US Domestic News Roundup: Omicron dampens global New Year celebrations, fewer watch ball drop in Times Square; Jan. 6 committee studying whether it can subpoena U.S. Republican lawmakers - chairman and more

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said at a press briefing on Sunday that one person who had been reported as missing on Saturday was accounted for and was not harmed. Fauci warns of danger of hospitalization surge due to large number of COVID cases Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Omicron dampens global New Year celebrations, fewer watch ball drop in Times Square

The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, with Paris cancelling its fireworks show, London relegating its to television, and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square. The illuminated ball made of Waterford crystal panels slid down its pole at the midnight hour in Times Square, but only 15,000 spectators were allowed into the official viewing area instead of the usual 58,000.

Jan. 6 committee studying whether it can subpoena U.S. Republican lawmakers - chairman

The congressional committee investigating last year's Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is looking at issuing subpoenas to Republican members of Congress to force their cooperation, the panel's chairman said on Sunday. Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, said on NBC's "Meet The Press" that the committee is examining whether it can lawfully issue subpoenas to sitting members of Congress.

Dan Reeves, former NFL head coach and player, dead at 77

Dan Reeves, a longtime NFL head coach and former player, died Saturday at the age of 77, his family said in a statement. Reeves died "due to complications from dementia," the statement read. He was "surrounded by his loving family at his home in Atlanta," according to the statement.

Drone attack on US base foiled, Iraqi security sources say

Two armed drones were shot down on Monday as they approached an Iraqi military base hosting U.S. forces near Baghdad's international airport, Iraqi security sources said, adding that nobody was hurt in the incident. The attack came as Iran and its allies in Iraq marked the second anniversary of the assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Prince Andrew accuser's deal with Epstein to be made public as part of civil suit

Late financier Jeffrey Epstein's 2009 settlement agreement with Virginia Giuffre is expected to be made public on Monday, as part of Giuffre's civil lawsuit accusing Britain's Prince Andrew of sexual abuse. Giuffre's lawsuit accuses Andrew of forcing her to have sex more than two decades ago when she was under 18 at the London home of former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and abusing her at two of Epstein's homes. Giuffre, 38, is seeking unspecified damages in a civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.

Two people still missing feared dead after Colorado wildfire

Two people were still missing and feared dead after a wildfire roared through two towns in Boulder County, Colorado, and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes, authorities said on Sunday. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said at a press briefing on Sunday that one person who had been reported as missing on Saturday was accounted for and was not harmed.

Fauci warns of danger of hospitalization surge due to large number of COVID cases

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe. "The only difficulty is that if you have so many cases, even if the rate of hospitalization is lower with Omicron than it is with Delta, there is still the danger that you will have a surging of hospitalizations that might stress the healthcare system," Fauci said in an interview on Sunday with CNN.

Twitter permanently bans U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene

Twitter Inc on Sunday said it permanently banned the personal account of Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for tweets that repeatedly violated the social media's misinformation policy on COVID-19. The congresswoman from Georgia is the first member of Congress to ever have a Twitter account permanently banned.

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin tests positive for COVID-19, symptoms mild

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday with mild symptoms and would attend meetings virtually as he quarantined at home for the next five days. News of Austin's positive test comes after the Pentagon last week tightened restrictions at its headquarters over concern about the highly transmissible Omicron variant that has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections throughout the world.

Omicron teaches hard lessons as U.S. schools revamp return from holidays

Many U.S. schools that would normally welcome students back to classrooms on Monday are delaying their start dates, scrambling to test pupils and teachers and preparing, as a last resort, to return to remote learning as record COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant sweep the country. In Washington, D.C., all staff and 51,000 public school students must upload a negative test result to the district's website before coming to class on Wednesday. Tests administered before Tuesday will not be accepted. Parents can pick up rapid tests at their school or use their own.