US Domestic News Roundup: Amazon issued 13,000 disciplinary notices at single U.S. warehouse; U.S. VP Harris will join Pacific Islands meeting in push to counter China and more

Here, in the state of Campeche on the Yucatan Peninsula at the northern edge of the Maya Forest, the Mennonites say they live to traditional pacifist values and that expanding farms to provide a simple life for their families is the will of God. Texas avoids blackouts, power use to break more records in heat wave Power demand in Texas will likely hit new record highs this week as consumers crank up air conditioners to escape a lingering heat wave after homes and businesses helped avoid rotating blackouts by conserving energy on Monday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Amazon issued 13,000 disciplinary notices at single U.S. warehouse

Amazon worker Gerald Bryson had hand-counted thousands of items in his warehouse's inventory over three days when his manager showed him a "Supportive Feedback Document." Bryson had made 22 errors, the 2018 write-up said, including tallying 19 products in a storage bin that in fact had 20. If Bryson erred like this six times within a year, the notice stated, he would be fired from the Staten Island warehouse, one of Amazon.com Inc’s largest in the United States.

U.S. VP Harris will join Pacific Islands meeting in push to counter China

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting on Tuesday, a senior administration official said, as Washington steps up its engagement to counter China in the region. She will announce new measures including the establishment of new U.S. embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, the appointment of the first-ever U.S. envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum and bringing the Peace Corps back to the region.

Biden pushes to ban assault weapons, gets heckled at gun violence event

A man whose son was killed in the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, interrupted President Joe Biden's remarks at the White House on Monday during an event to herald the passage of the first major federal gun safety law in three decades. Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, shouted "we've already gone through this for years and years" at the event, during which Biden lauded the new law but said more needed to be done.

U.S. health dept says doctors must offer abortion if mother's life is at risk

The Biden administration said on Monday that healthcare providers must offer abortion services if the life of a mother is at risk and that procedures conducted under such circumstances would be protected under federal law regardless of various state bans. The guidance comes days after President Joe Biden signed an executive order easing access to services to terminate pregnancies after the U.S. top court's decision last month to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling.

God's will or ecological disaster? Mexico takes aim at Mennonite deforestation

The largest tropical forest in North America yields to perfect rows of corn and soy. Light-haired women with blue eyes in wide-brimmed hats bump down a dirt road in a horse and buggy, past simple brick homes and a whitewashed schoolhouse: A Mennonite community in southern Mexico. Here, in the state of Campeche on the Yucatan Peninsula at the northern edge of the Maya Forest, the Mennonites say they live to traditional pacifist values and that expanding farms to provide a simple life for their families is the will of God.

Texas avoids blackouts, power use to break more records in heatwave

Power demand in Texas will likely hit new record highs this week as consumers crank up air conditioners to escape a lingering heat wave after homes and businesses helped avoid rotating blackouts by conserving energy on Monday. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load, warned over the weekend that it may have to take emergency measures on Monday, including rotating blackouts, to maintain reliability.

It's time for Trump to 'sail into the sunset,' says Musk

Elon Musk said on Monday it was time for Donald Trump to "hang up his hat and sail into the sunset," days after the former U.S. President mocked the billionaire at a political rally and called him a "Bull***t artist." Writing on Twitter, Musk said, "I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset."

U.S. Capitol riot probe turns focus to Trump allies and extremist groups

Congressional investigators into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday will seek to draw connections between then-President Donald Trump's associates and right-wing militants who stormed the seat of government. The House of Representatives committee's seventh hearing in five weeks will focus on the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, two pro-Trump groups that investigators say helped plan the attack, as well as QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy theory movement.

Jill Biden was chided for saying Latinos as unique as 'breakfast tacos'

U.S. first lady Jill Biden's attempt to compliment Latinos flopped on Monday when she said they were as unique as "breakfast tacos," prompting criticism from across the political spectrum. Speaking in San Antonio at the annual conference of UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza, Biden attempted to praise Raul Yzaguirre, who led the civil rights and advocacy organization for 30 years.

President Biden faces a deadline in U.S. railroad labor standoff

U.S. President Joe Biden faces a deadline next week to intervene in nationwide U.S. railroad labor talks covering 115,000 workers or open the door to a potential strike or lockout that could threaten an already fragile economy and choke supplies of food and fuel. The stakes are high for Biden, who wants to tackle inflation-stoking supply-chain woes and is already working to reach a deal in the critical labor talks at West Coast seaports.