Biden postpones political event in Georgia after Atlanta-area shootings

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are postponing their planned political event in Atlanta on Friday, in the wake of shootings at three Atlanta-area spas which resulted in the deaths of eight people. Mr. Biden and Harris had planned to travel to Georgia on Friday as part of their nationwide tour to promote the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

The White House announced that the president and vice president would instead use their visit to meet with Asian American leaders to discuss the recent rise in attacks against the Asian American community. Six of the eight people killed in the shootings on Tuesday were Asian American women. Mr. Biden and Harris will also visit the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday to receive an update on efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement from the White House comes after the president ordered flags at the White House and on federal grounds in the U.S. and abroad to be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, announcing that the flags will be lowered until sunset on March 22 "as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence."