fully vaccinated, but that is only 9.4% of the entire population so obviously miles to go until we reach herd immunity. also potential fallout today from oprah winfrey's interview with prince harry and meghan markle. the couple accusing the royal family of blatant racism, lack of support and yanking their security protection. meghan there even revealing there were conversations, concerns about baby archie's skin color, she says, before he was born. more on the pressure buck hamm palace is now facing, but, first, let's get a update on the stimulus checks with cnn's jessica dean live on capitol hill. jessica, we were expecting the house vote tomorrow. it's been delayed a day. do you know why? >> reporter: yeah. right now, brooke, our explanation from one senior democratic aide is simply this is a giant bill, and it needs some time to process its way through the system. they are working on getting all that paperwork back over to the house and then it needs to go through the rules committee and the full house can vote on it. not an unexpected development, but it certainly does delay it by a day for that full vote now to take place likely on wednesday. now, remember, the deadline they are up against is march 14th. that's when unemployment benefits run out. that's when they want to get it to president biden's desk, and they certainly do anticipate getting it to his desk far before the march 14th deadline so what's in this $1.9 trillion bill? it's massive and touches a lot of sectors of this economy. of course, you talked about the $1,400 stimulus checks. that's certainly in there. it extends unemployment benefits $300 a week through september. there's money for vaccinations. there's money for reopening schools. there's an expandled tax credit for children, and that's a big piece of this. it's $3,600 for the year for a child up to the age of 6, $3,000 for children over the age of 6 to 18, and the thing that is different about this is parents can elect to get that money in monthly installments, so here is senate majority leader chuck schumer on this bill earlier today. take a listen. >> well, the one thing i regret the most is i was $15 minimum wage, and we didn't get the votes for that, but we'll keep fighting for it. otherwise most of the changes were not that large. the basic bill goes through. >> that is true. most of everything that the house voted on before is still in this bill with the big exception of the $15 minimum wage. that was removed because the senate parliamentarian ruled it could not be in there under the process by which they are voting on this bill called reconciliation. they also tightened the eligibility for who is getting the $1,400 checks and then also trimmed the federal boost to those unemployment benefits, but generally, brooke, the broad sweeps of there are included in that, and, again, we're expecting the full house to vote on that on wednesday. >> hugely popular bill, given everything that's in it, you know, really an injection for americans. not a single republican voted for this. we'll talk about that a little later and why that is. jessica dean, thank you on the hill for me. now to the news really that you all have been waiting for. what are you allowed to do if you have been fully vaccinated. we've just got the news. we've got the guidelines in from the cdc, long-awaited safety guidelines and so they are saying people who have gotten both shots or in the case of the johnson & johnson vaccine, single shot, two weeks later you can spend time with friends and family who have also been fully vaccinated. health officials hope this news will convince more people to get out and get protected because it comes as the decline in new cases in the u.s. are beginning to plateau, and that worries dr. anthony fauci. meantime, president joe biden will mark the one-year anniversary of the pandemic shutdown in his very first primetime address. that happens this thursday. erica hill is our cnn anchor and national korngts and she has more on today's new vaccine guidelines. >> reporter: more shots in arms, more hope on the horizon. >> we are starting to turn a corner. >> the cdc finally offering some long-awaited guidance today for the more than 30 million people in the u.s. who are now fully vaccinated, including visits with other fully vaccinated folks. no mask or distance required. visits with unvaccinated low-risk individuals from a single household also okay, also no mask or distance required. plus, no need to quarantine or test after nope exposure to someone who tested positive but is asymptomatic. >> the science of covid-19 is complex, and our understanding of the virus continues to rapidly evolve. the recommendations issued today are just a first step. >> reporter: travel still discouraged. masks and physical distance still recommended in public even if you're fully vaccinated. >> you have to keep an open mind, and we have to realize that right now the floodgates are not open. we have to come out cautiously, cautiously. >> reporter: while the pace of vaccinations is improving, the u.s. now averaging more than 2 million shots a day, equity remains an issue. >> the data continues to show black and brown americans are being vaccinated at like half the rate of white americans. that's just not acceptable. >> achieving equity is not an as operational goal. this is mission critical. absent equity we'll not be able to stop this pandemic from continuing to claim lives, strain our health care system or weaken our economy. >> reporter: key virus metrix continue their decline. hospitalizations cut in half over the last month. depths also dropping. average new cases now at levels not seen since october, but -- >> plateauing at a level of 60,000 to 70,000 new cases per day is not an acceptable level. that is really very high. >> reporter: plus, fast-spreading variants on the rise and yet more states are easing restrictions. many dropping mask mandates despite the science. >> we have to get our economy rolling so that individuals can get back to work. i actually trust mississipians to make good decisions. >> reporter: masks not mandate nitrogen dioxide hoe, but even the recommendation of face conversation too much for some. