Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Biden, a Democrat, signed an order on Friday limiting U.S. refugee admissions this year to the historically low 15,000 cap set under his predecessor Donald Trump, shelving a plan to raise it to 62,500, and drawing the ire of refugee advocates and some Democratic lawmakers. Very hard for U.S. to meet initial refugee goal this year, Blinken says It will be "very hard" for President Joe Biden's administration to meet a previous goal that would have raised the cap to 62,500 refugee admissions this fiscal year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a television interview broadcast on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Two dead in Tesla crash in Texas that was believed to be driverless

Two men died after a Tesla vehicle, which was believed to be operating without anyone in the driver's seat, crashed into a tree on Saturday night north of Houston, authorities said. “There was no one in the driver’s seat," Sgt. Cinthya Umanzor of the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 said.

After criticism, Biden says he will raise U.S. cap on refugee admissions

President Joe Biden said on Saturday he will raise the cap on the number of refugees admitted this year to the United States, a day after he drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers for agreeing to keep the historically low figure in place. Biden signed an order on Friday extending a 15,000 refugee admissions cap issued by his predecessor Donald Trump through the end of September. In signing the order, Biden shelved a plan announced in February to increase the cap to 62,500.

Mars helicopter flight test promises Wright Brothers moment for NASA

NASA hopes to score a 21st-century Wright Brothers moment on Monday as it attempts to send a miniature helicopter buzzing over the surface of Mars in what would be the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. Landmark achievements in science and technology can seem humble by conventional measurements. The Wright Brothers' first controlled flight in the world of a motor-driven airplane, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903 covered just 120 feet (37 meters) in 12 seconds.

Just more than half of U.S. adults have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose -CDC

Just more than half of U.S. adults have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Sunday, with nearly 130 million people aged 18 years or more having received their first shot. That figure makes up about 50.4% of the total adult U.S. population, according to the CDC, marking a milestone for the country that has seen over 560,000 deaths from the pandemic, the highest for any single nation, as the government ramps up the pace of vaccination.

Most Americans want to end lifetime Supreme Court appointments: poll

A majority of Americans want to end lifetime appointments for U.S. Supreme Court justices, according to an Ipsos poll for Reuters, though less than half are in favor of other efforts to reform the judiciary. The national opinion poll, conducted on Thursday and Friday, found that 63% of adults supported term or age limits for Supreme Court justices. Another 22% said they opposed any limits and the rest did not express an opinion.

Austin, Texas, police seek suspect, possibly former detective, in 3 shooting deaths

Police in Austin, Texas, launched a manhunt on Sunday for a suspect, possibly a former county detective, after three people were shot dead in an apartment complex earlier in the day. The killings, which followed a spate of mass shootings in the United States, prompted authorities to lock down the surrounding area, which includes a popular shopping complex in the northwest part of the city, which is the capital of Texas.

U.S. officials pledge Biden will raise cap on refugees, but old goal unlikely

U.S. officials said Sunday that President Joe Biden is committed to raising the cap on refugee admissions this year, currently set at 15,000, but indicated it was unlikely he will go as high as the administration's initial goal of four times that much. Biden, a Democrat, signed an order on Friday limiting U.S. refugee admissions this year to the historically low 15,000 cap set under his predecessor Donald Trump, shelving a plan to raise it to 62,500, and drawing the ire of refugee advocates and some Democratic lawmakers.

Very hard for U.S. to meet initial refugee goal this year, Blinken says

It will be "very hard" for President Joe Biden's administration to meet a previous goal that would have raised the cap to 62,500 refugee admissions this fiscal year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a television interview broadcast on Sunday. "It's going to be very hard to meet the 62,000 (goal) this fiscal year. But we're going to be revisiting this over the coming weeks," Blinken said on ABC's This Week news program.

Gunman in Indiana FedEx massacre bought rifles legally after psychiatric detention

The young gunman who killed eight workers at an Indianapolis FedEx facility before taking his own life legally bought the two semiautomatic rifles he used during last week's massacre months after he had been in psychiatric detention, police said. A trace by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives turned up the two legal purchases last July and September by Brandon Hole, 19, a former employee at the facility, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said on Saturday.

Dr. Fauci predicts resumption of J&J COVID-19 vaccine use

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday predicted that U.S. health regulators will end the temporary pause on distributing Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, adding he expects a decision could come as soon as Friday. "My estimate is that we will continue to use it in some form. I doubt very seriously if they just cancel it. I don't think that's going to happen. I do think that there will likely be some sort of warning or restriction or risk assessment," Fauci said on NBC's "Meet the Press."