JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: Officials in some cities scrambled to use up COVID-19
vaccine doses after refrigeration units lost power in the storm.
At the same time, the federal disaster agency,
FEMA, opened mass vaccination sites in Los Angeles and Oakland, California.
Meanwhile, the president's top medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said it could be late May or
early June before vaccine is available everywhere, due to limited supplies.
President Biden is on his first official trip outside Washington tonight since taking office,
and he's pushing his pandemic relief bill. He headed out this afternoon for Milwaukee
and a CNN town hall event with an invitation-only audience. He said Republicans will hurt the nation
if they unite against his $1.9 trillion relief plan.
In Iraq, the U.S. began investigating an overnight attack that killed a coalition contractor
and injured a U.S. service member and Iraqi civilians. Rockets struck at a military
base outside Irbil. The U.S. State Department condemned the attack, but did not go further.
NED PRICE, Spokesperson, State Department:
It would be premature to speak in specific terms about retaliation
before we know precisely what happened. We reserve the right to respond at a time and Place of our
choosing, consistent with our partnership with the people and government of Iraq.
JUDY WOODRUFF: A little known Shiite militant group claimed responsibility.
The government of Iran denied any role in the attack.
Police in Myanmar filed a new charge against deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi today. It accused
her of violating COVID-19 restrictions and it could keep her detained indefinitely without
trial. Meanwhile, protesters again turned out in Yangon, chanting slogans against the military
coup, while lying down to block rail tracks. Others occupied streets near the central bank.
Back in this country, a top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives
sued former President Trump for allegedly inciting the Capitol insurrection.
Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson chairs the Homeland Security Committee. His lawsuit
seeks unspecified damages. It could be the first in a wave of new legal action against Mr. Trump.
The former president attacked Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell today as
a -- quote -- "political hack." In a statement, he blamed McConnell for losing the Senate majority,
and said, if Republicans stay with him, they will not win again. McConnell voted to acquit
Mr. Trump in his Senate impeachment trial, but he condemned his behavior.
A cold and quiet Mardi Gras passed today in New Orleans. The pandemic and the weather
canceled parades and kept Bourbon Street blocked off. Instead, homeowners had
elaborately decorated their houses and front yards as stationary floats for people to visit.
They ranged from life-sized gardens to dinosaur exhibits.
And on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 64 points to close at 31522.
But the Nasdaq fell 48 points and the S&P 500 slipped two.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": the governor of New York admits underreporting
the often deadly impact of COVID-19 in nursing homes; Yemen confronts a tenuous future
amid war, the pandemic, and changing U.S. policy; despite impeachment acquittal,
former President Trump still faces legal challenges in multiple areas; plus, much more.