Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Experts predict that the uncertainty will continue in the coming year, as cases wend their way through courts, and state legislatures consider new restrictions, potentially drawing new battle lines in the fight over abortion rights. Magnitude 6.4 quake shakes northern California, leaves tens of thousands without power A magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted the extreme northern coast of California before dawn on Tuesday, injuring at least two people, damaging roads, bridges and power lines and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. abortion fight in 2023 to focus on state laws, medication

Six months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, the state of abortion rights around the country remains unsettled, thanks to a patchwork of lawsuits in state courts and emergency court orders. Experts predict that the uncertainty will continue in the coming year, as cases wend their way through courts, and state legislatures consider new restrictions, potentially drawing new battle lines in the fight over abortion rights.

Magnitude 6.4 quake shakes northern California, leaves tens of thousands without power

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted the extreme northern coast of California before dawn on Tuesday, injuring at least two people, damaging roads, bridges and power lines and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity. The tremor, which struck at 2:30 a.m. PST and was followed by more than three dozen aftershocks, was centered 215 miles (350 km) north of San Francisco offshore of Humboldt County, a largely rural area known for its redwood forests, local seafood, lumber industry and dairy farms.

Buffalo, New York sues gun makers, accusing industry of fueling violence

The upstate New York city of Buffalo on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in state court accusing major gun manufacturers of fueling violence through irresponsible marketing and sales practices. Defendants in the lawsuit include Smith & Wesson Brands Inc, Beretta USA Corp, Bushmaster Firearms Industries Inc, Colt's Manufacturing Co LLC and Glock Inc. The city is seeking an unspecified money award to combat gun violence.

U.S. House Democrats meet to decide whether to release Trump's tax filings

A Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives committee met on Tuesday to decide whether to release publicly details of Donald Trump's tax returns, which could lead to more unwelcome scrutiny for the former president as he mounts another White House bid. The House Ways and Means Committee went into a closed-door meeting to discuss the documents secured after a years-long court fight, but it is unclear whether the panel will decide to make them public. Democrats have little time to act, as Trump's Republicans are due to take control of the House in January.

Massachusetts agrees to reform prison conditions for mentally ill inmates

The Massachusetts state prison system will reform how it cares for inmates with serious mental health issues and supervise prisoners at risk of harming themselves to resolve a years-long civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department on Tuesday said the Massachusetts Department of Correction entered into a settlement agreement after investigators concluded conditions at its prisons resulted in inmates on mental health watch dying or injuring themselves.

Zelenskiy may visit Washington to meet Biden, congressional leaders- sources

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to visit the White House and the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, though security concerns could force a change in plans, two sources familiar with the planning said Tuesday. Punchbowl News first reported the possible trip, which would be Zelenskiy's first known visit outside Ukraine since Russia launched its assault on the country on Feb. 24.

U.S. Senate $1.66 trillion gov't funding bill secures enough votes to advance

A $1.66 trillion bill to fund the U.S. government secured enough support to advance in the Senate's first procedural vote on the matter on Tuesday. Voting was continuing.

Frustration among migrants at U.S.-Mexico border as COVID restrictions remain

When Vladimir Castellanos learned that COVID-19 restrictions blocking him and other migrants from claiming asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico may not be terminated this week, he said he felt deceived. Castellanos and his brother are Venezuelans, and they were among dozens of migrants gathered on both sides of the Rio Grande on Monday night in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, with some lighting small fires to keep warm as temperatures dropped toward freezing.

Former Texas officer sentenced for killing Black woman in her home

A former Texas police officer was sentenced to over 11 years in prison on Tuesday for shooting and killing a Black woman in her home in 2019. Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth police officer, was sentenced in a Tarrant County court to 11 years, 10 months in prison, a court clerk said. He had been convicted last week by a jury in the killing.

Taliban release two Americans detained in Afghanistan - State Department

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Tuesday released two American nationals in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who indicated that the militants were holding other U.S. citizens. Price declined to identify the freed Americans, and he said they were not released as "part of any swap of prisoners or detainees. There was no money that changed hands."