Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Kelly, once one of the biggest selling R&B singers, was convicted on all nine counts https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/jurors-resume-deliberations-r-kelly-trial-2021-09-27 after some 25 years of using his fame and wealth to lure underage girls and women for sex. New York hospitals fire, suspend staff who refuse COVID vaccine New York hospitals on Monday began firing or suspending healthcare workers for defying a state order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and resulting staff shortages prompted some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries or curtail services.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden gets COVID-19 booster shot as additional doses roll out

U.S. President Joe Biden rolled up his shirt sleeve and received a COVID-19 vaccine booster inoculation on Monday, hoping to provide a powerful example for Americans on the need to get the extra shot even as millions go without their first. "Boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated," he said, noting that about 23% of people in the United States have not received a shot.

Relief and disbelief greet R. Kelly guilty verdict

A mixture of relief and disbelief greeted the guilty verdict on Monday in the sex trafficking trial of singer R. Kelly, the most high-profile musician brought down in the #MeToo era but whose music remains popular on streaming services. Kelly, once one of the biggest selling R&B singers, was convicted on all nine counts https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/jurors-resume-deliberations-r-kelly-trial-2021-09-27 after some 25 years of using his fame and wealth to lure underage girls and women for sex.

New York hospitals fire, suspend staff who refuse COVID vaccine

New York hospitals on Monday began firing or suspending healthcare workers for defying a state order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and resulting staff shortages prompted some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries or curtail services. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference the city's hospitals were not yet seeing a major impact from the mandate, adding he worried about other areas of the state where vaccination rates are lower.

U.S. President Reagan's shooter John Hinckley wins unconditional release

A U.S. judge on Monday said he would grant "unconditional release" to John Hinckley, who wounded former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and three other people in a 1981 assassination attempt. "I am going to, after all these years, grant unconditional release to Mr. Hinckley," U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said during a court hearing in the District of Columbia.

U.S. Senate fails to advance debt ceiling, government funding measure

A sharply divided U.S. Senate failed on Monday to advance a measure to suspend the federal debt ceiling and avoid a partial government shutdown, as Republican lawmakers denied the bill the votes necessary to move forward. President Joe Biden's Democrats were unable to pass the legislation that would confront two fast-approaching deadlines that, if left unaddressed, threaten to destabilize the U.S. economy as it struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

White House backs workplace rights bill for nursing mothers

The Biden administration on Monday said it is backing a bill that could give millions of new mothers more workplace rights when they pump breast milk. A U.S. House of Representatives bill cosponsored by both Democrats and Republicans would, if passed and signed into law, require employers with 25 or more workers to provide time and private space for nursing mothers.

R. Kelly convicted of luring women, underage girls for sex

R. Kelly was convicted by a federal jury on Monday in his sex trafficking trial, where prosecutors accused the R&B singer of exploiting his stardom over a quarter-century to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex. Jurors in Brooklyn federal court deliberated for a little more than a day before voting to convict the 54-year-old Kelly on all nine counts he faced, after a 5-1/2 week trial.

State Dept says Blinken tests negative for COVID-19 after spokesman tests positive

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday morning, State Department said, after department spokesperson Ned Price tested positive for the disease and is quarantining. "After experiencing symptoms for the first time this morning, I tested positive for COVID-19 shortly thereafter, & will now quarantine for the next 10 days," Price, who is vaccinated, said on Twitter.

Britney's lawyer says dad 'crossed unfathomable lines' by monitoring her calls

An attorney for Britney Spears on Monday stepped up demands for the swift suspension of the singer's father from his role as her guardian, saying he had "crossed unfathomable lines" by reportedly bugging her phone and bedroom. In a court filing ahead of a hearing on Wednesday, attorney Mathew Rosengart said a TV documentary released on Friday contained "deeply disturbing allegations" that "magnify the need to suspend Mr Spears immediately."

U.S. environment agency urged by 21 states to toughen vehicle emissions rewrite

A group of 21 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and several major U.S. cities urged the Biden administration to finalize significantly stricter vehicle emissions rules than it has proposed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August called for reversing the Trump-era loosening of vehicle emissions rules with a new plan to boost efficiency 10% in the 2023 model year and aim for a fleet average of 52 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2026.

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