Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The incendiary Facebook posts appeared targeted at members of Tioga County's all-Republican board of commissioners after they decided not to comply with the lawmaker's request to turn over their voting machines, Commissioner Erick Coolidge said. Florida pastor facing U.S. Capitol riot charges has court hearing A 72-year-old Florida pastor facing federal criminal charges arising from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump took part in a preliminary hearing on Thursday before a judge.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

The American pandemic day: More kids. More TV. More Z's. More time alone

Americans watched more TV last year, played more computer games, thought and read a bit more, caught up on a little sleep and on average spent an extra hour each day alone and two additional hours wrangling or educating their kids. Exercise? Meh.

About 100 CIA officers, family members afflicted by 'Havana Syndrome' -CIA chief

About 100 CIA officers and family members are among some 200 U.S. officials and kin sickened by "Havana syndrome," CIA Director William Burns said on Thursday, referring to the mysterious set of ailments that include migraines and dizziness.

Burns, tapped by U.S. President Joe Biden as the first career diplomat to serve as CIA chief, said in a National Public Radio interview that he has bolstered his agency's efforts to determine the cause of the syndrome and what is responsible.

New U.S. Capitol Police chief named after Jan. 6 riot

A retired Maryland county law enforcement official has been named chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, filling a vacancy created when his predecessor resigned over the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. The Capitol Police Board said on Thursday it appointed J. Thomas Manger, who spent 15 years until 2019 as police chief of Montgomery County, Maryland, to head the Capitol police after a national search.

U.S. Senate panel hears from Chubb, others on insuring pandemic risk

New Jersey business owner Adenah Bayoh told a U.S. Senate committee hearing on Wednesday she paid about $275,000 a year to insure her group of restaurants, only to discover the limits of her policy during the coronavirus pandemic. "When the pandemic hit and the governor ordered my businesses to close, I was shocked that my insurance company and coverage was not there for me," said the Liberia native who immigrated to the United States at age 13 and now owns seven restaurants.

Mississippi asks U.S. Supreme Court to overturn abortion rights landmark

The state of Mississippi on Thursday urged the U.S. Supreme Court in a major case set to be argued in its next term to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling that recognized that women have a constitutional right to obtain an abortion. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, said in papers filed with the court that the Roe v. Wade ruling and a subsequent 1992 decision that affirmed it were both "egregiously wrong" and that state legislatures should have more leeway to restrict abortion. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority.

U.S. House approves bid to add 8,000 visas for at-risk Afghans

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a plan on Thursday to allow an extra 8,000 special immigration visas for Afghans who helped the United States and are at risk of retaliation as U.S. troops complete their pullout from Afghanistan after a 20 year war. The bipartisan bill, which passed with a vote of 407 to 16, will now be considered by the Senate. It also aims to speed up the processing of the visas.

Threats rattle Pennsylvania county targeted in election audit

One of the Pennsylvania counties targeted in a Republican lawmaker's "forensic investigation" into the 2020 election has beefed up security around its courthouse following threatening posts on social media, one of its commissioners told Reuters. The incendiary Facebook posts appeared targeted at members of Tioga County's all-Republican board of commissioners after they decided not to comply with the lawmaker's request to turn over their voting machines, Commissioner Erick Coolidge said.

Florida pastor facing U.S. Capitol riot charges has court hearing

A 72-year-old Florida pastor facing federal criminal charges arising from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump took part in a preliminary hearing on Thursday before a judge. James Cusick Jr., pastor of the Global Outreach Ministries of Melbourne, Florida, faces four misdemeanor charges related to the riot, including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. His son Casey Cusick, 35, also a pastor at his father's church, faces similar charges but did not participate in Thursday's hearing.

U.S. CDC advisers back J&J COVID-19 vaccine benefits amid neurological illness reports

Despite reports of a rare neurological disorder appearing in some people who have received Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, the benefits of its use outweigh the risks, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel said on Thursday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week added a warning to its fact sheet for J&J's single-shot vaccine saying that data suggests there is an increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in the six weeks after vaccination.

FBI ignored tips on Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Democrats charge

Seven Democratic senators on Thursday said that newly released materials show the FBI failed to fully investigate sexual misconduct allegations against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was nominated to the court in 2018. The senators, including Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Coons, said a letter they received from the FBI last month shows the agency gathered over 4,500 tips relating to Kavanaugh without any apparent further action by investigators.