US Domestic News Roundup: Philadelphia to reimpose indoor mask mandate in public spaces; With jury picked, Johnny Depp to open U.S. libel case against ex-wife Heard and more

According to court documents, a federal jury in the District of Columbia found Thomas Robertson of Rocky Mount, Virginia, guilty on all six charges he faces, including obstructing an official proceeding of the U.S. Congress. Biden to allow higher-ethanol fuel sales in summer to check gas prices U.S. President Joe Biden will unveil plans on Tuesday to extend the availability of higher biofuels-blended gasoline during summer to curb soaring fuel costs and to cut reliance on foreign energy sources, senior administration officials said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Philadelphia to reimpose indoor mask mandate in public spaces

Philadelphia will again require masks in indoor public settings such as restaurants, schools, and businesses starting next week, the city said on Monday, responding to what appears to be a fresh wave of coronavirus transmissions. The new rule, which is set to take effect on April 18, will make Philadelphia the first major city in the United States to reimpose such a mandate.

With jury picked, Johnny Depp to open U.S. libel case against ex-wife Heard

Opening statements are expected on Tuesday in Johnny Depp's U.S. defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, the latest chapter in a long-running legal fight between the two Hollywood stars. Depp, 58, has sued Heard for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she penned a 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.

U.S. gunmakers to ask judge to toss Mexico's $10 billion lawsuit

Major U.S. gun manufacturers on Tuesday are slated to urge a federal judge in Boston to dismiss a lawsuit by the Mexican government accusing them of facilitating the trafficking of weapons to drug cartels, leading to thousands of deaths in Mexico. Lawyers for gun makers including Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co are expected during a virtual hearing to ask U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor to toss a novel lawsuit Mexico filed in August seeking $10 billion from them.

Ex-police officer found guilty in second Capitol riot jury trial

An off-duty police officer who breached the U.S. Capitol during Jan. 6, 2021, attack was found guilty of multiple felonies on Tuesday, a notable victory for prosecutors in one of the first trials relating to the attack. According to court documents, a federal jury in the District of Columbia found Thomas Robertson of Rocky Mount, Virginia, guilty on all six charges he faces, including obstructing an official proceeding of the U.S. Congress.

Biden to allow higher-ethanol fuel sales in summer to check gas prices

U.S. President Joe Biden will unveil plans on Tuesday to extend the availability of higher biofuels-blended gasoline during summer to curb soaring fuel costs and to cut reliance on foreign energy sources, senior administration officials said. The move will allow Americans to keep buying E15, gasoline that uses a 15% ethanol blend, from June 1 to Sept. 15. While E15 is only 10 cents cheaper on average and is less "energy-dense," meaning drivers would need to buy more fuel, it should still help lower fuel expenses, they told reporters on a call previewing the announcement.

Stung by redistricting rulings, Republicans target state court elections

Republicans are vowing to spend record amounts in key state supreme court races this fall, seeking to take advantage of a favorable national political environment to elect conservative judges at the state level amid deep political divisions. A string of decisions throwing out Republican-drawn congressional maps in Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania has intensified the party's determination to install justices who could give lawmakers fresh opportunities to muscle through more advantageous maps.

U.S. seeks to resume enforcing federal employee vaccine mandate

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday asked a federal appeals court to allow the Biden administration to resume enforcing a federal employee vaccine mandate that had been blocked by a lower-court judge in January. A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Thursday reinstated President Joe Biden's executive order mandating that federal civilian employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. The White House last week had told federal agencies they "must continue to take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement" pending additional procedural steps by the court.

Two men accused of impersonating U.S. federal agents seek release from jail

Defense attorneys for two men accused of impersonating federal law enforcement agents and supplying Secret Service personnel with gifts asked a U.S. judge on Monday to release their clients from jail pending trial, saying the government's case was flimsy and lacked the evidence they pose a threat. Prosecutors "have jumped to the wildest conspiracy theories imaginable," said Michelle Peterson, an attorney representing Arian Taherzadeh, 40, who is accused along with Haider Ali, 35.

Anger mounts along the Texas-Mexico border over long delays to commercial crossings

Mexican truck drivers blockaded two busy bridges at the border with the United States on Monday amid rising tensions on both sides over an order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that has slowed commercial crossings between Mexico and Texas. "We're desperate because we have to wait up to 15 hours to cross into the United States," said truck driver Pedro Gonzalez as he and others protested at the Zaragoza bridge connecting Ciudad Juarez to El Paso.

Biden cracks down on 'ghost guns' with new rule to tackle gun violence

President Joe Biden unveiled a new rule to rein in so-called ghost guns and ban the manufacturing of untraceable firearms on Monday as the administration faces growing pressure to crack down on gun deaths and violent crime in the United States. Ghost guns are privately made firearms that are not marked with a serial number and are difficult for law enforcement to trace when used to commit a crime.