News Wrap: North Korea’s launch of intercontinental ballistic missile draws condemnation

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• Judy Woodruff:

  In the day's other news: The United States, Japan, and South Korea condemned North Korea for launching what appeared to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile yet.

  The North claimed that it was a new type aimed at deterring nuclear war. South Korea said the missile was fired from near Pyongyang, flew nearly 700 miles, and apparently fell into the sea off Northern Japan. Tokyo called it unforgivably reckless.

• Makoto Oniki, Japanese Vice Defense Minister (through translator):

  There was no warning beforehand. And the fact that North Korea made the missile land in our country's exclusive economic zone is a major issue and an extremely dangerous action for the safety of aircraft and ships.

• Judy Woodruff:

  South Korea responded by test-firing missiles of its own.

  Search teams in Southern China have found the first large pieces of debris from Monday's plane crash that killed 132 people. They are still hunting for the second black box recorder. The crews scoured muddy hills again today. They recovered a part of the plane's wing and pieces of an engine, plus more belongings of passengers.

  Back in this country, former President Trump today is suing Hillary Clinton and other Democrats, alleging that they falsely claimed that his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. The federal lawsuit says resulting investigations cost Mr. Trump $24 million, and it seeks triple damages. A 2020 U.S. Senate report found that Moscow did try to boost the Trump effort.

  The U.S. Senate's top Republican came out today in opposition to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell accused her of disguising far left views after confirmation hearings ended today. The Democrat who chaired the hearings, Senator Dick Durbin, urged other Republicans to help make Jackson the first Black woman justice.

  They spoke on the Senate floor.

• Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

  After studying the nominee's record, and watching her performance this week, I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

  Nothing we saw this week convinced me that either President Biden or Judge Jackson's deeply invested far left fan club have misjudged her.

• Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL):

  If this turns out to be a strictly partisan vote with this historic opportunity, it will be sad, sad for our country, and sad as a commentary on where the parties are today.

  I'm hoping, I'm still hoping that several Republicans, I hope many more, will step forward and support her nomination. I'm disappointed with Senator McConnell's decision, but I'm not surprised.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said today he is aiming for a confirmation vote in the full Senate before a spring recess begins in two weeks.

  On the pandemic, professional athletes and performers in New York City will now be exempt from a vaccine mandate for private workers. Mayor Eric Adams announced it today. He said that it will aid economic recovery.

  The pandemic is also fueling population shifts. New census data shows 73 percent of U.S. counties had more deaths than births from mid-2020 to mid-2021, due in part to COVID. and the cities of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago had the biggest population losses, intensifying previous migration trends.

  The Biden administration unveiled new procedures today to speed legal asylum claims at the U.S. Southern border. The goal is to deal with a backlog of nearly 1.7 million cases. Proposed rules would let asylum officers decide claims. Currently, only immigration judges have that authority.

  In economic news, first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to 187,000. That's the lowest since 1969.

  And on Wall Street today, the stock market seesaw tipped back up, with major indexes gaining 1 to 2 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 349 points to close at 34708. The Nasdaq rose 269 points. The S&P 500 added 64.

  Still to come on the "NewsHour": states call in the National Guard to mitigate school staffing shortages; Black Lives Matter advocates become the latest in a long line of activists-turned-politicians; deaf actress Marlee Matlin gives her take on casting people with disabilities; plus much more.

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