5 stories to know for March 17: Atlanta spa shootings, Trump recommends COVID vaccine, U.S. sanctions Chinese officials, the talking filibuster and what Biden thinks about Cuomo resigning 1. Eight people were killed in Atlanta spa shootings. Six of the dead are Asian American women. Police arrested a suspect. Recently, Biden condemned ‘vicious’ hate crimes against Asian-Americans. 2. Donald Trump recommended the COVID-19 vaccine to his supporters. Trump’s statement comes after a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released last week showed that about half of American men who identified themselves as Republicans said they had no plans to get the vaccine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration would welcome any vaccination efforts Trump would make with his base. 3. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken blasted China ahead of his first meeting with Chinese officials this week. He said that China "uses coercion or aggression to get its way.” The U.S. sanctioned 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on political freedoms just ahead of the talks in Alaska. 4. President Joe Biden backs reforming, rather than scrapping, the filibuster. In an interview with ABC News, Biden said that he wants to see a talking filibuster. This comes as Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell warned Democrats about attempts to remove the filibuster. 5. Joe Biden weighed in on the allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The president called on Cuomo to resign if sexual allegations are true. The New York Governor has denied any misconduct. #AtlantaShooting #AsianAmericans #Biden #Trump #COVID19 #Coronavirus #Georgia #Vaccine #JoeBiden #China #US #AntonyBlinken #HongKong #Alaska #Andrew Cuomo #MitchMcConnell #filibuster #talkingfilibuster #NYGovernor #News #Reuters More top stories: Putin likely behind 2020 election meddling, U.S. intelligence officials say Hundreds protest outside UK Parliament and police HQ for third night Biden says Major, his German Shepherd, is out of the dog house www.reuters.com Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/reuterssubscribe Reuters brings you the latest business, finance and breaking news video from around the globe. Our reputation for accuracy and impartiality is unparalleled. Get the latest news on: http://reuters.com/ Follow Reuters on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reuters Follow Reuters on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Reuters Follow Reuters on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reuters/?hl=en