Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The driver, identified as 34-year-old George Alvarez, ran a red light, lost control of his sports utility vehicle, and struck 18 people as the car flipped on its side, Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said. Abortion pill case to be heard by conservative, anti-abortion panel A case brought by anti-abortion groups seeking to ban the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide will be heard next week by a panel of three deeply conservative judges hostile to abortion rights, a federal appeals court revealed on Monday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. seeks to shore up border as migrants gather ahead of end to Title 42

The Biden administration and Texas state government are sending reinforcements to the U.S.-Mexico border to prepare for a possible increase in illegal immigration when COVID-19 restrictions known as Title 42 are set to end on Thursday. Hundreds of specialized investigative agents and air marshals from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are being pulled from day-to-day duties to help with border management, sources said, leading to pushback from some employees who argue they are being reassigned to menial tasks.

Democrats press Biden administration on climate impact of LNG buildout

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers on Monday called on the Biden administration to consider the climate and environmental justice impacts of the expansion of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. The 44 lawmakers, including Senators Jeffrey Merkley, Edward Markey and Representatives Jared Huffman and Raul Grijalva, urged the Council on Environmental Quality, a White House office, to "include greater scrutiny on the entire LNG supply chain" as it finalizes guidance on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change under bedrock U.S. environmental law.

Texas driver charged with manslaughter after deadly Brownsville crash

A Texas man accused of crashing his car into a group of pedestrians near a Brownsville homeless shelter housing migrants, killing eight people, has been charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault, police said on Monday. The driver, identified as 34-year-old George Alvarez, ran a red light, lost control of his sports utility vehicle, and struck 18 people as the car flipped on its side, Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said.

Abortion pill case to be heard by conservative, anti-abortion panel

A case brought by anti-abortion groups seeking to ban the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide will be heard next week by a panel of three deeply conservative judges hostile to abortion rights, a federal appeals court revealed on Monday. The Biden administration is expected to urge the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New Orleans on May 17 to overturn a court order that suspended the federal government's approval of mifepristone.

Trump's absence at civil rape trial shows 'he did it,' accuser's lawyer says

Donald Trump's absence from a trial where writer E. Jean Carroll accuses him of rape and defamation shows that "he did it," a lawyer for Carroll said on Monday, while Trump's lawyer told jurors the case was "outrageous." "He never looked you in the eye and denied raping Ms. Carroll," lawyer Mike Ferrara told jurors as the civil trial in Manhattan federal court neared the end of an eighth day. "You should draw the conclusion that that's because he did it."

Associated Press, New York Times win Pulitzers for Ukraine coverage

The Associated Press won two Pulitzer Prizes on Monday, including the distinguished public service award, for its coverage of the war in Ukraine, while the New York Times earned the international reporting honor for its stories about the Russian invasion. Washington Post reporter Caroline Kitchener won the national reporting prize for coverage of abortion in the United States after the Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized the procedure nationwide. Eli Saslow, now with the Times, won the feature writing award for the Post.

Biden, McCarthy aim to break US debt-ceiling standoff as default crisis looms

President Joe Biden and top Republicans and Democrats from Congress are set to sit down this week to try to resolve a three-month standoff over the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling and avoid a crippling default before the end of May. The Democratic president is calling on lawmakers to raise the federal government's self-imposed borrowing limit without conditions. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said his chamber will not approve any deal that does not cut spending to address a growing budget deficit.

Texas gunman may have embraced white supremacy, media reports say

The man accused of shooting and killing eight people at a Texas mall appeared to have embraced white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies, multiple media outlets reported on Monday. In social media profiles thought to be linked to the suspect, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, investigators found posts targeting racial or ethnic minorities, NBC News reported, citing two law enforcement officials. Police killed Garcia, who was wearing tactical gear and carrying an AR-15 style rifle, during the attack.

Ex-Fox News producer dismisses Delaware lawsuit against Fox, NY lawsuit pending

Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg has dismissed one lawsuit accusing the cable network, parent company Fox Corp and Fox News lawyers of defamation and pressuring her to make false statements in the now-settled Dominion Voting Systems case, a court filing on Friday showed. The Delaware lawsuit was dismissed "without prejudice," meaning it can be brought again. The decision to dismiss the lawsuit does not mean she has settled the case, her lawyer, Tanvir Rahman, said Monday. She is continuing her related lawsuit against Fox in New York.

Abortion providers sue to preserve, expand access to abortion pill

A group of abortion providers on Monday filed a lawsuit aiming to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone as anti-abortion opponents aim to ban it in a separate case. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Charlottesville, Virginia, is similar to one filed in Spokane, Washington by the Democratic attorneys general of 17 states and the District of Columbia in February.