Reuters US Domestic News Summary

"Legally they can do it, but it's a very despicable way to act," Lopez Obrador said at a regular news conference. U.S. will no longer enforce mask mandate on airplanes, trains after court ruling The Biden administration will no longer enforce a U.S. mask mandate on public transportation, after a federal judge in Florida on Monday ruled that the 14-month-old directive was unlawful, overturning a key White House effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. CDC lifts COVID 'Do Not Travel' recommendations on about 90 countries

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday it had dropped its "Do Not Travel" COVID-19 recommendations for about 90 international destinations. Last week, the CDC said it was revising its travel recommendations and said it would its reserve Level 4 travel health notices "for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts."

Bidens kick off first Easter Egg Roll in two years

After a pandemic hiatus, President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris launched the first White House Easter Egg Roll in two years on Monday, resuming an annual tradition for children that dates back to 1878. "Ready, set, go!" Biden shouted and blew a whistle to begin the festivities, in which children race to roll pastel-colored eggs down a portion of the South Lawn using long-handled spoons.

Feds won't charge ex-Chicago police officer in 2014 shooting of Black teen

Federal prosecutors said on Monday they would not bring charges against the former Chicago police officer convicted in state court of killing Black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014, a videotaped shooting that touched off protests in the city. The decision to stand down on a federal prosecution of Jason Van Dyke was made in consultation with McDonald's family and weighed the greater difficulty in securing another conviction, U.S. Attorney John Lausch said.

Lawmaker Raskin sees hope for U.S. climate legislation this year

U.S. Democrats in Congress squabbling over how best to invest in the fight against climate change will forge a compromise in coming months that could be signed into law by President Joe Biden, Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin predicts. Significantly, Raskin signaled that he and other liberals should be willing to compromise on the shape of such a package, although he gave no details on what those compromises might be.

U.S. Supreme Court snubs challenge to state and local tax deduction cap

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by four Democratic-leaning states to lift a cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes put in place as part of a 2017 tax overhaul under Republican former President Donald Trump. The justices turned away an appeal by New York, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey after a lower court threw out their lawsuit. The lower court held that the U.S. Congress had broad authority over taxes and did not violate the U.S. Constitution by placing a $10,000 limit on the amount of state and local taxes that individuals may deduct on federal income tax returns.

Mexico's president slams enhanced Texas border trucking inspections as 'despicable'

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday criticized the Texas government over its imposition of enhanced commercial truck inspections earlier this month, which disrupted trade at the Mexico-U.S. border. "Legally they can do it, but it's a very despicable way to act," Lopez Obrador said at a regular news conference.

U.S. will no longer enforce mask mandate on airplanes, trains after court ruling

The Biden administration will no longer enforce a U.S. mask mandate on public transportation, after a federal judge in Florida on Monday ruled that the 14-month-old directive was unlawful, overturning a key White House effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Soon after the announcement, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines relaxed the restrictions effective immediately on all domestic flights.

J&J settles West Virginia opioid litigation for $99 million

Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it agreed to pay $99 million to settle claims by West Virginia that it helped fuel an opioid addiction crisis in the state, removing the company from an ongoing trial that began earlier this month. West Virginia is still pursuing claims against Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd and AbbVie Inc's Allergan in the Kanawha County Circuit Court trial for their alleged role in the crisis.

U.S. settles with UPS to resolve immigration-related discrimination claims

The U.S. Justice Department has secured a settlement with United Parcel Service Inc to resolve immigration-related discrimination claims in a civil action against the package delivery company, the agency said on Monday. "The settlement resolves the department's claims that UPS violated the Immigration and Nationality Act when it discriminated against a non-U.S. citizen by requesting that he present additional documents to prove his permission to work after the worker had already provided sufficient proof," the department said in a statement.

California cannabis mega-factory eyes federal legalization of weed

The company behind a cannabis mega-factory in California is hoping federal legalization of the substance will allow it to expand distribution of joints, oils and edibles beyond the borders of the most populous U.S. state. California legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, but it remains on the federal list of controlled substances.

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