Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Biden: federal, local governments must work together to fight U.S. crime
U.S. President Joe Biden urged local and federal leaders to "come together" to reduce gun violence on Monday at a meeting with law enforcement officers and mayors aimed at tackling an alarming rise in crime in many cities. Biden, who has pledged to push for sweeping changes to firearms laws https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-laws-factbox/factbox-decades-of-calls-for-gun-control-in-u-s-but-little-action-idUSKBN2BG0CG, last month unveiled measures to stem the flow of firearms used in crimes, building on executive orders signed in April that include a push by the Justice Department to better control self-assembled "ghost guns https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-proposal-would-crack-down-anonymous-ghost-guns-2021-05-07. "
Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards is dead at 93
Edwin Edwards, the roguishly charming Louisiana politician who scoffed at the clouds of corruption that shrouded his four terms as governor until he went to prison in 2002, died on Monday at age 93, according to a statement from current Governor John Bel Edwards. "Edwin was a larger than life figure known for his wit and charm, but he will be equally remembered for being a compassionate leader who cared for the plight of all Louisianans," the statement said. The statement did not cite a cause of death.
U.S. starts national Medicare coverage policy review for Biogen's Aduhelm
The U.S. government on Monday started a review process for national Medicare coverage of Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, that was recently approved by the country's health regulator. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects to give a proposed decision within 6 months and a final decision within 9 months. (https://go.cms.gov/3hzMa6H)
Aging population to hit U.S. economy like a 'ton of bricks' - U.S. commerce secretary
President Joe Biden does not yet have enough support from fellow Democrats to secure $400 billion in spending for at-home care for the elderly and disabled that the economy desperately needs, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters on Monday. Raimondo, who is paying for round-the-clock care for her own 90-year-old mother, said America's aging demographics were going to hit the country "like a ton of bricks" without increased federal aid, and warned the current situation was "untenable."
Judge eyes sanctions on pro-Trump lawyers who claimed voter fraud
A U.S. judge on Monday appeared likely to reprimand Sidney Powell, a former campaign lawyer for Donald Trump, and other attorneys over a lawsuit they filed in Michigan seeking to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker in Detroit suggested the pro-Trump lawyers should have investigated the Republican former president's voter fraud claims more carefully before suing.
Texas Democratic lawmakers flee state to thwart voting restrictions
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers left Texas on Monday as part of an orchestrated move to derail their Republican colleagues' efforts to pass new voting restrictions and other conservative measures during a special legislative session. Calling from an airplane headed to Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, Texas state Representative Alex Dominguez told Reuters that "nearly everyone" in the House of Representatives' 67-member Democratic caucus had fled the state.
Philadelphia sees $40 million in possible costs from Trump ally's election probe
Philadelphia could face $40 million in costs to replace voting machines if forced to comply with a "forensic investigation" into the 2020 election launched by a Republican state lawmaker and ally of former President Donald Trump, a city commissioner told Reuters. The estimate by Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican, highlights the potential burden on taxpayers from state Senator Doug Mastriano's attempt to gain access to election equipment from Philadelphia and at least two other counties for inspections, similar to costs that have arisen out of a contentious Republican-led audit of the vote in Arizona.
Commerce Secretary Raimondo pushing to lift tough U.S. travel restrictions
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday she is pressing for the easing of coronavirus restrictions that bar much of the world from traveling to the United States but that U.S. health officials remain concerned about more outbreaks. Dozen of U.S. business groups, lawmakers and officials from foreign governments are urging President Joe Biden's administration to relax tough restrictions put in place under former President Donald Trump.
Biden to call efforts to restrict voting 'authoritarian' in speech -White House
President Joe Biden will call efforts to strip the right to vote from some Americans "authoritarian" in a speech on Tuesday, the White House said on Monday. Biden "will lay out the moral case for why denying the right to vote is a form of suppression and a form of silencing," and discuss steps the administration plans to take to shore up voting rights, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
On an Alaskan island, a mayor fights for fur seals - and a new future
Fifty years ago, Patrick Pletnikoff spent his summers stripping blubber from the carcasses of seals clubbed to death in Alaska's annual harvest, competing with other young men to show who wielded the fastest blade. Now he's fighting for a bigger prize: to transform his native St. George Island's fortunes and protect dwindling colonies of northern fur seals by creating Alaska's first marine sanctuary in the surrounding waters - a move that would empower local people to limit fishing for the seals' prey.
