Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule that would require employers to pay overtime premiums to workers who earn a salary of less than $1,059 per week, or about $55,000 per year. New York says Trump should be found liable for fraud, even before a trial New York's attorney general on Wednesday asked a state judge to declare, even before the start of a trial, that Donald Trump committed fraud by submitting false statements to bankers and insurers and overstating his net worth by up to $2.23 billion.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US health officials look to move marijuana to lower-risk drug category

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recommended easing restrictions on marijuana, a department spokesperson said on Wednesday, following a review request from the Biden Administration last year. Nearly 40 U.S. states have legalized marijuana use in some form, but it remains completely illegal in some states and at the federal level. Reclassifying marijuana as less harmful than drugs like heroin would be a first step toward wider legalization, a move backed by a majority of Americans.

Biden plan would guarantee overtime pay for 3.6 million workers

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday moved to extend mandatory overtime pay to 3.6 million salaried workers, going even further than an Obama-era rule that was struck down in court. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule that would require employers to pay overtime premiums to workers who earn a salary of less than $1,059 per week, or about $55,000 per year.

New York says Trump should be found liable for fraud, even before a trial

New York's attorney general on Wednesday asked a state judge to declare, even before the start of a trial, that Donald Trump committed fraud by submitting false statements to bankers and insurers and overstating his net worth by up to $2.23 billion. In filings with a state court in Manhattan, Attorney General Letitia James said evidence in her civil case showed "repeated and persistent fraudulent use" by Trump and his family business of false and misleading financial statements from 2011 to 2021.

US Senate's McConnell freezes up for second time in public appearance

Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell froze up for more than 30 seconds on Wednesday during a public appearance before he was escorted away, the second such incident in little more than a month, a clip from an NBC News affiliate showed. McConnell, 81, was responding to questions from reporters after an event with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington when he froze up, staring into space and not responding to reporters and others nearby.

US FDA warns 3 baby formula makers to correct manufacturing process controls

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday issued warnings to three infant formula makers to correct their manufacturing processes to better catch bacterial contamination, but added it does not expect any impact on the supply. The regulator issued warning letters to ByHeart Inc, Reckitt Benckiser Group's Mead Johnson Nutrition and Perrigo's Wisconsin unit.

Giuliani liable for defaming Georgia election workers, judge rules

Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani is liable for defaming two Georgia election workers who were the target of vote-rigging conspiracy accusations following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, a U.S. judge in Washington ruled on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued the order as a sanction against Giuliani for failing to turn over electronic records sought by the two Fulton County election workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, in the case.

Hurricane Idalia grinds into Georgia after slamming Florida

Hurricane Idalia plowed into Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday with fierce winds, torrential rains and pounding surf before weakening but turning its fury on southeastern Georgia, where floodwaters trapped some residents in their homes. Hours after Idalia slammed ashore as a powerful Category 3 hurricane at Keaton Beach in Florida's Big Bend region packing winds of about 125 mph (201 kph), authorities were still trying to assess the full extent of damage in the hardest-hit areas.

Sentencing of two ex-Proud Boys leaders postponed

The sentencing hearings for two former leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters were abruptly postponed on Wednesday after the judge called out sick, a court spokesperson said. Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and another former leader, Ethan Nordean, were supposed to be the first of five Proud Boys to face sentencing this week, with three other co-defendants due to be sentenced on Thursday and Friday.

Former US Cardinal McCarrick not competent to face sex abuse trial, judge says

A Massachusetts judge on Wednesday dismissed a criminal case charging former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick with molesting a 16-year-old boy in 1974, saying the 93-year-old was not competent to stand trial after psychological experts found he had dementia. McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019, became the only current or former U.S. Catholic cardinal to ever face child sex abuse charges when prosecutors in Massachusetts first charged him in 2021.

Biden approves military aid to Taiwan under program normally used for sovereign states

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has approved a military transfer to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, program normally used for sovereign states, according to a notification sent to Congress. The notification, which was seen by Reuters on Wednesday, informs congressional committees of the State Department's intention to obligate up to $80 million in FMF funds in support of Taiwan.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)