News Wrap: Blinken says Syria, Iraq airstrikes meant to ‘deter future action’

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• Amna Nawaz:

  In the day's other news: Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended U.S. airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia groups in Syria and Iraq.

  The Pentagon said Sunday's strikes targeted the militia's operational and weapons storage facilities used to carry out drone attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq. During a visit to Rome, Blinken said the U.S. acted in self-defense and sent a clear message.

  Tony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: The president is fully prepared to act and act appropriately and deliberately to protect U.S. interests, to protect our people, to protect our personnel.

  And, again, I would hope that the message sent by the strikes last night will be heard and deter future action.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Hours later, a U.S. military spokesman confirmed multiple rockets targeted U.S. forces in Syria. But there were no immediate reports of injuries nor damage.

  President Biden welcomed outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to the White House today. Mr. Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel and insisted that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon on his watch. He also said he looks forward to meeting the new Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, soon.

  The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear a dispute over banning transgender students from using school restrooms that reflect their gender identity. The justices rejected a Virginia school board's appeal, leaving in place lower court rulings that found the policy was unconstitutional. The case was filed by a former transgender student who was barred from using the boys bathroom at his high school.

  On the pandemic, COVID cases are surging rapidly across Australia, as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads. Lockdowns were ordered in parts of Sydney and Darwin to help contain new clusters. Only 5 percent of Australia's population is fully vaccinated.

  Meanwhile, the Biden administration announced it will ship two million doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine to Peru and 1.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Pakistan.

  Ethiopia's government declared an immediate cease-fire today in the country's Tigray region. That area has seen nearly eight months of fighting between army and rebel forces, resulting in the world's worst famine crisis in a decade. The halt in violence will give humanitarian groups time to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need.

  A new report out today from the United Nations' human rights chief is calling on the world to end systemic racism. The report focused on centuries of mistreatment toward Africans and people of African descent. It also found high levels of racial profiling and excessive use of force by law enforcement in North America, Europe, and Latin America.

  In a video message from Geneva, Michelle Bachelet said reparations alone are not enough.

• Michelle Bachelet, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner:

  We need a transformative approach that tackles the interconnected areas that drive racism and lead to repeated, wholly avoidable tragedies like the death of George Floyd.

  States must show stronger political will to accelerate action for racial justice, redress inequality through specific, time-bound commitments to achieve results.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The global report was initiated after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis last year.

  A U.S. federal judge today threw out antitrust lawsuits against Facebook filed by the Federal Trade Commission and several state attorneys general. The judge said they were — quote — "legally insufficient" and did not prove that Facebook was a monopoly. The FTC alleged that Facebook was abusing its power to eliminate its smaller competitors. The judge dismissed the complaint, but left open the possibility that the FTC could refile another complaint.

  The FTT — FTC, rather, says it is — quote — "assessing the best steps forward."

  E-cigarette maker Juul, meanwhile, has agreed to pay $40 million to North Carolina to settle a lawsuit claiming it marketed its products to young people. The state accused the company of downplaying the harm its high-nicotine product can cause and creating an epidemic of addiction among teenagers. Similar lawsuits are pending in 13 other states and the District of Columbia.

  One of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's top panels today recommended allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. That means student athletes could make money off endorsements, autograph signings and social media. The recommendation comes just three days before new laws were set to go into effect in several states making that possible. The NCAA's Board of Directors is expected to vote on the proposal on Wednesday.

  And stocks were mixed on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 150 points to close at 34283. The Nasdaq rose 140 points to close at a record high. And the S&P 500 added 10.

  Still to come on the "NewsHour": the pandemic's disproportionate impact on Americans living with diabetes; Amy Walter and Tamara Keith break down the latest political news; Peter Osnos reflects on five decades as a reporter and editing four U.S. presidents; plus, the sweeping history of African American food captured in "High on the Hog."

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