its violence to respond to that bombshell harry and meghan interview. we're live with details this hour. thanks for joining us. well, the u.s. house of representatives is set to hold a final vote on president joe biden's massive covid relief package just hours from now. the house is expected to pass the updated bill with the senate's revisions. the stimulus package is huge, not only in price tag at $1.9 trillion, but also in its expected impact. democrats from progressives to moderates are united in their support. >> this is the most significant legislation for working people that has been passed in decades. >> tremendous piece of legislation that going to create an awful lot of employment across this country. >> republicans, too, are united in their opposition. >> socialist wish list. >> this is a left of lenin, neosocialist wish list. >> this is a left wing giveaway. it is a left wing social agenda. >> no republicans so far are getting behind the bill, should it pass, americans waiting for relief could be days away from receiving direct payments. well, the sweeping legislation is expected to help millions of americans, of course. and as cnn's phil mattingly reports it's also an early victory for the biden administration. >> reporter: well in just a matter of hours, president biden is going to secure the cornerstone legislative achievement. on day 50, the u.s. house is expected to pass his sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. his top priority the moment he set foot in the oval office. what his administration has been working for publicly and behind the scenes every single day since they set foot in the oval office. whether direct payments, hundreds of billions, for schools, vaccine development, for testing programs, all across the board. including several propositions or provisions that go much further. they're temporary. but when you talk about the child tax credit and these are proposals that democrats have been trying to find a way to get into law for years now. but they're about to, but on a temporary basis. the biggest question for tens of thousands of americans, how long is it going to take to get the stimulus checks. right now, the president says by the end of the month. the administration wants to get the checks out in days, or at least a couple of weeks. and they're going to build on what the last administration was going to put in place. keep in mind, the checks have gone out from the treasure department to direct deposits, or if they don't have that, direct checks. one thing to happen directly won't be the president's name on any of those checks. obviously, it was a priority for former president trump, not so much for biden. >> we're doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them. which is white president's name will not be on the line of stimulus checks. the checks will be fined by the bureau of fiscal service. this is not about them, it's about the american people getting relief. 160 million of them. >> you can see the different approach. one thing both achievements will achieve, though, a sweeping very large coronavirus relief package. democrats, though, the only ones getting behind this package. no republicans voted for the package in the senate. no republicans are expected to vote in the house. obviously wide bipartisan majorities in the house and senate during a predecessor's time, a different time, but certainly underscoring a democratic priority and a big win for president biden. phil masselly, cnn, the white house. >> while millions of americans wait for their covid checks, many states are racing to reopen them. among them, texas, the lone star state is lifting its mask mandate, and texas is also allowing business to open at 100% capacity. meanwhile in alaska, the governor has announced vaccines are available to anyone living or working in the state who is at least 16 years old. that makes alaska the last state to give access. starting monday, teachers in all 50 states and washington, d.c. will be eligible to receive vaccines. it is a big step forward for schools trying to return to in-person learning. cnn's nick watt has more on the nation's efforts to battle the virus. >> reporter: nearly 10% of americans are new fully vaccinated. and there are now cdc guidelines for what they can and still cannot do. but -- >> i was a little disappointed that they didn't say anything about travel. >> reporter: we're told the cdc talked about travel but there was never momentum behind a change. official advice remains, just don't. still, more than 5 million people flew these past five days. >> already, people are traveling. there's spring break coming up. i think it's important to tell people how to travel. >> reporter: about 60% of americans, 65 and older, the demo in deepest danger, have had at least one dose of vaccine. rhode island plans to get one dose in all teachers and school staffs by the end of the month. >> we're going to do everything we possibly can to make sure we salvage some of the school year. >> reporter: this country is now averaging under 60,000 new covid-19 cases a day. dropped 14% in just a week but -- >> no guarantee just because we're ramping up our vaccine at record levels nearly every day that we're completely out of the woods. >> reporter: no more mask mandate in texas and businesses can open without restrictions. many say they will still ask customers to mask up. >> i can see the conflict coming, and the cops will be stuck in the middle just like we always are. >> reporter: the magnolia school board outside of houston just voted on what to do about masks. >> we have god given rights, and it's time that you guys understand that the masks need to go away. >> reporter: the decision, no more masks by april 1st. 14% of tests are coming back positive in the lone star state. 5 or under suggests the virus is under control. >> let not lose sight of the fact, people are going to get the virus, and people are going to die. >> reporter: now, the governor of the state of ohio has now designated march 9th as a day of remembrance, marking the first anniversary of the first covid death in that state. governor of new jersey, also says that march 9th now and going forward will be covid-19 heroes day. we're still not out of this. but we're already figuring out how we'll remember what we've been through. and those who didn't make it. