JUDY WOODRUFF: Drugmaker Merck formally asked the FDA today to grant emergency authorization
for its antiviral pill to treat COVID-19. The company reported that the medication
cut hospitalizations and deaths by 50 percent in mild to moderate COVID cases.
Approval could take weeks, but, if cleared, it would be the first COVID treatment in pill form.
Southwest Airlines is working to restore operations after canceling some 2,000
flights since Friday. The airline blamed the disruption on air traffic control issues
and severe weather. Tens of thousands of passengers were left stranded
over the holiday weekend, waiting in long lines as they struggled to rebook flights.
BRIAN GESCH, Southwest Passenger: My concern is we had no explanation, really, that was,
I feel, very legitimate or believable.
And the weather and the traffic controllers, I don't think were the real issue.
And so we're frustrated. I'm missing a day of work. I own my own business.
And I'm canceling appointments, so it's kind of frustrating.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The Federal Aviation Administration questioned Southwest's
explanation, since it was the only airline to experience major cancellations and delays
over the weekend. Both Southwest and the pilots union denied reports of a sick-out
to protest the airline's COVID vaccine requirement for employees.
The Central U.S. is recovering today from a band of severe weather
that left thousands of people without power. Tornadoes and baseball-sized hail
struck parts of Oklahoma overnight, damaging homes and buildings, but sparing lives. The same
storm system also brought heavy rain and strong winds to Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas.
In Southern California, Huntington Beach reopened its waters today just over a week after an oil
spill from an offshore pipeline contaminated the shoreline. Surfers returned to state and local
beaches after test results showed no detectable amounts of oil-associated toxins in the ocean.
Preliminary results a day after Iraq's parliamentary elections
showed a record low voter turnout, suggesting widespread distrust in the vote.
The bloc led by Shiite populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held a solid early lead. The election
was held months ahead of schedule to appease anti-government protesters who
were calling for change. But many were still disappointed with the outcome.
IMAD AL-TAIE, Iraqi Citizen (through translator): We are about to have the
same members of Parliament, the same bloc in control, the same sectarianism,
and the same approach. So that is why the new government will not deliver anything new.
JUDY WOODRUFF: There was no immediate word when the final results would be announced.
Iraq's prime minister announced today that his country's security forces
captured one of the Islamic State's top leaders
in a cross-border operation. Sami Jasim oversaw the group's finances and served as the deputy
leader of ISIS under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a U.S.-led raid in 2019.
Three U.S.-based economists will share this year's Nobel Prize for economics. Canadian David Card of
the University of California, Berkeley, was honored for his research into how the minimum
wage, immigration, and education impact the labor market. Israeli-American Joshua Angrist
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dutch-born Guido Imbens of Stanford University
were recognized for finding alternate ways to study economic issues.
Stocks tumbled on Wall Street today, as investors awaited this week's company earnings reports.
The Dow Jones industrial average lost 250 points
to close at 34496. The Nasdaq fell 93 points, and the S&P 500 shed 30.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": Amy Walter and Tamara Keith discuss
former President Donald Trump's continued hold on the GOP; how a historic Northern California
town plans to rebuild in the aftermath of one of the state's largest fires;
one woman's Brief But Spectacular take on surviving breast cancer; plus much more.