US Domestic News Roundup: DeSantis defends migrant flights in trip to US-Mexico border; Pence attacks Trump as he challenges his ex-boss in 2024 White House race and more

Pence issued his most forceful condemnation to date of Trump's role in the attack of Jan. 6, 2021, when the then-president's supporters stormed the U.S. Congress to try to stop lawmakers from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's election victory. New York City sues counties refusing to house migrants New York City filed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing more than 30 New York counties of violating state law by moving to block the city from relocating hundreds of migrants.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

DeSantis defends migrant flights in trip to US-Mexico border

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended flying planeloads of migrants across the country during a trip to the U.S. southern border on Wednesday, as he looks to make hardline immigration policies a central tenet of his 2024 presidential bid. The Republican candidate's stop in Arizona came a day after the state of Florida acknowledged it had overseen two chartered flights of migrants from Texas to Sacramento, California, last week, drawing sharp rebukes from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials.

Pence attacks Trump as he challenges his ex-boss in 2024 White House race

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who loyally served Donald Trump for four years, on Wednesday blasted his former boss for the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol as he launched his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Pence issued his most forceful condemnation to date of Trump's role in the attack of Jan. 6, 2021, when the then-president's supporters stormed the U.S. Congress to try to stop lawmakers from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.

New York City sues counties refusing to house migrants

New York City filed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing more than 30 New York counties of violating state law by moving to block the city from relocating hundreds of migrants. The lawsuit filed in state court in Manhattan says the counties, which stretch from the city's northern suburbs to Niagara Falls on the U.S. border with Canada, are interfering with the city's right to contract with hotels located elsewhere in the state to temporarily house migrants.

House Republicans cancel vote to hold FBI director in contempt

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have abandoned plans for a vote on Thursday to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress over agency documents related to an alleged "criminal bribery scheme" involving President Joe Biden. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee had been set to vote over accusations that Wray and his agency refused to provide an unclassified document being sought by the panel's Republicans.

U.S. East Coast blanketed in veil of smoke from Canadian fires

Schools across the U.S. East Coast canceled outdoor activities, airline traffic slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in thick, yellow haze. The U.S. National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire Atlantic seaboard. Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina and as far west as Ohio and Kansas warned residents that spending time outdoors could cause respiratory problems due to high levels of fine particulates in the atmosphere.

Former JPMorgan executive Staley rejects bank's Jeffrey Epstein accusations

The former JPMorgan Chase & Co executive accused of shepherding the bank's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein formally denied involvement in the disgraced financier's sex trafficking, and blamed JPMorgan for keeping him as a client. In Wednesday night filings in Manhattan federal court, Jes Staley said his dealings with Epstein were not the "proximate cause" of any damages JPMorgan might incur in two lawsuits it faces over its work with Epstein, a client from 1998 to 2013.

Biden to host thousands at White House Pride party

President Joe Biden will host the largest White House Pride Month celebration in history on Thursday, in a deliberate contrast to a cascade of Republican legislation and other attacks targeting LGBTQ+ people. Biden, a Democrat, will host thousands of people on the White House's South Lawn for an evening celebration of LGBTQ+ families that will feature singer Betty Who and Baltimore DJ Queen HD.

Conservative revolt puts US House on pause until next week

The U.S. House of Representatives will postpone all votes until next week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Wednesday, as a conservative revolt paralyzed the Republican Party's efforts to advance its agenda in Washington. The standoff between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a hardline faction of his own Republican majority has forced the chamber into a holding pattern that looks likely to persist until at least Monday.

Trump lawyers notified that he is the target of classified documents probe

Federal prosecutors have notified former U.S. President Donald Trump's attorneys he is the target of an investigation into his handling of classified materials, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, adding to his legal troubles as he campaigns for the White House in 2024. The Justice Department typically notifies people when they become targets of an investigation to give them an opportunity to present their own evidence before a grand jury. The notification does not necessarily mean Trump will be charged.

Trial opens for former Florida deputy in Parkland school shooting

A Florida prosecutor and a defense attorney traded opening arguments on Wednesday at the trial of a former sheriff's deputy accused of failing to protect students during the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Scot Peterson was on duty as a school resource officer when a gunman entered a building in Feb. 14, 2018 and opened fire, killing 17 and wounding another 17. Peterson never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video.