] "couldn't i i do this from home" only to get inside, where time stands still. 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and hospitalizations as much as possible, that is something at the forefront of many minds across the united states. at least 11 states had expanded eligibility for booster shots in adults. kansas and louisiana are the latest to issue recommendations for the shot. drug maker moderna announced it has filed for emergency use authorization for its covid vaccine booster for all adults 18 and older. moderna already has authorization for the booster to be used for specific groups of individuals. and what's the best gift you can give this holiday season? well, according to the cdc it's getting your covid vaccine. here's the cdc director giving her holiday gift advice. >> what's the best gift to give this year? consider the gift of health. it's priceless. as we head into the holiday and winter season, now is the time to think about protection for our selves and our families. for those at higher risk of severe illness from canadovid-1d booster dose, go out now and get your extra booster dose to protect you. >> dr. rochelle walensky there. the red lines are flashing again over rising covid infections in europe. germany reported a record covid infections, recorded in the last 24 hours, part of what chancellor angela merkel called the -- of the virus. new measures include an indoor mask mandate for anyone over the age of 10. workers must now also work from home at least four days a week until mid december. let's get more on this story. cnn's cyril vanier joins me from france. let's start with germany really and the rising case numbers. i was reading from robert rourke institute daily infections are likely to be twice as many. that is incredibly worrying. >> reporter: absolutely, especially when you're talking about two or three times the official number of 65,000, which is already staggeringly high. the country's chief political officer is calling on public officials to do more, take stricter measures. currently in germany, measures have been adopted state by state. so it really depends on where you are in the country. many states have adopted what is known as the 2g measure by now. 2-g means the unvaccinated are effectively being banned from many areas of public life because you have to show proof of vaccination to go to a restaurant, to go to a hotel, to go to a public venue. so the prime minister of the state of bavaria has called this a kind of lockdown on the unvaccinated. germany also looking at the actual lockdown that is take -- has been decided this week in neighboring austria where 2 million unvaccinated people are under a stay-at-home order. so some in germany think that should be the solution that should be implemented. the political parties that were more than likely be forming germany's next government currently debating stricter measures to be implemented. they are debating that today, isa. >> cyril vanier for us in paris. thank you very much. it's a lot happening in europe as of course europe sees that fourth wave of the virus. we'll stay on top. that. now, britain's prince charles says his mother is doing all right. he says queenie li elizabeth her first meeting. she stood without any assistance. you can see there as she met jen carter at windsor castle on wednesday. buckingham palace says the j general has relinquished his role in the u.k.. the queen saying his departure is rather said. wonderful seeing the queen again. stargazers in north america are in for a treat. the longest partial lunar eclipse of the century will take place less than 24 hours from now on friday morning when the moon moves through the southern part of the earth's shadow. it's set to start around 1:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast, with the peak of the eclipse around 4:00 a.m., making it the longest partial eclipse in nearly 600 years. so, bring a blacknket, some hot coco and try to stay awake. that does it for me. thank you so much for joining. isa soares. christine romans joins laura jarrett, they will have more on the ahmaud arbery trial and the kyle rittenhouse case. stay tuned to cnn, and i shall see you tomorrow. bye-bye. i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... ...me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there for her. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for people with crohn's disease. humira helps people achieve remission that can last. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. learn how abbvie could help you save on humira. ♪ ♪ xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like getting illumination's minions movie on us. xfinity mobile benefits. exclusive experiences, like the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. andy cohen: hey! it's me! and tasty recipes from bravo's top chef cheftestants that'll have you cooking like a pro. the longer you've been with us... the more rewards you can get. join for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. all right, good morning, everyone. it is thursday, november 18th. 5:00 a.m. exactly here in new york. thanks for getting an early start with us. i'm christine romans. >> nice to have you barks, christine. i'm laura jarrett. women come to our viewers around the united states and around the world. we have reports from paris, georgia, hong kong and capitol hill. >> we begin this morning with an important gut check on the u.s. economy. inflation fears have been dominating the headlines. it's the downside of the covid reopening. but a broader look at the economy shows a remarkable recovery. america's factor