Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Sponsors and supporters of the legislation in all three states cited Reuters reporting as an impetus for proposing tougher enforcement. U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge to race-conscious college admissions The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a bid to bar Harvard University and the University of North Carolina from considering race in undergraduate admissions in a case that imperils affirmative action policies widely used to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students on American campuses.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump adversary Avenatti stole from Stormy Daniels, prosecutor says

U.S. lawyer Michael Avenatti, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, went on trial on Monday over claims he stole nearly $300,000 from his onetime client, the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors say Avenatti, who has pleaded not guilty, embezzled book contract proceeds intended for Daniels, in part by forging her signature in a letter to an agent.

New York City Mayor Adams unveils plan to end gun violence

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced a plan to end gun violence in a city reeling from the fatal shooting of a police officer and a spate of violent crimes, as he promised to increase police officers in New York's most violence-plagued communities. Adams, a former police captain, said the plan would deliver on his November election campaign pledge by deploying more officers, stemming the flow of guns into the city, and appointing anti-gun violence coordinators in every city agency.

U.S. COVID peak may be over but not the pain as deaths rise

Even as COVID-19 cases drop and hospitalizations show signs of plateauing in hard-hit pockets of the United States, the still-rising death toll from the Omicron variant highlights the trail of loss that follows every virus surge. Coronavirus deaths hit an 11-month high on Sunday, climbing 11% in the past week when compared to the prior week, according to a Reuters.

U.S. judge puts off decision on releasing Oath Keepers founder Rhodes

A U.S. judge on Monday said she will rule within the next two days on whether Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers, should remain in custody while he awaits trial on seditious conspiracy https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-built-textbook-case-sedition-charges-capitol-attack-legal-experts-2022-01-14 charges for his alleged role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. During a two-hour court hearing in Plano, Texas, federal prosecutors urged U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson to keep Rhodes behind bars, saying he is dangerous and could try to flee the country.

Three Minneapolis ex-police officers were indifferent to George Floyd's pleas, jury told

Three former Minneapolis officers broke the law by failing to stop Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd during an arrest and were indifferent to the handcuffed Black man's dying pleas, a prosecutor told a jury in opening statements in the federal trial on Monday. Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are charged with violating Floyd's civil rights during his arrest on a road outside a Minneapolis grocery store in May 2020, video of which sparked street protests against racism and police brutality around the world.

'We're in trouble:' U.S. envoy urges faster action on climate goals

The world is "not on a good track" to meet a global goal to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and must intensify efforts to move away from fossil fuels this decade, John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate change, said on Monday. "We're in trouble. I hope everyone understands that," Kerry told an event called Building Momentum to UN COP27 hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and officials from Egypt, the host of the next UN climate summit.

Sarah Palin's positive COVID test delays NY Times defamation trial

Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor, has tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing a U.S. judge on Monday to delay her defamation trial against The New York Times. Jury selection and opening statements had been expected to begin on Monday, but were pushed back 10 days to Feb. 3 after test results for the 57-year-old Palin became known. Palin had been expected to testify in person as soon as Tuesday.

Former NY lawmaker Sheldon Silver, who was convicted on corruption charges, dies

Sheldon Silver, the once-powerful New York State Assembly Speaker who was convicted on corruption charges that resulted in a prison sentence of six and a half years, has died aged 77. Silver died at a federal prison medical facility while serving out his sentence in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, his former chief of staff Judy Rapfogel told the media.

Pro-Trump death threats prompt bills in 3 states to protect election workers

In Vermont, lawmakers are considering bills to make it easier to prosecute people who threaten election officials. In Maine, proposed legislation would stiffen penalties for such intimidation. In Washington, state senators voted this month to make threatening election workers a felony. The measures follow a Reuters series of investigative reports documenting a nationwide wave of threats and harassment against election administrators by Donald Trump supporters who embrace the former president’s false voting-fraud claims. Sponsors and supporters of the legislation in all three states cited Reuters reporting as an impetus for proposing tougher enforcement.

U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge to race-conscious college admissions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a bid to bar Harvard University and the University of North Carolina from considering race in undergraduate admissions in a case that imperils affirmative action policies widely used to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students on American campuses. The justices agreed to hear appeals by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, of lower court rulings that upheld the programs used by the two prestigious universities to foster a diverse student population. The cases give the court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, a chance to end such policies.