US Domestic News Roundup: Chauvin waives right to testify, rest case at murder trial for Floyd; US parents begin to ask and more

The nine-minute video from Eric Stillman's body camera showed the 34-year-old officer getting out of his squad car and running after Adam Toledo in an alley at 2:30 a.m. on March 29 in Little Village, a Mexican neighborhood on the city's West Side. Fauci says he believes J&J vaccine will 'get back on track soon' Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease doctor, hopes U.S. regulators will make a quick decision to lift a pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and get that vaccine "back on track," he said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Chauvin waives right to testify, rests case at murder trial for Floyd arrest

Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin on Thursday waived his right to testify to the jury about his part in the deadly arrest last May of George Floyd as both sides rested their cases at his murder trial, the most high-profile police misconduct case in decades. "I will invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege today," Chauvin, 45, said in a hearing before the jury was brought in on Thursday morning after briefly removing his mask, referring to the constitutional right against self-incrimination. They were his most extensive remarks since his trial began with jury selection on March 8.

U.S. parents begin to ask: Should my child get a COVID-19 shot?

Tristen Sweeten, a 34-year-old nurse in Utah, hopes her three children will receive Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine through its pediatric clinical trial. The sooner the better, she said, for their safety and the greater goal of ending the pandemic. Angie Ankoma, a 45-year-old Black mother of four who works in philanthropy in Rhode Island, believes trials must include diverse populations and participated in one for a COVID-19 vaccine herself. Volunteering her kids for possible inclusion in Moderna's trial was a tougher call.

Chicago releases graphic video of police shooting 13-year-old

Chicago officials released to the public on Thursday a graphic body-camera video showing a police officer shooting and killing a 13-year-old boy while he appeared to be raising his hands in an alley more than two weeks ago. The nine-minute video from Eric Stillman's body camera showed the 34-year-old officer getting out of his squad car and running after Adam Toledo in an alley at 2:30 a.m. on March 29 in Little Village, a Mexican neighborhood on the city's West Side.

Fauci says he believes J&J vaccine will 'get back on track soon'

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease doctor, hopes U.S. regulators will make a quick decision to lift a pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and get that vaccine "back on track," he said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. His comments come a day after a panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) delayed a vote on whether to resume the J&J shots for at least a week, until it had more data on the risk.

Former Minnesota police officer charged in Wright death appears in court

The former Minnesota police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a young Black man during a traffic stop made her first court appearance on Thursday as the slain motorist's family called for "full accountability" for his death. Kimberly Potter, 48, who turned in her badge on Tuesday and posted $100,000 bond hours after her arrest on Wednesday, appeared for the online video hearing seated with her lawyer in his office. The proceeding lasted just a few minutes.

Biden's climate duo of Kerry and McCarthy puts U.S. back in global warming fight

An unlikely duo is steering President Joe Biden's efforts to restore U.S. credibility on fighting climate change: a patrician former presidential candidate and a plain-speaking, long-time civil servant – both with Boston roots and baseball loyalties. John Kerry and Gina McCarthy worked together under former President Barack Obama, when Kerry served as secretary of state and McCarthy led the Environmental Protection Agency.

Biden infrastructure plan includes $18 billion for Veterans Affairs, far more needed -lawmaker

President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan includes $18 billion to upgrade and replace aging Veterans Affairs hospitals, but the agency needs five times that much to bolster facilities and medical staff, a Democratic lawmaker said on Thursday. Mark Takano, chairman of the House of Representatives Veterans' Affairs Committee, told reporters the initial funding boost was significant but said he hoped the president's next legislative push would help fill a big shortage of doctors.

U.S. preparing for 1-year COVID-19 booster shots; Pfizer chief sees need

The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House official said on Thursday. While the duration of immunity after vaccination is being studied, booster vaccines could be needed, David Kessler, chief science officer for President Joe Biden's COVID-19 response task force told a congressional committee meeting.

Biden White House's secret weapon on infrastructure: small businesses

The Biden administration is seeking to leverage a secret weapon in its bid to get corporate America to pay for a sweeping jobs and infrastructure package: the nation's some 30 million small businesses. The White House's effort, previously unreported, seeks to harness the political popularity of small businesses and the current agitation among them over a tax structure many view as generous to larger, billion-dollar corporations like Walmart Inc and Amazon.com Inc over Main Street establishments.

Gunman kills eight before taking own life at FedEx site in Indianapolis -police

A gunman shot eight people dead and injured several others at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis before taking his own life, police said early on Friday. The incident occurred at a FedEx operations center near the Indianapolis International airport, after 11pm local time on Thursday night.