Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Kelly's bid for leniency was detailed in a Tuesday filing in Brooklyn federal court, one day before the 55-year-old known for the 1996 smash "I Believe I Can Fly" will be sentenced. Abortions can resume in Texas after judge blocks pre-Roe v.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump wanted to join Jan. 6 Capitol riot, tried to grab limo steering wheel

Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential limousine on Jan. 6, 2021, when his security detail declined to take him to the U.S. Capitol where his supporters were rioting, a former aide testified on Tuesday. The then-president dismissed concerns that some supporters gathered for his fiery speech outside the White House that day carried AR-15-style rifles, instead asking security to stop screening attendees with magnetometers so the crowd would look larger, the aide testified.

U.S. FDA advisers recommend change to COVID vaccine composition for fall

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended a change in the design of COVID-19 booster shots this fall in order to combat more recently circulating variants of the coronavirus. The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 19-2 that the next wave of COVID booster shots should include a component that targets the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Two charged in connection with dozens of migrants found dead in sweltering Texas truck

Two Mexican nationals were charged in U.S. federal court on Tuesday in connection with a deadly human smuggling attempt in which at least 51 people perished after being trapped inside a sweltering tractor-trailer truck in San Antonio, Texas. The two Mexican defendants, who were arrested following Monday's incident, were charged with possessing firearms while in the United States illegally, according to court documents and U.S. authorities.

Union talks at West Coast ports going well, U.S. labor secretary says

Talks to reach a new contract with union workers at West Coast shipping ports before the existing deal expires this week are going well with no major sticking points, U.S. Labor Secretary Martin Walsh told Reuters on Tuesday. The current contract covering more than 22,000 port laborers at 29 West Coast ports expires on July 1. Retailers, farmers and other U.S. shippers worry that any breakdown in the often-contentious West Coast port labor talks will further disrupt cargo flows and send inflation-fueling transportation costs even higher.

U.S. steps up fight against monkeypox, allocates more vaccines to states

The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to staunch the spread of monkeypox by sending hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses to states in the coming months, expanding access for those most at risk and increasing supply to areas with high case numbers. The plan, announced on Tuesday, involves rapidly expanding access to doses of Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos vaccine - which has so far been limited - to prevent monkeypox in areas with the highest transmission and need.

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years for 'horrific' sex trafficking

Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for helping the sex offender and globetrotting financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls, in what a judge called a "horrific scheme" that inflicted "incalculable" harm on victims. The British socialite, 60, was convicted in December of five charges, including sex trafficking a minor, for recruiting and grooming four girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004.

R. Kelly seeks 10 years in prison, the minimum, as sentencing looms in sex case

R. Kelly deserves no more than 10 years in prison despite his conviction for scheming over decades to recruit women and girls for sex, reflecting how history as an abused child may have led to his adult "hypersexuality," the R&B singer's lawyer said. Kelly's bid for leniency was detailed in a Tuesday filing in Brooklyn federal court, one day before the 55-year-old known for the 1996 smash "I Believe I Can Fly" will be sentenced.

Abortions can resume in Texas after judge blocks pre-Roe v. Wade ban

Abortions can resume in Texas after a judge on Tuesday blocked officials from enforcing a nearly century-old ban the state's Republican attorney general said was back in effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide. The temporary restraining order by Judge Christine Weems in Harris County came in a last-ditch bid by abortion providers to resume services after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that guaranteed the right of women to obtain abortions.

Fourth person dies following Amtrak train derailment in Missouri

A fourth person has died after an Amtrak train carrying about 275 passengers and a dozen crew hit a dump truck at a railroad crossing on Monday and derailed, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said on Tuesday. The fourth victim was a passenger aboard the train, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon, Missouri, about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Two other passengers and the truck driver were also killed in the collision.

Texas attorney general opens investigation into Walmart's opioid sales

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Tuesday he was investigating whether Walmart improperly filled prescriptions and failed to report suspicious orders when selling opioid drugs. Paxton said he had opened a civil investigation into Walmart's potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act relating to the promotion, sale, dispensing and distribution of prescription opioids.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)