Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The country had recorded more than 28 million COVID-19 cases and 499,510 lives lost as of Monday morning, according to a Reuters tally of public health data, although daily deaths and hospitalizations have fallen to the lowest level since before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. A day that will live in infamy: U.S. nears 500,000th COVID-19 death

The United States on Monday closed in on the staggering milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths just over a year to the day since the coronavirus pandemic claimed its first known U.S. victims in Santa Clara County, California. The country had recorded more than 28 million COVID-19 cases and 499,510 lives lost as of Monday morning, according to a Reuters tally of public health data, although daily deaths and hospitalizations have fallen to the lowest level since before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Fauci says U.S. political divisions contributed to 500,000 dead from COVID-19

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said political divisiveness contributed significantly to the "stunning" U.S. COVID-19 death toll, which on Monday surpassed 500,000 lives lost. The country had recorded more than 28 million COVID-19 cases and 500,054 fatalities as of Monday afternoon, according to a Reuters tally of public health data. Trump may soon have to answer rape allegations under oath

During a December visit to New York City, writer E. Jean Carroll says she went shopping with a fashion consultant to find the “best outfit” for one of the most important days of her life - when she’ll sit face-to-face with the man she accuses of raping her decades ago, former President Donald Trump. The author and journalist hopes that day will come this year. Her lawyers are seeking to depose Trump in a defamation lawsuit that Carroll filed against the former president in November 2019 after he denied her accusation that he raped her at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Trump said he never knew Carroll and accused her of lying to sell her new book, adding: “She’s not my type.” Texas freeze raises concerns about 'ridiculous' variable rate bills

In Spring, Texas, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Houston, Akilah Scott-Amos is staring down a more than $11,000 electric bill for this month, a far cry from her $34 bill at this time last year. "What am I going to do?" Scott-Amos, 43, said. She was among the millions of Texas residents who lost power during several days of bitter cold that caused the state's electrical grid, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, to break down. "I guess the option is, what, I'll pay it? I just don't feel like we should have to." Over 7.9 million Texans still facing disrupted water supplies

Over 7.9 million people in Texas still had issues with their water supply as of Monday evening, authorities told Reuters, after a record-breaking freeze knocked out power stations last week. Millions of Texans were advised to boil water before using it, though all power plants were back online over the weekend and power had been restored to most homes as the weather returned to normal. Saudi Arabia sued by families of victims of 2019 Florida base attack

Families of three U.S. service members who were killed and 13 others who were wounded in a shooting by a Saudi gunman at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida in 2019 have sued Saudi Arabia for damages. The complaint, which was filed on Monday in a federal court in the city of Pensacola, alleged that Saudi Arabia had known about the gunman being radicalized and that it could have prevented the killings. Oath Keeper withdraws claim she met with Secret Service before U.S. Capitol attack

A leader of the far-right group Oath Keepers who is charged with participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol reversed her story on Monday about having met with Secret Service agents in Washington on the day of the insurrection. Jessica Watkins, 38, had said in court papers over the weekend that she had traveled to Washington to provide security for the march, had received a VIP pass to then-President Donald Trump's rally and had met with the Secret Service. U.S. Treasury No. 2 nominee Adeyemo faces questions on China in hearing

U.S. senators are expected to grill Wally Adeyemo, President Joe Biden's nominee for the No. 2 job at the U.S. Treasury, about his views on U.S. policy toward China at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. In testimony prepared for the hearing, Adeyemo struck a hardline tone on Beijing, vowing to fight what he called "unfair economic practices" in China and elsewhere, while working to rectify economic inequality at home. U.S. Senate begins review of security failings ahead of deadly Capitol riot

Two U.S. Senate panels reviewing security failings in the run-up to the deadly assault on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump are due on Tuesday to interview the top security officials involved in the planning and response. Steven Sund, the former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, will testify along with the former sergeants-at-arms of the House of Representatives and Senate, Paul Irving and Michael Stenger. All three men resigned in the wake of the Jan. 6 violence that left five people dead. Senate weighs historic Interior nominee, Republicans to grill her on fossil fuels

Deb Haaland, U.S. President Joe Biden’s historic pick for interior secretary, will seek to reassure lawmakers that she will balance energy interests with climate change goals as the top administrator of America’s vast public lands on Tuesday. Haaland, a Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, would be the first Native American to take on a U.S. cabinet position if lawmakers confirm her after Tuesday's Senate hearing. She would also have a vital role in implementing the Biden administration’s sweeping policies to fight global warming and protect the environment.