Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Fauci said Paul was focused on misinformed attacks rather than oversight aimed at addressing the health care crisis that has so far killed more than 800,000 people in the United States. Judges uphold North Carolina's new congressional map in win for Republicans A panel of North Carolina judges upheld the state's new congressional map on Tuesday, rejecting claims from Democratic voters and advocacy groups that the redrawn district lines illegally favor Republicans.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul driving violent threats against me, Fauci says

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, on Tuesday accused Republican Senator Rand Paul of spreading misinformation that has sparked threats of violence against him and his family while distracting the public from the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. At a Senate health committee hearing, Fauci had his latest heated back-and-forth with Paul, a lawmaker from Kentucky and supporter of former President Donald Trump. Fauci said Paul was focused on misinformed attacks rather than oversight aimed at addressing the health care crisis that has so far killed more than 800,000 people in the United States.

Judges uphold North Carolina's new congressional map in win for Republicans

A panel of North Carolina judges upheld the state's new congressional map on Tuesday, rejecting claims from Democratic voters and advocacy groups that the redrawn district lines illegally favor Republicans. The decision, which will be appealed, could have an outsized impact on the 2022 midterm elections in November, when control of the closely divided U.S. Congress will be at stake.

Florida lawmakers introduce bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks

Republican lawmakers in Florida filed a bill on Tuesday seeking to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions in cases of serious medical emergencies for the mother or fatal fetal abnormalities. The bill, introduced on the first day of the Florida legislature's 2022 session, sets the stage for a battle over abortion access expected to play out in courts and state capitols this year as the United States Supreme Court weighs a case that could overhaul abortion rights.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump to represent family of Black man killed by N. Carolina officer

Prominent U.S. civil rights attorney Ben Crump said on Tuesday he will represent the family of a Black man who was shot dead by an off-duty North Carolina deputy over the weekend in an incident that has drawn protests against police violence. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said it is investigating the Saturday killing of Jason Walker, 37, in Fayetteville, a city about 100 miles (161 km) east of Charlotte. The deputy involved, Jeffrey Hash, was put on administrative leave, local media reported.

Biden targets Republicans, supports Senate rule change for voting rights law

President Joe Biden on Tuesday made an impassioned plea for U.S. voting rights legislation stalled in Congress and said Democratic lawmakers should make a major change in Senate rules to override Republican opposition. Calling it a "battle for the soul of America," Biden put the voting rights effort on par with the fight against segregation by slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Biden says he supports whatever rule change is needed to pass voting rights

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the United States must find ways to pass voting rights bills even if it means getting rid of filibuster rules that currently require 60 senators to support most legislation. "To protect our democracy, I support changing the Senate rules whichever way they need to be changed," Biden said.

Biden, top officials defend COVID response amid Omicron surge

President Joe Biden and top health officials on Tuesday defended the government's response to the unrelenting pandemic as daily U.S. COVID-19 cases reached a new high, largely fueled by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Biden, who has been accused of focusing on vaccinations at the expense of testing and support for struggling healthcare systems, told reporters on Tuesday he was "confident we're on the right track" to fight the pandemic.

Democratic lawmakers say U.S. election workers vulnerable without new voting-rights law

U.S. election workers could face escalating threats, potentially imperiling American democracy, if major voting-rights legislation backed by President Joe Biden fails to pass the Senate, Democratic lawmakers and rights advocates warned. Democrats have teed up a pair of bills that would make it a crime to threaten or intimidate election workers, among other provisions that would expand voting access, toughen campaign finance rules and prevent partisan gerrymandering. The bills address a surge in threats https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ELECTION/THREATS/mopanwmlkva documented by a September Reuters investigation https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/terrorized-us-election-workers-get-little-help-law-enforcement-2021-09-08.

U.S. FTC delays vote on Lockheed purchase of Aerojet for two weeks -sources

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which assesses mergers to ensure they comply with antitrust law, has put off a vote on Lockheed Martin's purchase of Aerojet Rockdyne for as much as two weeks, two people briefed on the matter said. The vote had initially been scheduled for midweek, one of the people said, adding that the extension would allow the FTC more time to evaluate terms for the merger.

Trump's niece seeks to cash in with fraud lawsuit, ex-president's lawyer argues

A lawyer for Donald Trump on Tuesday accused the former U.S. president's niece of trying to cash in on the family name by suing Trump and his siblings for allegedly defrauding her out of a multimillion-dollar inheritance. At a hearing in a New York state court in Manhattan, the lawyer James Kiley rejected Mary Trump's claim that she learned of fraud through a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 New York Times probe into Donald Trump's finances, including his alleged efforts to avoid paying taxes.