FACING A MAJOR DECISION ON

RELIGION AND LGBTQ RIGHTS.

THE JUSTICES TODAY HEARD A CASE

INVOLVING A CHRISTIAN GRAPHIC

ARTIST TO OBJECTS TO DESIGNING

WEDDING WEBSITES FOR SAME-SEX

COUPLES.

SHE SAYS ARTISTS SHOULD NOT HAVE

TO DO WORK THAT GOES AGAINST

THEIR FAITH.

WE WILL HAVE MORE ON THIS AFTER

THE NEWS SUMMARY.

IN THE DAYS OTHER NEWS COMING

U.S. HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR THE

FLU ARE THE HIGHEST THEY HAVE

BEEN IN A DECADE THIS EARLY IN

THE SEASON.

THE CDC REPORTED THAT SURGE

TODAY, AND SAID 14 YOUNG PEOPLE

HAVE DIED OF THE FLU SO FAR.

THE AGENCY ALSO SAID LARGE

NUMBERS OF

OTHER RESPIRATORY CASES ARE

ADDING TO THE STRESS ON

HOSPITALS.

PFIZER ASKED THE FDA TODAY TO

AUTHORIZE ITS UPDATED COVID

BOOSTER FOR CHILDREN 6 MONTHS TO

4 YEARS OLD.

THE REFORMULATED VACCINE TARGETS

THE OMICRON SUBVARIANTS.

IT ALSO OFFERS INCREASED

PROTECTION AGAINST NEW COVID

STRAINS.

CHINA'S MOVE TO EASE STRICT

COVID RULES IS ACCELERATING,

AMID RARE PROTESTS AND MOUNTING

ECONOMIC DAMAGE.

IN BEIJING TODAY, COMMUTERS WERE

ALLOWED TO TRAVEL ON BUSES AND

SUBWAYS WITHOUT A VIRUS TEST FOR

THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS.

AUTHORITIES IN SHANGHAI

ANNOUNCED SIMILAR STEPS WHICH

SOME SAW AS GRADUAL, BUT

WELCOME.

>> I AM NOT PARTICULARLY TOUCHED

BY THE EFFORTS.

AFTER ALL, WE STILL NEED A TEST

DONE WITHIN 72 HOURS FOR WORK

AND WITHIN 48 HOURS FOR

DINING.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT DIDN'T

OPEN UP THAT MUCH.

BUT IT'S A SMALL STEP AND IT CAN

BE REGARDED AS OVERALL PROGRESS.

AMNA: OTHER REPORTS SAID THE

RULING

COMMUNIST PARTY COULD RELEASE

NEW NATIONWIDE RULES THIS WEEK.

IN UKRAINE, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

SAY A NEW VOLLEY OF RUSSIAN

MISSILES KILLED AT LEAST 4

PEOPLE AND CUT POWER AGAIN IN

MUCH OF THE COUNTRY.

SHELLS BLASTED HUGE CRATERS AS

THEY TORE UP RESIDENTIAL AREAS

ALTHOUGH KYIV SAID ITS AIR

DEFENSES SHOT DOWN MOST OF THE

MISSILES.

MEANWHILE, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT

VLADIMIR PUTIN DROVE ACROSS A

REPAIRED BRIDGE LINKING RUSSIA

TO CRIMEA.

IT WAS DAMAGED BY A TRUCK BOMB

IN OCTOBER.

A NEW THREE DAY GENERAL STRIKE

HAS BEGUN IN IRAN, WITH

ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS

CALLING FOR SHOPS TO CLOSE.

SOME STORE OWNERS IN TEHRAN

HEEDED THE CALL TODAY, DESPITE

OFFICIAL WARNINGS THAT THEY'D BE

ARRESTED.

OTHERS SAID THEY CAN'T AFFORD

TO CLOSE, BUT THAT THEY SUPPORT

THE PROTESTERS.

>> THIS IS A LEGITIMATE DEMAND

AND THEY SHOULD BE HEARD, IF

SOCIETY IS DIVIDED AND PEOPLE

REGULARLY ATTACK EACH OTHER

NOT ONLY WILL THE SITUATION NOT

IMPROVE, BUT WE WILL GO

BACKWARD.

AMNA: THE PROTESTS ERUPTED IN

SEPTEMBER AFTER A YOUNG KURDISH

WOMAN, MAHSA AMINI, DIED IN

POLICE CUSTODY.

SHE'D BEEN ARRESTED FOR

ALLEGEDLY WEARING HER HEADSCARF

TOO LOOSELY.

10 MEN WENT ON TRIAL IN BELGIUM

TODAY FOR THE 2016 SUICIDE

BOMBINGS IN BRUSSELS.

THE ISLAMIC STATE GROUP CLAIMED

THE ATTACKS THAT KILLED 32

PEOPLE AND INJURED MORE THAN 300

AT THE BRUSSELS AIRPORT AND A

SUBWAY STATION.

NINE OF THE ACCUSED ENTERED

COURT, WITH A TENTH BEING TRIED

IN ABSENTIA.

THEY FACE MURDER AND OTHER

CHARGES.

THE TRIAL COULD LAST 6 MONTHS OR

LONGER.

IN INDONESIA, ENTIRE VILLAGES

ARE BURIED AND KEY BRIDGES

DESTROYED AFTER A VOLCANO

ERUPTED SUNDAY ON JAVA.

ASH AND DEBRIS FROM MOUNT SEMERU

COVERED ROADS AND HOMES.

IN THE AFTERMATH, PEOPLE HAD TO

DIG OUT THEIR BELONGINGS AND

EVACUATE LIVESTOCK.

SO FAR, THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF

DEATHS.

BACK IN THIS COUNTRY, TENS OF

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN CENTRAL

NORTH CAROLINA FACED A THIRD

NIGHT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY AFTER

ONE OR MORE GUNMEN ATTACKED TWO

POWER STATIONS ON SATURDAY.

CREWS WORKED TODAY TO REPAIR THE

SUBSTATIONS.

OFFICIALS SAID IT COULD TAKE

UNTIL THURSDAY TO RESTORE POWER

TO THE AFFECTED AREA, SOUTHWEST

OF RALEIGH.

THERE'S NO WORD ON WHAT

MOTIVATED THE ATTACK.

AND ON WALL STREET, STOCKS SANK

AFTER GROWTH IN THE SERVICE

SECTOR RAISED NEW DOUBTS ABOUT

CONTROLLING INFLATION.

MAJOR INDICES FELL BETWEEN 1%

AND 2%.

THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE

LOST 482 POINTS TO CLOSE AT

33,947.

THE NASDAQ FELL 221 POINTS.

THE S&P 500 GAVE UP NEARLY 73.

STILL TO COME ON THE NEWSHOUR,

TAMARA KEITH AND AMY WALTER

BREAK DOWN THE LATEST POLITICAL

HEADLINES.

DRAG QUEEN EVENTS ARE

INCREASINGLY TARGETED BY RIGHT

WING DEMONSTRATORS.

A MOTHER AND SON WHO ARE BOTH

POET LAUREATES WORK TO INSPIRE

OTHERS.

PLUS MUCH MORE.

>> THIS IS THE PBS NEWSHOUR FROM

WETA STUDIOS IN WASHINGTON AND

IN THE WEST FROM THE WALTER

CRONKITE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AT

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY.