JUDY WOODRUFF: The White House is
defending President Biden's decision

to hold COVID-19 vaccines in the United
States, and not ship doses overseas.

Last night, he announced
that all Americans should be
eligible for shots by May 1.

Today, aides confirmed that
he has declined to donate
part of the U.S. supply.

JEN PSAKI, White House Press
Secretary: His view is that his
obligation, first obligation,

is to addressing what is still a crisis in
our country, right? Yes, he outlined last

night there is a light at end
of tunnel, but 1,400 Americans
are dying every single day,

and he wants to have, as the leader
of this country, maximum flexibility.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Mr. Biden has
agreed to contribute financially
to help needy nations buy vaccine.

And, today, he met virtually with others
in the so-called Quad, leaders of Japan,

India and Australia. They unveiled a
plan to boost vaccine production in Asia.

We will look at all of this
after the news summary.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo defied
growing political pressure today

and refused again to resign over
allegations of sexual misconduct.

A majority of New York's congressional
delegation, including, late today,

both U.S. senators, Chuck
Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand,
demanded that he step down.

But in a conference call earlier,

Cuomo accused his detractors of
joining so-called cancel culture.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): There
is still a question of the truth.

I did not do what has been alleged.
Politicians who don't know a single fact,

but yet form a conclusion
and an opinion, are, in my
opinion, reckless and dangerous.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The governor
also questioned the motives
of his accusers. But, today,

a seventh woman, another former aide,
charged that Cuomo harassed her as well.

Federal health officials say they hope
more families will claim unaccompanied

migrant children coming into the U.S.
without fear of being deported. They

announced today that they are
ending a Trump era policy of
sharing information on sponsors

with immigration authorities.
Numbers of children crossing
the Southern border alone are

surging, with more than 3,000 of
them now in detention facilities.

The city of Minneapolis agreed today
to pay $27 million to settle a civil

lawsuit with the family of George Floyd.
He died in police custody last May.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump,
hailed the agreement as historic.

BENJAMIN CRUMP, Attorney for
Family of George Floyd: It makes
a statement that George Floyd

deserved better than what we
witnessed on May 25, 2020,

that George Floyd's life matters,
and, by extension, black lives matter.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The settlement came
amid jury selection for Derek Chauvin.

He's the former -- the white former police
officer charged with Floyd's murder.

In Rochester, New York, an
investigation into the death of
Daniel Prude accuses the mayor and the

former police chief of withholding
information and outright lying.
Prude suffocated last March

after police restrained him.
Today's report was commissioned
by the City Council.

A grand jury has declined to indict
any of the police officers involved.

Mainland China today rejected
U.S. criticism of its tightened
grip on Hong Kong. The U.S.

State Department had called it --
quote -- "an assault on democracy."

But Beijing accused
Washington of hypocrisy.

ZHANG XIAOMING, Deputy Director,

Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of
the State Council (through translator):

When Hong Kong was rocked by
disturbances, the U.S. praised
it as a beautiful sight. But when

demonstrators stormed the
Capitol on January 6, the U.S.
branded it domestic terrorism.

What moral high ground does the U.S. have
to tell China about what it should do?

JUDY WOODRUFF: China has now
imposed measures that let it select
more of Hong Kong's lawmakers.

The Vatican says that it has
nearly used up reserves from
past financial donations to cover

budget deficits. Church officials
today forecast red ink of nearly
$60 million this year. They

blamed reduced donations amid
the pandemic. The Holy See also
faces an ongoing corruption probe.

And on Wall Street, the Dow
Jones industrial average gained
293 points to finish at 32778.

The Nasdaq fell 78 points,
and the S&P 500 added four.

Still to come on the "NewsHour":
the Biden administration takes steps

to challenge China's
vaccine diplomacy dominance;

Black Americans and women continue to face
discrimination in skilled trades; David

Brooks and Jonathan Capehart offer
their takes on the politics of
COVID relief; plus, much more.