Amna Nawaz:
The measure needed 60 votes to proceed. It failed along party lines last night. The House has passed similar legislation with two Democrats supporting that bill.
Republicans, led by President Trump, have frequently leaned into the issue of transgender athletes, framing it as unfair to women and girls. Many Democrats argue that such measures distract from more important issues facing the nation and could further isolate and harm transgender youth.
An investor group led by U.S. firm BlackRock is buying two ports at either end of the Panama Canal. Those terminals are currently operated by the Hong Kong-based group C.K. Hutchison. They have been at the center of a dispute between the Trump administration and Panama, as President Trump accuses China of influencing the critical waterway.
Last month, Panama’s president denied that China had any control over canal operations. The roughly $23 billion deal requires approval from Panama’s government.
And now for some egg-citing news about two celebrity lovebirds who found fame online. Bald eagle power couple Jackie and Shadow of California’s Big Bear Valley are now proud parents of two baby eaglets. Yesterday, a livestream showed some cracks in two of their new eggs. Then, just before midnight, new life entered the nest.
Over 80,000 viewers tuned into the livestream this morning to watch the protective parents admire the eaglets and monitor a third egg which is expected to hatch in the coming days. So congratulations to Jackie and Shadow and the new members of their family.
And from the beginnings of life to the passing of another. Robert Clark has died. He was elected Mississippi’s first Black lawmaker of the 20th century in 1967. A teacher and descendant of enslaved people in a deeply segregated state, Clark was ostracized by his colleagues, forced to sit by himself in the House chamber and at official dinners.
But Clark rose to the second highest leadership role in the Statehouse, a position he held until he retired in 2004. His son, Bryant Clark, who took over his father’s seat, says Robert Clark died of natural causes. He was 96 years old.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: what to expect from President Trump’s address to Congress; Mexico argues against gunmakers in the U.S. Supreme Court; plus much more.
