Reuters US Domestic News Summary

U.S. Treasury has mailed out 150,000 paper checks, made 90 million direct deposits The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday said it has sent 90 million direct payments worth about $242 billion to Americans from President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with more payments to be distributed in coming weeks.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Fed's Powell: U.S. leading global recovery, could help lift laggards like Europe

The U.S. economy appears set to leave other developed markets in the dust this year with the largest annual growth spurt in decades, new Federal Reserve forecasts indicate, but that divergence is not worrying to the central bank's top official. If anything, Fed Chair Jerome Powell sees a greater likelihood the strong U.S. rebound from the coronavirus pandemic will help jump-start those still struggling to find their footing, such as Europe, rather than those weak showings overseas impeding the domestic recovery. U.S. judge orders Macau billionaire's early prison release

A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered billionaire Macau real estate developer Ng Lap Seng's early release from prison, rejecting prosecutors' argument that Ng's receiving a COVID-19 vaccine negated the basis to free him. Ng, 72, has served 34 months of his four-year term following his 2017 conviction for bribing two United Nations ambassadors, including former General Assembly President John Ashe, to win support for a multibillion-dollar conference center he hoped to build in Macau. For Asian-Americans, Atlanta shooting sows fresh fear after a year of mounting discrimination

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, Kyung Cho noticed people sometimes gave him odd looks or asked if he spoke English. These days, Cho said, attitudes toward Asian-Americans like him have become far more hostile. Two jurors dismissed in trial on Floyd's death after $27 million settlement, two new ones seated

Two jurors seated in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer facing murder charges over his arrest of George Floyd, were dismissed on Wednesday after they said news of a $27 million settlement with Floyd's family meant they could no longer be impartial. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill had set aside three weeks for jury selection, beginning last week, and was back down to seven seated jurors after the two dismissals. Two new jurors were seated later on Wednesday: a Black man and a white woman, both in their 40s, according to the court. U.S. House passes bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals to law enforcement

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals to police officers who responded to the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump. The measure passed by a vote of 413-12. U.S. investigating suspected Autopilot Tesla crash into police vehicle

The U.S. auto safety agency said on Wednesday it will send a team to investigate a Tesla crash into a Michigan State Police vehicle near Lansing that is suspected of being in Autopilot mode. The agency said "consistent with NHTSA’s vigilant oversight and robust authority over the safety of all motor vehicles and equipment, including automated technologies, we have launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash." Ohio sues Biden administration over tax mandate in coronavirus aid

Ohio's top lawyer on Wednesday sued the Biden administration over its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, saying a last-minute change in the legislation unlawfully blocks state lawmakers from managing their budgets as they see fit. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, asked a federal judge in the state to halt implementation of a part of the relief bill, known as the "tax mandate," that prohibits coronavirus relief money from being used to subsidize tax cuts. U.S. Treasury has mailed out 150,000 paper checks, made 90 million direct deposits

The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday said it has sent 90 million direct payments worth about $242 billion to Americans from President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with more payments to be distributed in coming weeks. Most of the payments were sent by direct deposit to recipients' bank accounts starting on Friday, the Treasury said in a statement, adding that the first payment batches were now fully available to be spent. Motive in Georgia spa shootings uncertain, but Asian Americans still fearful

Georgia authorities charged a man with the fatal shootings of eight people, including six Asian women, at Atlanta-area spas in crimes that heightened fears among Asian Americans already rattled by a rise in racial attacks since the start of the pandemic. The 21-year-old suspect, Robert Aaron Long, told authorities sex addiction drove him to commit the killings and indicated he frequented spas in the area. Biden vows Russia's Putin will 'pay a price' for election meddling

President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin will face consequences for directing efforts to swing the November 2020 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump, and that they would come soon. "He will pay a price," Biden told ABC News in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. Asked what the consequences would be, he said, "You'll see shortly."