JUDY WOODRUFF: The European Union's drug regulator has discovered a possible link
between the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and rare blood clots.
Several dozen cases had been investigated among the 25 million who received that vaccine
in the U.K. and Europe. But the agency said the side effects were very rare,
and insisted the benefits still outweigh the risks.
EMER COOKE, Executive Director, European Medicines Agency: COVID-19 is a very serious
disease with high hospitalization and death rates. And, every day,
COVID is still causing thousands of deaths across the E.U. This vaccine has proven to
be highly effective. It prevents severe disease and hospitalization, and it is saving lives.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Britain's vaccine advisory agency
said that it would offer people under 30 the choice of an alternate vaccine.
AstraZeneca's vaccine has been approved for emergency use in more than 70 countries.
It's also the main COVID inoculation administered throughout most of the developing world,
since it's more affordable and easier to store.
We will have more on this later in the program.
Meanwhile, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that
a highly contagious virus variant first found in Britain has now become the most
common strain in the U.S. It is more transmissible
and infectious among younger Americans, which has contributed to a recent spike in cases.
President Biden said today that he's open to compromise
on how to pay for his $2.3 trillion infrastructure package.
As part of his proposal, the corporate tax rate would increase from 21 percent to 28 percent.
At the White House, the president said he is willing to negotiate with Republicans
for a lower rate, as long as the infrastructure projects are funded.
JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: We have got to pay for this. We have got to
pay. There's many other ways we can do it, but I'm willing to negotiate that.
I have come forward with the best, most rational way, in my view, the fairest way to pay for it.
But there are many other ways as well. And I'm open.
JUDY WOODRUFF: We will have more on the president's plan and the state of the
nation's infrastructure after the news summary.
The "NewsHour" confirms that President Biden will nominate David Chipman to be head of the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He is a retired ATF agent and an adviser at the gun
control group Giffords. If confirmed, he would be the agency's first permanent director since 2015.
The Biden administration today also announced that it's resuming U.S. aid
to the Palestinians. It will provide $235 million for projects in the West Bank and Gaza
and for the United Nations' agency supporting refugees.
Former President Trump had cut off nearly all funding to the Palestinians during his tenure.
In the Derek Chauvin trial today, a use-of-force expert with the Los
Angeles Police Department testified that Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck
from the time he was handcuffed face down until paramedics arrived.
Sergeant Jody Stiger told prosecutors that that type of restraint was excessive.
SGT. JODY STIGER, Los Angeles Police Department: He was not attempting to resist,
and the pressure that he was -- that was being caused by the body weight
would -- to cause positional asphyxia, which can cause death.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Stiger also refuted claims from Chauvin's attorney that the officers at the scene
were distracted by angry bystanders. He said, from the evidence he'd seen,
the onlookers didn't appear to be a threat to police.
In Eastern Indonesia, at least 140 people are dead and dozens more still missing following
days of torrential rainfall that triggered landslides in the region. Cleanup efforts
began on Lembata Island, where villagers returned to find their homes damaged and filled with mud.
Jordan's King Abdullah said his country is now stable after a rare public rift with his
half-brother Prince Hamzah. He addressed it for the first time in a statement, saying -- quote --
"It was the most painful, because those who are party to the sedition were from our own home."
The prince has denied involvement and is under house arrest.
Meanwhile, President Biden held a call with King Abdullah to reaffirm U.S. support.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that Tiger Woods was going 40 miles an hour
over the speed limit when he crashed an SUV in February. They blamed the accident solely on
excessive speed and the golfer's loss of control behind the wheel
on a stretch of road that's notorious for crashes.
CAPT. JAMES POWERS, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: There's two factors. It's the speed
and the failing to maintain the straight course -- the curvature of the roadway.
That's it. There's nothing from his cell phone to indicate any type of distracted driving.
Based on all the facts, there was no evidence of any impairment or intoxication.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Woods underwent surgery for multiple breaks in
his right leg and is recovering in Florida.
In economic news, the U.S. Treasury Department today reported that it's issued
more than 156 million direct payments as part of President Biden's COVID relief package.
And trading was light on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 16 points to
close at 33446. The Nasdaq fell nine points, and the S&P 500 added six to hit another record close.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": the crumbling state of U.S. infrastructure and President Biden's
push for his plan; new questions around the AstraZeneca vaccine complicate global inoculation
efforts; teachers face multiple challenges returning to in person classes; plus much more.