JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: There were fresh appeals for the U.S. to share COVID-19
vaccine with the world.
Non-governmental groups urged President Biden to take that step once the U.S. meets its
demand. But even as vaccinations accelerate, the CDC warned that new infections are up
7 percent over last week.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC Director: This has been a long year. And I know people are
tired. And they don't want to hear that it is going to take us a little while longer,
but it's going to take us a little while longer.
Our advice is clear. We're vaccinating really, really quickly. And we're just asking people
to hang on a little while longer in terms of the masks and mitigation strategies, so
that we can get the majority of people vaccinated.
JUDY WOODRUFF: There was also word that the European Union will soon see an uptick in
vaccine supplies. The European Medicines Agency approved new manufacturing sites today, in
a bid to speed up a lagging vaccination effort.
China has released its own report on the origins of COVID-19. It concludes the virus most likely
came from an animal, and not from a government lab in Wuhan. The World Health Organization's
report was due out today, but was delayed again.
The fight over China's alleged abuses of Uyghur Muslims escalated today. Beijing announced
sanctions against Britain, and it intensified boycotts of major retailers. Britain, the
E.U., Canada, and the U.S. had sanctioned China earlier this week.
HUA CHUNYING, Spokeswoman, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through translator): They
announced sanctions against China based on rumors, lies and false information. It is
a violation of the basic norms of international law. And we are certainly forced to carry
out just, necessary and legitimate self-defense.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Britain said that it would not be intimidated, and the U.S. accused China
of profiting from forced labor by Uyghurs.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban threatened to resume attacking foreign troops if they stay
past a May 1 deadline. The U.S. agreed to the date last year, but President Biden said
Thursday that it would be tough to meet.
A train wreck in Southern Egypt left at least 32 people dead and 165 others injured today.
One train rear-ended another, derailing and flipping passenger cars and trapping people
in the wreckage. Scores of medical teams and bystanders rushed in to help the victims.
Elsewhere in Egypt, congestion outside the blocked Suez Canal grew to more than 200 ships.
A giant container ship has been wedged in the waterway since Tuesday. Dredgers and tugboats
failed again today to free the vessel. Experts now say that it could take up to a week to
pry it loose.
Back in this country, it turns out the man who allegedly shot 10 people to death in Boulder,
Colorado, had passed a background check before buying the murder weapon. Investigators said
today that his previous misdemeanor assault conviction did not prevent the purchase. They
also said that the search for a motive continues.
MARIS HEROLD: I just don't know, and like the DA said, that's the focus now of what
we're trying to figure out. It's--it'll be something haunting for all of us until we
figure that out, and like someone said, sometimes you just don't figure these things out, but
I am hoping that we will.
But the suspect in Colorado already faces 10 counts of murder. The district attorney
said that he will bring attempted murder charges as well.
Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said today that they have charged 55 people to date in connection
with violent protests last summer. The charges range from arson to weapons violations. The
protests erupted when a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times by a white police officer.
Blake is now paralyzed and is suing the officer for unspecified damages.
Dominion Voting Systems is accusing FOX News of defamation and suing for $1.6 billion.
The suit alleges the cable news giant wantonly spread false claims that Dominion rigged the
2020 presidential election. FOX News says that the action is baseless.
Wall Street finished the week on a high, lifted by bank stocks and rising oil prices. The
Dow Jones industrial average gained 453 points to close at 33072. The Nasdaq rose 161 points,
and the S&P 500 added 65.
And two passings to note tonight.
Well-known author Larry McMurtry has died of heart failure. He focused largely on the
American West, and won a Pulitzer Prize for the novel "Lonesome Dove." He also won an
Oscar for the screenplay for "Brokeback Mountain." And his books "The Last Picture Show" and
"Terms of Endearment" became Oscar-winning movies as well.
Larry McMurtry was 84 years old.
And beloved children's book author Beverly Cleary has died. Her publisher, HarperCollins,
said that she died yesterday in Carmel, California, but gave no details. Cleary wrote more than
30 books, which went on to sell some 85 million copies. Her stories captivated generations
of young readers with their humor and realism, featuring iconic characters such as Ramona
Quimby and Henry Huggins.
Beverly Cleary was 104 years old.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": Georgia enacts a new law some say restricts access to the
ballot box; the immigration debate intensifies over a proposed pathway to citizenship; Iran
continues to develop its nuclear program, despite crippling sanctions; plus, much more.