US Domestic News Roundup: Biden continues infrastructure tour with stop in New York City on Tuesday; Tyre Nichols' mother, stepfather to attend Biden State of the Union speech and more

The New York visit is the second of a three-part trip this week aimed at highlighting Biden's bipartisan success in securing money to invest in the nation's crumbling infrastructure at a time when congressional Republicans are threatening to block his economic agenda and shut down the government if he doesn't agree to spending cuts. Tyre Nichols' mother, stepfather to attend Biden State of the Union speech The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, the Black man who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers, have accepted an invitation to attend U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden continues infrastructure tour with stop in New York City on Tuesday

President Joe Biden on Tuesday will visit New York City to tout new infrastructure funding for a critical underwater tunnel that connects Manhattan and New Jersey, an effort that has been mired for more than a decade in partisan bickering and ballooning budgets. The New York visit is the second of a three-part trip this week aimed at highlighting Biden's bipartisan success in securing money to invest in the nation's crumbling infrastructure at a time when congressional Republicans are threatening to block his economic agenda and shut down the government if he doesn't agree to spending cuts.

Tyre Nichols' mother, stepfather to attend Biden State of the Union speech

The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, the Black man who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers, have accepted an invitation to attend U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February. Congressional Black Caucus executive director Vincent Evans tweeted on Sunday that the caucus chairman, U.S. Representative Steven Horsford, invited Nichols' parents to Washington for the State of the Union address, and that they have accepted the invitation.

N.Y. case against Trump over hush money to porn star goes to grand jury Monday

A grand jury is hearing evidence in New York over former President Donald Trump's role in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. A grand jury could lay the groundwork for possible criminal charges against the former president by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

U.S. airlines cancel over 1,000 flights over winter storm

More than 1,000 Monday flights into or out of the United States have been canceled due to a severe winter storm, with about half of those coming from Southwest Airlines Co. A total of 1,019 flights were canceled as of 6:00 pm ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.

Veterans of 2011 U.S. debt-ceiling fight see tougher battle ahead

A Democratic president. A new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives pushing for sharp spending cuts. A rapidly growing pile of debt - and a showdown that threatens to throw the global economy into turmoil. Sound familiar?

Judge says Texas Attorney General Paxton must face ethics lawsuit

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton must face an ethics lawsuit by state attorney regulators over a case he brought challenging results of the 2020 election, according to a court ruling posted on Monday. Judge Casey Blair on Friday denied Paxton's bid to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds. Blair said he was not ruling on the merits of the case.

Memphis fire department fires three employees in Tyre Nichols case

Three members of the Memphis Fire Department who responded to the fatal police confrontation with Tyre Nichols were dismissed on Monday after investigators found he was beaten and left handcuffed on the ground without medical attention for nearly 15 minutes. According to a fire department statement, emergency medical technicians Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge failed to assess Nichols' condition when they arrived, while fire Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker, who drove them to the scene, remained in her vehicle.

Boris Johnson to meet U.S. Republicans, push Ukraine aid

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet with Republican lawmakers this week as he presses the United States to sustain aid to Ukraine as it fights off Russia's assault. Johnson is scheduled to speak at a private Republican club in Washington on Tuesday evening, said Representative Joe Wilson, a member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also scheduled to meet with a group of Republican senators, said U.S. Senator Todd Young on Monday, though he said he was unaware of the exact timing of the talks.

U.S. to end COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11

President Joe Biden's administration on Monday said it will end COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11, nearly three years after the United States imposed sweeping pandemic measures to curb the spread of the illness. The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were put in place in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump. Biden has repeatedly extended the measures, which allow millions of Americans to receive free tests, vaccines and treatments.

Alec Baldwin, armorer to be charged over 'Rust' shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged on Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western "Rust" in 2021, a New Mexico prosecutor said. The charges follow 15 months of speculation whether District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies would find evidence Baldwin showed criminal disregard for safety when a revolver he was rehearsing with fired a live round that killed Hutchins.

(With inputs from agencies.)