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: who felt the need to burn masks at a real over the weekend. >> it's not helpful for people to be burning masks. we want people to choose to make the right decision to wear a mask. >> reporter: masks and vaccines, the keys to ending the pandemic for everyone. and on those two fronts, brooke, we're learning eligibility increasing expanding in a number of states. ohio about to extend eligibility, but we also learned today that wyoming is another state that will be getting rid of the mask mandates in that state, the mask requirements. the governor saying they are going to stay in place for k-12 schools because he hopes people will exercise their personal responsibility and make smart decisions. again, masks won't be required. in some ways, brooke, i have to say after a year i'm feeling a bit like a broken record today. >> we all are. we all, are but it's important to repeat it over and over. erica hill, thank you so much. we're all on the same team. we want normalcy at the end of this whole thing. let's talk about this with dr. leana wen, emergency room physician at gw university hospital and former health commissioner. simple question, can you explain if we're talking about the vaccines, plain to me why people who have been fully vaccinated can't walk around like normal. >> well, here's what we know about these vaccines, all three of these vaccines that have been authorized so far. they are safe and extremely effective, especially at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death which is wonderful for protecting the individual. there is now growing evidence that getting the vaccine also reduces your likelihood of being a carrier. we don't exactly how much this reduces that risk, but it's probably substantially lower and that means maybe in theory you could be asymptomatic yourself but could infect others but that chance is still much lower, and so that's actually why i wish the cdc guidelines went a lot further than they actually did. >> wow. what about -- i know on the point of travel because everyone is thinking, and i'm putting myself in that category, when i get vaccinated, i can feel safe jumping on a plane to go and see certain family members. the airline industry is real pushing back against the new cdc guidelines that fully vaccinated people should actually still avoid travel. the why is the cdc encouraging people who have been fully vaccinated not to travel? >> so this is one of these examples where i think the cdc is being far overly cautious in a way that defies common sense, because look at what they are saying about quarantine. they are saying that if somebody knowingly is exposed to an individual with covid-19 and they are fully vaccinated, they don't need to test or get quarantined. if you're sitting on a plane, you're not necessarily sitting next to people with covid-19, you're wearing a mask. ideally you're keeping distanced so it -- it just doesn't make sense that you can't travel, especially if you now can get together with loved ones. i think a lot of people are eager to see their grandkids who they don't necessarily live with so i think it's really important to guy the guidance about travel. i actually would go further and say that people who are fully vaccinated should be able to travel, should be encouraged to travel, and that's one of those incentives that we can give as a way for restoring freedoms that you now able to travel and go visit your loved ones and go to museums and cultural institutions once you're fully vaccinated. >> put money back into the economy and goodness knows these businesses need it right now. doctor leana wen, good to see you. thank you very much. we have to talk about allegations of racism, thoughts of suicide and a royal family divided. this explosive interview from harry and meghan markle that turned out to be more revealing than advertised. we'll talk about it. and new york governor andrew cuomo is refusing to step down after more his democratic colleagues are urging it's time to go and more women are coming forward alleging inappropriate behavior. also ahead, another potential wrench in republican hopes to win back the u.s. senate, incumbent senator roy blunt announces he won't seek re-election. so much to talk about. you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. we'll be back right. we needed to make sure that, if they couldn't get to the food, the food would come to them. we can deliver for food banks and schools. amazon knows how to do that. i helped deliver 12 million meals to families in need. that's the power of having a company like amazon behind me. riders, the lone wolves of the great highway. all they need is a bike and a full tank of gas. their only friend? the open road. i have friends. [ chuckles ] well, he may have friends, but he rides alone. that's jeremy, right there! we're literally riding together. he gets touchy when you talk about his lack of friends. can you help me out here? no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. well, we're new friends. to be fair. eh, still. is now a good time for a flare-up? enough, crohn's! for adults with moderate to severe crohn's or ulcerative colitis... stelara® can provide relief and is the only approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection... flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. lasting remission can start with stelara®. if you've been financially impacted by covid-19, janssen may be able to help. ♪ ♪ if you've been financially impacted by covid-19, these days you need more than an education. so that's what we give you. introducing career services for life. learn more at phoenix.edu priceline works with top hotels, to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. did you watch? one of the most anticipated interviews from the royal family in years. meghan, the duchess of sussex, and prince harry sat down with oprah winfrey to talk about their lives as british royals, and in this one stunning moment meghan revealed that there were conversations within the royal family about her then not yet born baby's skin tone. >> in those months when i was pregnant all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security. he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born. >> there is a conversation -- hold up. >> there's several conversations about it. >> there's a conversation with you. >> with harry. >> about how dark your baby is going to be? >> potentially and what that would mean or look like. >> life within the gilded royal confines got so bad according to meghan that when she was