Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. New York City schools chancellor steps down as students return to classroom

New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said on Friday he was stepping down as leader of the nation's largest school district, leaving at a time when city officials are scrambling to bring students back to classrooms safely. Carranza, who was tapped by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2018 to run the district of nearly 1.1 million school children, said he would depart on March 15 to take "time to grieve" after losing several family members and friends to COVID-19. Biden brings empathy to storm-battered Texas, security official lays out state's mistakes

U.S. President Joe Biden met with volunteers at a food bank, toured a health center and visited an emergency operations facility on Friday to assess recovery efforts from a severe Texas winter storm while an aide blamed state government for being unprepared. Biden and his wife Jill Biden landed in Houston where he met Republican Governor Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to discuss the recovery from last week’s storm, which caused serious damage to homes and businesses, left millions without power or clean water for days, and killed at least two dozen. Ohio sues U.S. Census Bureau over delay in population data

Ohio sued the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday in federal court in an attempt to compel the bureau to release population data relevant to the state's upcoming congressional redistricting process. "The federal government has chosen to drag its feet by delaying the release of census data instead of following the law," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. House Democrats move closer to pushing through Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID plan

The House of Representatives on Friday moved toward a late-night vote on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, with a dispute over a minimum-wage increase taking some of the luster from his first major legislative achievement. Democrats who narrowly control the chamber said the package was needed to fight a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work, while Republicans criticized it as too expensive. Gymnastics: U.S. governing body shocked over death of former coach

USA Gymnastics has expressed shock at the news that former coach John Geddert died by suicide on Thursday aged 63 following charges of human trafficking and sexual assault. Geddert, who had ties to disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar, was charged with 20 counts of human trafficking, one count of first-degree sexual assault, one count of second-degree sexual assault, criminal enterprise and lying to a police officer, according to court documents filed in Eaton County, Michigan. U.S. Capitol riot suspect disavows far-right group, but loses bid for release

A leader of the far-right Oath Keepers group accused of helping lead the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters lost her bid to be released from jail, despite disavowing the group during a Friday court hearing. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied Jessica Watkins's request to be released while the criminal case against her unfolds. U.S. says more than 300 people charged to date over Capitol riots

The U.S. Justice Department has charged more than 300 people with taking part in the deadly storming of the Capitol by former President Donald Trump's supporters, and at least 280 have been arrested, Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin told reporters on Friday. "The investigation into those responsible is moving at a speed and scale that's unprecedented, and rightly so," he said. "Those responsible must be held to account, and they will be." U.S. pledges to investigate, as attacks on Asian Americans increase

The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it would investigate the rising tide of hate crimes in America, as Asian Americans have experienced a growing number of racially motivated attacks since former President Donald Trump began referring to COVID-19 as a "China virus." “The United States is currently facing unprecedented challenges, some of which are fueling increased bigotry and hatred," said Pamela Karlan, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. "Things are tenuous," U.S. CDC says as downward trend in COVID-19 cases stalls

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that a recent decline in COVID-19 cases may be stalling, a development she described as concerning while urging that safeguards to fight the virus remain in place. Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters the number of cases had been increasing for the past three days compared to the prior week and that declines in hospitalizations and deaths were also "potentially leveling off at still a very high number."

With gold-colored Trump statue, conservatives show fealty to former president U.S. conservatives praised Donald Trump at an annual gathering on Friday, even unveiling a golden statue of the former president, showing he remains a Republican political force despite violent scenes in Washington last month. Prominent congressional conservatives - including Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley and Representatives Steve Scalise and Matt Gaetz - were among the Trump loyalists speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, which the former president will address on Sunday.

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