US Domestic News Roundup: Rihanna to perform at Super Bowl halftime show in Arizona; U.S. announces $457.5 million in civilian aid for Ukraine and more

An Arizona judge ruled on Friday that a 1901 ban on nearly all abortions in the state can be enforced after being blocked for about 50 years. Alabama activists press voting rights in U.S. Supreme Court showdown When Evan Milligan, a voting rights activist and organizer, scans his hometown of Montgomery, the capital of the state of Alabama, he sees a tale of two cities.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Rihanna to perform at Super Bowl halftime show in Arizona

Rihanna will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in February in Glendale, Arizona, the National Football League announced on Sunday. The Grammy-winning Barbadian singer is filling one of the most coveted slots in the U.S. music calendar, watched by millions of television viewers annually. Previous halftime performers have included Michael Jackson, Prince, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Lady Gaga, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and the Who.

U.S. announces $457.5 million in civilian aid for Ukraine

The United States will provide $457.5 million in new civilian security aid for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday. The aid is designed to help Ukrainian law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, the statement said.

NASA's asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft nears planned impact with its target

Ten months after launch, NASA's asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft neared a planned impact with its target on Monday in a test of the world's first planetary defense system, designed to prevent a doomsday collision with Earth. The cube-shaped "impactor" vehicle, roughly the size of a vending machine with two rectangular solar arrays, was on course to fly into the asteroid Dimorphos, about as large as a football stadium, and self-destruct around 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) some 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth.

U.S. farmers urge Washington to challenge Mexico's looming ban on GM corn

Farmers in the United States are urging their government to challenge a looming Mexican ban on genetically modified (GM) corn under a regional free trade agreement, warning of billions of dollars of economic damage to both countries. A late 2020 decree by Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador would phase out GM corn and the herbicide glyphosate by 2024. Supporters of the ban say GM seeds can contaminate Mexico's age-old native varieties, and point to research showing adverse effects of glyphosate.

Criminal referrals in Jan. 6 attack probe weighed: Rep. Schiff

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, a Democratic member of the special panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, on Sunday said he likely would support approving criminal referrals against those involved in the violence, but that it would take a unanimous decision by its nine members. The committee has focused much of its year-long investigation on the actions of then-President Donald Trump and his associates in the aftermath of the November 2020 presidential election culminating with the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

Democratic ex-cop Demings closes in on Republican Rubio in Florida

Democratic U.S. Representative Val Demings enters the final weeks of her campaign to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio in a stronger position than many observers had expected in conservative-leaning Florida. Demings, a former Orlando police chief, is the underdog against Rubio, who is seeking his third six-year term in the Senate and ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 Republican U.S. presidential nomination. But recent polls show Demings pulling close to Rubio ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm election, even as the state's Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, maintains a wide lead over Democratic challenger Charlie Crist.

U.S. EPA launches environmental justice office

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday launched a new office that will be focused on the needs of minority communities overburdened by pollution and oversee the delivery of $3 billion in environmental justice grants created by the recent passage of new climate legislation. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, which will be staffed by 200 EPA employees and led by a not-yet-announced Senate-confirmed assistant administrator.

Arizona abortion ruling will set women back 'more than a century,' White House says

Friday's ruling allowing Arizona to enforce a ban on nearly all abortions, if allowed to stand, will result in "catastrophic, dangerous, and unacceptable" consequences for women, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Saturday. An Arizona judge ruled on Friday that a 1901 ban on nearly all abortions in the state can be enforced after being blocked for about 50 years.

Alabama activists press voting rights in U.S. Supreme Court showdown

When Evan Milligan, a voting rights activist and organizer, scans his hometown of Montgomery, the capital of the state of Alabama, he sees a tale of two cities. On one side of Montgomery, Black voters like him have been placed in the only one of Alabama's seven U.S. House of Representatives districts where they represent the majority. On the other side, the city's remaining Black voters reside in a different House district where they are vastly outnumbered by white voters.

(With inputs from agencies.)