News Wrap: U.S. Education Department investigating mask mandate bans in 5 GOP-led states

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: The United States is now averaging 100,000 COVID hospitalizations per day. That's a level not seen since last winter.

Hawaii reported nearly 1, 700 new infections on Sunday, the most that it's seen during the entire pandemic. And West Virginia recorded its highest number of weekly cases in seven months.

Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization's European branch warned that infections are also rising across Europe.

Hans Kluge, World Health Organization:

This high transmission is deeply worrying, particularly in the light of low vaccination uptake in priority populations in a number of countries. Several countries are starting to observe an increased burden on hospitals and more deaths.

Judy Woodruff:

Also today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it is investigating five Republican-led states that ban universal indoor masking. It said those policies could discriminate against students with health conditions or disabilities by preventing them from safely attending school.

Meanwhile, an advisory panel to the CDC unanimously recommended Pfizer's COVID vaccine for people over the age of 16. The FDA granted its full approval last week.

The rise in COVID cases in the U.S. has prompted the European Union to advise its member nations to reinstate travel restrictions for American tourists. The European Council today voted to ban nonessential travel from the U.S. The guidance is nonbinding, so E.U. countries will ultimately make their own rules.

In Northern California, the entire city of South Lake Tahoe is now under an evacuation order tonight, as firefighters race to control the Caldor Fire amid high winds. Orange haze filled the sky overnight as the rapidly moving flames tore through the mountainside. Officials warned the fire is becoming — quote — "more aggressive than anticipated" as it nears the resort area.

Thom Porter, Fire Chief and Director, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: There is fire activity happening in California that we have never seen before. Said it before, but the critical thing for you, the public, to know is, evacuate early, early.

Warning. Warning doesn't mean you have to stick around and wait for the order.

Judy Woodruff:

The massive Caldor Fire is still only 14 percent contained.

The number of hate crimes in the U.S. hit a 12-year high in 2020. A new report out today from the FBI said that spike was driven by an uptick in assaults targeting Blacks and Asians. The agency recorded more than 7, 700 hate crimes last year. That's a 6 percent increase over 2019 and the highest level since 2008.

The United Nations' Atomic Energy Agency today warned there are signs that North Korea has restarted its main nuclear reactor. It's located in Yongbyon, north of the capital, and is used to produce weapons fuels, this as nuclear disarmament talks between the U.S. and North Korea remain stalled.

Three Guantanamo Bay prisoners finally got their day in court after being held for 18 years in connection with the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other terror plots in Southeast Asia. The Bali attack left 202 people dead. Two Malaysian prisoners and another from Indonesia were arraigned before a military commission on charges that include murder, conspiracy, and terrorism.

That comes as the Biden administration plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

And stocks were mostly higher on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 56 points to close at 35400. But the Nasdaq rose 136 points to close at a new record high. And the S&P 500 added 19 to notch its own record.