News Wrap: Mississippi begins clean up after tornadoes leave major damage

• Judy Woodruff:

  There is fresh optimism tonight in the U.S. pandemic recovery. The daily average of new cases is below 50,000 for the first time since October, and airline traffic is the highest since the pandemic began.

  But, in India, the human disaster only worsens. Makeshift medical camps have sprung up, and official numbers show new infections at or near 400,000 a day.

  We will focus on India after the news summary.

  People across Mississippi spent today cleaning up after multiple tornadoes struck on Sunday. Intense storms swept through communities in and around Tupelo, tearing up trees and destroying homes. Some were in disbelief today, after seeing the damage.

• Annie Crutirds:

  I really don't know. I don't know. I just had never seen nothing like this before to happen — that happened to me. I'm just hurt.

• Judy Woodruff:

  There were no reports of deaths or injuries in Mississippi. But, as the storm front moved east, a tornado was blamed for one death in Atlanta.

  President Biden says the U.S. will admit up to 62,500 refugees through September, when the federal fiscal year ends. Today's announcement came after he was criticized for keeping the Trump administration cap of just 15,000.

  Also today, the Biden administration said it's begun reuniting families who were separated at the Southern border during the Trump era.

  We will talk to secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, later in the program.

  Three people are dead off San Diego, California, in a suspected human smuggling operation; 29 others were injured, and one remained in critical condition today. The boat broke apart Sunday in strong surf along a rocky shoreline. There was no word on the nationalities of the victims and survivors.

  In Elizabeth City, North Carolina, today's funeral for Andrew Brown Jr. led to fresh calls for police accountability. Brown was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies last month, but a judge has blocked release of the body camera footage for now.

  As mourners filled a local church today, speakers, including family attorney Bakari Sellers, demanded immediate release of the video.

• Baraki Sellers:

  We're going to stand up for what we believe to be right. We're going to stand up for justice. We're going to stand up for Andrew Brown. We're going to stand up for his memory. We're going to stand up because we want to be free.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Brown's killing trigger protests in Elizabeth City for several days.

  The nation's top general, Mark Milley, says that he would consider letting independent prosecutors decide about pursuing sexual assault cases in the military. A review panel has recommended taking the decisions away from commanders. Milley chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  A federal trial began today in California on whether Apple's App Store is an illegal monopoly. Epic Games, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite," alleges that Apple charges excessive fees to force out smaller developers. Apple denies it.

  On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 238 points to close at 34113. The Nasdaq fell 67 points, and the S&P 500 added 11.

  Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, announced today they are divorcing. They said they will still work at their charitable foundation, the world's largest, but can no longer grow as a couple. The Gates have been married for 27 years and have three children.

  And Bob Abernethy, a longtime member of the PBS family, has died. He was founder and host of "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly," and, for more than 40 years, an NBC News correspondent. In that role, he covered the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bob Abernethy was 93 years old.

from:pbs