News Wrap: U.S. population growth hits lowest recorded rate

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: The pandemic has pushed U.S. population growth to its lowest rate since the country's founding.

The Census Bureau reports fewer than 400,000 people were added in the 12 months ending in July. That's just a 10th of 1 percent. Besides the death that it caused,the pandemic has curtailed immigration and it has delayed pregnancies.

President Biden voiced hope today that he can salvage his sweeping Build Back Better initiative. He said he holds no grudges against Democratic Senator Joe Manchin for opposing the bill, which, in effect, dooms its chances in the evenly divided Senate.

But the president said today — quote — "Senator Manchin and I are going to get something done."

Republican Representative Scott Perry is refusing to cooperate with a U.S. House committee investigating January's assault on the Capitol. The Pennsylvania congressman tweeted today that — quote — "This entity is illegitimate and not duly constituted." The committee must now consider whether to subpoena a sitting member of Congress.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin blamed the West today for growing tensions in Eastern Europe and renewed his demands for security guarantees. He spoke to his top military brass, defending a Russian troop buildup along Ukraine's border and complaining of NATO deployments in the region.

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (through translator):

What they do now on Ukraine's territory, or they try to do, is happening at our gates. That leaves us nowhere to retreat.

Judy Woodruff:

Putin insisted again that Russia wants legally binding security guarantees, and not just verbal promises.

In Afghanistan, hundreds of people marched to the closed U.S. Embassy to demand that the country's assets be unfrozen. Billions of dollars in funds held abroad were blocked after the Taliban seized power last August. International aid is also suspended, and aid groups are warning of humanitarian disaster.

Back in this country, federal prison inmates who were sent home last year due to the pandemic will not be returned to prison when the emergency ends. The U.S. Justice Department announced the policy change today. Criminal justice advocates argued for allowing inmates convicted of low-level crimes to continue in home confinement.

Global insurance claims for weather damage this year will top $105 billion after this month's U.S. tornadoes. Reuters reports that it's the fourth highest total on record. Insurance experts say the increase will also mean higher premiums.

Nearly 1,400 Kellogg employees have ratified a new contract, ending a strike of more than two months. The cereal-maker said today that the five-year agreement includes cost-of-living adjustments and improved wages and benefits. At one point, Kellogg threatened to bring in permanent replacements.

And on Wall Street, stocks stormed back from Monday's losses. Major indexes gained 1.5 to nearly 2.5 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 560 points to close at 35492. The Nasdaq rose 360 points. The S&P 500 added 81.