Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Nichols earlier in the day let the defense inform jurors that Trump this month gave the green light for Bannon to testify before the House of Representatives select committee after previously asking him not to cooperate. Democratic group sues U.S. election watchdog over Trump's $100 million war chest A big Democratic Party fundraising group on Wednesday filed a complaint against the Federal Election Commission, accusing it of allowing Donald Trump to break campaign finance law by spending political donations on a 2024 presidential bid he has yet to launch.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Record-breaking U.S. heat wave bakes Americans

Some 100 million Americans from New York City to Las Vegas are under heat warnings this week as temperatures rise well above 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), part of a trend of extreme weather made worse by climate change. New York City temperatures are expected to reach 99 F and temperatures are also expected to break daily records across Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, the National Weather Service (NWS) said on Wednesday.

Prosecution rests case in trial of Trump ex-adviser Bannon

The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday in the trial of Steve Bannon, the noted former presidential adviser to Donald Trump, after calling just two witnesses including a senior staff member of the congressional panel investigating last year's U.S. Capitol attack who detailed Bannon's defiance of a subpoena. After prosecutors wrapped up their case on the second day of testimony in the criminal trial, the defense said it plans on Thursday to ask U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to dismiss the charges against Bannon. Nichols earlier in the day let the defense inform jurors that Trump this month gave the green light for Bannon to testify before the House of Representatives select committee after previously asking him not to cooperate.

Democratic group sues U.S. election watchdog over Trump's $100 million war chest

A big Democratic Party fundraising group on Wednesday filed a complaint against the Federal Election Commission, accusing it of allowing Donald Trump to break campaign finance law by spending political donations on a 2024 presidential bid he has yet to launch. The group, American Bridge, complained in March to the FEC about Trump's Save America fund. Under U.S. law, the fund can pay for political activities such as Trump's travel, hotel stays and contributions to political allies, but it cannot be used to fund the former Republican president's own election campaign.

Bipartisan U.S. Senate group introduces bill intended to head off another Jan. 6

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced two bills on Wednesday to reform election laws, seeking to block a repeat of then-President Donald Trump's failed attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden. The legislation, among other things, would make clear that the vice president has only a ceremonial role in certifying election results, after a mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to force then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election result.

U.S. Secret Service turns over records to Jan. 6 committee, panel wants more

The U.S. Secret Service has turned over a text message conversation from Jan. 6, 2021, to the congressional committee probing the Capitol attack and said it was trying to find out whether other texts may have been lost, according to a letter released by the agency on Wednesday. The Secret Service said the conversation, between Capitol Police and the Secret Service, had been identified in response to a request by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general for text messages sent or received by 24 Secret Service members between Dec. 7, 2020 and Jan. 8, 2021.

Court allows Georgia 'heartbeat' abortion ban to take effect

A Georgia law banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks, will take effect after a federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a challenge to it by abortion providers. Chief Judge William Pryor of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel that the state had a "rational basis" for the law, given its interest in "providing full legal recognition to an unborn child."

California beachfront land taken from Black family returned in ceremony

A century-old racial injustice was righted on Wednesday when the deed to Los Angeles County beachfront property that had been taken from an African-American couple was ceremoniously returned to their heirs. Dignitaries participating in the ceremony called the return of government land unjustly acquired from Black citizens unprecedented in the United States and a model for other jurisdictions to follow.

Democrats' drive to ban assault-style rifles roils U.S. House panel

A Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday worked toward approving legislation to ban assault-style rifles such as those used in recent mass shootings, and another bill allowing lawsuits against firearms manufacturers. The bills face staunch Republican opposition within the House panel, as well as slim odds in the Senate, where at least 10 Republicans would be needed to allow them to be brought up for debate. Republicans in the past have rejected similar bills, citing the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution's protections for the right to bear arms.

In Indiana, Republican lawmakers propose ban on most abortions

Indiana Republican lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill that would ban abortion except in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency, a measure likely to win passage that would dramatically cut abortion access in the Midwestern state. The legislature is expected to take up the bill in a special session starting next week. It is one of the first state bills seeking to sharply restrict abortion access introduced since the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

Uvalde schools police chief faces termination vote on Saturday

The school board in Uvalde, Texas, plans to vote this weekend on a superintendent's recommendation to fire the school district police chief widely criticized for his handling of the shooting rampage that killed 19 children and two teachers in May. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider the employment fate of Pete Arredondo in closed session during a special meeting on Saturday, according to a public agenda posted on the district's website on Wednesday.