Reuters US Domestic News Summary


Reuters | Updated: 08-01-2022 05:52 IST | Created: 08-01-2022 05:52 IST
Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

State lawyers arguing against Biden vaccine mandates test positive for COVID-19

Two officials presenting arguments on Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to block vaccine mandates ordered by President Joe Biden's administration have tested positive for COVID-19 and will make their cases remotely, their offices said.

Ohio Solicitor General Benjamin Flowers and Louisiana Solicitor General Liz Murrill will argue against the vaccination and testing requirements by phone, according to their offices.

Overwhelmed by Omicron surge, U.S. hospitals delay surgeries

Hospitals across the United States are postponing elective surgeries to free up staff and beds due to a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Administrators say hospital staff shortages have been compounded in the last month by medical practitioners isolating or quarantining as they themselves are infected or exposed to the virus.

Three Georgia men sentenced to life in prison for 'chilling' Arbery murder

A Georgia judge sentenced Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for what he called the "chilling" 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man running through their mostly white neighborhood in the southern U.S. state. Judge Timothy Walmsley also gave a life sentence to their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan but ruled that he could seek parole after 30 years in prison, the minimum sentence allowed for murder under Georgia law.

Pentagon awards contract to Revival Health for COVID test kits

The U.S. Defense Department said it awarded on Friday a contract to Revival Health Inc for 13.3 million COVID-19 at-home test kits as part of President Joe Biden's plan to make available 500 million test kits. The Pentagon announcement did not give the cost of the contract.

Analysis-No guarantee of new Maxwell trial after juror's revelations, experts say

The possible failure of a juror in Ghislaine Maxwell's trial to disclose that he was a victim of sexual abuse may not be enough to overturn the British socialite's sex trafficking conviction and warrant a new trial, legal experts said on Thursday. Maxwell, 60, was convicted last week on sex trafficking and other charges for recruiting teenage girls to have sexual encounters with Jeffrey Epstein. Her lawyers asked for a new trial after the juror told Reuters and other news outlets that he shared his experience of sexual abuse during deliberations.

Factbox-When and how will Americans get free COVID-19 tests promised by Biden?

The U.S. government has signed the first contract involving 500 million rapid COVID-19 tests that President Joe Biden promised in December would be free to Americans who request them, an official said on Friday. The following describes how the distribution of tests will work in the fight against the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant:

Biden to deliver State of the Union address on March 1

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress on March 1, a date that comes several weeks later than the speech usually occurs. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden had accepted an invitation to address Congress extended earlier Friday by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Flooding hits western U.S., winter storm in the east

Floods hit parts of the Northwestern United States on Friday after heavy rains, while a winter storm brought more than a half a foot (15 cm) in snow in the eastern parts of the country, closing schools, offices and busy roads. Flood and gale warnings are in place across many coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest, whilst winter storm warnings remained for eastern parts of Maine, according to the National Weather Service.

Biden tours Denver-area town stricken by Colorado's most destructive wildfire

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday visited a Denver-area community reduced to rubble last week by a rare winter wildfire, offering hugs and condolences to a handful of the thousands of residents whose homes were destroyed. Two people were missing and feared dead after the wind-driven Marshall Fire incinerated more than 1,000 dwellings on Dec. 30-31, making it the most destructive Colorado blaze on record in terms of property losses. Human remains believed to belong to one of the missing were recovered on Wednesday.

Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine protects children against rare COVID-19 complication - CDC

Two doses of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are highly protective against a rare but often serious condition in children that causes organ inflammation weeks after COVID-19 infections, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said on Friday. The vaccine was estimated to be 91% effective in preventing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in 12- to 18-year-olds, the study said. MIS-C causes inflammation in children in organs including the heart, lungs, kidneys and brain two to six weeks after a mild or asymptomatic infection.

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

Give Feedback