News Wrap: FDA to grant full approval to Pfizer’s COVID vaccine next week

• Judy Woodruff:

  In the day's other news: San Francisco became the nation's first major city to enforce vaccination checks at restaurants, bars and gyms. Patrons using indoor facilities must prove they are fully vaccinated.

  Also today, New York City ordered public high school athletes and coaches in close-contact sports to be vaccinated. And the U.S. extended a ban on nonessential travel along the borders with Canada and Mexico until late September.

  The Food and Drug Administration is going to grant full approval to Pfizer's COVID vaccine. The "NewsHour" has confirmed this and confirmed that it will happen early next week. Up until now, the vaccine has been used under an emergency authorization. Full approval would likely clear legal hurdles to more vaccine mandates.

  A federal appeals court a federal appeals court today temporarily upheld the CDC's latest moratorium on evictions during the pandemic. The Washington, D.C., court blocked a challenge from landlords while the case proceeds. They are expected to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  In Haiti, earthquake victims mobbed relief trucks in the hard-hit Les Cayes region, as officials tried to step up aid deliveries. Residents of that area were still sifting through rubble today, looking for survivors. and the prime minister painted a desperate picture.

• Ariel Henry, Haitian Prime Minister (through translator):

  The latest partial assessment is that nearly 700,000 people are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance. On the material aspect, public buildings, churches, schools that usually serve as temporary shelter during the hurricane season have been severely affected.

• Judy Woodruff:

  By last count, the earthquake had left nearly 2, 200 people dead.

  The main U.S. aid agency warned today that six million people in Ethiopia's Tigray region will run out of food this week. In June, the Ethiopian government imposed a blockade on the area as it battled separatists. Now, USAID says food warehouses in Tigray are bare.

  The Trump era policy that kept thousands of immigrant asylum seekers in Mexico is set to resume tomorrow. Last night, a U.S. federal appeals court agreed to let the remain-in-Mexico policy be reinstated.

  Late today, the Biden administration appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to prevent that from happening.

  Hurricane Grace is heading tonight for its second landfall in Mexico. Forecasters project that it will strike along the Gulf Coast near Veracruz and drive inland toward Mexico City. The storm passed over the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday and then regained hurricane force. It is packing winds of 90 miles an hour, plus a foot of rain.

  Meanwhile, New England is facing its first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years. Tropical Storm Henri is expected to intensify before reaching Southern New England on Sunday.

  Today, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker warned against underestimating the rain and wind.

• Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA):

  You know, four to eight inches in one dump is basically a month's worth in many cases. I mean, we are talking a lot of water. And the second thing I would say is we haven't seen a lot of 50- and 60-mile-an-hour short-term gusts, much less sustained gusts, for a really long time.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Thirty years ago this week, Hurricane Bob blew ashore in Rhode Island. It killed 17 people and did more than $1.5 billion in damage.

  In Northern California, millions of acres of national forests are closing this weekend, as major wildfires burn out of control. Nine national forests are affected from Nevada to Oregon. Firefighters battling the Caldor Fire have been using bulldozers to clear trees to slow the flames' advance. The even larger Dixie Fire also remains a threat.

  The Biden White House announced the choices today for U.S. ambassadors to China and Japan. Former Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns is being nominated to the post in Beijing. And Rahm Emanuel is the nominee for ambassador to Japan. He is a former Obama White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago.

  General Motors has expanded its recall for Chevy Bolt electric vehicles over a battery problem that can cause fires. Today's announcement includes all Bolts sold worldwide. That is more than 140,000 vehicles.

  And on Wall Street today, stocks were broadly higher. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 226 points to close at 35120. The Nasdaq rose 172 points, 1 percent, and the S&P 500 was up 35.

  And the newly named host of "Jeopardy," Mike Richards, has stepped down. It follows disclosures of crude comments about women and others that he made some years ago. Richards said today that he doesn't want to be a distraction for the show, but he will continue as its executive producer, and the search for a new host will resume.

from:pbs