Reuters US Domestic News Summary

https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-CALIFORNIA/xegvbwkqwpq Elderly man arrested in Minnesota clinic shooting that killed 1, wounded 4 An elderly gunman shot one person to death and wounded four others inside a Minneapolis-area medical clinic on Tuesday before the suspect, believed to be a disgruntled former patient, was arrested at the scene, police said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. safety board cites poor pilot decisions as likely cause of Kobe Bryant fatal crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday cited the pilot's "poor decision making" as the probable cause of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others, saying the pilot became disoriented and did not follow rules for flying in cloudy weather. The NTSB cited pilot Ara Zobayan's "poor decision to fly in excess of airspeed." It said the weather conditions were inconsistent with adverse weather training and resulted in the pilot's "spatial disorientation and loss of control." Bitter cold and ice storms forecast for north, central United States

A weather system already punishing the Midwestern United States with the coldest temperatures of the winter was forecast to spin to the south and West on Wednesday, prompting ice storm warnings and likely hazardous travel conditions. The cell of arctic high pressure sitting over Canada that has driven temperatures some 20 or 30 degrees below normal in the U.S. Midwest and northern plains will bring even rougher weather as it moves into central and southern states, the National Weather Service said. U.S. civil rights groups call on Biden to end executions

A group of prominent civil rights groups asked U.S. President Joe Biden to impose a moratorium on executing federal prisoners condemned to death and to commute the sentences of the men held on federal death row in a letter sent on Tuesday. Biden, a Democrat, promised voters last year he would seek to end the federal death penalty, and took office last month as the country's first abolitionist president. After emotional start, Democrats to outline case at Trump's impeachment trial

Democrats begin formally making their case on Wednesday that former President Donald Trump should be convicted for inciting the U.S. Capitol siege, a day after a divided Senate concluded his impeachment trial could proceed even though Trump has already left office. The House of Representatives has charged Trump with inciting an insurrection after he delivered a fiery speech on Jan. 6 exhorting thousands of supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol, where members of Congress were gathered to certify President Joe Biden's electoral victory. California surpasses New York as U.S. state with most COVID-19 deaths

California surpassed New York on Tuesday as the U.S. state with the most coronavirus deaths, a grim reminder of the pandemic's toll even as the vaccine rollout and a sharp drop in new cases buoyed hopes of life eventually returning to normal. More than 45,000 people have died as of late Tuesday from COVID-19 in California, the most populous of the 50 states and one of the hardest hit in recent months. New York, severely stricken in the early stages of pandemic last spring, has reported 44,693 lives lost, according to a Reuters tally. https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-CALIFORNIA/xegvbwkqwpq Elderly man arrested in Minnesota clinic shooting that killed 1, wounded 4

An elderly gunman shot one person to death and wounded four others inside a Minneapolis-area medical clinic on Tuesday before the suspect, believed to be a disgruntled former patient, was arrested at the scene, police said. Gregory Paul Ulrich, 67, also described by authorities as an individual well known to law enforcement, was taken into custody shortly after late-morning gunfire erupted at the Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota, about 35 miles (55 km) northwest of Minneapolis. UAW president holds White House talks on vehicle emissions

United Auto Workers (UAW) President Rory Gamble held a virtual meeting last week with a top White House environmental official as the Biden administration moves to reverse the rollback in vehicle emissions rules adopted under then President Donald Trump. A spokesman for the Detroit-based union confirmed Gamble met with White House domestic climate change adviser Gina McCarthy and other members of the Biden Administration. Chicago teachers vote for COVID-19 safety plan agreement with district

Chicago teachers voted in favor of approving a tentative COVID-19 safety plan to allow the third-largest U.S. public school system to gradually resume in-person classes for students who have been out of school buildings for almost a year. Some 67% of the members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) who submitted an electronic ballot on Tuesday voted in favor of the plan, which outlines safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in classrooms, the union said on Wednesday. New hate symbols on U.S. warships including noose spark Navy condemnation

The U.S. Navy's top admiral on Tuesday condemned two new racist incidents involving hate symbols on warships, which sources said included a noose that was left on a Black sailor's bed. The incidents, which occurred in recent weeks, underscore deep concerns about racism in the ranks. The cases come as Pentagon leaders face growing pressure to show progress in combating extremism after current and former military servicemembers were found to have participated in the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. About 600 gallons of oil spilled from Chevron Richmond, California site

About 600 gallons of petroleum and water mixture that leaked from Chevron Corp's wharf at its Richmond, California, oil refinery has been contained on Tuesday, according to the regional air pollution regulator's official twitter https://bit.ly/3jygjTb account. The investigation is ongoing, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) said in a tweet.