Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The dismissal of the officers in Texas comes at time when the eyes of the United States are locked on Minneapolis, where former policeman Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of a 46-year-old Black man, George Floyd, whose death last May set off protests across the country, and around the world, against racial injustice and police brutality toward Black people.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Elections officials fear Georgia law could politicize voting operations

Election officials in conservative and liberal parts of Georgia say a new law allowing a Republican-controlled state agency to take over local voting operations could make the process too partisan. Voting rights advocates have also warned that the provision, part of sweeping voting restrictions signed into law last week by Governor Brian Kemp, targets Democratic bastions such as Atlanta's Fulton County that helped deliver the party control of the White House and Congress in recent elections. Exclusive: Fauci says U.S. may not need AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The United States may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, even if it wins U.S. regulatory approval, Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor told Reuters on Thursday. The vaccine, once hailed as another milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dogged by questions since late last year, even as it has been authorized for use by dozens of countries, not including United States. Analysis: Biden White House tries to craft gun executive orders that can't be undone

The White House is trying to craft a series of executive actions for President Joe Biden to sign to try to limit gun violence, hoping they cannot be quickly dismantled in court, according to aides and gun safety groups. Among the measures being considered - and strongly encouraged by activists - is one directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reinterpret existing law on untraceable "ghost guns." Apple's Tim Cook joins chorus of critics against Georgia's voting restrictions

Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook on Thursday was the latest corporate leader to speak out against the state of Georgia's new voting restrictions, which many critics say targets Blacks and other racial minorities. "American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right," Cook said in a statement. In Virginia governor’s race, Trump’s false stolen-election claim looms large

Virginia will elect a new governor this November, one of the first state-wide races in the post-Trump era. Judging from the crowded field of seven Republican hopefuls vying for that seat, former President Donald Trump still looms large and could well determine the outcome. Pandemic poised to surge again in California's Silicon Valley tech hub

A California community that has been a bellwether of the coronavirus pandemic's rampage across the United States warned on Thursday that the number of cases of more contagious COVID-19 variants is increasing to worrisome levels. "The region's progress in curbing the pandemic remains precarious," the health department in Santa Clara County, home to California's Silicon Valley, said. A first kiss, a battle with addiction: Floyd's girlfriend testifies at Chauvin murder trial

George Floyd's girlfriend took the witness stand on Thursday and described their relationship, from a first kiss to date nights at restaurants, but also spoke about how an addiction to painkillers took hold of their life together. Courteney Ross, 45, was the first witness who personally knew Floyd to testify at the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis policeman charged with murdering the man she loved by kneeling on his neck during an arrest last May. Brooklyn Nets star Durant apologises for exchange with Rapaport

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has apologised for the language he used in a social media exchange with U.S. actor and comedian Michael Rapaport. Rapaport on Tuesday shared images of the private messages sent to him on Twitter and Instagram by Durant which included homophobic and misogynistic language used by the NBA star. Texas sheriff fires seven officers after custody death of Black man

A Texas sheriff fired on Thursday seven officers who had been put on administrative leave after the custody death of a Black man, Marvin D. Scott III, Collin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement . The dismissal of the officers in Texas comes at time when the eyes of the United States are locked on Minneapolis, where former policeman Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of a 46-year-old Black man, George Floyd, whose death last May set off protests across the country, and around the world, against racial injustice and police brutality toward Black people. 'Every step of the way': McConnell pledges battle over Biden infrastructure plan

President Joe Biden on Thursday faced the prospect of all-out political war with Republicans over his $2 trillion blueprint to revitalize America's infrastructure, with a top Democrat also offering only partial support over how to pay for the package. A day after the Democratic president unveiled his "American Jobs Plan" in Pittsburgh, the Senate's top Republican said Biden has no public mandate for the proposal and predicted that Republicans would not support it. Biden's plan combines spending on roads and bridges with climate change initiatives and human services like elder care.