News Wrap: Biden says U.S. military will airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: President Biden announced the U.S. military will begin airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza. He spoke a day after crowds swarmed an aid convoy and Gaza officials said Israeli fire killed 115 people.

The Israelis say most of the victims were trampled. The president addressed the issue at the White House.

Joe Biden , President of the United States: Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It's nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line, and children's lives are on the line. And we won't stand by and let until they — until get more aid in there. We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, the military wing of Hamas said seven more hostages taken last October have died from Israeli bombardment. The group claimed that, all told, Israeli attacks have killed more than 70 hostages.

In Haiti, at least four police officers have been killed in a new burst of gang warfare. Gunmen attacked across Port-au-Prince on Thursday, and people fled with their hands up. The gang federation leader Jimmy Cherizier, known as Barbecue, vowed to oust the prime minister.

Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, Haitian Gang Leader (through translator): The first objective of our fight is to ensure that Prime Minister Ariel Henry's government does not remain in power. The armed groups in the provincial towns and in the capital are united today.

Geoff Bennett:

The U.S. Embassy warned today of continued heavy gunfire near the Port-au-Prince Airport.

For his part, Prime Minister Henry was in Kenya to secure policing help against the gangs as part of a U.N. mission.

Back in this country, a judge in Colorado sentenced a paramedic to five years in prison in the death of Elijah McClain. Police put McClain in a choke hold during a confrontation in 2019, and paramedics injected him with the sedative ketamine. He died three days later. The man sentenced today, Peter Cichuniec, was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

Officials in Texas now say the biggest wildfire in state history may have destroyed 500 homes and other buildings in the Panhandle. Drone footage today showed more devastation in the town of Canadian. Governor Greg Abbott visited the region today and said the scope of the loss is stunning.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX):

When you look at the damages that have occurred here, it's just gone, completely gone, nothing left but ashes on the ground.

Geoff Bennett:

Fire crews worked again today to make progress before strong winds return over the weekend.

Blizzard conditions are raging across the Sierra Nevada with 10 feet of snow forecast into the weekend. Warnings span 300 miles from Yosemite National Park to Lake Tahoe. Snow blanketed California roadways today as the most powerful storm of the season rolled in. People were warned to expect closures, and ski resorts started shutting down.

Pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens will start selling the abortion pill mifepristone in selected areas this month. The companies announced today they have received FDA certification. They will start sales in a few states where abortion is legal. It all comes as the Supreme Court is considering a challenge to the FDA's approval of the drug.

On Wall Street, tech stocks rallied and pushed the overall market to new records. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 91 points to close at 39087. The Nasdaq rose 183 points to a new high and the S&P 500 was up 40, also hitting a fresh high.

And the Tower of London has a new raven master to care for a feathered flock that protects the 1,000-year-old fortress. Barney Chandler will look after seven ravens that roam the grounds freely by day and are kept in cages overnight. He says legend has it that, if the birds ever leave, England will collapse.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines; and Beyonce becomes the first Black woman to top the Billboard country charts. We will take a closer look.