News Wrap: Iran defends missile strikes near U.S. consulate in northern Iraq

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: Iran defended firing missiles that landed near a U.S. Consulate in Northern Iraq on Sunday. The barrage struck the Kurdish city of Irbil with a dozen missiles.

Kurdish officials said they hit residential areas. Homes were damaged, but no injuries were reported. Tehran said it targeted Israeli interests and other groups it deems hostile.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, Spokesman, Iranian Foreign Ministry (through translator):

Iraqi soil has been misused by third parties, including anti-revolution groups, anti-Iran Kurdish terrorist groups. Unfortunately, our warnings were ignored, so we responsibly attacked one of the conspiracy and sabotage centers in Iraq.

Judy Woodruff:

The strike came as Iran and world powers have paused talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear agreement due to last-minute demands from Russia.

On the pandemic, a more contagious version of the Omicron variant, BA.2, spread to more cities in China. Officials reported more than 1,300 new cases, and one northeastern province banned most people from leaving. To the south, Shanghai closed schools and several movie theaters. The city also began rounds of mass testing, and people braced for even greater restrictions.

Lyod Ge, Shanghai Resident (through translator):

The long-distance bus station has been closed. A COVID test is required when travelling to other provinces. With these countermeasures, we have still run into a new outbreak in Shanghai, so we should be prepared for a citywide lockdown as well.

Judy Woodruff:

In Washington, the White House said the BA.2 version of Omicron has been circulating in the U.S. for some time, with about 35,000 cases so far.

Back in this country, President Biden's nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to the Federal Reserve board is now in jeopardy. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced his opposition today over Raskin's support for considering climate change in banking regulation. That means that she needs at least one Republican vote in the evenly divided Senate.

On Wall Street today, stocks opened higher, but uncertainty about Ukraine, interest rates and COVID lockdowns in China stole the momentum. The Dow Jones industrial average finished just one point higher at 32945. The Nasdaq fell 262 points, 2 percent. The S&P 500 slipped 31 points.

Pro football fans were agog today with news that Tom Brady is not retiring, after all. Instead, he says he will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 23rd NFL season. In a statement, Brady said — quote — "I have realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come, but it's not now."

The seven-time Super Bowl winner who had announced he was leaving the game on February 1 is 44 years old.

And Oscar-winning actor William Hurt has died after a long struggle with cancer. He starred in a number of 1980s hits, including "Broadcast News and "Body Heat," and he won the Oscar for best actor in "Kiss of the Spider Woman." His later credits included a series of Marvel films. William Hurt was 71 years old.