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. u.s. agents encountered or arrested more than 100,000 migrants on the southern border over the past month. the most for that time frame in five years. that's according to data obtained by cnn. most were single adults, but there was also a spike in the number of children and families. officials are scrambling to deal with the influx which the governor of texas has blamed on the white house. he says the biden administration has created a vices at our southern border through open border policies that give the green light to dangerous cartels and other criminal activity. on tuesday, the white house defended its actions and discouraged further border crossings. >> we are continuing to work to convey to people in the region that this is not the time to come. that the majority of people who come to the border will be turned away, which is factually accurate. and what we're really talking about in terms of the people who are being let in are unaccompanied children. that is a policy decision which we made because we felt it was the most humane approach to addressing what are very difficult circumstances in the region. and that means there are more children, kids under the age of 18, of course, coming across the border. >> the white house press secretary refused to call the situation a crisis, but said it is a challenge they're working to address. cnn's ed lavandera spoke with some of the migrants now seeking asylum in the u.s. >> reporter: in a tent city near the u.s./mexico border, this woman waits with this two children. she said she left honduras to seek asylum in the united states. she said she jumped the border two times illegally because of desperation to find work. both times, she was sent back to mexico. now, she says she'll wait for a legal way to cross. the anticipation spreading through this tent city in tijuana, mexico, speaks to the hope that these people have that the biden administration will be more receptive to their flights. sandra said she has spent a year sitting on the border's edge with her husband and two children. she said they left to honduras to seek asylum. sandra tells us she hopes president biden will open the border to our children because we need a better life for our children. it's reaching emergency levels for the biden administration. u.s. authorities have arrested and encountered more than 100,000 migrants in the four weeks before march 3rd. the highest levels for that same time period in at least three years. new data received by cnn shows there are 3400 unaccompanied children in the custody of customs and border protection and federal regulations are scrambling to make room. we're here on this town and the cdp has opened up this mass tent facility. this temporary site for migrants was opened just over a month ago. a homeland security official told cnn the facility is significantly overcrowded, mostly with children. republicans and some democrats say the biden administration isn't moving fast enough to keep the migration crisis under control. they are completely under paired. for what is going on the border right now, and they will be even more unprepared for what will be happening in the coming month. the biden administration said the majority of migrants are being turned away at the border and refuse to describe the situation as crisis. >> look, i don't think we need to sit here and put new labels on what we've conveyed as challenging what we've conveyed as a top priority for the president. >> reporter: but many more families are allowed to wait in the u.s. for immigration court dates. we met jose, we were asked to protect hissentdy, he said desperation and fear is driving them to the border. he left honduras three months ago. do you see a lot of children coming by themselves? jose tells us he saw many children along the way, begging or cleaning windows for money. he says not all of them will be lucky enough to make it. critics of the biden administration say that the president is not acting fast enough to get the migration situation under control on the u.s. southern border. president biden and his team insist what they're trying to do is develop a much more humanitarian approach to immigration here in this country. ed lavandera, cnn, dallas. it has been almost a year since the world health organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. now, officials are conceding that perhaps they should have warned more about the dangers of covid-19, but that some countries did not listen to the warnings when they were given. >> perception of risk is very much about the perceptive you have and the risk you have. unfortunately, if you're in the valley of the damn, you're at risk, and you take action. if you're standing on a mountain top you don't feel the same level of risk until the water is right. i thing too many countries thought they were standing on the mountain top and watching the waters rise to consume and overwhelm others. what everyone didn't realize is that the waters rolls to consume them. we have to ask ourselves, yes, maybe, we need to shout louder, but maybe some people need hearing aids. >> data from johns hopkins university shows that globally, more than 117 million people are known to have been infected. and more than 2.5 million have lost their lives. a toll difficult to imagine, of course, one year ago. well, a fast-spreading coronavirus variant and slow-paced vaccine rollout appear to have worsened the covid crisis in brazil. on tuesday alone, the country reported nearly 2,000 deaths from the virus. its worse daily death toll since the pandemic began. brazil remains one of the hardest hit countries, with the third highest number of infections. and the second highest death toll in the world, according to johns hopkins university. experts fear the crisis could still get worse. intensive care units in 30 brazilian states are 90% full. and several more operating at 80% capacity. the worst is the southern state of rio grande do sul completely full. and rio de janeiro also near the limit with 93% of icu beds now taken. brazil's health ministry says it has provided extra resources to address the problem and are promising more icu beds in the weeks to come. more now on how the government is managing the crisis. r >> reporter: coronavirus is still spreading across south america. and the situation is most serious in brazil, where a local variant of the virus is acting with devastating effects across the country. the center of the crisis right now is the iconic city of rio de janeiro where occupancy rate for icus is over 95% on monday. on monday, president jair bolsonaro has said even though it's been one of the worst countries because of the pandemic, the president will not impose a new national lockdown. president did say he had the capacity and the power to impose a lockdown, he will not do it. and