JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: The government of Canada declared an emergency,
targeting demonstrators who have tied up the capital city of Ottawa
and critical border crossings.
John Yang reports.
JOHN YANG: After weeks of disruption across Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked
emergency powers for the first time in peacetime today, in a bid to halt anti-vaccine protests,
including giving the government the authority to prohibit public assembly and some travel.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, Canadian Prime Minister: The federal government has invoked the Emergencies
Act to supplement provincial and territorial capacity to address the blockades and occupation.
The police will be given more tools
to restore order in places where public assemblies can constitute illegal and dangerous activities,
such as blockades and occupations, as seen in Ottawa, the Ambassador Bridge, and elsewhere.
JOHN YANG: The move comes after police cleared the Ambassador Bridge between
Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, towing vehicles and arresting dozens to reopen
the crucial link in cross-border commerce for the auto industry.
But from Ottawa to British Columbia, truckers and others still blocked
crossings at major trade routes and closed businesses in city-centers.
KAI, Protester: The government's been misstepping
this entire time. They have been enforcing tyrannical measures on people.
They have destroyed families. They have destroyed their incomes. People have lost their homes.
JOHN YANG: What started as a protest against a requirement that Canadian
truckers to be vaccinated has spiraled into a larger movement
voicing a more general frustration against pandemic-related restrictions.
It's also been a hotbed for conservative and far-right activism.
A recent poll shows the demonstrations are a vocal minority in Canada,
with almost two thirds of those surveyed saying they oppose them.
SHANNON THOMAS, Resident of Ottawa: It's just I feel like I'm living in a different country, like
I'm in the States. It just makes me really sad to see all these people waving Canadian flags, acting
like patriots, when, really, it's kind of the most sad and embarrassing thing I have ever seen.
JOHN YANG: Today, Ontario's premier announced the
province would no longer require proof of vaccination to enter indoor spaces
beginning in March. He insisted it had nothing to do with the protests.
DOUG FORD, Premier of Ontario, Canada: We're moving in this direction because it's safe to do
so. Today's announcement is not because of what's happening in Ottawa or Windsor, but despite it.
JOHN YANG: But the demonstrators' persistence has moved Trudeau to call on sweeping,
rarely used powers, which some say could further inflame anti-government sentiments.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang.
JUDY WOODRUFF: In New York today, a federal judge announced that he will dismiss Sarah
Palin's libel suit against The New York Times. He said the former Alaska governor failed to show
that The Times acted out of malice when it falsely linked her statements to a mass shooting.
Still, the judge will let the jury continue deliberating.
He said the panel's verdict will likely play into any appeal by Palin.
Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have rested their case today in the trial of three
former police officers accused of violating George Floyd's rights.
The government argued the men did nothing to prevent Floyd's murder by a fourth officer
in May of 2020. The defense now begins its case.
The federal hate-crimes trial of three white men for killing Ahmaud Arbery got under way
with opening statements today in Georgia. Prosecutors alleged the men chased and shot
Arbery because he was Black. The defense argued they focused on potential theft, not race. The
defendants were already been convicted of state murder charges and sentenced to life in prison.
A legal ruling dominated the Winter Olympics today. A sports arbitration body
cleared Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to go on competing while her doping case proceeds.
The 15-year-old tested positive for a banned drug last December.
Today, the president of the World-Anti Doping Agency voiced
outrage that no one is being punished.
WITOLD BANKA, President, World-Anti Doping Agency: This is my opinion, that the doping of children
is evil and unforgivable. And the doctors, the coaches and -- or other support personnel who are
found to have provided performance-enhancing drugs to minors should be banned for life.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The International Olympic Committee says no medals will be given for
any event that Valieva medals in until her case is resolved.
Meanwhile, in today's competition, American Kaillie Humphries
won gold in the inaugural monobob. That is a one-woman bobsled event.
There's word that the 22-year mega-drought in the American West is now the worst in at least 1,200
years. Yes, you heard that right, 1,200. A study published today in the journal "Nature Climate
Change" finds last year in particular was one of the driest ever recorded in the West. The authors
conclude that human-caused climate change accounts for more than 40 percent of the dry conditions.
And on Wall Street today, jitters over Ukraine kept investors on
edge. The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 172 points
to close at 34566. The Nasdaq was virtually unchanged. The S&P 500 slipped 17.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter weigh the latest political news;
the Super Bowl halftime show sparks more conversations about the NFL and race;
a new museum exhibit chronicles how love has been depicted in art through the ages; plus much more.