Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said investigators had seized 63.7 bitcoins, now valued at about $2.3 million, paid by Colonial after last month's hack of its systems that led to massive shortages at U.S. East Coast gas stations. From Vermont to Kentucky, some Republicans expand voting access in 2021 Vermont's Republican governor on Monday signed a law requiring the state's top election official to send a mail ballot to every eligible voter, becoming one of the few Republican leaders at the state level to buck their party's trend of trying to limit voting access.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Fleeing Texas inmates outsmarted jailers by placing dummies in bed

Security at a federal prison camp in the Texas city of Beaumont was so lax that four inmates managed to escape by placing dummies in their beds or having other prisoners pose as them, the U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog said on Monday. Inspector General Michael Horowitz said his office uncovered a wide range of security failures at prison camps and satellite campuses of the Bureau of Prisons, from leaving doors unlocked or using locks that were susceptible to tampering, to having limited fencing or not enough video surveillance.

U.S. seizes $2.3 million in bitcoin paid to Colonial Pipeline hackers

The Justice Department on Monday recovered some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline Co, cracking down on hackers who launched the most disruptive U.S. cyberattack on record. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said investigators had seized 63.7 bitcoins, now valued at about $2.3 million, paid by Colonial after last month's hack of its systems that led to massive shortages at U.S. East Coast gas stations.

From Vermont to Kentucky, some Republicans expand voting access in 2021

Vermont's Republican governor on Monday signed a law requiring the state's top election official to send a mail ballot to every eligible voter, becoming one of the few Republican leaders at the state level to buck their party's trend of trying to limit voting access. The law signed by Governor Phil Scott makes permanent a universal mail-in voting system that Vermont adopted in 2020 to address the challenges to voting in person during the COVID-19 pandemic. It puts Vermont in the company of just six other U.S. states that automatically mail ballots to all eligible voters.

Water polo-Abuse victims call for congressional investigation of USA Water Polo

USA Water Polo could face a congressional investigation and possible decertification as an Olympic governing body for failing to protect 12 female water polo players from sexual abuse by their coach, the victims' lawyer said on Monday. The athletes, who alleged they had been abused by coach Bahram Hojreh, announced on Monday they had reached a $13.85 million settlement with USA Water Polo and the International Water Polo Club (IWPC).

U.S. administers 302.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States had administered 302,851,917 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and distributed 371,520,735 doses in the country as of Monday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The number of administered doses was up from the 301,638,578 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Sunday.

U.S. takes two steps toward limiting gun violence: model legislation and rifle restrictions

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday proposed cracking down on accessories that can be used to convert pistols into rifles and released model legislation to help states prevent guns from getting into the hands of the mentally ill, as part of a broader push to reduce gun violence. The two measures are part of a series of steps the Biden administration previously pledged to take, as mass shootings have continued to plague the United States. In 2021 alone, the country has had 254 mass shootings, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive.

U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs challenge to all-male military draft sign-up

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge by a men's rights group to the national requirement that men, but not women, register for the military draft at age 18, focusing on whether the policy violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee that laws apply equally to everyone. The justices turned away an appeal by the National Coalition for Men, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, of a lower court ruling upholding the policy. The lawsuit was aimed at invalidating a 1948 U.S. law that compels only men to register for potential military service.

Biden to resume negotiations with Republican Senator Capito on infrastructure this week

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to talk to Republican Senator Shelley Capito on Monday or Tuesday to continue negotiations on a bipartisan infrastructure bill, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday. Biden rejected the latest Republican infrastructure counteroffer on Friday but said he planned to meet with Capito on Monday to see if the two sides can find a path forward. Psaki now says the discussion may not take place until Tuesday.

Newsmax turned down embattled Republican Matt Gaetz for a job -spokesperson

Conservative media outlet Newsmax, a favorite of former President Donald Trump's, rejected embattled Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz's request for a job, a spokesperson for the website said on Monday. Gaetz contacted Newsmax early this year, a source at the outlet said. That was around the time that news broke Gaetz was the subject of a federal investigation into possible sex trafficking of a minor.

U.S. Supreme Court blocks permanent residency for some immigrants

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to let immigrants who have been allowed to stay in the United States on humanitarian grounds apply to become permanent residents if they entered the country illegally, siding with President Joe Biden's administration. The justices, acting in an appeal by a married couple from El Salvador who were granted so-called Temporary Protected Status, unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that barred their applications for permanent residency, also known as a green card, because of their unlawful entry.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)