Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

In-person spectators return to New York’s Thanksgiving parade

Spectators once again lined the streets of Manhattan on Thursday for the 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade after last year’s spectacle was scaled down and closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic. Other U.S. cities hold parades, but New York’s event has become part of the holiday tradition, televised across the country to some 50 million viewers ahead of their Thanksgiving meals, according to Macy’s.

Manhattan DA not planning to charge Trump Organization COO in fraud case -lawyer

The Manhattan district attorney is not planning to charge Trump Organization Chief Operating Officer Matthew Calamari in a fraud case in which the former U.S. president’s firm and its chief financial officer have been charged, Calamari’s lawyer said. “Mr. Calamari is pleased that the District Attorney’s office has indicated that it has no present intention to bring charges against him. That is the fair and appropriate decision. He has committed no crimes and led an exemplary life”, Calamari’s lawyer Nicholas Gravante said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

U.S. Justice Department to step up prosecution of unruly air passengers

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland directed federal prosecutors on Wednesday to prioritize prosecution of airline passengers committing assaults and other crimes aboard aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Nov. 4 it had referred more than three dozen unruly passengers to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution amid a sharp rise in onboard incidents this year.

Expanded eligibility boosts U.S. COVID-19 booster shots ahead of holidays

Millions of Americans got COVID-19 booster shots at a near record pace after the Biden administration expanded eligibility last week, but health officials concerned about climbing infections ahead of the winter holiday season urged more to get the additional protection. About 37.5 million people had received a booster shot in the United States as of Tuesday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

U.S. Thanksgiving air travel set to be busiest since pandemic began

Airports and commercial airlines across the United States registered one of their busiest days since before the pandemic on Wednesday as millions of Americans traveled to visit loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving-eve usually tends to be the busiest day for travel. This year, however, working from home allowed many people to travel early and avoid the last day rush.

FBI calls dealing with ‘Havana Syndrome’ a top priority

The FBI said on Wednesday that dealing with the issue of “anomalous health incidents” – widely known as Havana Syndrome – is a top priority and that it will keep investigating the cause and how to protect staff. About 200 U.S. diplomats, officials and family members overseas are believed to have been struck by the mysterious ailment – with symptoms including migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness. It was first reported among U.S. officials in the Cuban capital in 2016.

U.S. lawmakers arrive in Taiwan, second trip in a month

Five members of the U.S. House of Representatives arrived in Taiwan on Thursday for a short trip expected to focus on security matters, the second time in a month U.S. lawmakers have visited. The trip comes as China has stepped up military and political pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the island, spurring anger in Taipei where the government has vowed to defend Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.

Thanksgiving traditions return to U.S.: Football, family and parades

Americans flocked to parades, packed football stadiums and gathered more freely for family feasts on Thursday, grateful to celebrate Thanksgiving Day traditions again after the pandemic kept many at home last year. The holiday dates to the early 17th century, when Pilgrims from Europe and Native Americans gathered to share the autumn bounty – a celebration of goodwill before the genocide that was to come. Nowadays, the approach of the long holiday weekend typically ignites a frenzy of travel as scattered families come together for holiday meals.

Polyp removed during Biden’s colonoscopy is ‘benign’ -White House physician

A polyp removed during President Joe Biden’s colonoscopy last week “is a benign, slow-growing, but thought to be precancerous lesion” for which no more action is required at this time, the White House physician said in a letter released on Wednesday. The polyp was identified as a “tubular adenoma,” which is similar to one Biden had removed in 2008, Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in the letter, which is dated Tuesday.

Georgia jury convicts three white men of Arbery murder, rejects self-defense

Three white men were convicted of murder on Wednesday for chasing and shooting Ahmaud Arbery as the Black man ran through their neighborhood, with a Georgia jury rejecting a self-defense claim in a trial that once again probed America’s divisive issues of race and guns. The verdicts were delivered by the jury of one Black man and 11 white men and women on its second day of deliberations after about a two-week trial of Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, in the coastal city of Brunswick.

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