pregnant she contemplated suicide. >> but i knew that if i didn't say it, that i would do it, and i -- 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, and i remember -- i remember how he just cradled me and i was -- i went to the institution and i said that i needed to go somewhere to get help. i said that i've never felt this way before and i need to go somewhere and i was told that i couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution. >> there's so much here. let's start with our cnn royal correspondent max foster there in windsor, england. max, you have covered the royal family for years. is there any reaction yet from the royal family, from the palace to this interview? >> nothing at all. of course they watched it and of course they are discussing it. i've spoken to some, but they are not commenting yet. what do we read into that? well, i don't think it's going to be a no comment. some of these allegations are so severe they really do have to answer them, so we can only assume that either they are giving this interview some space to breathe. it hasn't been broadcast in the uk yet or that they are formulating some sort of response. the two clear sound bites i think that you just played there really, the racism allegation, effectively the institution being accused of racism. we don't know who those conversations were with in the royal family. we do know who it wasn't because oprah has confirmed it wasn't prince philip or the queen. it does make the likely candidate for the conversation a lot smaller group. you know, who is that? how are they going to respond to that, but also that duty of care that they clearly failed in, a vulnerable woman in a vulnerable mental state asking for help. she didn't see it. it wasn't so much rebuffed. they said they couldn't help her. it feels extraordinary and they will have to answer those questions, and they are just two of the talking points in this epic interview which covered so much. >> you say it hasn't been broadcast in the uk yet. it will be. you and i will have a conversation about that and the fallout tomorrow. max foster, now after 8:00 at night in windsor, thank you, sir. in this interview meghan talked about the british tabloids and how toxic they are. a turning point is when the tabloids went wild with a claim that she had made her sister-in-law kate, prince william's wife cry, in the run up to her wedding with prince harry. watch this. >> a few days before the wedding she was upset about something pertaining to -- yes, the issue was correct about flower girl dresses, and -- and it made me cry. i don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that because she apologized. >> okay. >> and i've forgiven her, right? what was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only i didn't do but that happened to me and the people who were part of our wedding going to our comms team and saying i know this didn't happen. i don't have to tell them what actually happened, but i can at least go on the record and say she didn't make her cry and they were all told -- >> all the time the story is out there that you made kate cry, you knew all along and people around you knew it wasn't true. >> everyone in the institution knew it wasn't true. >> why didn't somebody just say that. >> good question. >> let's start with leslie carroll, author of "american princess, the lore story of prince harry and meghan markle." this is just one of the vastly different examples of the way kate and meghan are treated by the media. why? >> thank you for having me, brooke, and happy international women's day. >> thank and same to you. >> you're welcome. >> now here we are talking about two strong, very different women who are the youngest and newest members of the royal family which is the longest running soap opera in british history, nearly 1,000 years, and the chroniclers of this soap opera are the british tabloids, and as meghan said in some of the outtakes of this interview that didn't make it to air, the tabloids don't report events. they create them. they don't report the news. they create it, and in a soap opera you have hero and villains, and -- and they have really created a zero sum game, and as meghan said last night, don't have to -- if you love me, you don't have to hate her, meaning kate, and if you love her, you don't have to hate me, and -- and what the tabloids have done since meghan really entered the royal family as making history as the first american bride of mixed race and the royal family has a very ugly history with colonialism is they created a villaines, a long-running storey with a deluge of -- >> oprah points that out, leslie. oprah points out in the interview just the way that the british tabloids treat meghan, it is so different than the way you look at the tabloids and the papers here in america, especially as they are receiving this interview. i mean, the headlines in the british tabloids today are already calling meghan a liar. >> yeah. >> and you have piers morgan, you know, he's not obviously one to hold back. he's not on what he thought of the interview. watch. >> i didn't like it. i thought it was two hours of disingenuous horrible one-sided, self-serving delusional claptrap. i think it was the acting performance of her life. it was designed to portray her the ultimate victim. >> why, leasely, do you think there is such a difference between the way the uk and the u.s. covers her? >> all you need to know -- well, again, we go back to britain's history of colonialism and racism and the fact that meghan is painted as the outsider and the interloper, and they need to create a villaines for this ongoing soap opera because she's different and other, and if you listen to people of color in the uk, their response to this postmortem is very different from white people in britain and, again, i've been reading all of this and listening to the responses in the uk versus theu and all it does is reinforce why the sussexes needed to leave and how -- how you could -- you could understand how intolerable and as meghan said unsurvivable her position became, because when you look at that deluge of constant negative press which relies on how the comms team said they promised they would protect me and they didn't, especially with incidents that she said the institution knew were wrong and they did nothing to protect her and nothing to rebut those lies. >> yeah, there's so