Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The new guidance to states followed a request by President Joe Biden last month for the department to consider clarifying that workers have a federally guaranteed right to decline employment that would jeopardize their health and still qualify for unemployment insurance.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Texas lawmakers look to lay blame for deadly power blackout

Texas state lawmakers on Thursday dug into the causes and cast blame for deadly power blackouts that left millions shivering in the dark as frigid temperatures caught its grid operator and utilities ill-prepared for skyrocketing power demand. Dual hearings in the state House and Senate are highlighting shortcomings by grid planners, electric utilities, natural gas suppliers, renewable energy and transmission operators that led to billions of dollars in damages and dozens of deaths. Biden: U.S. to launch massive effort to educate Americans about COVID-19 vaccines

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday his administration plans to launch a campaign to educate Americans about coronavirus vaccines in anticipation of a period later this year where supply may outstrip demand because of vaccine hesitancy. "We're going to launch a massive campaign educating people about vaccines, that they are safe and effective," Biden said. "We're going to bring together leaders of all segments of our society to educate and encourage all Americans to get vaccinated." U.S. court to reconsider California ban on high-capacity magazines

A U.S. appeals court said on Thursday it will reconsider its decision that California's ban on high-capacity magazines violates the right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a decision made last August by a divided three-judge panel, which sided with opponents of the ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds of ammunition. An 11-judge panel will now consider the case. U.S. moves to speed up releases of unaccompanied migrant children

The U.S. government is taking new steps to speed up releases of unaccompanied children to parents or other sponsors as the Biden administration grapples with a growing number of underage migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, earlier this month reversed a policy put in place by former Republican President Donald Trump that allowed U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrant children caught at the border without their parents. The expulsion policy is still in place for most migrants, including families and individual asylum seekers. U.S. extends jobless benefits eligibility to workers worried about COVID-19 safety

Jobless Americans booted from state unemployment insurance programs for refusing to work or accept a job offer because of fears of contracting COVID-19 are now eligible for government-funded assistance, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday. The new guidance to states followed a request by President Joe Biden last month for the department to consider clarifying that workers have a federally guaranteed right to decline employment that would jeopardize their health and still qualify for unemployment insurance. Biden's aid bill wildly popular with Americans -- except Republicans in Congress

The White House is losing hope that congressional Republicans will back U.S. President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill despite a campaign-style push that has won support from business leaders, local government officials, unions and voters. The administration has heavily promoted the "American Rescue Plan" as crucial to getting millions of unemployed back to work and children back into schools. The House of Representatives will vote on it as soon as Friday. New York officials downplay concern over new coronavirus variant

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s chief medical adviser on Thursday downplayed the results of two studies showing that a new coronavirus variant found in New York City in November may be more resistant to vaccines now being administered. Dr. Jay Varma said it was premature to infer from laboratory results how effective the vaccines would be on the variant, echoing concerns of other scientists who questioned why preliminary studies are given to the media ahead of academics. New York City mayor urges probe of sexual misconduct claims against Governor Cuomo

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday called for an independent investigation into sexual misconduct accusations against Governor Andrew Cuomo made by a former aide to the governor who is now a candidate for Manhattan borough president. Lindsey Boylan, who first made the accusations on Twitter in December, wrote a detailed essay published on the web platform Medium on Wednesday that the governor had made several "inappropriate gestures" towards her while she worked for the state government from 2015 to 2018, ranging from sending her a rose on Valentine's Day to kissing her on the mouth. Trump supporters want to 'blow up' Capitol, police chief warns

Donald Trump supporters who launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol last month have indicated they want to "blow up" the building and kill members of Congress, the acting chief of the Capitol Police said on Thursday. Threats suggest extremists could target the building during an address by President Joe Biden, Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told lawmakers as she advocated for continued high security around the building."Members of militia groups that were present on Jan. 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible with a direct nexus to the State of the Union," Pittman told members of the House Appropriations Committee. New York prosecutors digging into Trump's tax, financial records

After a lengthy court battle, the Manhattan District Attorney is in possession of Donald Trump's tax returns and other financial records as part of a criminal investigation into the former president and his family-run Trump Organization, a spokesman for the office confirmed on Thursday. The New York prosecutor's office obtained the voluminous records on Monday, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump's latest attempt to keep his longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, from turning over the records.