US Domestic News Roundup: 'Cooling off' period to avert shutdown as U.S. rail deal heads for vote -source; New IRS funding means less snail mail, shorter waits for taxpayers - Yellen and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

'Cooling off' period to avert shutdown as U.S. rail deal heads for vote -source

U.S. railway parties have agreed to a cooling off period as standard part of the ratification process after reaching a tentative deal overnight, a move that would avert any shutdown in case unions fail to ratify it, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday. U.S. President Joe Biden called negotiators around 9 p.m. Wednesday night as talks continued in a move the source said was "crucial" as talks progressed for 20 hours into the night.

New IRS funding means less snail mail, shorter waits for taxpayers - Yellen

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday will announce stepped-up activity by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after getting a $79 billion funding boost over 10 years from legislation that President Joe Biden signed last month. Yellen is to make the announcement during remarks in a visit to an IRS facility at New Carrollton, Maryland.

Detroit highway to become boulevard to address wrongs to Black communities

A Detroit interstate highway whose construction devastated two historically Black neighborhoods will be turned into an urban boulevard - one of 26 major infrastructure projects that will be newly funded by the Biden administration. The U.S. Transportation Department has awarded $104.7 million to replace the one-mile I-375 freeway.

Immigrants land on Martha's Vineyard; Florida's DeSantis takes credit

A group of immigrants landed on the wealthy Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday, part of a campaign by Republican governors to shift the immigration burden to Democratic areas. Florida governor Ron DeSantis took credit for the arrival of two planes of immigrants, one spokeswoman told Fox News and a second said on Twitter, though a Massachusetts state representative said immigrants had arrived from Texas.

Moderates fleeing U.S. House, setting the stage for more Washington gridlock

Moderate members of the U.S. House of Representatives are leaving office at twice the rate of their more partisan peers this year, a Reuters analysis found, likely deepening Washington gridlock during President Joe Biden's next two years in office. The number of incumbent House members retiring or who lost a party nomination contest is at a three-decade high after a once-a-decade redistricting process that eliminated more than a dozen of the country's dwindling number of competitive districts.

Reactions to deal between U.S. railroads and unions

Major U.S. railroads and unions secured a tentative deal after 20 hours of intense talks brokered by the Biden administration to avert a rail shutdown that could have hit food and fuel supplies nationwide. Shares of Union Pacific Corp and CSX Corp were up about 3% before the bell.

U.S. Supreme Court risks its legitimacy by looking political, Justice Kagan says

The U.S. Supreme Court's legitimacy could be imperiled if Americans come to view its members as trying to impose personal preferences on society, liberal Justice Elena Kagan said on Wednesday in the wake of rulings powered by her conservative colleagues curtailing abortion access and widening gun rights. At an event at Northwestern University in Chicago, Kagan differed from conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who during a public appearance on Friday in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the court's legitimacy should not be questioned "simply because people disagree with an opinion."

U.S. railroad strike averted by tentative late-night deal

Major U.S. railroads and unions secured a tentative deal after 20 hours of intense talks brokered by the Biden administration to avert a rail shutdown that could have hit food and fuel supplies across the country and beyond. U.S. President Joe Biden announced the deal in a statement early on Thursday morning, calling it "a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America's families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years."

U.S. Senate to grill SEC's Gensler over climate, China and crypto

An aggressive regulator is critical to maintaining the United States as the "gold standard" for capital markets, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler will tell the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Thursday. Gensler will appear before the panel for its regular oversight duties, but the hearing comes at a time of Republican frustration over his agenda. They claim he has overstepped his authority with a broad assault on U.S. capital markets and adopted a hostile stance toward the financial industry.

Explainer-What election deniers could do in 2024 if they win U.S. November midterms

Several Republican candidates for governor and secretary of state in this November's congressional elections are election deniers in battleground states that play a decisive role in U.S. presidential elections. All back former President Donald Trump's false claims that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

(With inputs from agencies.)