Reuters US Domestic News Summary

At a White House event, Biden said the rollout of the vaccine in the United States has been a "dismal failure so far." Biden pivots away from old court battles, helps ignite new ones President Joe Biden in his short time in office already has turned the page on some major legal battles that consumed former President Donald Trump's administration while also taking actions certain to ignite new ones likely headed toward the U.S. Supreme Court.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Biden lays out plans for COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and masks

U.S. President Joe Biden moved swiftly to coordinate a federal effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday, his first full day in office, with steps to expand testing and vaccinations and increase mask-wearing. At a White House event, Biden said the rollout of the vaccine in the United States has been a "dismal failure so far." Biden pivots away from old court battles, helps ignite new ones

President Joe Biden in his short time in office already has turned the page on some major legal battles that consumed former President Donald Trump's administration while also taking actions certain to ignite new ones likely headed toward the U.S. Supreme Court. The Democratic president, sworn in on Wednesday, quickly signed a flurry of executive orders that wound down some of his Republican predecessor's actions or set new priorities for his administration on issues ensnared in legal disputes such as immigration, the U.S.-Mexican border wall and LGBT rights. TV audience for Biden inauguration tops Trump's viewership four years earlier

Roughly 40 million people watched live coverage of Democrat Joe Biden's inauguration as U.S. president on six TV networks, according to Nielsen data released on Thursday, a 4% increase over the number that tuned in for Donald Trump's swearing in four years ago. The figure covers the 30-minute span starting at 11:45 am on Wednesday, when Biden took the oath of office and delivered his inaugural address from the U.S. Capitol. It includes the audience on broadcasters ABC, CBS and NBC and cable channels Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Attorneys call for Giuliani to lose law license over false claims, mob incitement

A group of prominent attorneys on Thursday asked New York's judiciary to suspend the law license of former President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani for making false claims in post-election lawsuits and for urging Trump's supporters to engage in "trial by combat" shortly before they stormed the U.S. Capitol. The letter, spearheaded by the organization Lawyers Defending American Democracy, called for immediate suspension of the license pending an investigation of Giuliani, who served as a federal prosecutor and a New York City mayor before Trump hired him as to be his personal attorney. Filibuster face-off: Schumer, McConnell at loggerheads over U.S. Senate power sharing

A standoff between new U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and the man he replaced, Republican Mitch McConnell, over a core rule of Senate operations has kept the two from reaching a deal on how to manage the 50-50 chamber. Schumer is resisting McConnell's demand for a promise to protect the long-standing Senate rule requiring a supermajority of 60 votes to advance most legislation, known as the legislative filibuster. West Virginia touts COVID-19 vaccination success story as national rollout sputters

With President Joe Biden pledging to jump-start a vaccination rollout that he has denounced as a dismal failure so far, West Virginia is touting the relative success of its program to inoculate most of its nearly 2 million residents. The rural state known for its rugged mountain terrain boasts the second highest vaccination rate in the country, thanks to a hyper-local approach, officials say. It is also tied for first place in terms of making use of available doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump hires South Carolina lawyer Bowers for impeachment defense

Former President Donald Trump has hired South Carolina-based lawyer Butch Bowers to represent him in his Senate impeachment trial over a charge that he incited insurrection, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Bowers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Judge gives preliminary approval to $641 million Flint, Michigan, water settlement

A federal judge in Michigan on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a $641 million partial settlement of lawsuits filed by victims of the Flint water crisis against the state, according to a court document. U.S. District Judge Judith Levy wrote in the 72-page opinion that the preliminary agreement "does not resolve all of the Flint water cases" and that victims are fully able to pursue their own lawsuits and register objections to the settlement. Judge rejects NRA bid to end or move New York lawsuit seeking its closure

A New York state judge on Thursday rejected the National Rifle Association's bid to dismiss or move a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking to dissolve the gun rights group. Justice Joel Cohen of Manhattan Supreme Court ruled six days after the NRA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect itself from lawsuits, and said it would reincorporate in the more gun-friendly Texas after 150 years in New York. Transportation nominee: 'possible' U.S. could raise gas tax to fund road repairs

Pete Buttigieg, Democratic President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. Transportation Department, won bipartisan support from senators at a Thursday confirmation hearing, where he said it was possible new gas tax revenue could fund infrastructure. "We need to look at any responsible, viable revenue mechanism we can all agree on," said Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, at the hearing in which lawmakers said he would quickly win Senate confirmation.