Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Despite 'productive' Republican meeting, Biden will not accept a scaled-down COVID-19 bill -White House
After meeting with Republican senators at the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden appeared poised to push forward with his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan even if it fails to draw Republican support. While the White House termed Biden's discussion with 10 Republicans who pitched a downsized relief effort as "productive," the Democratic president told the senators their plan did not go far enough.
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez recalls Jan. 6 attack, wants Republicans held to account
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described being terrified for her life during the storming of the U.S. Capitol in an emotional broadcast on Monday night, doubling down on calls for Republican politicians to be held accountable. New York House member Ocasio-Cortez said she was harassed by those she identified as fans of former President Donald Trump for days before the Jan. 6 incident, and warned by other members of Congress to be "careful" on the day of the rally.
U.S. automaker group calls for compromise with Biden on fuel economy rules
An auto industry trade group on Tuesday proposed to start talks with the Biden administration on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded.
Trump lawyers to file pretrial documents with U.S. Senate in preview of impeachment defense
Former President Donald Trump faces a deadline on Tuesday to respond to the U.S. House of Representatives' impeachment charging him with inciting insurrection in a fiery speech to supporters before last month's deadly assault on the Capitol. The deadline comes just days after Trump parted ways with his initial legal team amid a reported dispute over how to respond to the charge. Trump is still contending, contrary to evidence, that his election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.
Police officer killed in storming of U.S. Capitol to lie in honor in Washington
The police officer killed when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol last month trying to overturn the election results will lie in honor in the building's historic rotunda on Tuesday and Wednesday. The body of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died of his injuries the day after the Jan. 6 attack, will arrive at the rotunda on Tuesday evening and his fellow officers will begin viewing him at 10 p.m. ET (0300 GMT).
Biden to issue executive orders on asylum, legal immigration, separated families
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday will order a major review of asylum processing at the U.S.-Mexico border and the legal immigration system as he seeks to undo some of former President Donald Trump's hard-line policies, two senior administration officials said on Monday evening. Biden on Tuesday will also create a task force to reunite migrant families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by Trump´s 2018 "zero tolerance" border strategy, the officials said on a call with reporters.
Punishing winter storm to move inland, pummel U.S. Northeast
A major winter storm that has already dropped more than a foot of snow across the Northeastern United States and killed an elderly Pennsylvania woman was expected to pound inland areas with potential blizzard conditions on Tuesday. The storm canceled flights across the region and halted subway service in New York City on Monday, dumping 27 inches (68 cm) of snow in areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and 17 inches (43 cm) in New York City.
Explainer: Is Trump's post-presidency impeachment trial constitutional?
The upcoming second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, focusing on a charge of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by his followers, has prompted a debate over whether the proceeding is constitutional.
Some legal experts have said it is appropriate to hold the trial after Trump has left office, but there is no clear answer in the U.S. Constitution and no court has ruled on the issue. Many Senate Republicans have said they would vote to acquit Trump on that basis. Democrats note that the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump a week before he left office.
U.S. promises undocumented migrants equal access to COVID-19 vaccines
The U.S. government on Monday promised undocumented migrants the same access to COVID-19 vaccines as other civilians, and said inoculation centres would be immigration enforcement-free zones. The announcement marked the latest in a series of moves by President Joe Biden to reverse the hardline strategy on immigration adopted by his predecessor Donald Trump.
'He invited us': Accused Capitol rioters blame Trump in novel legal defense
Emanuel Jackson, a 20-year-old Washington area man, was caught on video using a metal bat to strike the protective shields wielded by police officers as they tried to fend off rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Jackson, awaiting trial in federal court on assault charges, is now adopting a novel legal defense: seeking to pin the blame on Donald Trump, citing the former president's remarks at a "Stop the Steal" rally shortly before the Capitol siege.
