Judy Woodruff:
Business and trade groups opposed the order, arguing that it would hamper the post-pandemic economic recovery.
The Biden administration also announced U.S. immigration authorities will no longer detain most migrants who are pregnant or recently gave birth, reversing another Trump era policy. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the decision reflects their commitment to treating individuals with dignity, while still upholding the law.
In Bangladesh, at least 52 people are dead after a fire broke out in a food and beverage plant outside Dhaka. First responders worked to put out the flames and recover bodies after the fire engulfed a five-story building Thursday night. Fire officials said the main exit door was locked, trapping many inside.
The Taliban now claim to control 85 percent of the territory in Afghanistan. While that is impossible to verify, their fighters have made strategic gains in recent months, as American troops pull out of the country. Taliban leaders have promised not to attack provincial capitals.
Back in this country, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, announced plans to take down its controversial monument to Confederate General Robert E. Lee tomorrow. The statue sparked a violent white supremacist rally in 2017 that left a woman dead. A nearby statue of another Confederate general, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, is also set to come down Saturday.
Workers began removing the security fencing that remains around the U.S. Capitol today. The eight-foot-high fence was erected after the January 6 insurrection. It has been in place for six months. The operation is expected to take about three days to complete.
And on Wall Street today, banks and tech stocks led all three major indexes to notch record closes. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 448 points to close at 34870. The Nasdaq rose 142 points and the S&P 500 added 48.
