News Wrap: Ship cleared from Baltimore bridge collapse scene

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: The container ship that caused the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore has finally returned to port.

This morning, the Dali made the slow 2.5-mile journey back to land escorted by tugboats. Its bow is still covered in damaged containers, steel and concrete. Port officials said today they're getting closer to fully reopening the channel.

Jonathan Daniels, Executive Director, Maryland Port Administration:

So, as far as the depth and the draft that's necessary to bring the larger vessels in, that depth is there. We just don't have the width. There's still material, there's still bridge sections that are in place. But as the Army Corps and the unified command has indicated, they're looking at the end of May.

Amna Nawaz:

In the meantime, shipping company officials are working on allowing the ship's 21 crew members to disembark. They'd stayed on board for maintenance and to help investigators determine what led to the crash.

Wind and hail battered large parts of Oklahoma and Kansas last night, as the latest bout of severe weather sweeps through the region. Nearly 20 homes were damaged in Western Oklahoma. Officials say two people were injured. The National Weather Service said they received 13 tornado reports across three states. The risk of severe storms is expected to continue into early Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is vowing to keep the flow of weapons moving to Ukraine as Russia intensifies its attacks on the country's Northeastern region of Kharkiv. Austin spoke this morning to a virtual meeting of some 50 defense leaders from Europe and around the world. He promised that weapons would keep coming week after week.

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense: We are again delivering urgently needed assistance to Ukraine and the security assistance that we are now rushing to Ukraine will make a difference in this fight. The United States remains determined to do our part.

Amna Nawaz:

Secretary Austin's comments come as Ukraine's President Zelenskyy expressed frustration over the pace of Western military support. Speaking to Reuters News Agency, he said that for, every one big step forward, there are two steps back.

A British court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can challenge his extradition to the U.S. His lawyers had argued that his free speech rights would not be protected if he was sent here to face trial. Supporters outside the court celebrated the decision. The Australian activist has been indicted on 17 espionage charges over the publication of classified U.S. military documents.

His wife, Stella, called for U.S. authorities to drop the charges.

Stella Assange, Wife of Julian Assange: As a family, we are relieved, but how long can this go on? The United States should read the situation and drop this case now. Now is the moment to do it.

Amna Nawaz:

Assange has spent the last five years in a British prison after seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in Central London in 2012.

Also in the U.K., a public inquiry has concluded that a decades-old blood transfusion scandal was not an accident. It finds that Britain's National Health Service knowingly exposed tens of thousands of patients to HIV and hepatitis-tainted blood from the 1970s to the early 1990s, then tried to cover it up. An estimated 3,000 people are known to have died.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized to the victims and their families today.

Rishi Sunak, British Prime Minister:

This is a day of shame for the British state. Today's report shows a decades-long moral failure at the heart of our national life. At every level, the people and institutions in which we place our trust failed in the most harrowing and devastating way.

Amna Nawaz:

Sunak also said that the details of a $12 billion compensation package for victims will be announced on Tuesday.

The chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, is resigning. Martin Gruenberg is currently serving his second term as head of the bank regulator. He has come under fire in recent months after an external review found evidence of a toxic workplace culture, including reports of employee mistreatment and sexual harassment.

In a statement, Gruenberg said that — quote — "In light of recent events, I'm prepared to step down from my responsibilities once a successor is confirmed."

On Wall Street today, stocks drifted to a mixed close in a quiet trading day. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 196 points to close back below 40000. The Nasdaq rose 108 points to notch a new closing high. The S&P 500 added four points.

And a Wall Street-related passing of note. Ivan Boesky has died. A central figure to the insider trading scandals of the 1980s, he was also the basis for the Michael Douglas character Gordon Gekko in the film "Wall Street." Boesky made his fortune betting on corporate takeover targets, often with the help of illegally obtained information. As part of a plea deal, he worked with authorities to bring others to justice, including the so-called junk bond king, Michael Milken.

Boesky was 87 years old.