News Wrap: Houthi rebels vow to continue attacks on ships in Red Sea

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: Houthi rebels in Yemen again expressed defiance after another round of Western airstrikes.

The Iranian-backed militants said they will go on attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S. and Britain retaliated with fighter jets and missiles last night in their second joint strike inside Yemen. They hit eight sites, but, today, Houthi supporters in Sanaa brushed aside the attacks.

Murad Mohammed Ali Mubarak, Yemen Resident (through interpreter):

The U.S. airstrikes are like a spray of water for a thirsty person. I swear it will not scare us or turn a hair on our heads. In response to the destruction of Gaza and the killing of innocent people, they will see anger, burning fire and flames.

Geoff Bennett:

Pentagon officials said the strikes have destroyed more than 25 missile-launching sites and 20 missiles. And late today, the U.S. military carried out strikes inside Iraq on militia fighters backed by Iran. It followed attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria.

Waves of Russian missiles killed 18 people in Ukraine today and injured more than 130. It was one of the largest one-day death tolls in weeks. More than 40 missiles pounded Kharkiv and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they hit more than 200 sites, including scores of residential buildings. The United Nations reports more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine in nearly two years of war.

Negotiators in the U.S. Senate said today they are inching closer to a deal on new military aid for Ukraine and changes in U.S. border policy. Still, there was no timetable for reaching an agreement. One negotiator, Democrat Chris Murphy, acknowledged reports that Ukrainian troops are being forced to conserve ammunition, giving the Russians an advantage.

Sen. Chis Murphy (D-CT):

That is a recipe for disaster. That is a recipe for Kyiv to be a Russian city sometime soon. The whole world is watching and asking a simple question. Does the United States stand up for its friends?

Geoff Bennett:

President Biden won $61 billion for Ukraine's military. Republicans have tied that request to demands for better U.S.-southern border security.

In California, a one-day strike by professors and staff in the state university system is over. They took to the picket lines Monday, just as the new semester was getting under way. More than 450,000 students on 23 campuses were affected. Late last night, the two sides announced a deal, including salary hikes and longer parental leave with pay.

The 2024 Academy Award nominations are out, and "Oppenheimer" leads the pack with 13. Christopher Nolan's three-hour feature about the creation of the atomic bomb is now a front-runner for best picture. It's also nominated for best director and acting awards. The year's biggest moneymaker, "Barbie," received eight nominations, but Greta Gerwig was left out of the best director category.

On Wall Street, corporate profit reports lifted much of the market, but not the blue chips. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 96 points to close at 37905. The Nasdaq rose 65 points. The S&P 500 was up 14.

And award-winning CBS News journalist Charles Osgood died today at his home in New Jersey. He anchored the TV network's Sunday morning show for 22 years, and his daily segment, "The Osgood File," ran on radio for more than four decades. Along the way, he became known as the network's poet in residence, rendering stories in comical verse. Charles Osgood was 91 years old.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": the U.N.'s top humanitarian official on the growing crisis in Gaza; how the rise of artificial intelligence is boosting tech stocks; and a Pakistani artist finds success painting his personal experience.