Reuters US Domestic News Summary

| Fri, 27 Jan 2023 23:53:54 GMT

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. Senate Republicans put Biden on notice over debt ceiling

Two dozen U.S. Senate Republicans warned Democratic President Joe Biden on Friday that they would not support increasing the federal debt ceiling without at least an equal amount of spending cuts to government programs or structural reform. In a Jan. 27 letter, lawmakers supported legislation to require the U.S. Treasury to prioritize payments for the public debt, Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits and military pay, if the government were to breach the current $31.4 trillion borrowing limit in coming months.

U.S. charges three in Iran-backed effort to assassinate journalist

U.S. prosecutors have charged three men with attempting to assassinate a prominent critic of Iran’s government who was previously the target of a failed Tehran-backed kidnapping plot, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday, Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov and Khalid Mehdiyev were charged with murder-for-hire and money laundering for their role in the thwarted Tehran-backed assassination attempt of the journalist and activist, who is a U.S. citizen and lives in Brooklyn.

Explainer-Tyre Nichols case: What is Memphis’ controversial SCORPION police unit?

At least some of the officers involved in the traffic stop that authorities say resulted in the beating and death of Tyre Nichols were part of a specialized Memphis policing unit called SCORPION. Under pressure over rising violent crime, Memphis in October 2021 created SCORPION, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. Its mandate is to stem homicides, assaults and robberies.

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Tyre Nichols death: Memphis braces for release of police beating video

Memphis braced for public outrage on Friday after it releases video of five police officers, now charged with murder, in a traffic stop that authorities say resulted in the brutal beating and death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. Officials who have viewed the video said it is deeply disturbing but few details have yet been made public about what it contains.

Analysis-Why Biden pushes an assault weapons ban despite the political odds

Flags are lowered, sorrowful statements are issued, pleas to lawmakers are made, again. In the wake of two mass shootings in California this week, President Joe Biden has followed a heartfelt and familiar script of outrage and grief over gun violence in America, coupled with a renewed call for Congress to pass legislation banning assault-style weapons.

U.S. FDA proposes to ease sexual abstinence rule for blood donors

The U.S. health regulator on Friday proposed new blood donation guidelines for men who have sex with men that are based on individual risk rather than across-the-board requirements, a move it said is in line with other countries and will help ensure the U.S. blood supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the rules aim to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV and are similar to those in the UK and Canada.

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Man who assaulted U.S. Capitol Police officer sentenced to 80 months in prison

The man who carried out a pepper-spray attack against a U.S. Capitol Police officer who died the day after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was sentenced on Friday to 80 months in prison with credit for time served.

Biden picks Jeff Zients as next chief of staff

President Joe Biden on Friday picked his former COVID-19 policy coordinator, Jeff Zients, to be the next White House chief of staff, citing his expertise in health care and the economy. Zients will replace Biden’s current chief of staff Ron Klain.

U.S. House passes bill limiting drawdowns from strategic oil reserve

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday limiting the ability of the energy secretary to tap the strategic oil reserve without developing plans to increase the amount of public lands available for oil and gas drilling. Representatives backed the bill 221 to 205, with support from only one Democrat. President Joe Biden would veto the legislation should it pass Congress, the White House said this week. The bill is expected to face an uphill battle in the Senate, which unlike the House, is controlled by Biden’s fellow Democrats.

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Footage from attack on Paul Pelosi released by authorities

San Francisco authorities released video footage on Friday of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, being struck by an intruder’s hammer as police rushed into their home to stop the attack. The police body-worn camera footage of the Oct. 28 violence was released alongside a surveillance video showing the alleged attacker, David DePape, 42, smashing through a glass window to get into the couple’s San Francisco home, as well as a 911 call from a distressed Paul Pelosi, who was talking to the dispatcher with DePape apparently beside him.

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