News Wrap: Man behind Capitol bomb threat surrenders after 5 hour police standoff

• Judy Woodruff:

  In the day's other news: COVID vaccinations in the U.S. hit their highest levels in nearly seven weeks. More than a million doses were administered in just the past 24 hours, and half were first-time vaccinations.

  Meanwhile, three U.S. senators who'd been vaccinated have tested positive. They are Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Democrat John Hickenlooper of Colorado, and independent Angus King of Maine.

  We will focus on surging infections in low-vaccination areas later in the program.

  Hurricane Grace struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula today. It came ashore before dawn with winds of 80 miles an hour and heavy rain in its wake. Roads were covered with downed trees, wrecked cars and boats and other debris. The storm is expected to sweep across the Gulf of Mexico before hitting Veracruz state late Friday.

  In Haiti, hospitals have reached a crisis point five days after an earthquake that killed nearly 2, 200 people and injured well over 12,000. Aid workers appealed today for medical gear. So far, aid is only trickling in. Supplies arrived Wednesday at the airport in hard-hit Les Cayes, but quake victims said the help is not reaching them.

• Cadet Souvenance, Earthquake Survivor (through translator):

  People don't get any help. We have nothing. We are abandoned here. We are asking for aid for all the people who are here. I want to find some aid and get out of here.

• Judy Woodruff:

  One hospital in Port-au-Prince closed today for two days after two of its doctors were kidnapped.

  Back in this country, Northern California spent another long day facing wildfires, amid warnings of high winds and high heat. The Dixie and Caldor fires are still threatening thousands of homes and other buildings. A smaller fire destroyed a mobile home park on Wednesday.

  We will take a closer look later in the program.

  A man parked his pickup truck on a sidewalk near the U.S. Capitol today, claimed that he had a bomb inside and forced evacuations of government buildings. Officials say Floyd Roseberry of North Carolina stayed in the truck, while bomb-sniffing dogs and snipers took up positions. He surrendered after five hours, leaving police searching for answers.

• Tom Manger, U.S. Capitol Police Chief:

  We do know that Mr. Roseberry has had some losses of family. I believe his mother recently passed away. And we spoke with members of his family. And there were other issues he was dealing with. There will be more on that before — at a later time.

• Judy Woodruff:

  For a time, Roseberry livestreamed a video criticizing President Biden and saying — quote — "The revolution is on. I'm ready to die for the cause."

  This evening, police said they found possible bomb-making materials, but no bomb inside the truck.

  A state judge in Delaware agreed today to let the Boy Scouts of America settle sexual abuse claims in a deal worth $850 million. The money goes to a fund for 70,000 men who say they were abused by adults in Scouting. The judge refused to let the Boy Scouts pay millions in legal fees for the plaintiffs.

  The U.S. Education Department will forgive student loan debt for more than 300,000 Americans with disabilities. Today's announcement says the change affects people who are totally and permanently impaired and cannot earn any significant income. It erases nearly $6 billion in debt.

  On Wall Street, stocks mostly marked time in a choppy day of trading. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 66 points to close at 34894. The Nasdaq rose 15 points. The S&P 500 added five.

  And the artist Chuck Close died today in Oceanside, New York, after suffering severe dementia. He gained renown in the 1970s and '80s for giant photo-realist portraits of himself, family members and fellow artists. Late in life, he was accused of sexually harassing women who posed for him. He said he'd meant no harm and apologized.

  Chuck Close was 81 years old.

from:pbs