yet again, he put into questions the seriousness of the pandemic. meanwhile, a group of governors has started coming together to come up with a contingency plan to try to curb the spread of the virus, at the back of the presidency. for cnn, this is stefano pozabon. buckingham palace is grappling with explosive fallout with the interview. and we will have a live report from win sore, that's next. and comments from a british broadcaster prompted an angry reaction and his resignation. together can be used on over 100 surfaces. and kill up to 99.9% of germs. lysol. what it takes to protect. ♪ welcome back, everyone. well, there are many questions about what's next for the british royal family, now that buckingham palace has broken its silence about harry and meghan's explosive television interview with oprah winfrey. the palace's statement on above of queen elizabeth said the whole family is saddened to learn the extent how challenging the last few years have been for harry and meghan. the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. while some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously. anna stewart joins us, anna, a much anticipated statement, but loaded statement by the queen but will it be enough for this crisis? >> reporter: yeah, it did take a while to go through. the piroyal family wants to mak sure that the uk has a way to absorb it. although it's very short, three short paragraphs, it's absolutely loaded with meaning from the very first line that the royal family are saddened to learn the extent of what harry and meghan have been through. and the most interesting line is perhaps the bit while recollections may vary which is an incredibly diplomatic way of saying they frankly don't agree with some claims of conversations relayed by the sussex couple in the oprah winfrey interview. and certainly drawing a line under the whole affair saying they're going to discuss this privately. we've been told by a royal source that it was suggested that perhaps these issues should have been raised in a private conversation which is a bit of a rebuke, frankly. it ends on love, with love for harry and meghan and archie, i'm not sure this is enough to stem the outrage, particularly when you consider it's become something of a sussex versus royal family debate. it's certainly not an apology. so to disappoint anyone who was expecting that, it's really just an acknowledgement. we don't expect to hear anything more from the palace and we don't expect explanation on that subject. rosemary. >> and prince charles was the first royal to appear in public since harry and meghan's tell-all interview. and he ignored question in relation to that interview, talk to us about that. >> reporter: yeah, prince charles thought was very brave continuing on to a vaccination center wednesday, had they frankly cancelled that would another story. inevitably, though, someone asked about the interview. watch what happens. >> sir, can i ask what did you think of the interview? >> reporter: obviously, dodged there. i would expect that question to get asked from various members of the royal family to be asked at engagements. the palace has put out a statement that is so nuanced, so clever in its use of words and account been battered with any off-the-cuff comments. no further comment from the palace. let's see what the reaction is as the day goes as to how people people about that statement. >> it was certainly masterful, wasn't it. anna stewart braving the elements, joining us live from london, many thanks. the problems that the duke and duchess say they have experienced have thursday the issue of racism inside the monarchy and uk back into the spotlight. last hour, i asked queen elizabeth ii's former press secretary to comment about the palace's official statement on this sensitive issue, take a listen. >> i don't think it's intended at all to be dismissive. the queen is a fair-minded person. and she's been head of the commonwealth, the largest multiracial organization in the world for 69 years. so, i don't think she needs any lessons in the importance of a multiracial society. and i think it's quite usual for recollections of sensitive conversations to vary a bit. it's not a judgment about it. it's just saying this is a fact. the queen recognizes they must be taken very seriously, particularly that question of race. and that they wished, like any family, to be able to discuss family conversations in a private setting, and not doing it at all in public. i think that's a right that every family in the world has to be able to discuss their problems, their family problems in a private setting. >> and harry -- harry did mention in his tell-all with oprah that meghan offered the royal family, the greatest asset to the commonwealth, an opportunity to become a diverse family reflecting the multicultural society. why didn't they take up that opportunity because they didn't? >> they did take up that opportunity. meghan is actually -- was made patron of a major commonwealth charity. prince harry is involved in commonwealth youth affairs. they were both engaged in that. and those were patronages committee queen offered alongside being patron of the national theater and several other philanthropic organizations. so, i think she was welcomed very warmly. >> charles anson there, queen elizabeth ii's former press secretary. american singer beyonce is one of numerous celebrities showing support for meghan in the wake of her explosive interview. she published a statement, thank you, meghan for your courage and leadership. we're all strengthened and inspired by you. the star's message has a photo of the three. good morning britain co-host pierce mo piers morgan is out of a job due to a temper tantrum. >> i understand you don't like meghan markle. you've made it so clear a number of times on the program. has she said anything that she cut you off? i don't think she has, but you continue to trash her. >> all right, that's -- >> no, no -- >> sorry, can't do it. >> this is absolutely diabolical behavior. >> broadcaster itv announced morgan's departure later in the day. brian stelter has more. >> reporter: piers morgan has joined harry and meghan on the front pages of the british newspaper, his decision to storm off the set "good morning britain" and now the fact that he's off the show immediately is something of a morning mystery. people wonder if they should connect the dots between the two. and wondering what exactly happened, why did morgan leave the show. what we know, here's morgan, larger than life, someone who many fans love or love to hate, a former cnn host who has