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Judy Woodruff:
In the day's other news: The former police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright outside Minneapolis was charged with second-degree manslaughter. Kim Potter resigned yesterday and was arrested this morning.
The Wright family's attorney reacted in New York.
Benjamin Crump:
In less than a week, the district attorney made the decision that we will charge this officer, and the family of Daunte Wright will get to have their day in court. So, we say justice for Daunte Wright.
Judy Woodruff:
Potter's former boss has said she grabbed her gun by mistake. And the charge against her involves negligence, not intent. She could get 10 years in prison.
Meanwhile, the trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin continues in the murder of George Floyd. We will have that story later in the program.
The U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot and killed a woman during the January assault on the Capitol will not be charged. Federal prosecutors cited insufficient evidence today. The woman, Ashli Babbitt of San Diego, was part of a pro-Trump mob.
A scathing new report blames the leadership of Capitol Police for a raft of failures before January 6. In widely reported findings, the force's inspector general cites equipment shortages and expired weapons, riot shields that shattered upon impact as police battled hundreds of rioters, and a lack of intelligence tracking and training that left officers unprepared.
An advisory panel to the CDC made no decision today on resuming the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccine. The group asked for more data on rare blood clots and will reconvene in a week or 10 days. At the same time, public health leaders insisted there's plenty of other vaccine to go around.
Jeff Zients:
We have more than enough supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to continue the current pace of vaccinations, meet the president's goal of 200 million shots by his 100th day in office, and continue to reach every adult who wants to be vaccinated by the end of May.
Judy Woodruff:
Also today, new federal data showed drug overdose deaths began rising again before the pandemic, and accelerated once it hit. The CDC said that more than 87,000 Americans died in the year ending in September 2020, mostly from opioids and methamphetamine. That's up 30 percent from a year earlier.
The Biden administration has proposed ending a Trump era ban on federally funded clinics referring women for abortions. Planned Parenthood and others argued that the ban obstructs access to birth control for low-income women. The Trump rule stays in effect until the new regulation is finalized.
Texas Republican Congressman Kevin Brady announced today he's retiring after next year. He's served 25 years and once chaired the House Ways and Means Committee. So far, four House Republicans and two Democrats are not seeking reelection.
The U.S. Senate today confirmed Gary Gensler to chair the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He's expected to push tougher regulations for Wall Street. And most Republicans opposed his nomination.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 53 points to close near 33731. But the Nasdaq fell 138 points, and the S&P 500 lost 17.
The digital currency exchange Coinbase made its trading debut. It closed with a market valuation of $86 billion.
from:pbs