US Domestic News Roundup: Biden lays out plan to get America vaccinated; US extremists into internet's dark corners and more

The FBI has warned police agencies of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols starting Jan. 16 through President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, fuelled by supporters of President Donald Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Retired doctors and more syringes: Biden lays out plan to get America vaccinated

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said he would order increased production of syringes and other supplies to ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 and improve upon the Trump administration rollout that he called a "dismal failure." Under Biden's plan, federal disaster-relief workers would set up thousands of vaccination centers, where retired doctors would administer shots to teachers, grocery store workers, people over 65 years old and other groups who do not currently qualify.

As inauguration nears, law enforcement scrutiny drives U.S. extremists into internet's dark corners

Shortly after rampaging Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a fan of the president posted a message on the pro-Donald Trump website TheDonald.win. Inspired by the mob's attempt to stop lawmakers from confirming President-elect Joe Biden's electoral win, user CONN_WYNN said in an all-caps message, replete with an expletive, that it was "TIME TO LEAVE THE KEYBOARD" and "FIGHT FOR MY...COUNTRY." Two days later, agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's San Francisco field office came calling, according to another post by CONN_WYNN on the same website.

U.S. carries out 13th and final execution under Trump administration

The U.S. government carried out the 13th and final federal execution under President Donald Trump's administration early on Saturday, days before his successor Joe Biden takes office with a promise to try to end the death penalty. Dustin Higgs, 48, was pronounced dead at 1:23 a.m. EST (0623 GMT), the federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement, after a late-night Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for the execution to proceed.

National Rifle Association files for bankruptcy, seeking to escape New York lawsuit

The National Rifle Association on Friday filed for bankruptcy, a sudden development that could help the gun rights group escape a lawsuit by New York's attorney general seeking its dissolution. The NRA filed for Chapter 11 protection in federal bankruptcy court in Dallas, and said it plans to reincorporate in Texas to escape "a corrupt political and regulatory environment" in New York, where it is now incorporated.

U.S. state capitals on edge for armed protests as Trump presidency nears end

U.S. law enforcement officials are gearing up for pro-Trump marches in all 50 state capitals this weekend, erecting barriers and calling in their National Guards to try to prevent the kind of violent attack that rattled the nation on Jan. 6. The FBI has warned police agencies of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols starting Jan. 16 through President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, fuelled by supporters of President Donald Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud.

Explainer: Can Trump pardon himself? Would the courts reject the move?

As he prepares to end a tumultuous four years as U.S. president facing potential legal jeopardy, Donald Trump has discussed the possibility of pardoning himself, according to a source familiar with the matter. But there are questions about whether a president's broad executive clemency powers under the U.S. Constitution would permit such action. The Justice Department has previously taken the view that the Constitution does not allow a sitting president to be indicted, but a former president enjoys no such protections.

U.S. urges immunity for Trump from rape accuser's lawsuit

The U.S. government on Friday said President Donald Trump should not be forced to defend against a defamation lawsuit by the author E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her a quarter-century ago, and that it should be substituted as the defendant. In a filing with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, the Department of Justice said Trump qualified as a typical "employee of the government" entitled to immunity under federal law from Carroll's claims, and was also shielded because he spoke about her in his capacity as president.

Trump administration accused of deception in pledging release of vaccine stockpile

The governors of several states accused the Trump administration on Friday of deception in pledging to immediately distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses from a stockpile that the U.S. health secretary has since acknowledged does not exist. Confusion over a vaccine supply windfall that was promised to governors but failed to materialize arose as scattered shortages emerged on the frontlines of the most ambitious and complex immunization campaign in U.S. history, prompting at least one large New York healthcare system to cancel a slew of inoculation appointments.

Judge calls Capitol siege 'violent insurrection,' orders man who wore horns held

A federal judge on Friday ordered a far-right conspiracy theorist who left an ominous note for Vice President Mike Pence inside the U.S. Capitol to be detained pending trial, saying he participated in a "violent insurrection." In U.S. District Court in Phoenix, Arizona, Magistrate Judge Deborah Fine ruled that Jacob Chansley, who was famously photographed inside the U.S. Senate Chamber wearing horns during the Capitol riots, should not be released from custody.

U.S. closing landmarks, announces vehicle checks in Washington for inauguration

The nation's capital on Friday continued to boost security by shutting down access to iconic landmarks and erecting vehicle checkpoints at a security perimeter surrounding central Washington ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20. inauguration. Presidential inaugurations are always tightly secure events with operations led by the U.S. Secret Service, but this year's measures have been amped up after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a bid to prevent the final certification of Biden's victory. Law enforcement officials have warned of threats and armed groups in all 50 states.