Reuters US Domestic News Summary

In a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo dated July 28, Schumer and a half-dozen other senators from both parties described the "growing threat" posed by Chinese semiconductor manufacturers like YMTC to national security and U.S. chip companies. Militia member given longest prison sentence for U.S. Capitol attack An associate of the far-right Three Percenters militia was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Monday for joining a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and later threatening to harm his children if they informed on him to the FBI.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California forest fire kills 2, rainfall helps fight flames

Two bodies were found inside a burned-out car in the path of a huge northern California forest fire raging near the Oregon border, authorities said on Monday, as crews battling the flames for a fourth day took advantage of rainfall sweeping the area. Since erupting on Friday, the fast-moving McKinney Fire https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fast-moving-wildfire-northern-california-forces-residents-evacuate-2022-07-31 has forced some 2,000 residents to flee while destroying homes and critical infrastructure, mostly in Siskiyou County, home to the Klamath National Forest, according to a statement from Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday.

Alex Jones derailed Sandy Hook parents' grieving, therapist for victim's family says

A psychotherapist for parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting told a Texas jury on Monday the false claims of U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones about it caused them overwhelming grief and set back their treatment for years. Jones, founder of the Infowars radio show and webcast, is on trial to determine how much he must pay for spreading falsehoods about the killing of 20 children and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012.

'VIP trips' cost migrants their lives in Texas smuggling tragedy

At first, Mexican migrants Pablo Ortega and Julio Lopez enjoyed the smuggling equivalent of a first-class ticket to the United States: complimentary beers, safe houses with video games, even a week at a hunting ranch. Both had borrowed thousands of dollars and paid extra to secure what smugglers promised would be a comfortable trip avoiding the worst dangers of illegal border crossings.

In Missouri Senate race with two Erics, Trump endorses Eric

Former President Donald Trump had promised to weigh in on the Republican nomination for the Missouri Senate race, hotly contested between Eric Greitens, former state governor, and Eric Schmitt, the State Attorney General. On Monday, the eve of the primary, Trump stunned political watchers by issuing a highly unusual statement simply endorsing "Eric," suggesting he was hedging his bets between the two candidates.

U.S. senators Schumer, Warner join calls to blacklist Chinese chipmaker YMTC

Top Democrats including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer have joined an effort to place China's fast-growing chip manufacturer, Yangtze Memory Technologies Company (YMTC), on a U.S. trade blacklist. In a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo dated July 28, Schumer and a half-dozen other senators from both parties described the "growing threat" posed by Chinese semiconductor manufacturers like YMTC to national security and U.S. chip companies.

Militia member given longest prison sentence for U.S. Capitol attack

An associate of the far-right Three Percenters militia was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Monday for joining a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and later threatening to harm his children if they informed on him to the FBI. Guy Reffitt, of Wylie, Texas, was convicted by a jury in March of five felony charges, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding.

Michigan court allows county prosecutors to enforce 1931 abortion ban

A Michigan court on Monday ruled that county prosecutors can enforce an abortion ban that has been on the books since 1931, exempting them from a different court's ruling that blocked state officials from enforcing the law. The decision by the three-judge Court of Appeals panel marks a victory for anti-abortion county prosecutors in Michigan, who have sought to enforce the ban after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case and enabled states to outlaw abortion.

Kentucky floods kill at least 37 as more storms forecast

Floods unleashed by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky have killed at least 37 people, including four children, Governor Andy Beshear said on Monday while warning that more dangerous weather is approaching the region. Beshear on Monday morning confirmed 30 deaths, followed by five more in an afternoon briefing, when he said there would be yet more to come. Hours later he confirmed on Twitter there had been two more deaths.

U.S. Senate Democrats hope for green light on $430 billion climate, drug bill

U.S. Senate Democrats on Monday were awaiting a ruling from the a chamber referee this week on whether they can override the legislature's normal rules to pass a $430 billion drugs, energy and tax bill despite Republican objections. The decision by the referee, officially known as the "parliamentarian," will have a profound impact on President Joe Biden's domestic agenda heading into the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Republicans are favored to win back control of the House of Representatives and perhaps the Senate amid voter discontent over inflation.

Biden feels good as he continues to test positive for COVID - White House

U.S. President Joe Biden feels good and is looking forward to getting back on the road as he continues to test positive for COVID-19 and maintains isolation procedures, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday. "He's feeling fine," Jean-Pierre told reporters at a White House briefing.

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