Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The announcements came on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." The Department of Justice has sought to use asset seizures and criminal charges to squeeze business executives aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin to press him to stop the war. US to give $10 billion in aid for Ukraine, also plans Moldova aid The United States on Friday announced some $10 billion in new financial help for Ukraine, including $250 million to shore up the country's energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Under pressure, Alex Murdaugh testifies to own theory in South Carolina murder trial

Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, the disbarred South Carolina lawyer on trial for the murder of his wife and son, said on Friday that he believed someone angry about a deadly boating accident had committed the crimes, floating an alternative theory for the jury as two days of dramatic testimony came to a close. Murdaugh offered the theory, for which he acknowledged he had no evidence, after hours of cross examination during which a prosecutor laid out a string of lies told by the defendant, including about his alibi on the night of the killings.

Southern California delights in rare snowfall as winter storm intensifies

A slow-moving winter storm intensified over California on Friday, triggering the first blizzard warning in parts of the Los Angeles area in 30 years and creating the extraordinary sight of snowflakes swirling around the iconic Hollywood sign. Snow and freezing rain pushed into the Golden State from the north, where it dumped about 10 inches (25 cm) of powder on Portland, Oregon, earlier in the week. California's snow was heaviest in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and coastal mountains.

US VP Harris defends abortion pill facing legal attack

Vice President Kamala Harris defended the abortion drug mifepristone on Friday, calling attacks against it another attempt to attack fundamental rights in the United States, as some activist groups work to end American sales of the pill. Anti-abortion groups have brought cases against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claiming the agency used an improper process to approve mifepristone in 2000 and did not adequately consider its safety for minors.

'Rust' producers agree to pay $100,000 safety fine after shooting

Producers of the Western movie 'Rust' on Friday said they had agreed to pay a $100,000 civil fine for "serious" workplace safety breaches prior to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a New Mexico film set in 2021. New Mexico's worker safety bureau found the Rust Movie Productions (RMP) firm knew of the potential hazard of live rounds on set, as well as complaints of mishandling and misfires of weapons, but decided not to act, according to bureau investigator Lorenzo Montoya.

Democratic-led U.S. states challenge restrictions on abortion pill

Twelve Democratic-led states have sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to challenge certain federal restrictions imposed on the distribution of the abortion pill mifepristone, saying those limits are not supported by evidence. The lawsuit, led by Washington state and Oregon, was filed on Thursday in federal court in Yakima, Washington and aims to expand access to mifepristone by allowing it to be prescribed and dispensed by any doctor or pharmacy, like most drugs. Currently, doctors who prescribe mifepristone, and pharmacies that dispense it, must obtain a special certification.

Not enough data to support multiple annual COVID boosters, U.S. CDC advisers say

There is not sufficient evidence to recommend more than one COVID-19 booster shot a year for older people and those with weakened immune systems, an expert advisory group to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.

The COVID-19 working group of the CDC's Advisory Committee For Immunization Practices (ACIP) supported an annual booster campaign, likely in the fall, especially for populations considered at high risk, Dr. Sara Oliver, a CDC official who heads the group, said during a meeting of the agency's outside advisers.

House select committee seeks answers from FBI on China police 'outposts'

The chairman of a new U.S. House of Representatives select committee focused on China sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray on Friday seeking answers about alleged Chinese-government run police outposts on U.S. soil. Wray told Congress in November he was deeply concerned about Beijing setting up unauthorized "police stations" in U.S. cities to possibly pursue influence operations, but declined at the time to detail the bureau's investigative work on the issue.

Former NYC corrections union chief convicted of bribery wins early prison release

A federal judge on Friday said the once-powerful former head of New York City's correction officers union should be released from prison early after serving more than one-third of a 58-month sentence for bribery. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan said it would be "unjust" to keep Norman Seabrook behind bars for his full term after the sentence of co-defendant Murray Huberfeld, who co-founded the hedge fund firm Platinum Partners, was reduced to 13 months from 30 months.

U.S. prosecutors seize properties, charge Russian on Ukraine invasion anniversary

U.S. prosecutors on Friday said they were seeking to forfeit six properties in New York and Florida allegedly belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, and separately charged a Russian national with illegally exporting counterintelligence equipment. The announcements came on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." The Department of Justice has sought to use asset seizures and criminal charges to squeeze business executives aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin to press him to stop the war.

US to give $10 billion in aid for Ukraine, also plans Moldova aid

The United States on Friday announced some $10 billion in new financial help for Ukraine, including $250 million to shore up the country's energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks. Reuters had exclusively reported the money for Ukraine's power grid earlier on Friday, as well as a plan - according to a draft document - to give $300 million for Moldova, partly to help Chisinau wean itself from energy dependence on Russia.

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