US Domestic News Roundup: Three former Virginia hospital staff charged with murder in death of Black man; North Dakota's top court will not revive state's abortion ban and more

We don't have enough maintenance people, and we don't have enough air traffic controllers," Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who chairs the Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee, told Reuters. New York to Trump: No more delay in civil fraud case New York's attorney general urged a state judge to reject Donald Trump's bid to delay her civil fraud case against him, and said the former U.S. president might use his 2024 White House run as an excuse for further delay.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Three former Virginia hospital staff charged with murder in death of Black man

Three former employees of a mental hospital in Virginia were arrested and charged with second-degree murder on Thursday, a prosecutor said, over the death of a Black man who was transported to the facility from jail earlier this month. Irvo Otieno, 28, died on March 6 as he was being admitted to Central State Hospital in the city of Petersburg, according to Dinwiddie County Commonwealth Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill. Petersburg is in central Virginia, roughly 25 miles (40 km) south of Richmond.

North Dakota's top court will not revive state's abortion ban

North Dakota's Supreme Court on Thursday refused to revive a strict abortion ban previously blocked by a lower court, finding that the ban violates a state constitutional right to abortion to preserve the mother's life or health. The ruling means that abortion remains legal in North Dakota for now.

San Francisco Bay area to phase out natural gas heating appliances

The San Francisco Bay area will phase out natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters beginning in 2027 to improve local air quality and public health. It is the latest move by local officials in the United States to eliminate natural gas, a fossil fuel, from heating homes and buildings. California has been at the forefront of the effort, and the California Air Resources Board said last year it will require that all new space and water heaters have zero emissions by 2030.

Veterans, carpenters and vaccines: What's at stake if US COVID aid is canceled

A Republican proposal to cancel unspent COVID-19 relief money could undercut healthcare for military veterans and pensions for blue-collar workers while doing little to improve the U.S. fiscal picture, a Reuters review of federal spending figures found. The flood of COVID-relief aid -- $5.2 trillion in all -- that Congress approved in 2020 and 2021 under Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic successor Joe Biden has emerged as an early target for House of Representatives Republicans as they search for ways to rein in federal spending.

Wet winter eases California drought, giving way to spring flood risks

The mixed blessing of California's exceptionally wet winter is likely to play out this spring with somewhat heightened flood risks in a state left largely drought free for the first time in three years, U.S. government forecasters reported on Thursday. The higher odds of minor to moderate flooding across most of California from rain and runoff of melting mountain snow this spring is roughly in line with forecasts for much of the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

US must boost air traffic control staff as travel demand rises - senator

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs more air traffic controllers to address rising passenger demand, the chair of a U.S. Senate panel overseeing aviation issues said on Thursday, amid investigations into a series of recent runway incidents. "We don't have enough pilots. We don't have enough maintenance people, and we don't have enough air traffic controllers," Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who chairs the Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee, told Reuters.

New York to Trump: No more delay in civil fraud case

New York's attorney general urged a state judge to reject Donald Trump's bid to delay her civil fraud case against him, and said the former U.S. president might use his 2024 White House run as an excuse for further delay. In a Wednesday night court filing, Attorney General Letitia James said her office had provided Trump and other defendants with an "enormous quantity" of material, including 1.7 million documents and interview transcripts for 56 witnesses.

New chief judge in Washington to oversee secret Trump proceedings

A new judge takes over leadership of the U.S. trial court in Washington on Friday, inheriting oversight of secret proceedings involving special counsel criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents and efforts by him and his allies to undo his 2020 election loss. James "Jeb" Boasberg becomes chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, replacing Judge Beryl Howell as her seven-year term comes to an end.

U.S. lawmaker wants TikTok CEO to detail actions to protect kids

The chair of a U.S. House of Representatives panel wants TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to address questions next week about the popular Chinese-owned video app's efforts to protect children from inappropriate content and potential exploitation. Chew will be appearing for the first time before Congress when he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.

Biden administration tells Supreme Court Big Oil climate cases belong in state court

A lawsuit filed by several Colorado municipalities accusing ExxonMobil Corp and Suncor Energy Inc. of exacerbating climate change belongs in state court where it was filed, the Biden administration told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday. The administration urged the justices to reject the oil companies' petition for review of a February 2022 appeals court's ruling that sent the case back to state court, a venue generally considered more favorable to the municipal plaintiffs.