Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Denise George, the territory's attorney general, on Wednesday said the estate will pay $105 million in cash plus half the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, a private island where Epstein lived and allegedly conducted many crimes. Some U.S. air marshals plan to refuse deployment to U.S.-Mexico border More than a dozen U.S. air marshals plan to refuse deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a group representing them, a sign of challenges facing U.S. President Joe Biden's administration as it grapples with record migrant crossings.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden nominee to be ambassador to Russia pledges to prioritize prisoner release

President Joe Biden's nominee to be ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, pledged on Wednesday to make the release of detained Americans a priority if she is confirmed to one of most important, and challenging, U.S. diplomatic posts. "The plight of U.S. citizens detained in Russia will be a top priority for me," Tracy said during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which took place as Washington supplies weapons and other support for Ukraine as it battles Russia's nine-month-long invasion.

Biden to fete Macron with Maine lobster, California sparkling wine

From Maine lobster to California wines, President Joe Biden will showcase the flavors of America at a state dinner on Thursday for French President Emmanuel Macron. Biden and his wife, Jill, and Macron and his wife, Brigitte, are to gather with their guests in a pavilion set up on the South Lawn of the White House for the centerpiece event of the first state visit hosted by Biden since he took office in early 2021.

U.S. House backs legislation to block rail strike

A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday backed a bill to block a potentially crippling rail strike, but the fate of a separate proposal by lawmakers to mandate paid sick time remains uncertain. With voting ongoing, more than 250 members of the House that with 432 current members had voted in favor of imposing a tentative contract deal reached in September on a dozen unions representing 115,000 workers after President Joe Biden warned of the catastrophic impact of a rail stoppage that could begin as early as Dec. 9. A separate vote is planned later Wednesday on whether to require seven days of paid sick leave.

Jeffrey Epstein estate reaches nine-figure settlement with U.S. Virgin Islands

Jeffrey Epstein's estate has reached a nine-figure settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle claims the disgraced late financier used the territory as a base for his decades-long sex-trafficking operation. Denise George, the territory's attorney general, on Wednesday said the estate will pay $105 million in cash plus half the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, a private island where Epstein lived and allegedly conducted many crimes.

Some U.S. air marshals plan to refuse deployment to U.S.-Mexico border

More than a dozen U.S. air marshals plan to refuse deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a group representing them, a sign of challenges facing U.S. President Joe Biden's administration as it grapples with record migrant crossings. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sought volunteers from the Federal Air Marshal Service to travel to the southwest border, but when fewer than 150 signed up in October, some were assigned, said Sonya LaBosco, executive director of the Air Marshal National Council.

U.S. Capitol riot sedition prosecutions won't get easier, experts say

Prosecutors secured a victory when two key figures in last year's U.S. Capitol attack were convicted of seditious conspiracy. But the acquittal of three co-defendants on this rarely used criminal charge shows that challenges remain for the Justice Department, according to legal experts. A jury in Washington found Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia group, and Kelly Meggs, the group's Florida chapter leader, guilty, determining that they plotted to use force to block Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over Republican then-President Trump.

U.S. Rep. Cicilline runs for spot in Democratic leadership, seeking LGBTQ representation

U.S. Representative David Cicilline, a leading voice in Congress for gay rights, on Wednesday mounted a run for a Democratic leadership job, challenging Representative James Clyburn, a civil rights activist. The liberal Cicilline, 61, is seeking the job of assistant Democratic leader in the new Congress that begins on Jan. 3. He currently chairs the "LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus."

U.S. deeply concerned about Whelan, American jailed in Russia -White House

The United States is "deeply concerned" about detained American Paul Whelan in Russia, and has not been able to get information from Moscow on his whereabouts or condition, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. Kirby addressed the issue after Whelan's family said this week they had not heard from Paul Whelan, a former Marine, since Nov. 23, but had gotten reports he had been moved to the prison hospital.

U.S. to boost spending on tribal lands, protect Nevada sacred site

The Biden administration will give Native American tribes more say in managing federal and tribal lands as part of a plan that includes assistance for tribes whose land has been harmed by climate change, the White House said on Wednesday. President Joe Biden and other Cabinet officials announced the measures at a two-day Tribal Nations Summit, with additional steps focused on providing better access to capital for tribal nations.

Threat environment in U.S. to remain heightened in coming months, government says

The threat environment in the United States will remain heightened in coming months, with lone offenders and groups motivated by a range of ideologies posing a danger, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday. Threat actors could exploit several upcoming events to justify or commit acts of violence, including certifications related to the midterm elections, the holiday season and associated large gatherings and the marking of two years since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the DHS said in a bulletin.

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