US Domestic News Roundup: US lawmaker Jayapal tests positive for COVID-19; Trump supporters at US Capitol riot and more

A Democrat from Washington state, Jayapal, 55, lambasted Republicans late on Monday and said https://bit.ly/38AMLjR many of them not only refused to wear a mask while stuck in the room for several hours but also mocked colleagues and staff when offered one.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. lawmaker Jayapal tests positive for COVID-19 after Capitol siege

U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal said she has tested positive for COVID-19 after being locked down in a room with Republican lawmakers who refused to wear masks as President Donald Trump's supporters laid siege to the U.S Capitol. A Democrat from Washington state, Jayapal, 55, lambasted Republicans late on Monday and said https://bit.ly/38AMLjR many of them not only refused to wear a mask while stuck in the room for several hours but also mocked colleagues and staff when offered one.

Trump supporters at U.S. Capitol riot face consequences at home

Standing amid a throng of flag-waving supporters of President Donald Trump in front of the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday, Rick Saccone decided to capture the historic moment. The former Pennsylvania state lawmaker handed his cell phone to his wife to record his message. "We are trying to run out all the evil people and RINOs that have betrayed our president," said Saccone, using a term to disparage moderate Republicans as Republicans In Name Only.

Democratic drive to impeach Trump after Capitol siege speeds ahead

Democrats will give President Donald Trump one last chance on Tuesday to leave office days before his term expires or face an unprecedented second impeachment over his supporters' deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. The Democratic-led House of Representatives plans to vote as soon as Wednesday on formal charges of misconduct, known as articles of impeachment, unless Trump resigns or Vice President Mike Pence moves to oust him under a provision in the U.S. Constitution.

Trump administration to deliver guidelines to speed up vaccinations -

Axios The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver new guidelines on Tuesday aimed at getting coronavirus vaccinations moving faster, Axios reported https://www.axios.com/trump-coronavirus-vaccines-seniors-doses-faster-ca22e892-71d4-4e04-9219-b41fec799524.html.

The new guidelines will suggest opening up vaccinations to everyone older than 65, the report said, citing a senior administration official.

Coronavirus causes largest U.S. greenhouse gas emissions drop since World War Two: report

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell 10.3% in 2020, the largest drop in emissions in the post-World War II era, as the coronavirus crippled the economy, according to a report released Tuesday by the Rhodium Group. The economic fallout from the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 - especially in big emitting sectors like transportation, power and industry - resulted in a sharper emissions drop than the 2009 recession, when emissions slid 6.3%.

How Trump's pied pipers rallied a faithful mob to the Capitol

Weeks before mobs besieged the Capitol building in Washington, a bright red bus crisscrossed the United States, emblazoned with a huge image of President Donald Trump in suit and tie with a clenched fist above his shoulder. At more than 25 stops - in parking lots and airplane hangers in states including Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee - flight-attendant-turned-political-activist Amy Kremer and other speakers exhorted crowds to join her and others in Washington to fight for Trump and overturn the election.

U.S. judge blocks execution of only woman on federal death row

A federal judge in Indiana late on Monday blocked the execution of convicted murderer Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row in the United States, on mental health grounds, based on evidence that she was unable to understand the government's rationale for her execution. Prosecutors have filed a notice to appeal the judge's ruling, CNN reported https://cnn.it/3qgDX8D on Tuesday.

McCarthy says Trump accepts 'some responsibility' for Capitol riot-sources

President Donald Trump acknowledged he bears "some responsibility" for an assault on the U.S. Capitol last week, Republican congressional leader Kevin McCarthy told party lawmakers on Monday, according to two people familiar with McCarthy's briefing. McCarthy, who said he believed Trump was responsible for the violence, shared details of a phone conversation he had with Trump during an emotional 2-1/2-hour long call with Republicans, many of whom remain divided over the attack, the sources said.

His days in power dwindling, Trump heads to Texas to see border wall

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to emerge from seclusion on Tuesday for the first time since the U.S. Capitol was ransacked by pro-Trump protesters and will travel to Alamo, Texas, to visit his signature border wall. Trump agreed to the trip as members of his staff encouraged him to undertake events highlighting his legacy. He has spent the last two months in a futile attempt to contest the Nov. 3 election won by Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.

Second transit cop cleared of murder in 2009 Oakland 'Fruitvale Station' killing

More than a decade after a white former policeman was convicted of manslaughter for shooting an unarmed Black man to death on a California train platform, a second transit officer involved in the incident was cleared of criminal charges on Monday. A months-long renewed investigation of officer Anthony Pirone's role in events leading to the 2009 killing of Oscar Grant found that Pirone cannot be charged with murder or any other criminal offense in the death, prosecutors announced.