Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The jury awarded Judy Huth $500,000 in damages for emotional distress she said she suffered years later when multiple allegations against Cosby from other women helped stir up memories of her interaction with the comedian. Donald Trump likely no longer in contempt, New York attorney general says Donald Trump is likely no longer in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena in a New York civil probe into the former U.S. president's business practices, the office of state Attorney General Letitia James said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Uvalde mayor says district attorney asked city to not release shooting probe records

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said on Tuesday that the Uvalde County district attorney has asked the city to not release records related to the district attorney's probe into the school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers last month. "The Uvalde District Attorney has requested the City not release any records related to her investigation. The Texas Occupations Code also restricts release of body cam," the mayor said in a statement quoted by local media.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Cuellar edges progressive challenger in Texas after recount

A recount has confirmed U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar defeated progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros by a razor-thin margin, the Texas Democratic Party said on Tuesday, following a high-profile Democratic primary battle focused on abortion rights. The election in a district along the U.S.-Mexico border was a rematch between Cuellar, a moderate who has held the seat since 2005, and Cisneros, a 29-year-old attorney who failed to unseat him in 2020 but forced him to a runoff following this year's March primary.

Extreme heat to test U.S. Midwest power grid this week

The power grid operator in the Central United States said on Tuesday that it started to take some steps to make sure utilities are ready to keep the lights on as consumers crank up their air conditioners during an extreme heat wave this week. Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) said in a release that it told utilities to delay any discretionary equipment maintenance and to prepare emergency resources.

Louisiana governor signs law to stiffen penalties for abortion providers

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who opposes abortion, has signed legislation that would impose harsher criminal penalties on abortion providers if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. The new measure hardens Louisiana's so-called trigger law, which would ban abortion in the state entirely should the nation's top court in coming weeks reverse the 1973 decision that legalized the procedure nationwide.

U.S. Senate poised to move forward on first significant gun legislation in decades

A bipartisan group of lawmakers released the first significant gun control legislation in decades on Tuesday, paving the way for the U.S. Senate to move to a vote this week, following two mass shootings that killed dozens of people and sent shock waves through a nation plagued by gun violence. The 80-page bill includes provisions that would help states keep guns out of the hands of those deemed to be a danger to themselves or others and close the so-called boyfriend loophole by blocking gun sales to those convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners.

Detained WNBA star Griner unable to speak to wife due to logistical issue -State Dept

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, detained in Russia for months, was not able to speak to her wife as scheduled due to a logistical error compounded by Russia's restrictions on the U.S. embassy's operations in Moscow, the State Department said on Tuesday. "We deeply regret that Brittney Griner was unable to speak to her wife over the weekend because of a logistical error," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, adding that the call has been rescheduled.

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Bayer bid to nix Roundup weedkiller suits

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Bayer AG's bid to dismiss legal claims by customers who contend its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer as the German company seeks to avoid potentially billions of dollars in damages. The justices turned away a Bayer appeal and left in place a lower court decision that upheld $25 million in damages awarded to California resident Edwin Hardeman, a Roundup user who blamed his cancer on the pharmaceutical and chemical giant's glyphosate-based weedkillers.

Bill Cosby found liable in civil case for sexual assault in 1975

A California jury on Tuesday found comedian Bill Cosby was liable for sexually assaulting a woman at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was a teenager. The jury awarded Judy Huth $500,000 in damages for emotional distress she said she suffered years later when multiple allegations against Cosby from other women helped stir up memories of her interaction with the comedian.

Donald Trump likely no longer in contempt, New York attorney general says

Donald Trump is likely no longer in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena in a New York civil probe into the former U.S. president's business practices, the office of state Attorney General Letitia James said on Tuesday. In a letter filed with a New York state court in Manhattan, a lawyer for James said affidavits filed by employees of Trump businesses appeared sufficient to lift an April 25 contempt order, which led to Trump paying a $110,000 fine.

Takeaways from fourth day of Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot hearings

The fourth day of the hearings in the U.S. Congress on the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by former President Donald Trump's supporters featured testimony by election officials from the states of Arizona and Georgia. Here are five takeaways from the fourth of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Jan. 6's hearings this month: