Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the updated standards, to be rolled out over the next several years, were essential to tackling health concerns like childhood obesity. Blinken postpones China trip over 'unacceptable' Chinese spy balloon U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States in what Washington called a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. says more Tesla, Ford, GM EVs eligible for tax credits

The U.S. Treasury Department said Friday it will make more Tesla , Ford Motor, General Motors and Volkswagen electric vehicles eligible for up to $7,500 tax credits after it revised its vehicle classification definitions. The reversal by Treasury is a win for Tesla, GM, Ford and other automakers which had pressed the Biden administration to change the vehicle definitions.

Factbox-Biden State of the Union guests include Monterey Park hero, ex-Afghan diplomat

U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday will feature a guest list that includes the man who disarmed a gunman who fatally shot 11 people in California, a former Afghan ambassador, and the family of Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by Memphis police. Biden is expected to use the speech, which is delivered during a joint session of Congress, as an unofficial start to the 2024 presidential campaign season, laying out his policy priorities.

Southwest Airlines to testify at U.S. Senate hearing after meltdown

Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson will testify on Feb. 9 before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee after a holiday meltdown forced the budget carrier to cancel thousands of flights. The hearing titled "Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protections" will also include Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Captain Casey Murray, Sharon Pinkerton, a senior official with Airlines for America, an industry group, and Paul Hudson, who heads Flyers' Rights, a passenger advocacy organization.

Run, Joe, run: Democratic loyalists embrace Biden 2024 plan

Establishment Democrats gathered this weekend in Philadelphia have one message for U.S. President Joe Biden as he weighs running for a second term: Run, Joe, run. "I am looking forward to supporting the president," Sharif Street, head of Pennsylvania's Democratic Party, said at the party's conference in this political battleground state that helped secure Biden's victory against former President Donald Trump in 2020.

Biden administration seeks to toughen school nutrition standards

School meals for millions of children in the United States would include less sugar, more whole grains, and lower sodium under new standards proposed by the Biden administration on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the updated standards, to be rolled out over the next several years, were essential to tackling health concerns like childhood obesity.

Blinken postpones China trip over 'unacceptable' Chinese spy balloon

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States in what Washington called a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty. The Pentagon said on Thursday it was tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States. Officials said military leaders considered shooting it down over Montana on Wednesday but eventually recommended against this to President Joe Biden because of the safety risk from debris.

Arctic blast barrels into U.S. Northeast, threatening record lows

A powerful arctic blast swept into the U.S. Northeast on Friday, threatening to push temperatures to record lows in many spots, including New Hampshire's Mount Washington, where the wind chill could drop to -110 degrees Fahrenheit (-79 Celsius), forecasters said. A National Weather Service (NWS) advisory said the mass of frigid air would keep temperatures at life-endangering levels through Saturday, warning of "extremely dangerous" conditions from the "short-lived blast."

Biden hails January jobs report, waves off inflation question

President Joe Biden on Friday hailed a jobs report that showed 517,000 jobs were created in January and unemployment fell to 3.4%, its lowest rate in 54 years, as evidence that his economic plan is strengthening the U.S. economy. In remarks at the White House, Biden said inflation continues to come down and real wages are going up, but there was more work to do to lower prices for Americans.

U.S. House plans vote to end foreign air traveler COVID vaccine mandate

The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a bill that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Friday. The Biden administration in June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the country by air must test negative for COVID-19 but has not lifted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements.

Family of Amir Locke files wrongful-death lawsuit in Minneapolis

The family of Amir Locke, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police during a no-knock raid on an apartment last year, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the officer who fired the fatal gunshots. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for Minnesota on behalf of the parents of the 22-year-old Locke, was announced on Friday by civil rights attorney Ben Crump and other lawyers representing the family.

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