Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The plan calls for the government to lease fewer acres for drilling than initially proposed, charge steeper royalties to oil and gas companies, and assess the climate impact of developing the acreage. Five people to share $50,000 reward for tips on New York subway shooting suspect Five people who provided "critical information" that helped lead to the arrest of the man charged with this week's mass shooting in a New York subway will share a $50,000 reward, the New York Police Department announced on Friday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

NY Times fires back at defamation plaintiff with anti-SLAPP lawsuit

The New York Times sued an anti-immigration author for the cost of defending itself against defamation in the first lawsuit of its kind under New York's recently expanded "anti-SLAPP" law to protect critical speech. The company is seeking unspecified fees spent fending off a 2020 lawsuit by Peter Brimelow, according to the company's lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday.

Trump endorses Vance in Ohio's Republican Senate primary

Donald Trump on Friday endorsed author J.D. Vance in the Republican Senate primary in Ohio amid a crowded race marked by negativity as many candidates have tried to ally themselves with the former president. The winner of the May 3 primary will represent the party in the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, where the Republicans are expected to make gains off President Joe Biden's Democrats.

Twelve injured, 10 by gunfire, in shooting at South Carolina shopping mall

Twelve people were injured, 10 of them by gunfire, in a shooting that erupted on Saturday inside a shopping mall in Columbia, South Carolina, and three people were taken into custody, police said. Columbia Police Chief William Holbrook said the shooting at the Columbiana Centre mall was not believed to have been a random act of violence but rather stemmed from "some kind of conflict" among a group of armed individuals who knew each other.

Texas governor strikes deal with Mexican state expected to ease truck traffic jams

Texas will halt enhanced inspections of trucks arriving from Mexico after reaching an agreement with the last of four neighboring Mexican states, Governor Greg Abbott said on Friday, a move expected to alleviate costly, long backups over the past week. The agreement calls for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas -- located on the easternmost part of the Texas-Mexico border -- to increase security efforts targeting illegal immigration and drug smuggling, Abbott and Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca said during a news conference in Weslaco, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. arrests 210,000 migrants at Mexico border in March, rivaling record highs

U.S. border authorities arrested 210,000 migrants attempting to cross the border with Mexico in March, the highest monthly total in two decades and underscoring challenges in the coming months for U.S. President Joe Biden. The March total is a 24% increase from the same month a year earlier, when 169,000 migrants were picked up at the border, the start of a rise in migration that left thousands unaccompanied children stuck in crowded border patrol stations for days while they awaited placement in overwhelmed government-run shelters.

Athletics-Runners 'pumped' as Boston Marathon returns to April

The Boston Marathon returns to its traditional April date for the first time in three years on Monday with the fastest field in the race's history, boasting a star-studded slate of previous champions and Olympic medalists. Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir leads the women's field hot off her Tokyo Olympic gold medal and New York City Marathon victory last year, while local hero Molly Seidel is looking to build off her bronze medal at that Olympics and triumph in her first Boston Marathon.

U.S. to resume oil, gas drilling on public land despite Biden campaign pledge

The Biden administration on Friday said it has resumed plans for oil and gas development on federal lands, a move that could break a pledge Joe Biden made while campaigning for president. The plan calls for the government to lease fewer acres for drilling than initially proposed, charge steeper royalties to oil and gas companies, and assess the climate impact of developing the acreage.

Five people to share $50,000 reward for tips on New York subway shooting suspect

Five people who provided "critical information" that helped lead to the arrest of the man charged with this week's mass shooting in a New York subway will share a $50,000 reward, the New York Police Department announced on Friday. Frank James, the man accused of carrying out one of the most violent attacks on the city's mass transit system, was arrested in lower Manhattan on Wednesday following a 30-hour manhunt that was helped by a barrage of tips from the public. James, 62, also called the police tipline to turn himself in, aiding in his own capture, according to his lawyers.

New bird flu cases identified in Pennsylvania and Utah, USDA says

New bird flu cases were detected in a commercial chicken flock in Pennsylvania and a backyard flock in Utah, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Saturday, with the outbreak now having spread to more than 30 states in the country. The department said earlier this month it was looking into vaccines as an option to protect poultry against deadly bird flu as the country faces its worst outbreak since 2015. The current outbreak has wiped out well over twenty million chickens and turkeys in commercial flocks since February.

Biden, first lady report making over $600,000 in 2021 tax filing

President Joe Biden and his wife Jill released their federal tax returns on Friday, showing the couple earned more than $600,000 last year and paid an effective federal income tax rate of 24.6%. The Bidens also donated roughly 2.8% of their income, or $17,384, to charities, including $5,000 to the Beau Biden Foundation, which works to prevent child abuse. Beau Biden, the president's son, died of cancer in 2015.