Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Jury finds Alex Jones must pay $4.1 million for Sandy Hook hoax claims

U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre at least $4.1 million for falsely claiming the shooting was a hoax, a Texas jury said on Thursday. The verdict followed a two-week trial in Austin, Texas, where Jones's radio show and webcast Infowars are based.

Police report shots fired at Mall of America, no victim located

A suspect fled after firing shots at Minnesota's Mall of America, one of the largest shopping centers in the United States, forcing a lockdown Thursday, police said. "We have secured the scene at the Mall of America and can confirm that shots were fired," police in Bloomington, Minnesota, tweeted Thursday evening. Police added that no victim had been located and the suspect fled on foot.

U.S. charges four Kentucky police officers in Breonna Taylor killing

U.S. prosecutors on Thursday charged four current and former Louisville, Kentucky, police officers for their roles in the botched 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was in her home, in a case that sparked nationwide protests.

The charges represented the Justice Department's latest effort to crack down on abuses and racial disparities in policing, following a wave of controversial police killings of Black Americans.

U.S. declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency

The United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, the health secretary said on Thursday, a move expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease. The U.S. tally topped 6,600 on Wednesday, almost all of the cases among men who have sex with men.

U.S. Senate to take up $430 billion drug, energy bill in Saturday session-Schumer

The U.S. Senate will convene on Saturday as Democrats seek to push through a $430 billion drug pricing, energy and tax bill over Republican objections, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. Schumer said the chamber would convene at noon to vote on a motion to proceed and then begin debate on the bill.

Former Puerto Rican Governor Vazquez arrested for accepting political favors

U.S. authorities on Thursday announced criminal charges against former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez, who was in office from 2019 to 2021, for alleged corruption during her 2020 election campaign. The former governor is charged with conspiracy, federal programs bribery and honest services wire fraud, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.

White House: Biden to remain in isolation until he tests negative for COVID

President Joe Biden will remain in isolation until he tests negative for COVID-19, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday. She also said it would be up to Biden's physician, Kevin O'Connor, to decide whether two negative tests were needed to end his isolation.

DeSantis suspends Florida prosecutor for refusing to enforce abortion law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended an elected state attorney without pay, accusing him of neglecting his duties and incompetence for saying he would not prosecute anyone who sought or provided abortions. DeSantis, a Republican who has been courting conservatives as part of an expected presidential bid in 2024, also took issue with Democrat Andrew Warren's stance that he would not enforce laws restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

'Foul play' suspected after four people found dead in Nebraska town

Four people were found dead early on Thursday morning at two separate residences in the small Nebraska farming town of Laurel when police responded to reports of explosions and fires at the homes, authorities said. When local police and fire departments arrived at the first residence, they found the first victim. A short time later, a second fire was reported at a home several blocks away, and three more victims were found there.

One and done? Some Democrats say Biden should not seek second term

A few Democrats in the U.S. Congress have begun to voice what many have mulled privately: whether President Joe Biden, the oldest person to ever occupy the Oval Office, ought to choose retirement over re-election in 2024. With his approval rating at 38% - and having held below 50% since May - the 79-year-old Biden has been damaged by bruising inflation and voter worries that he will not be able to meet the demands of the presidency in 2025. Last November, the White House said Biden plans to run again in 2024.