News Wrap: Bombings targeting Kabul schools kill at least 6, wound 17

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: The White House said that it may yet appeal a federal court order against a COVID mask mandate for planes, trains and buses.

In the meantime, President Biden said people should decide for themselves whether to mask up. Monday's ruling by a federal judge in Florida imposed a nationwide injunction against the mandate. We will focus on the fallout after the news summary.

In Afghanistan, a string of bombings targeted schools in Kabul, killing at least six people and wounding 17. Explosions tore through a mostly Shiite Muslim area in the western part of the capital city. Witnesses told of a series of rapid-fire detonations.

Abdul Wahid, Injured Eyewitness (through translator):

We are close to the school. I quickly came to the site when the first blast happened to see if everything was OK. I was standing on the roof of my house and called my children to enter the home. Suddenly, the second blast happened, and I got injured.

Judy Woodruff:

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Islamic State group has targeted the area and Shiites before.

Fourteen people went on trial in Belgium today for allegedly supporting ISIS attacks in Paris in 2015. A court spokesman said most of the defendants are accused of terrorist actions before and after the gun and bomb attacks that killed 130 people.

Olivier Mallinus, Court Spokesperson (through translator):

There are obviously quite different stakes from the Paris trial, where the defendants are charged with being directly involved in the attacks. Here, the accused are suspected of having provided assistance, for example, helping people to go to Syria or providing false documents or being linked to weapons.

Judy Woodruff:

The Paris attackers targeted six restaurants and bars, a concert hall and the national soccer stadium.

Palestinian protesters confronted Israeli troops today after they let thousands of Israelis march to a demolished West Bank settlement. Palestinian paramedics said at least eight protesters were hit by rubber bullets or tear gas canisters. In recent weeks, 26 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have died in rising violence.

Back in this country:, lawyers for Patrick Lyoya's family say that an independent autopsy confirms he was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer. They say the results are evidence that the 26-year-old Black man was executed by the white Grand Rapids officer. The official autopsy has not yet been released.

The U.S. Energy Department has launched a $6 billion program to keep troubled nuclear power plants online. The agency cited the need for carbon-free power to fight climate change. Under the program, federal funds will go to financially distressed units.

The governor of Florida escalated a feud with Disney today. The company has sharply criticized a ban on teaching sexual orientation and gender identity to young children. In response, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis called for repealing Disney World's control of its zoning, fire protection and utilities.

In economic news, the International Monetary Fund sharply downgraded its outlook for the global economy, citing the war in Ukraine. The IMF projected growth at 3.6 percent this year. That's down from a January estimate of 4.4 percent. It slightly lowered the outlook for next year as well.

And on Wall Street, tech stocks and banks led the major indexes 1.5 to 2 percent higher. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 500 points to close at 34911. The Nasdaq rose 287 points. The S&P 500 added 70.