news,english
Judy Woodruff:
The White House is defending President Biden's decision to hold COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, and not ship doses overseas.
Last night, he announced that all Americans should be eligible for shots by May 1. Today, aides confirmed that he has declined to donate part of the U.S. supply.
Jen Psaki:
His view is that his obligation, first obligation, is to addressing what is still a crisis in our country, right? Yes, he outlined last night there is a light at end of tunnel, but 1,400 Americans are dying every single day, and he wants to have, as the leader of this country, maximum flexibility.
Judy Woodruff:
Mr. Biden has agreed to contribute financially to help needy nations buy vaccine. And, today, he met virtually with others in the so-called Quad, leaders of Japan, India and Australia. They unveiled a plan to boost vaccine production in Asia.
We will look at all of this after the news summary.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo defied growing political pressure today and refused again to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct. A majority of New York's congressional delegation, including, late today, both U.S. senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, demanded that he step down.
But in a conference call earlier, Cuomo accused his detractors of joining so-called cancel culture.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo:
There is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged. Politicians who don't know a single fact, but yet form a conclusion and an opinion, are, in my opinion, reckless and dangerous.
Judy Woodruff:
The governor also questioned the motives of his accusers. But, today, a seventh woman, another former aide, charged that Cuomo harassed her as well.
Federal health officials say they hope more families will claim unaccompanied migrant children coming into the U.S. without fear of being deported. They announced today that they are ending a Trump era policy of sharing information on sponsors with immigration authorities. Numbers of children crossing the Southern border alone are surging, with more than 3,000 of them now in detention facilities.
The city of Minneapolis agreed today to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit with the family of George Floyd. He died in police custody last May.
The family's attorney, Ben Crump, hailed the agreement as historic.
Benjamin Crump:
It makes a statement that George Floyd deserved better than what we witnessed on May 25, 2020, that George Floyd's life matters, and, by extension, black lives matter.
Judy Woodruff:
The settlement came amid jury selection for Derek Chauvin. He's the former — the white former police officer charged with Floyd's murder.
In Rochester, New York, an investigation into the death of Daniel Prude accuses the mayor and the former police chief of withholding information and outright lying. Prude suffocated last March after police restrained him. Today's report was commissioned by the City Council. A grand jury has declined to indict any of the police officers involved.
Mainland China today rejected U.S. criticism of its tightened grip on Hong Kong. The U.S. State Department had called it — quote — "an assault on democracy." But Beijing accused Washington of hypocrisy.
Zhang Xiaoming (through translator):
When Hong Kong was rocked by disturbances, the U.S. praised it as a beautiful sight. But when demonstrators stormed the Capitol on January 6, the U.S. branded it domestic terrorism.
What moral high ground does the U.S. have to tell China about what it should do?
Judy Woodruff:
China has now imposed measures that let it select more of Hong Kong's lawmakers.
The Vatican says that it has nearly used up reserves from past financial donations to cover budget deficits. Church officials today forecast red ink of nearly $60 million this year. They blamed reduced donations amid the pandemic. The Holy See also faces an ongoing corruption probe.
And on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 293 points to finish at 32778. The Nasdaq fell 78 points, and the S&P 500 added four.
from:pbs