news,english
Judy Woodruff:
The White House says a problem with Johnson & Johnson's supply of COVID-19 vaccine will not slow the pace of inoculations. A problem at a Baltimore plant may have contaminated 15 million doses, and it also delayed federal approval of the plant's production lines.
The White House said today it learned of the problem last week, but remains confident.
Jen Psaki:
HHS updated us. In fact, this is probably the process working as it should. HHS updated us on J&J's manufacturing, including where things stood with the facility at the point where they learned about the issue. It wasn't going to impact our supply. It wasn't going to impact the supply to the American people. And, of course, J&J is working through this with the FDA.
Judy Woodruff:
Also today, the White House launched a campaign titled We Can Do This to win over Americans still hesitant about getting vaccinated.
It involves 275 organizations ranging from the Salvation Army to the NAACP to NASCAR. Vice President Kamala Harris introduced members at a virtual event, and officials debuted TV ads in English and Spanish to amplify the message.
Police in Southern California have identified the man who allegedly shot and killed four people, including a 9-year-old boy, on Wednesday. A fifth person remains in critical condition, along with the suspect. He is identified as Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez. It is not clear how he was wounded.
Investigators say he attacked the victims at an office complex southeast of Los Angeles after chaining the gates closed.
Lt. Jennifer Amat:
The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship, which existed between the suspect and all of the victims. It appears all of the adults were connected either by business or a personal relationship, and this was not a random act of violence.
Judy Woodruff:
This attack follows mass shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and Atlanta within the last three weeks.
In Myanmar, demonstrations erupted across the country today, marking two months since the military seized power. Protesters in Yangon and Mandalay burned copies of the Constitution that ensured military dominance in the legislature. They also honored more than 500 protesters killed so far.
A court in Hong Kong convicted seven pro-democracy leaders today for their role in mass protests in 2019. They include Martin Lee, the 82-year-old founder of the territory's Democratic Party, and media tycoon Jimmy Lai. They could get five years in prison.
We will have details later in the program.
Back in this country, President Biden held his first full Cabinet meeting, with everyone spread out and fully masked. It took place in the East Room of the White House, to allow for social distancing. The president urged them to push his infrastructure plan and buy American.
This was opening day for Major League Baseball, but COVID-19 claimed an immediate casualty. A Washington Nationals player tested positive, and the team scratched its game with the New York Mets.
Elsewhere, limited numbers of fans were allowed to attend, including in New York, the Yankees' home opener with Toronto.
Doug Calabrese:
We're hoping for a good year this year. And it's been hard for a lot of people, so let's get back slowly, but surely. And, hopefully, everyone gets vaccinated, so that we can all come back and enjoy the game with a full crowd.
Judy Woodruff:
The Texas Rangers were the lone team to allow full crowd capacity at their stadium. President Biden said that decision was irresponsible.
The state Supreme Court of Virginia today backed Charlottesville's move to take down two Confederate statues. One of federal — I'm sorry — one of General Robert E. Lee was at the center of a white nationalist rally in 2017 where a woman was killed. The other statue is of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Lee's fellow general.
In economic news, claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week to 719,000, up from 61,000 — up 61,000 from the week before.
And on Wall Street, big tech led the broader market higher. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 171 points to close at 33153. The Nasdaq rose 233 points. The S&P 500 added 47, closing above 4000 for the first time.
from:pbs