Reuters US Domestic News Summary

McCarthy, 67, had initially planned to remain in the White House for about a year, hoping to help federal agencies implement President Joe Biden's ambitious climate legislation, but those efforts stalled amid intraparty opposition from key Democratic senators. Family of Black man killed by Michigan police demands criminal charges The family of an African refugee killed by a Michigan police officer during a traffic stop demanded on Thursday that authorities dismiss the officer from the force and file criminal charges against him, a day after a video of the fatal shooting was released.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

With jury picked, Johnny Depp opens U.S. libel case against ex-wife Heard

Lawyers for Hollywood star Johnny Depp on Tuesday gave a jury an overview of his U.S. defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, the latest chapter in a long-running legal fight between the two Hollywood stars. Opening statements kicked off in a Virginia courtroom in a lawsuit Depp, 58, brought against Heard, 35, for $50 million in 2018.

Exclusive-White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy planning to step down -sources

White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy is planning to step down, according to two sources familiar with the deliberations, likely ending a tenure marked by ambitious emissions targets but failure in securing major U.S. carbon-cutting legislation. McCarthy, 67, had initially planned to remain in the White House for about a year, hoping to help federal agencies implement President Joe Biden's ambitious climate legislation, but those efforts stalled amid intraparty opposition from key Democratic senators.

Family of Black man killed by Michigan police demands criminal charges

The family of an African refugee killed by a Michigan police officer during a traffic stop demanded on Thursday that authorities dismiss the officer from the force and file criminal charges against him, a day after a video of the fatal shooting was released. Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese refugee who is Black, was killed in a Grand Rapids neighborhood during a routine traffic stop after he struggled with the officer over a stun gun. The officer has not been publicly identified.

U.S. lawmakers say they have 'serious concerns' about face-scan contractor

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have opened an investigation into the identity verification contractor ID.me, saying that they have "serious concerns" about the efficacy, privacy and security of technology it provides to 10 federal agencies. A letter, first reported by the Washington Post, was sent by Representatives Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Oversight Committee, and Jim Clyburn, the Democratic whip, to ID.me chief executive Blake Hall. It was dated Thursday.

Florida governor signs 15-week abortion ban into law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed into law a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a restriction the U.S. Supreme Court could soon declare to be constitutional when it finishes reviewing a similar Mississippi ban this spring. Florida's law, which is due to go into effect July 1, will significantly reduce access to late-term abortions for women across the U.S. Southeast if it is not stopped in court. Women across the region travel hundreds of miles to end pregnancies in Florida because of stricter abortion laws in surrounding states.

White House launches diversity action plan for government

The White House released an action plan on Thursday aimed at advancing racial and gender equity across the federal government to improve diversity. The strategy is aimed at working to ensure the federal government is a model for diversity and equity and preventing discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, the White House said.

Planned Parenthood, ACLU sue to block Kentucky's abortion restrictions

Abortion providers including Planned Parenthood on Thursday sued to block a sweeping new Kentucky law that forces them to stop offering the procedure until they can meet certain requirements, saying it amounted to an unconstitutional ban on abortions. A Planned Parenthood affiliate and a clinic represented by the American Civil Liberties Union filed separate lawsuits a day after the Republican-led legislature overrode a veto by the state's Democratic governor to enact the anti-abortion law.

Republican Party withdraws from U.S. commission on presidential debates

The Republican National Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates, saying the group that has run the debates for decades was biased and refused to enact reforms. "We are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people," the committee's chairperson, Ronna McDaniel, said in a statement.

New York subway shooting suspect to remain in jail, undergo psychiatric exam

A U.S. federal judge on Thursday ordered the man charged with this week's mass shooting in a New York City subway to remain in custody and undergo a psychiatric exam after prosecutors called the assault the worst disruption to the city's transportation since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Frank James, 62, making his initial court appearance a day after his arrest in lower Manhattan, is accused of injuring 23 people by setting off smoke bombs and spraying the inside of a subway car with gunfire during Tuesday morning's rush-hour commute in Brooklyn.

U.S. Capitol rioter who said he followed Trump's orders found guilty

A jury on Thursday convicted an Ohio man who claimed he was following former President Donald Trump's orders when he looted items from U.S. Capitol during last year's riot, handing another notable win to prosecutors. A federal jury in the District of Columbia found Dustin Thompson, 38, guilty on all charges he faced, including obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property.