Reuters US Domestic News Summary

On Saturday, Trump urged followers on social media to protest what he said was his looming arrest. U.S. Supreme Court rejects Christian preacher's challenge to university The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a traveling Christian evangelist's free-speech challenge to a University of Alabama requirement that he obtain a permit before handing out religious pamphlets and preaching from a sidewalk adjacent to its campus.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Alaska oil drilling protesters disrupt White House climate adviser appearance

Protesters criticizing President Joseph Biden's approval of an oil drilling project in Alaska on Monday blocked an administration official from delivering a speech about U.S. climate leadership. Ali Zaidi, White House climate adviser, was unable to address the event on the "Future of U.S. Climate & Energy Leadership" at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A dozen protesters holding a sign saying "End Fossil Fuels" chanted: "Keep your promise, no new drilling" for several minutes, preventing Zaidi from starting his remarks.

Punk rock singer testifies on Proud Boys' behalf at sedition trial

A former singer for the punk rock band The Misfits testified on behalf of five far-right Proud Boys members on Monday that he was asked to perform for them on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, evidence their lawyers said shows they had no intention to attack the Capitol that day. Michale Graves, lead singer of the Misfits from 1995 to 2000, acknowledged that members of the Proud Boys may have been guilty of trespassing on Capitol grounds. But he said he did not believe they had any intention of targeting Congress.

Philadelphia to pay $9.25 million to protesters at George Floyd demonstration

Philadelphia will pay $9.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by racial justice protesters who accused police of abusing them at a 2020 rally following the killing of George Floyd, the city said on Monday. The Philadelphia city government said in a written statement the payment would be distributed among 343 plaintiffs who alleged physical and emotional injuries in the police response to protests ignited by the killing of Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Four Oath Keeper associates convicted of felonies for roles in US Capitol attack

Four associates of the far-right Oath Keepers group were found guilty on Monday for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but the Washington jury remained deadlocked on some serious charges for two other defendants who did not enter the building during the chaos. Oath Keeper associates Sandra Ruth Parker, Laura Steele, Connie Meggs and William Isaacs were found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding - a charge that can carry up to 20 years in prison, as well as several other felony and misdemeanor charges.

New York City braces for Trump indictment after ex-president urges protests

Workers erected barricades around a Manhattan courthouse on Monday as New York City braced for a possible indictment of Donald Trump over an alleged hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. It would be the first-ever criminal case against any U.S. president. On Saturday, Trump urged followers on social media to protest what he said was his looming arrest.

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Christian preacher's challenge to university

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a traveling Christian evangelist's free-speech challenge to a University of Alabama requirement that he obtain a permit before handing out religious pamphlets and preaching from a sidewalk adjacent to its campus. The justices turned away an appeal by preacher Rodney Keister of a lower court's ruling rejecting his claim that the university's permit requirement violated free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

Trump's lawyers seek to throw out Georgia grand jury report on election meddling

Donald Trump's lawyers on Monday asked a Georgia court to quash a special grand jury report detailing its investigation into the former U.S. president's efforts to overturn his 2020 statewide election defeat. The filing in Fulton County Superior Court also seeks to have the county district attorney, Fani Willis, recused from the case, arguing that her media appearances and social media posts demonstrated her bias against Trump.

North Carolina urges US Supreme Court to toss major elections case

The U.S. Supreme Court should dismiss a major case from North Carolina that could give more power over federal elections to state politicians because the matter is being reconsidered by a lower court, North Carolina said in a filing on Monday, while the Republican lawmakers at the center of the dispute disagreed.

The disagreement over the future of the case is the latest flashpoint in litigation that could have a significant impact on U.S. elections in the coming years and decades. The case began as a legal fight over a map drawn by Republican state legislators of North Carolina's 14 U.S. House of Representatives districts - one that a lower court blocked as unlawfully disadvantageous for Democrats.

Judge blocks California law requiring safety features for handguns

A federal judge on Monday blocked California from enforcing a state law requiring new semiautomatic handguns to have certain safety features, finding it violates the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney in Santa Anna, California is the latest in a line of decisions striking down state gun laws following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights. The judge said it would not take effect for 14 days to give the state a chance to appeal.

Far-right activists wary of 'trap' after Trump calls for protests

Former President Donald Trump's call to supporters to protest what he said was his imminent arrest provoked conspiracy-fueled debate on far-right social media platforms on Monday, with some supporters fearing an elaborate government trap to arrest them. Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday he expected to be arrested this week for alleged hush money payments to a porn star during the 2016 presidential campaign and urged supporters to "protest, take our nation back!"