News Wrap: New York state conducting criminal probe of Trump Organization

• Amna Nawaz:

  In the day's other news: Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives moved to create an independent commission to investigate the Capitol assault last January. The bill debated today began as bipartisan legislation, but the top Republican leaders in the House and the Senate have now announced their opposition.

  We will go deeper into this story after the news summary.

  The New York state attorney general's office has now opened a criminal probe into former President Trump's family business. At issue is whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to get better loans and tax benefits. Mr. Trump blasted the investigation today, and said he's being unfairly attacked.

  More pandemic restrictions were eased today across the country, new signs that life is returning to something like normal. New York City began letting fully-vaccinated people go without masks in most situations. It also allowed most businesses to open at full capacity.

  Meanwhile, the European Union moved to reopen borders to vaccinated travelers from outside the 27-nation bloc.

• Christian Wigand:

  The council now recommends that member states ease some of the current restrictions, in particular for those vaccinated with an E.U.-authorized vaccine.

  The council should also soon expand the list of non-E.U. countries with a good epidemiological situation from where travel is permitted, based on the new criteria agreed today.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Despite progress elsewhere, the pandemic in India hit another grim record, more than 4,500 deaths in 24 hours. It's the worst single-day toll in any nation since the pandemic began.

  Search teams off Western India have found 26 more bodies from an oil barge that sank during a tropical cyclone on Monday. They're still looking for 49 others. The region's most powerful storm in two decades tore up trees, flooded roads, and damaged more than 16,000 homes as it ripped across the region. The overall death toll has now reached 62.

  Back in this country, Texas became the largest state yet to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill into law today. The new statute uniquely bars state officials from enforcing the ban. Instead, it allows private citizens to sue doctors or anyone who aids in an abortion.

  Survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre issued a call for justice today, nearly 100 years after some of the worst racial violence in U.S. history. On the night of May 31, 1921, white mobs killed 39 people, destroyed much of a thriving Black district and left thousands homeless. A U.S. House hearing today marked the upcoming 100th anniversary.

  Viola Fletcher is 107, and believed to be the oldest known survivor.

• Viola Fletcher:

  I have lived through the massacre everyday. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot. I will not. And other survivors do not, and our descendants do not.

  For 70 years, the city of Tulsa and its Chamber of Commerce told us that the massacre didn't happen, like we didn't see it with our own eyes.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Attorneys for massacre victims and their descendants are now suing the city of Tulsa for reparations.

  And on Wall Street today, stocks gave ground for a third straight trading session. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 164 points to close at 33896. The Nasdaq fell four points, and the S&P 500 gave up 12.

  And a passing to note.

  Comedian and actor Paul Mooney died today at his home in Oakland, California, after a heart attack. His unfiltered take on race and American life made him widely influential, and he long collaborated with comedy legend Richard Pryor. Mooney also appeared on TV's "Chappelle Show" and in Spike Lee's 2001 film "Bamboozled."

  Paul Mooney was 79 years old.

from:pbs