Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Biden, McCarthy push forward towards deal on US debt ceiling
President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday underscored their determination to reach a deal soon to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default. After a monthslong standoff, the Democratic president and the speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday agreed to negotiate directly on a deal. An agreement needs to be reached and passed by both chambers of Congress before the federal government runs out of money to pay its bills, as soon as June 1.
Trump lawyer Parlatore exits legal team amid US special counsel probes
Tim Parlatore, an attorney who has represented Donald Trump in a pair of U.S. Justice Department investigations led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, said on Wednesday he has left the Republican former president's legal team. Parlatore has represented Trump in Smith's investigations into efforts by the former president and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and into Trump's retention of classified documents after he left office in 2021.
Man charged in baseball bat attack on two U.S. congressional staffers
A man accused of attacking two congressional staff members with a baseball bat this week and threatening to kill one of them, has been charged with assault on an employee of the U.S. government, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, was taken into custody by Fairfax police following the attack in the offices of Representative Gerry Connolly on Monday. He may also face charges by local prosecutors.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to report to prison in two weeks
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will begin serving her prison sentence on May 30 for defrauding investors in the failed blood-testing startup once valued at $9 billion. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila set the date on Wednesday for Holmes, 39, to begin serving 11 years and three months in prison.
US appeals judges express support for opponents of abortion pill
Federal appeals court judges on Wednesday appeared to express support for opponents of the abortion pill mifepristone to pursue their challenge to its U.S. approval, which has potentially far-reaching consequences for abortion access across the country. From the start of the high-stakes oral arguments before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, all three judges on the panel repeatedly pressed lawyers for the U.S. government and Danco Laboratories, which sells the drug under the brand name Mifeprex.
U.S. Supreme Court leaves in place Illinois assault weapons ban
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday left in place a Democratic-backed ban on assault-style rifles and large capacity magazines enacted in Illinois after a deadly mass shooting in Chicago's Highland Park suburb in 2022, handing a setback to gun rights advocates. The court denied a request by the National Association for Gun Rights and a firearms retailer for an injunction blocking enforcement of the state law and a similar ban enacted by another Chicago suburb, Naperville, while a legal challenge to the measures proceeds. No justice publicly dissented from the decision.
Massachusetts US attorney accused of election meddling and lying
Rachael Rollins, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, improperly used her U.S. Justice Department position to meddle in a local district attorney election by leaking to newspapers dirt about a political rival - one of many ethics violations cited in two reports by government investigators on Wednesday. The reports by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and the independent U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) were released a day after Rollins, appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden as the first Black woman to serve as U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, announced she would resign by Friday.
DeSantis signs Florida ban on gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youth, and also enacts obstacles for adults to access treatment. Taking effect in the third most populous U.S. state, the law escalates a Republican political strategy to pursue bills restricting transgender rights. More than 500 bills affecting LGBTQ matters have been proposed across the country and at least 48 have been enacted, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
US State Dept to allow two House members to view classified Afghanistan document
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday said two top members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee can view a redacted version of a classified cable about the chaotic August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan sought by the committee's Republican chairperson. The chairperson, Representative Michael McCaul, scheduled a committee meeting next week to consider a contempt of Congress charge against Secretary of State Antony Blinken over his refusal to release the cable, sent by U.S. diplomats via the department's "dissent channel." The channel allows State Department officials to air concerns to supervisors.
Montana to become first US state to ban TikTok
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok from operating in the state, making it the first U.S. state to ban the popular short video app. Montana will make it unlawful for Google and Apple's app stores to offer the TikTok app within its borders. The ban takes effect Jan. 1, 2024.
