Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Biden will tap Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a veteran law enforcement officer and Democrat who has served since 2017 as sheriff of the most populous county in Texas, the White House said. After somber tone in first 100 days, Biden plans to try to sell spending to U.S. public When he delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, President Joe Biden will take on a new role: salesman in chief.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. Republicans say 'not so fast' on restoring FTC power to claw back ill-gotten gains

Republicans at a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss restoring the Federal Trade Commission's ability to claw back ill-gotten gains from companies deemed deceptive voiced doubts about quickly passing a bill unless it put some limitations on the agency. Representative Gus Bilirakis said at a hearing before a panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the FTC had a history of "overreach," without elaborating, and urged that "guard rails" be put into the legislation.

Biden to meet with former President Carter in Georgia on Thursday

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will meet with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, in Plains, Georgia, on Thursday, the White House said. Biden was already scheduled to travel to Georgia on Thursday for a political rally on his 100th day in office.

Biden's first 100 days: COVID-19, jobs, foreign policy, immigration, guns and dogs

U.S. President Joe Biden completes 100 days in office on Friday, April 30. Judging a president's performance after 100 days in office is an American political tradition that historians say began with Franklin Roosevelt's first term in 1933, when he embarked on a rapid-fire rollout of measures to counter the Great Depression.

New York man charged with attempted murder in attack on Chinese immigrant

A New York City man was arrested and charged on Tuesday with attempted murder in what police have classified as a hate crime against a Chinese immigrant, authorities said. The victim, identified by police as 61-year-old Yao Pan Ma, was attacked in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan on April 23. The assault is the latest in a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the nation.

U.S. CDC has not seen link between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not found a link between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines, the agency's Director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday. "We have not seen a signal and we've actually looked intentionally for the signal in the over 200 million doses we've given," Walensky said in a press briefing.

Biden to nominate Texas sheriff and Trump critic to lead immigration enforcement agency

U.S. President Joe Biden will nominate a Texas sheriff who criticized Trump-era immigration raids to lead the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, the White House said on Tuesday. Biden will tap Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a veteran law enforcement officer and Democrat who has served since 2017 as sheriff of the most populous county in Texas, the White House said.

After somber tone in first 100 days, Biden plans to try to sell spending to U.S. public

When he delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, President Joe Biden will take on a new role: salesman in chief. Through his first 100 days in office, Biden has often struck a somber tone as he spoke about the country's coronavirus deaths, mass shootings and millions out of work.

Bipartisan lawmakers readying alternative to Biden infrastructure plan

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. Congress are working on an alternative to President Joe Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan that would cost roughly half as much but spend far more on roads and bridges, a Republican senator said on Tuesday. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy said the alternative eight-year plan was discussed last weekend in a meeting that included Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Republicans and Democrats from both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Britney Spears to speak directly to LA court on her conservatorship

Pop star Britney Spears will personally address the Los Angeles court dealing with her long-running conservatorship in June, a judge agreed on Tuesday. Spears, 39, has been under a conservatorship since 2008, but rarely takes part in court hearings and has not publicly commented on the legal arrangement where a court-appointed adviser controls her personal and financial affairs, including her medical treatment, security and career.

U.S. FCC approves SpaceX satellite deployment plan

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Tuesday it had voted to approve a SpaceX plan to deploy some Starlink satellites at a lower earth orbit than planned as part of its push to offer space-based broadband internet. Elon Musk's SpaceX had asked the FCC for approval to fly 2,824 satellites at a lower orbit as part of the plan to provide high-speed broadband internet services to people who currently lack access.