US Domestic News Roundup: DeSantis makes Iowa debut as Trump waits in wings; Biden speaks with California governor about Silicon Valley Bank - White House and more

A White House statement said Biden discussed with Newsom an emergency declaration he issued on Friday to ensure California has the full support of the federal government as it responds to the impacts of severe winter weather, including flooding, landslides and mudslides. Biden faithful to Air Force One paint job - Air Force The Biden administration will modify, but continue with, an Air Force One paint scheme that closely resembles the current white with two shades of blue, which dates back to President John F.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

DeSantis makes Iowa debut as Trump waits in wings

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made his first trip to the early nominating state of Iowa on Friday as he tests the waters for a presidential bid, coming to the state only days before fellow Republican Donald Trump is slated to campaign there. Iowa could be particularly crucial for DeSantis, who is expected to jump into the 2024 White House race later in the spring. The state will hold the first Republican nominating contest early next year, and a win there would show DeSantis is a viable candidate against Trump.

Biden speaks with California governor about Silicon Valley Bank - White House

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday about the Silicon Valley Bank failure and efforts to address the situation, the White House said after the bank's collapse. A White House statement said Biden discussed with Newsom an emergency declaration he issued on Friday to ensure California has the full support of the federal government as it responds to the impacts of severe winter weather, including flooding, landslides and mudslides.

California man gets 25 years to life for 1996 murder of student Kristin Smart

More than a quarter-century after college freshman Kristin Smart vanished in what became one of California's most notorious unsolved crimes, the man ultimately convicted of killing her was sentenced on Friday to serve 25 years to life in prison. The prison term imposed on Smart's one-time classmate, Paul Flores, the maximum sentence under California's current penal system, was announced by the San Luis Obispo County district attorney in a statement.

US House unanimously backs COVID origins information declassification

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously on Friday to require Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify information on the origins of COVID-19, increasing pressure on President Joe Biden's administration to allow its release. The vote was 419 to 0 in favor. Since the Senate on March 1 passed the bill - by unanimous consent - it now goes to the White House for Biden to sign into law or veto.

California copes with heavy rain, flooding in latest 'atmospheric river' storm

Emergency officials in several California counties spent Friday patrolling levies and swollen rivers as an "atmospheric river" storm drenched the already-sodden state with torrential rains, causing floods that washed out roads and prompted evacuations. The latest deluge from dense streams of Pacific moisture sweeping California's skies soaked some mountain areas still clogged with piles of snow dumped by a recent spate of paralyzing blizzards, while bringing even more snow to higher elevations.

U.S. House Republican hardliners unveil spending demands for raising debt ceiling

The hardline U.S. House Freedom Caucus responded to President Joe Biden's $6.8 trillion budget proposal on Friday, with a list of demands including a near freeze on discretionary spending and an end to multiple programs, in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. The caucus of at least 37 members, which can stymie legislation in the narrowly divided House of Representatives, issued a position paper that would keep defense spending flat and reset nondefense discretionary spending at pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels while holding annual spending growth to 1%.

Trump cannot exclude 'Access Hollywood' tape from rape accuser's trial

A U.S. judge on Friday rejected Donald Trump's effort to exclude an "Access Hollywood" tape of him making vulgar comments about women from a defamation lawsuit by the writer E. Jean Carroll, who says the former president raped her in the mid-1990s. Carroll sought to introduce an excerpt from the tape, which was recorded in 2005 and where Trump boasted about forcing himself on women, as evidence that Trump had a propensity for sexual assaults comparable to hers.

Economists warn of costs if US Medicare covers new obesity drugs

The cost of expanding U.S. Medicare prescription drug coverage to pay for expensive, new obesity medications could be catastrophic, health economists warned in a report published on Saturday. Big-selling diabetes drugs have been repurposed as obesity treatments after demonstrating weight loss of more than 20% in clinical trials. While they are far more effective than older drugs, lifetime use might be required to keep lost weight off.

'History will hold Donald Trump accountable' for Jan. 6, Pence says

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence offered his most forceful rebuke to date of his one-time boss Donald Trump on Saturday, saying that history will hold him accountable for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Pence was in the Capitol when thousands of Trump supporters breached the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.

Biden faithful to Air Force One paint job - Air Force

The Biden administration will modify, but continue with, an Air Force One paint scheme that closely resembles the current white with two shades of blue, which dates back to President John F. Kennedy's administration, the Air Force said on Friday. A red, white and blue paint scheme for the presidential aircraft, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, was proposed by Donald Trump when he was president, but was scuttled after a study showed it would create too much heat.

(With inputs from agencies.)