Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The investigation, which follows this week's jury verdict that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck, marks a return to more assertive federal oversight of state and local police, a policy the Justice Department largely abandoned during Republican Donald Trump's presidency. California governor seeks end to oil drilling in state by 2045 California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday directed his administration to take steps to phase out oil and gas drilling in one of the nation's top oil-producing states by 2045 and to ban new fracking permits within three years.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Senior U.S. lawmaker warns against railroad industry consolidation

The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said on Friday the potential acquisition of the Kansas City Southern freight railroad should set off "alarm bells" about industry consolidation. Representative Peter DeFazio, a Democrat, said the deal could spark a "new wave of railroad mergers that stifle competition and trigger industry-wide consolidation."

North Carolina city seeks release of video of deputy's deadly shooting of Black man

Officials of an eastern North Carolina city took steps on Friday to win the release of video from the body-worn camera of a sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a Black man this week while trying to serve him with warrants. The city council of Elizabeth City formally requested that the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office, District Attorney Andrew Womble and state authorities release the video.

U.S. to resume use of J&J COVID-19 vaccine immediately

The United States can resume use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine immediately, top health regulators said on Friday, ending a 10-day pause to investigate the vaccine's link to extremely rare but potentially deadly blood clots. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a joint statement that health systems and vaccine recipients would be warned of the risk of a potentially fatal syndrome involving severe blood clots and low platelets.

Caitlyn Jenner joins Republican fray seeking to unseat California governor

Caitlyn Jenner, a former Olympic gold medal winner and transgender activist, on Friday added her celebrity status to a growing band of Republicans seeking to unseat California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose business-disrupting pandemic response has fueled a recall drive. Jenner, 71, said the Democratic governor's "over-restrictive lockdown" has devastated small business and deprived children of in-class schooling.

Ex-police officer Chauvin to be sentenced on June 16 in Floyd case

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted this week of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd during an arrest last year, will be sentenced on June 16, the Minnesota Judicial Branch said on Friday. Chauvin faces a combined 75 years in prison for the charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter after being found guilty on Tuesday. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill will sentence Chauvin.

U.S. police groups to meet with Garland as Minneapolis review begins

Leaders of U.S. police groups will meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday to discuss his sweeping civil investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis and similar probes, according to a spokesman for the National Sheriffs’ Association. The investigation, which follows this week's jury verdict that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck, marks a return to more assertive federal oversight of state and local police, a policy the Justice Department largely abandoned during Republican Donald Trump's presidency.

California governor seeks end to oil drilling in state by 2045

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday directed his administration to take steps to phase out oil and gas drilling in one of the nation's top oil-producing states by 2045 and to ban new fracking permits within three years. Newsom has been under pressure from environmental activists and progressive politicians who say extraction of oil and gas is at odds with California's goals of moving away from fossil fuels and fighting climate change.

Special Report-Giant U.S. landlords pursue evictions despite CDC ban

Marvia Robinson was dead tired from a week of overnight long-haul trips when she nosed her Greyhound bus into the station in deep predawn darkness. Still, the 63-year-old driver kept a friendly lilt in her voice as she said goodbye to the riders filing past her and stepping off the bus. “Rough night,” she said minutes later, walking toward her Toyota Corolla in the parking lot. “I had to put two off in Tallahassee, for drinking, and then another one in Ocala.” She longed to go home to sleep.

Odor from U.S. Caribbean refinery prompts school closures, investigation

A "noxious" gaseous smell coming from St Croix's recently reopened refinery that caused schools to close was caused by excess emissions of hydrogen sulfide, U.S. Virgin Islands officials said on Friday. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) is advising people with respiratory ailments such as allergies, lung disease and asthma to consider taking protective actions such as staying indoors or relocating to less affected areas.

U.S. appeals court denies Dakota Access rehearing request, environmental review to continue

A U.S. appeals court on Friday denied Dakota Access LLC's petition for a rehearing of a court decision that canceled a key permit for its oil pipeline and ordered an environmental review, court documents show. The decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia means the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) technically is still trespassing on federal land because it does not have a permit to cross under the Dakotas' Lake Oahe. The line is currently operating indefinitely but will be reassessed once the environmental review of the line is completed in March 2022.