US Domestic News Roundup: Biden to announce executive actions on climate; Prosecution witness to testify that ex-Trump adviser Bannon defied subpoena and more

Trump has falsely claimed that rampant voter fraud caused his loss in Georgia, a key battleground state where President Joe Biden was victorious, helping him win the White House. Acting U.S. FAA chief says air carrier performance improving The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday that U.S. airlines' travel performance was improving after delays and cancellations snarled traffic and prompted anger from lawmakers and passengers.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden to announce executive actions on climate

President Joe Biden will announce a set of executive actions aimed at addressing climate change on Wednesday in a visit to the site of a former coal-fired plant in Massachusetts that is playing a role in supporting the state's offshore wind industry. Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups have been calling for the White House to take aggressive measures on climate change after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said last week he was not ready to support key climate provisions in Congress, a critical loss in the evenly divided Senate.

Prosecution witness to testify that ex-Trump adviser Bannon defied subpoena

A witness for U.S. federal prosecutors is expected to testify on Wednesday that former President Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon defied a subpoena from the congressional probe of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, at Bannon's criminal contempt of Congress trial. Federal prosecutors are expected to continue questioning witness Kristin Amerling, the chief counsel to the Democratic-led House of Representatives select committee on Jan. 6, who told the jury on Tuesday that Bannon missed two key deadlines in October 2021 to provide documents and testimony.

As pressure mounts, Biden acts to deter wrongful detentions of Americans abroad

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at deterring and punishing wrongful detention of U.S. citizens abroad by authorizing government agencies to impose sanctions and other measures. The move came amid growing pressure on Biden from families of hostages and detainees, most recently on the case of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been held in Russia since February and is on trial on drug charges.

U.S. to send four more HIMARS to Ukraine

The United States will send four more high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday, in the latest military package to bolster Kyiv as it confronts heavy pounding by Russian forces. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier this week ordered generals to prioritize destroying Ukraine's long-range missile and artillery weapons after Western-supplied weapons were used to strike Russian supply lines.

Georgia Republicans challenge subpoenas in Trump fake elector probe

Georgia Republicans accused of playing a role in attempts by ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn his 2020 election defeat asked a judge to throw out subpoenas issued for upcoming hearings, court papers showed on Tuesday. Trump has falsely claimed that rampant voter fraud caused his loss in Georgia, a key battleground state where President Joe Biden was victorious, helping him win the White House.

Acting U.S. FAA chief says air carrier performance improving

The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday that U.S. airlines' travel performance was improving after delays and cancellations snarled traffic and prompted anger from lawmakers and passengers. "We are keeping our eye on things. We've seen good improvements," Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen told Reuters and another news outlet on the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow. "We can see overall delays are down… The airlines are working to right-size their network."

Power use in Texas, U.S. Plains states to hit new records this week

Power use in Texas and other Central U.S. states is expected to shatter all-time records in coming days as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners for relief from the heat, regional electric grid operators said on Tuesday. Grid operators have started taking steps to ensure they have enough resources to keep up with soaring demand as temperatures climb into the triple digits across the United States and the cost of delivering electricity rises for utility companies.

Right-wing U.S. sheriffs vow to probe 2020 voter-fraud claims

A coalition of rightwing "constitutional sheriffs," who claim legal power in their jurisdictions that exceed U.S. federal and state authorities, has a new calling: investigating conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was rigged against former President Donald Trump. The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association has teamed with True the Vote, a Texas nonprofit and purveyor of debunked voter-fraud claims, to recruit like-minded sheriffs nationwide to investigate 2020 stolen-election allegations and to more aggressively police future voting.

U.S. House panel seeks to advance bill to ban assault-style rifles

A Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday was set to advance a bill banning assault-style rifles such as those used in recent mass shootings, and another bill that would allow lawsuits against firearms manufacturers. The bill faces slim odds in the Senate, where it would need at least 10 Republicans allowing the measure to be brought up for debate. Republicans in the past have rejected similar bills, citing the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution dealing with the right to bear arms.

'The Supreme Court did us a favor: Democrats seize on abortion ruling as a midterm lifeline

Susie Lee, one of the U.S. Congress's most endangered Democrats, has spent this year fighting a tough re-election campaign in the face of soaring inflation and weighed down by President Joe Biden's dismal approval numbers. Then on June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court threw a potential lifeline to the Nevada congresswoman as she seeks a third term in this November's midterm elections: the justices ended federal abortion rights by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe-v-Wade decision.