Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Jailed ex-U.S. Marine Whelan to keep fighting for transfer from Russia
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, convicted by Russia of spying, will continue to fight for his transfer to the United States despite losing a court appeal on Monday, Interfax news agency quoted his lawyer as saying. Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was sentenced last year to 16 years in jail. He denies espionage and has said he was set up in a sting operation. Washington has demanded his release.
Analysis: To testify or not: U.S. teen Rittenhouse faces risky decision in self-defense trial
When George Zimmerman faced life in prison for killing Trayvon Martin, his lawyers chose not to have him testify, a decision some legal experts say contributed to his acquittal in 2013 in the last highly divisive civilian self-defense trial. Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager on trial for killing two protesters and wounding a third in Wisconsin last year, appears set to try a different tack. His lawyer, Mark Richards, said in court last week that he would take the stand in his own defense.
U.S.-Mexico border reopens after 20 months of COVID disruption
Dozens of crossings at the Mexico-United States border reopened to non-essential travel on Monday after a 20-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though life is not quite back to normal yet along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometer) frontier. Ahead of reopening, hundreds of cars formed lines stretching back kilometers from the border at the Mexican city of Tijuana, while queues at pedestrian crossings grew steadily.
Biden to visit Port of Baltimore, discuss infrastructure deal
U.S. President Joe Biden will visit the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday to discuss how the $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Congress helps the American people by upgrading ports and strengthening supply chains, the White House said on Sunday. Biden on Saturday called the bill a once-in-a-generation investment. The House of Representatives approved the package on Friday after months of bitter fighting among Democrats.
Police say bomb threats at three elite U.S. universities not credible
Police at three elite Ivy League universities in New York and Rhode Island gave the all clear and said activities could resume normally at the schools on Sunday after each received separate bomb threats. Several buildings were evacuated on the campuses of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and Columbia University in New York City after bomb threats were phoned into each school.
Probes launched, lawsuit filed in Houston rap festival stampede
At least two investigations and one civil lawsuit were underway on Sunday into the deadly stampede during rap star Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston. Two of the victims were teenagers, aged 14 and 16, caught in the crushing surge of the crowd as Scott continued to perform, completing his set even after noticing fans were receiving medical treatment. Scott, the headline act and a hometown star who founded the Astroworld festival in 2018, later said he was unaware of the severity of the situation.
Survivor of shooting by U.S. teen Rittenhouse to testify in pivotal moment of trial
The only protester shot by Kyle Rittenhouse to survive is due to testify on Monday, offering potentially critical testimony to a jury that must decide whether the U.S. teenager justifiably feared for his life when he opened fire with his rifle. Rittenhouse, 18, has been charged in the deaths of two men and for attempting to kill Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, during racial justice protests on Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake.
Travellers line up for U.S. flights as curbs are lifted for first time
Travellers excited at the prospect of seeing family and friends for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began took off for the United States on Monday as it lifted travel restrictions slapped on much of the world for the best part of two years. The travel ban, first imposed in early 2020, had barred access to non-U.S. citizens travelling from 33 countries - including China, India and much of Europe - and had also restricted overland entry from Mexico and Canada.
Whistleblowers and fears of losing funds key to enforcing U.S. vaccine rules
Workplace whistleblowers and a fear of losing federal funds are expected to play vital roles in ensuring compliance with COVID-19 vaccine mandates ordered by President Joe Biden's administration for U.S. businesses, nursing homes and hospitals, according to experts. Biden announced last Thursday that his administration will enforce the vaccine mandates starting on Jan. 4. The rules apply to employers with at least 100 workers, federal contractors and employees of nursing homes and other healthcare facilities that receive reimbursements under the Medicare and Medicaid government healthcare programs.
Latest developments in the trial of U.S. teenage gunman Kyle Rittenhouse
Here is a timeline tracing the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, a U.S. teenager who is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a military-style rifle during protests last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Aug. 23, 2020 - A white police officer responding to a domestic dispute in Kenosha shoots Jacob Blake seven times at close range, paralyzing the Black man and setting off protests.
