US Domestic News Roundup: Analysis-Trump, DeSantis offer stark contrast in first Iowa forays; North Carolina's top court hears redistricting case with national implications and more

The decision comes as President Joe Biden's administration faces heavy criticism from environmental groups for its approval earlier this week of a massive oil and gas development in Alaska's Arctic. North Carolina's top court hears redistricting case with national implications North Carolina Republicans on Tuesday urged the state's high court to reverse course and permit lawmakers to draw politically advantageous legislative districts, an outcome that would boost the party's chances of holding onto its tenuous majority in the U.S. House of Representatives next year.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Manhunt for ex Maryland governor's former top aide after court no-show

The U.S. on Tuesday said it issued an arrest warrant and began a manhunt for Roy McGrath, the former top aide to an ex Maryland governor, for not appearing in court to face charges of wire fraud and falsification of records. In June 2020, McGrath was appointed Chief of Staff to former Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who served from 2015 to 2023. McGrath left the role later that year and was charged in 2021.

Analysis-Trump, DeSantis offer stark contrast in first Iowa forays

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis descended upon the same Iowa town in recent days, putting the differences between the potential Republican presidential rivals in stark relief. Trump, 76, was expansive and combative on Monday as he talked in his freewheeling style about world events and his four years in the White House before a packed theater of raucous fans.

U.S. withdraws Trump-era land deal in Alaska wildlife refuge

The Biden administration said on Tuesday it rescinded a land swap deal struck by former President Donald Trump's interior secretary that would have allowed a new road to cut through an Alaska wildlife refuge. The decision comes as President Joe Biden's administration faces heavy criticism from environmental groups for its approval earlier this week of a massive oil and gas development in Alaska's Arctic.

North Carolina's top court hears redistricting case with national implications

North Carolina Republicans on Tuesday urged the state's high court to reverse course and permit lawmakers to draw politically advantageous legislative districts, an outcome that would boost the party's chances of holding onto its tenuous majority in the U.S. House of Representatives next year. The hearing in Raleigh took place after the state Supreme Court's conservative justices agreed to reconsider a 2022 ruling that found partisan redistricting, or gerrymandering, was unlawful under the state constitution.

U.S. Senate's banking panel chairman: Congress unlikely to tighten banking rules

The U.S. Congress should enact financial regulations to strengthen stress tests and capital and liquidity standards for banks, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown said on Tuesday, but he added prospects remained low for such a step. Brown, an Ohio Democrat, told Bloomberg TV that prospects were low for the Congress to stiffen financial regulations after the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.Brown added that he hoped the Federal Reserve would not raise rates when it meets March 21 and 22.

Biden meets families of mass shooting victims, toughens gun rules

U.S. President Joe Biden embraced victims of a mass shooting on Tuesday hours after he issued an executive order to reinforce gun sale background checks in what White House called the most comprehensive policy the president can enact without Congress. Traveling to the Asian American enclave of Monterey Park neighboring Los Angeles, Biden empathized with survivors of a Jan. 21 mass shooting that killed 11 people. He also touted an executive order that bolsters background checks for gun buyers and strengthens federal support for state red flag laws that intend to stop gun sales to people deemed dangerous.

Green groups sue Biden admin over approval of Alaska Willow oil project

Six environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday over the Biden administration's approval of ConocoPhillips' Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, which they claimed could be a stepping stone to more development in an ecologically sensitive region. Trustees for Alaska, the Alaska Wilderness League, the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and other groups said the U.S. Interior Department approved Willow on public lands on the north coast of the state despite acknowledging and failing to mitigate "known harms" to Arctic communities, public health, wildlife and climate.

Soggy California drenched anew as Nor'easter buries New England, New York

The latest in a series of atmospheric river storms soaked California on Tuesday, bringing another deluge of rain to the already-saturated state, while a Nor'easter swirling over New York and New England prompted emergency orders and closed roads. Up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain was forecast in some areas of California, while up to 3 feet (0.9 m) of fresh snow was expected to hit high-mountain elevations where snowdrifts already reach rooftops, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over Feb. 3 train derailment

The state of Ohio sued Norfolk Southern Tuesday over the Feb. 3 derailment of a freight train that released over a million gallons of hazardous materials and pollutants into the environment around the town of East Palestine. "This derailment was entirely avoidable," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said at a press conference, adding he was seeking compensation for damages to the state's environment, economy and residents.

Buttigieg says recent U.S. aviation close calls 'deeply troubling'

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Tuesday that a series of aviation close calls was "deeply troubling and deserve our immediate attention." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is holding a safety summit on Wednesday with airlines, unions, airports and other industry segments after numerous recent near-miss incidents have raised safety concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)