US Domestic News Roundup: Analysis-Are high prices unpatriotic or as American as you can get?; Yellen says Biden to appoint first Native American as U.S. Treasurer and more

Biden told Shell Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp and other refining giants last week they have another responsibility: to do everything they can to bring down high gasoline prices that are squeezing American consumers and driving up inflation. U.S. Congress' Jan. 6 committee to zero in on pressure over Georgia election results The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday will focus on then-President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure state officials as part of his broader effort to remain in office despite losing 2020's election, committee aides said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis-Are high prices unpatriotic or as American as you can get?

President Joe Biden's pointed criticism of oil and gas companies for earning massive profits as families suffer from high gasoline prices challenges a pillar of American capitalism: that U.S. companies should make as much profit as they legally can, and direct that windfall back to investors. Biden told Shell Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp and other refining giants last week they have another responsibility: to do everything they can to bring down high gasoline prices that are squeezing American consumers and driving up inflation.

Yellen says Biden to appoint first Native American as U.S. Treasurer

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday will announce the appointment of Mohegan Indian Tribe Lifetime Chief Marilynn Malerba as U.S. Treasurer, marking the first time a Native American's signature will appear on U.S. currency, the Treasury said. Yellen, during a visit to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, also will announce the creation of a new Treasury Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, which will report to the treasurer.

U.S. Congress' Jan. 6 committee to zero in on pressure over Georgia election results

The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday will focus on then-President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure state officials as part of his broader effort to remain in office despite losing the 2020's election, committee aides said. The committee hearing is the fourth of at least six expected this month as the nine-member House of Representatives select committee discloses results of its nearly yearlong investigation into the attack on the Capitol by thousands of Trump supporters.

Alabama Senate race tests Trump's sway after endorsement flip-flop

Donald Trump's sway with Republican voters faces a fresh test on Tuesday in Alabama, where congressman Mo Brooks will try to win the Republican U.S. Senate nomination even after the former president switched his endorsement to Brooks' rival, Katie Britt. In Virginia, Republican voters will select nominees to challenge two vulnerable Democratic U.S. representatives, Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger, in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Explainer-What's at stake in U.S. Supreme Court abortion case?

The conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether to dramatically curb abortion rights when it rules on a case from Mississippi, potentially paving the way to about half of the 50 U.S. states banning or heavily restricting the procedure. Here is a summary of what's at stake and how the court could rule in the decision expected by early July:

Biden raises pay for firefighters battling 'increasingly destructive' blazes

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration announced on Tuesday a temporary pay raise for federal wildland firefighters, saying they were facing longer, more severe fires partly due to climate change and their pay has lagged that of others. Firefighters across the United States have battled record-breaking forest fires in recent years and the administration said investing in the wildland firefighting workforce was a matter of national security.

Biden says decision on pause on federal gasoline tax could come by end of week

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that a decision on whether to pause a federal gasoline tax could come by the end of this week, as the United States struggles to tackle soaring gasoline prices and inflation, now at its highest in 40 years. Speaking a day after Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the president was evaluating pausing the tax temporarily, Biden told reporters: "Yes, I am considering it. I hope I have a decision based on data I am looking for by the end of the week."

Elon Musk's child seeks name change to sever ties with father

Elon Musk's transgender daughter has filed a request to change her name in accordance with her new gender identity and because "I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form." The petition for both a name change and a new birth certificate reflecting her new gender identity was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica in April. It came to light recently in some online media reports.

Kremlin says it does not know location of captured U.S. 'mercenaries'

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not know the location of two Americans captured while fighting in eastern Ukraine, but that they were mercenaries and could be sentenced to death in Russian-backed breakaway territories. Americans Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, went missing this month while fighting near Kharkiv. Russian state media later showed video interviews with the pair, saying they had been captured by Russian-backed forces.

Record number of travelers to hit U.S. roads for July 4 weekend -AAA

A record 42 million people around the United States are expected to hit the road for trips over the July 4 Independence Day weekend, AAA said Tuesday, absorbing historically high fuel costs to crowd the highways. The average U.S. retail price of gasoline recently broke through $5 per gallon for the first time in history. While that is not a record from an inflation-adjusted basis, it still represents an increase of nearly $2 per gallon from a year earlier. Despite the higher cost, gasoline demand is only 1% below the average for this time of year in the United States.