Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Reuters first reported the planned nomination based on sourcing from a White House official. Trump's response to Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot in focus at hearing Donald Trump's response, or lack of it, during the three-hour-long assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, will be in focus as the congressional probe of the attack holds a prime time hearing on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Courts block Louisiana abortion laws, allow Florida's 15-week ban

A Louisiana judge on Thursday blocked enforcement of the state's abortion bans while a Florida appeals court declined to put back on hold a prohibition on abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy that took effect earlier this month. The rulings came amid a flurry of litigation over abortion bans that began springing into effect in mostly Republican-led states after the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide.

Trucker blockade shuts major California seaport for second day

Truckers protesting California's new "gig worker" law blockaded the state's third-busiest seaport for a second day on Thursday, stalling agricultural exports and threatening to worsen U.S. supply chain backups. The operator of the largest marine terminal at the Port of Oakland closed it for business on Thursday, while the three other marine terminals on the property had some on-ship labor underway, port spokesman Robert Bernardo said.

Biden says he is 'doing well,' working after testing positive for COVID

Joe Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States, has tested positive for COVID-19, is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue working but in isolation, the White House said on Thursday. Biden, 79, has a runny nose, fatigue and an occasional dry cough, symptoms which he began to experience late on Wednesday, White House physician Kevin O'Connor said in a note released on Thursday. Biden has begun taking the antiviral treatment Paxlovid, O'Connor said.

Justice Kagan warns U.S. Supreme Court must maintain public confidence

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan said on Thursday that it would be a "dangerous thing for a democracy" if the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court loses the confidence of the American public. Speaking in public for the first time since the court's momentous ruling last month that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, Kagan stressed the importance of the justices staying in their proper roles as judges and not dictating public policy.

Cracks appear in Trump's standing among Republicans after Jan. 6 hearings: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Republican views on Donald Trump have darkened somewhat over six weeks of televised congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by the former president's supporters, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Thursday showed. The two-day poll, finished hours before a scheduled eighth hearing of the congressional probe, showed that 40% percent of Republicans now believe Trump is at least partly to blame for the deadly riot, up from 33% in a poll conducted six weeks ago.

Actor Amber Heard appeals ruling that she defamed ex-husband Johnny Depp

Actor Amber Heard on Thursday filed to appeal a Virginia jury's decision last month that she defamed ex-husband Johnny Depp when she claimed in a newspaper opinion piece that she was a survivor of sexual violence, according to court documents. Heard's legal team submitted the appeal notice to the Virginia Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn the lower court's June 1 ruling.

'Elvis' actress Shonka Dukureh found dead in Nashville home

A singer and actress who appeared this year as blues singer Big Mama Thornton in the film "Elvis" was found dead in her Nashville apartment on Thursday, police said. The body of Shonka Dukureh, 44, was found after one of her two young children found the actress unresponsive and ran to get a neighbor, who called 9-1-1, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a written statement.

Man indicted in rape of Ohio girl who crossed state lines for abortion

An Ohio grand jury on Thursday returned a two-count indictment against the man accused of raping a girl who later traveled to Indiana to obtain an abortion because she was barred from terminating the pregnancy in her home state. The indictment also reveals that the girl was just 9 years old at the time she was assaulted, younger even than the 10 years of age widely reported at the time she sought an out-of-state abortion.

Biden to nominate former state official to run U.S. highway agency

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to nominate a former state transportation official to head the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as the agency oversees a massive jump in spending, the White House said on Thursday. Biden will nominate Shailen Bhatt, who is a senior vice president at engineering firm AECOM and was previously an official at both the Colorado and Delaware state transportation departments. Reuters first reported the planned nomination based on sourcing from a White House official.

Trump's response to Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot in focus at hearing

Donald Trump's response, or lack of it, during the three-hour-long assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, will be in focus as the congressional probe of the attack holds a prime time hearing on Thursday. The hearing will detail both the violence that played out as Trump supporters fought their way into the Capitol and Trump's actions in the 187 minutes between his speech urging the crowd to "fight like hell" and the final release of a video urging rioters to go home.