US Domestic News Roundup: Pence must testify in Jan. 6 attack probe, judge rules -source; Adidas retracts opposition to Black Lives Matter three-stripe design and more

The head of the federal judiciary's administrative arm confirmed the change in a letter made public on Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has argued for broader ethics reforms at the Supreme Court. Biden to announce new funding to boost democracies as critics question effectiveness U.S. President Joe Biden will announce new funding to bolster democracies around the world on Wednesday amid criticism his administration has made little progress in advancing human rights and democracy as a focus of its foreign policy.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Pence must testify in Jan. 6 attack probe, judge rules -source

A federal judge has ruled that former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence must testify to a grand jury about conversations he had with former President Donald Trump leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a source familiar with the ruling said on Tuesday. In a ruling that remains under seal, the judge also said that Pence can still decline to answer questions related to Jan. 6, the source said, adding that Pence can still appeal the ruling. The appeal option is being evaluated, the source said.

Adidas retracts opposition to Black Lives Matter three-stripe design

Sportswear maker Adidas AG on Wednesday reversed course 48 hours after asking the U.S. Trademark Office to reject a Black Lives Matter application for a trademark featuring three parallel stripes. "Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's trademark application as soon as possible," the company said in a statement.

Trump hush-money grand jury unlikely to consider case again this week -source

The New York grand jury hearing evidence about former President Donald Trump's role in a hush-money payment to a porn star is not expected to meet on Wednesday and is unlikely to consider the case again this week, a law enforcement source said. It is unclear when the grand jury would take up the matter again, said the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss secret grand jury proceedings.

Conviction of 'Serial' podcast subject Adnan Syed reinstated by Maryland court

A Maryland appeals court on Tuesday reinstated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, who was found guilty of the 1999 killing of his former girlfriend in a case that drew attention after the podcast "Serial" raised doubts about his guilt. After an investigation identified problems with the case, a circuit court judge last year vacated Syed's conviction in the murder of Hae Min Lee and ordered his release. He had served more than 20 years in prison.

Early 2024 salvos foreshadow unpredictable Trump vs DeSantis fight

The battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has for months been seen as a two-man race: a fight between Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a rising national star long viewed as the only candidate capable of defeating the former Republican president. Yet missteps by DeSantis on foreign policy and a doubling down by Trump on politically violent rhetoric in recent days – the type of grievance politics that has alienated some previously loyal Trump supporters – has underscored the volatility of a race still in its earliest stages, party strategists and donors say.

Trump fails to narrow rape accuser's case as trial looms

A U.S. judge on Tuesday denied Donald Trump's bid to throw out E. Jean Carroll's defamation claim from next month's high-profile trial over whether Trump raped the former Elle magazine columnist in the mid-1990s. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan rejected Trump's claim that "absolute litigation privilege" immunized the former president for allegedly defaming Carroll last Oct. 12 on his Truth Social media platform by denying the rape occurred.

Seattle, feds ask for end to court-ordered supervision of city's police

The U.S. Justice Department and Seattle asked a federal judge on Tuesday to lift parts of a decade-long order mandating court oversight of the city's police department, saying the city has taken steps to address a prior pattern of police misconduct.

The Seattle Police Department should be relieved of some requirements of a federal consent decree after multiple years of compliance, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke told a news conference where she highlighted "significant progress" in the department's efforts to reduce its use of force.

Nashville school shooter had 'emotional disorder' and small arsenal, police say

The former student of a Christian grade school in Nashville who killed three 9-year-olds and three adults in a shooting spree there was under a doctor's care for an "emotional disorder" and had amassed a collection of guns, the city's police chief said on Tuesday. New details about assailant Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, emerged hours after police released harrowing video showing officers storming the Covenant School in the midst of Monday's rampage and conducting a room-to-room search before confronting and fatally shooting Hale.

US Supreme Court justices get tougher rules for reporting free trips, gifts

U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges must now provide greater public disclosure of any free trips, meals or gifts they receive under new regulations adopted at the urging of lawmakers and judicial transparency advocates. The head of the federal judiciary's administrative arm confirmed the change in a letter made public on Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has argued for broader ethics reforms at the Supreme Court.

Biden to announce new funding to boost democracies as critics question effectiveness

U.S. President Joe Biden will announce new funding to bolster democracies around the world on Wednesday amid criticism his administration has made little progress in advancing human rights and democracy as a focus of its foreign policy. Biden will announce $690 million to fight corruption, support free and fair elections and advance technogies that support democratic governments at a second White House-led Summit for Democracy, senior administration officials said on Tuesday. He announced over $400 million for similar programs in 2021 when he last held such an event.