US Domestic News Roundup: AstraZeneca vaccine doses in U.S. should go to hard-hit countries; DMX memorial service to be livestreamed from Brooklyn and more

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.

AstraZeneca vaccine doses in U.S. should go to hard-hit countries - business group

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday called on the Biden administration to release millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from storage for shipment to India, Brazil and other countries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. "The vaccine doses will not be needed in the United States, where it's estimated that vaccine manufacturers will be able to produce enough doses by early June to vaccinate every American," Myron Brilliant, the chamber's vice president and head of international affairs, said in a statement.

Rapper DMX memorial service to be livestreamed from Brooklyn's Barclays Center

American rapper and actor Earl Simmons, known by his stage name DMX or Dark Man X, will be mourned by fans around the world in a livestreamed event from Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Saturday. Simmons, 50, died on April 9 after suffering a heart attack a week earlier, which many media outlets initially attributed to a drug overdose.

Exclusive: Biden will push allies to act on China forced labor at G7 - adviser

The United States will urge its Group of Seven allies to increase pressure on China over the use of forced labor in its northwestern Xinjiang province, home to the Muslim Uighur minority, a top White House official said on Friday. U.S. President Joe Biden will attend a meeting of the G7 advanced economies in person in Britain in June, where he is expected to focus on what he sees as a strategic rivalry between democracies and autocratic states, particularly China.

Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to sex trafficking

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal sex trafficking charges in the case accusing her of helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein recruit and sexually abuse girls. Maxwell, 59, entered her plea through her lawyer before U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan.

U.S. ends J&J COVID-19 vaccine pause; shots to resume immediately

The United States can immediately resume use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, top health regulators said on Friday, ending a 10-day pause to investigate its link to extremely rare but potentially deadly blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration said the risks of experiencing the syndrome involving severe blood clots and low platelets as a result of the vaccine was very low. They found 15 cases in the 8 million shots given.

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.

(With inputs from agencies.)