Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The Senate backed President Joe Biden's nomination of Brown to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by 83 to 11. California man accused of ambushing sheriff's deputy enters insanity defense A 29-year-old suburban Los Angeles man pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder on Wednesday in the ambush shooting of a sheriff's deputy as he waited at a red traffic light, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Hunter Biden to face gun charges in Wilmington court on Oct. 3

President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden will appear on Oct. 3 in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, to face gun charges, a judge ordered on Wednesday, in the first-ever prosecution of a sitting U.S. president's child. Hunter Biden, 53, was indicted last week for allegedly lying on a form to acquire a handgun in 2018 and for being an illegal drug user in possession of the gun. His lawyer has said he plans to plead not guilty.

US Senate confirms Biden pick as top US military officer

A majority of the U.S. Senate backed U.S. Air Force chief General Charles Q. Brown on Wednesday to be the top U.S. military officer, as lawmakers moved to confirm some of the top senior officers whose promotions have been stalled by a Republican senator's blockade. The Senate backed President Joe Biden's nomination of Brown to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by 83 to 11.

California man accused of ambushing sheriff's deputy enters insanity defense

A 29-year-old suburban Los Angeles man pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder on Wednesday in the ambush shooting of a sheriff's deputy as he waited at a red traffic light, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said. Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar was arrested on Monday after an intensive manhunt and a four-hour standoff at a home in the high desert suburb of Palmdale. He was charged with one count of murder after allegedly lying in wait and shooting the deputy, Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, on Sept. 16.

US attorney general tells Republicans defunding FBI would be 'catastrophic'

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland told a House committee on Wednesday that Republican threats to defund the FBI would be "catastrophic" if carried out and that the Justice Department did not exist to do anyone's political bidding. Garland pushed back against Republican lawmakers who have criticized the Department of Justice for its handling of the indictments of Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden.

Trump says if elected again he will send troops to US-Mexico border

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that if elected again he would shift resources from federal law enforcement agencies and send thousands of overseas-based troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaking to supporters in Iowa, where the Republican Party's first nominating contest for the November 2024 election will be held in January, Trump also promised to expand on a travel ban that barred people from several countries with majority Muslim populations during his 2017-2021 presidency.

US government restarts delivery of free COVID tests

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday it will deliver COVID-19 tests for free to households across the country. Beginning Sept. 25, households will again be able to order four free tests through COVIDTests.gov, the health agency said, adding that the tests can detect currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2023.

McCarthy says US House Republicans to vote on defense spending bill Thursday

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Republicans will try again to move forward on fiscal 2024 spending legislation on Thursday, with a procedural vote on a defense appropriations bill. After a 2-1/2 hour closed-door meeting with members of his Republican majority, the California Republican also said lawmakers were "very close" to agreement on a short-term stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown on Sept. 30.

Fed keeps rates steady, toughens policy stance as 'soft landing' hopes grow

The U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday but stiffened a hawkish monetary policy stance that its officials increasingly believe can succeed in lowering inflation without wrecking the economy or leading to large job losses. The Fed's benchmark overnight interest rate may still be lifted one more time this year to a peak 5.50%-5.75% range, according to updated quarterly projections released by the U.S. central bank, and rates kept significantly tighter through 2024 than previously expected.

Colorado police face trial over death of Elijah McClain

Opening statements were due to begin Wednesday in the first of three trials over the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was not suspected of any crime when Colorado police confronted him, placed him in a choke hold and called paramedics who gave him a sedative overdose. McClain, 23, was walking home from a convenience store in the Denver suburb of Aurora on Aug. 24, 2019, when he was stopped by police responding to a report he was acting suspiciously.

Factbox-How could US government dodge an Oct. 1 shutdown?

The U.S. Congress faces a midnight Sept. 30 deadline for passing some sort of temporary funding bill or triggering partial federal government shutdowns beginning on Oct. 1, the start of a new fiscal year. Here are a few ways Congress might avoid a shutdown: