Reuters US Domestic News Summary

In Nov. 18 letters to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and other top administration officials, 19 Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee said they need testimony on issues including border security, school board threats and claims of bias within the FBI and Justice Department. Snowstorm batters western New York, restricting travel ahead of Thanksgiving Snowfall of more than 6 feet in western New York state prompted local officials on Saturday to further restrict road travel and forced airlines to cancel flights in the Buffalo area, just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday week.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Republicans identify 42 Biden administration officials they want to testify

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday identified 42 employees from Democratic President Joe Biden's White House and administration, who they expect to testify next year after their party takes control of the chamber. In Nov. 18 letters to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and other top administration officials, 19 Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee said they need testimony on issues including border security, school board threats and claims of bias within the FBI and Justice Department.

Snowstorm batters western New York, restricting travel ahead of Thanksgiving

Snowfall of more than 6 feet in western New York state prompted local officials on Saturday to further restrict road travel and forced airlines to cancel flights in the Buffalo area, just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday week. New York Governor Kathy Hochul called in the National Guard, deploying about 150 members to help with snow removal and resident needs in the hardest-hit parts of Erie County.

Report of second major U.S. Supreme Court leak draws calls for probe

A New York Times report of a former anti-abortion leader's claim that he was told in advance about the outcome of a major 2014 U.S. Supreme Court case involving contraceptives triggered calls on Saturday for an investigation of a court still reeling from the leak of a landmark abortion rights ruling. Rev. Rob Schenck was quoted by The Times as saying he was informed weeks before the public announcement of the 2014 ruling shortly after two conservative allies had dinner at the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife.

Former U.S. President Trump to make statement on Friday evening

Donald Trump said he will make a statement at 2030 ET on Friday (0130GMT) after the U.S. Justice Department named a special counsel to oversee its investigations into the former president's handling of sensitive documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Anti-abortion groups ask U.S. court to pull approval for abortion drugs

Anti-abortion groups on Friday filed a lawsuit asking a court to overturn U.S. regulators' approval of the drug mifepristone for medication abortion, which could hobble access to medication abortion nationwide. The lawsuit, filed in Amarillo, Texas, federal court by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lacked authority to approve the drug for abortion when it did so in 2000 and that it failed to study its risks for minors adequately.

Biden granddaughter Naomi married in White House wedding

Naomi Biden, the granddaughter of U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, was married on Saturday in what was the 19th time in history the White House has been used for a wedding. The bride, 28, is a lawyer who has been living at the White House with the groom, Peter Neal, 25, a recent law school graduate who hails from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He is currently working at the Georgetown University Law Center on National Security. They met in 2018.

Rising star Hakeem Jeffries announces bid to lead U.S. House Democrats

U.S. congressman Hakeem Jeffries on Friday formally launched a bid to become the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she was giving up her leadership role. If he wins the Nov. 30 House Democratic leadership election, Jeffries would become the first Black lawmaker to head a party caucus in Congress. Jeffries, at age 52 three decades younger than Pelosi, would embody not only the party's diverse voter base but also a new generation of leadership in the House.

U.S. Justice Dept. names war crimes expert as special counsel for Trump probes

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday named Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor, to serve as special counsel to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Donald Trump including the former president's handling of sensitive documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Garland's announcement came three days after Trump, a Republican, announced he would run for president again in 2024. Garland said Trump's candidacy, as well as Democratic President Biden's stated intention to run for re-election, made the appointment of a special counsel necessary.

Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for Theranos fraud

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to 11 years and three months in prison for defrauding investors in her now-defunct blood-testing startup that was once valued at $9 billion. In San Jose, California, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentenced Holmes, 38, on three counts of investor fraud and one count of conspiracy after a jury convicted her last January following a trial spanning three months. The prosecution had recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison, while the defense had urged the judge to impose no prison time.

Republican firebrand Boebert wins House re-election after Democrat concedes

U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert, the polarizing Republican who gained national notoriety during her first term with her combative brand of politics, won re-election in a surprisingly close race after her Democratic opponent conceded on Friday. Adam Frisch, a businessman and former city councilman in Aspen, Colorado, said he had called Boebert and conceded the contest, which appears destined for an automatic recount with Boebert leading by fewer than 600 votes out of more than 325,000 cast in the Nov. 8 midterm election.