News Wrap: Suicide bombing kills dozens at Shiite mosque in Pakistan

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: U.S. job growth surged in February, as the Omicron wave of COVID-19 faded.

The Labor Department reports that employers added a net of 678,000 jobs, the most since July. The unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent. That was the lowest since the pandemic began two years ago.

We will take a closer look after the news summary.

The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Today's 6-to-3 decision held that a lower court was wrong to throw out the sentence over questions of excluded evidence and jury selection. The 2013 bombing killed three people and wounded more than 200.

In Pakistan, a suicide bombing today killed at least 56 people and wounded more than 190 during Friday prayers at a Shiite mosque. It happened in the northwestern city of Peshawar near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The mosque was in shambles after the bomber opened fire, then ran inside, and blew himself up.

Ambulances rushed in, and survivors recalled moments of terror.

Man (through translator):

Panic spread among the worshipers when the firing started. I ran to save my life. Suddenly, a man came in and started firing. He shot many people to death, then closed his eyes and blew himself up. After that, I have no idea what happened. My hand and leg are injured.

Judy Woodruff:

Hours later, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. It came amid growing violence in Pakistan in recent months.

Back in this country, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced COVID mandates for masks in public schools will end next week. So will requirements for proof of vaccination in various venues. In California, Los Angeles County also shifted away from indoor mask mandates today. Masking in schools there will continue until March 12.

Florida is the latest Republican-led state to adopt strict new limits on abortion. Overnight, the legislature voted to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Governor Ron DeSantis said today that he will sign it soon. It is similar to a Mississippi law that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this summer.

Thousands of retired Black professional football players will have a new chance at payouts in a revised billion-dollar concussion settlement with the National Football League. Many were initially denied payments based on so-called race-norming, which assumes a lower baseline cognitive score for Blacks. a federal judge in Philadelphia approved the new plan today allowing players to retest or have their claims rescored.

And on Wall Street, worries about Ukraine pushed oil prices above $115 a barrel and sent stocks lower. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 180 points to close at 33614. The Nasdaq fell 224 points. That's more than 1.5 percent. The S&P 500 slipped 34.