News Wrap: IRS says average tax refund just under $3,500 this year

[0:00] In today's other headlines, time is running out for Americans to file their taxes and [0:03] new data shows refunds are larger this year, though not nearly as big as the Trump administration [0:08] had projected. [0:10] The IRS says the average refund so far this tax season is just under $3,500. [0:16] That's up around $350 from last year, but it's far short of the thousands of dollars [0:21] or more that the White House projected back in January. [0:25] We don't believe you should send it all here to Uncle Sam. [0:28] We want you to keep it. [0:30] On Capitol Hill today, House Republicans touted new tax breaks, which include no taxes on tips [0:35] and overtime, as well as deductions for some seniors. [0:39] Democrats, meantime, countered that any gains are being wiped out by higher prices. [0:43] The American people are seeing their costs increase. [0:48] Even if they get a tiny bit of relief filing their taxes, every month they're paying more. [0:54] Also, on Capitol Hill today, the head of the IRS told a Senate committee that his agency [1:00] is working to address the tax gap, that's taxes owed but not paid. [1:05] That's even as the IRS has seen its workforce shrink around 27 percent since President Trump [1:10] returned to the White House. [1:13] Officials on a group of U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean are assessing damage from tropical [1:17] storm Sinlaku, which battered the region with fierce winds and rains. [1:21] Eyewitness footage shows the aftermath of what was the year's most powerful tropical typhoon, [1:27] which flipped cars and left many without power. [1:30] Meantime, in other parts of the country, powerful storms ripped through parts of Michigan, toppling [1:35] trees and damaging buildings. [1:37] Some areas also saw flooding. [1:39] While in Iowa… [1:40] Storm chasers filmed this tornado, which touched down yesterday. [1:49] It's part of a severe weather pattern that's been hammering the Plains and Midwest. [1:53] And it comes as a heat wave sweeps across the East Coast today, with record temperatures [1:58] expected in cities like New York and Philadelphia. [2:01] Forecasters expect the heat to last well into the weekend. [2:05] In Turkey, officials there say a student opened fire on two classrooms in a middle school today, [2:11] killing at least nine people. [2:12] It's the country's second school shooting in as many days. [2:20] Chaos unfolded outside that school as parents and emergency personnel rushed to the scene. [2:26] Turkey's interior minister says the suspected gunman is a 14-year-old student who was killed, [2:31] though he did not specify how. [2:33] The motive remains unclear. [2:35] This incident was an individual act committed by only one of our students. [2:41] It is not an act of terrorism. [2:43] I want to express once again how deeply saddened we are. [2:47] Officials in Turkey have imposed a nationwide ban on publishing images from the shooting [2:53] that are considered traumatic. [2:55] School shootings are rare in Turkey, making this week's attacks all the more striking. [2:59] Sudan entered its fourth year of war today, with millions facing the threat of ongoing violence [3:05] and famine. [3:06] In eastern Sudan, health workers are reporting a spike in malnourished children since the [3:11] fighting started. [3:12] A UN-backed group has warned that some 800,000 people will suffer from severe acute malnutrition [3:18] across Sudan this year. [3:19] Meantime, at an aid conference in Berlin, European countries pledged more than $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid. [3:26] A U.S. official at the meeting says the Trump administration, quote, remains steadfast in its commitment [3:32] to ending this war. [3:34] We are working closely with partners in this room and beyond to press for an immediate shift [3:41] from battlefield to the negotiating table, from violence to dialogue, and for ending this [3:50] world's biggest humanitarian crisis. [3:53] MILES O' The war between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, [3:58] or RSF, erupted in April of 2023. Since then, officials say around 59,000 people have been [4:05] killed and at least 13 million have been displaced. On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed as hopes [4:11] rise for a possible end to the war with Iran. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped about 70 points [4:17] on the day. The Nasdaq jumped nearly 400 points to a new all-time high, and the S&P 500 continued its rally [4:24] from recent lows. And Major League Baseball is celebrating Jackie Robinson Day. The annual event [4:30] marks the day back in 1947 when Robinson broke the sports color barrier. [4:34] Every child who dares to dream, and every voice that lives and inspires others, Jackie lives on. [4:41] MILES O' This year, the MLB rolled out a splashy campaign in his honor. And across the league, [4:47] players, coaches, and umpires are wearing his iconic number 42 on their jerseys during today's games. [4:53] Still to come on the NewsHour, the Department of Justice moves to negate more convictions for [4:58] Capitol insurrectionists. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance continue their attacks on the Pope over the war [5:04] against Iran. And author Susan Page discusses her book on the late Queen Elizabeth's relationships [5:10] with U.S. presidents. [5:11] This is the PBS NewsHour from the David M. Rubenstein Studio at WETA in Washington, [5:21] headquarters of PBS News.