JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: The White House says states are moving
quickly to order Pfizer's low-dose COVID vaccine for young children.
An FDA advisory panel endorsed it Tuesday.
Millions of doses could be shipped next week, once the full FDA and the CDC give the green light.
A congressional report says that at least 59,000 meatpacking workers caught COVID last year
and that 269 died. That's nearly three times the previous estimates. The report says that
companies were slow to take protective steps. The industry disputes that claim.
Immigration arrests in the U.S. interior have hit their lowest level in more than a decade.
The Washington Post reports ICE agents made 72,000 arrests away from the Southern border
in the last fiscal year. That was down from 104,000 arrests in the previous year.
Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Department announced agents will
stop making routine immigration arrests at schools and hospitals.
The top U.S. military commander confirmed today that China
has tested a hypersonic weapon. The nuclear-armed vehicles can launch into orbit,
evade early detection, and plunge back to Earth to strike. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
General Mark Milley, likened China's test to the Soviet Union's first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.
The Pentagon said it's part of a pattern by Beijing,
officially, the People's Republic of China.
JOHN KIRBY, Pentagon Press Secretary: These advanced military capabilities are paired with
a foreign and defense policy approach that uses intimidation and coercion of neighboring nations
to yield to China's interests.
And so, taken in sum, it reinforces for us
the need to continue to treat the PRC as our number one pacing challenge.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The U.S. has not yet conducted a test similar to China's.
Activists in Sudan say security forces arrested three pro-democracy leaders in Khartoum overnight
after Monday's army coup. Despite the arrests, undeterred protesters took to the streets for
another day to voice outrage at the military's takeover. Many businesses remained closed again.
In Iran, long lines wrapped around gas stations for a second day.
State media claimed most stations were back up and running.
But those who did manage to fuel up were forced to pay higher prices.
Iran's president blamed a cyberattack designed to foment unrest. He did not name the attacker.
Israel will build 3,000 new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. The Associated
Press reports a planning council approved the move today. It's the biggest such action under
Israel's new governing coalition. The Obama administration had strongly opposed the plan.
Back in this country, investigators in New Mexico say there were definite
safety problems before a fatal shooting on a movie set.
It happened last week when actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun, killing the cinematographer.
Today, the Santa Fe county sheriff said it's too soon to discuss any charges,
but they're not ruling out Baldwin or anyone else.
ADAN MENDOZA, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, Sheriff: He's obviously the person that
fired the weapon. So we're going to continue interviewing and getting to -- getting the
facts of his statements and the evidence and the case and possible witnesses or anybody
that has any information. So, right now, he is an active part of this investigation.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Investigators say they found complacency in
the handling of weapons and ammunition on the set.
For the first time, the United States today issued a passport
with an X gender designation. It's for those who do not identify as male or female. The
option will be offered more broadly next year under a new Biden administration policy.
On Wall Street today, stocks followed oil prices lower. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 266
points to close at 35490. The Nasdaq was virtually unchanged. The S&P 500 slipped 23 points.
And Mort Sahl is being remembered tonight for revolutionizing stand-up comedy. He died Tuesday
in California. Sahl gained attention in the 1950s and '60s with satirical commentary on news events
and U.S. presidents. Later, his work inspired others, from George Carlin to Jon Stewart.
Mort Sahl was 94 years old.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": why one state is addressing educational disparities through
legislation; the president of Brazil faces possible criminal charges for his handling
of the pandemic -- we speak with the country's former top health official; the revolutionary way
a Philadelphia museum is showcasing the diversity of America's history makers; and much more.