Reuters US Domestic News Summary

In the late Friday filing, Trump argued that prosecutors want the trial held "in darkness" as part of what he claims is a politically motivated effort by President Joe Biden's administration to undermine his bid for re-election next year. US House Speaker Johnson unveils a two-step stopgap bill - media U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday announced a two-step temporary funding measure aimed at averting a partial government shutdown a week from now, U.S. media reported.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Post-strike Hollywood rushes to get film, TV sets humming

Hours before the Hollywood actors’ strike officially ended, Beth Goodnight’s phone began ringing with opportunity. The head of a Hollywood construction company and prop shop that bears her name dispatched two project managers to begin bidding for work. By the end of Wednesday, they had crunched numbers on seven projects, including a Super Bowl commercial, a television show, a large event and smaller pieces that add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Trump backs requests for TV coverage of his federal criminal trial - court filing

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a legal motion backing media requests for live television coverage of his federal trial on charges he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. In the late Friday filing, Trump argued that prosecutors want the trial held "in darkness" as part of what he claims is a politically motivated effort by President Joe Biden's administration to undermine his bid for re-election next year.

US House Speaker Johnson unveils a two-step stopgap bill - media

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday announced a two-step temporary funding measure aimed at averting a partial government shutdown a week from now, U.S. media reported. The measure employs an unorthodox structure that would provide funding for some segments of the federal government until Jan. 19 and for other agencies until Feb. 2, according to media reports. It was unlikely to win support from Democrats or the White House.

In very rare move, Pope dismisses conservative US bishop Strickland

Pope Francis has dismissed Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, one of his fiercest critics among U.S. Roman Catholic conservatives, a Vatican statement said on Saturday. It is very rare for a bishop to be relieved of his duties outright. Usually bishops in trouble with the Vatican are asked to resign before submitting a resignation, which the pope accepts.

US Air Force's new B-21 Raider "flying wing" bomber takes first flight - Reuters witness

The U.S. Air Force's B-21 "Raider" bomber shaped like a flying wing took its first flight on Friday, the next step in rolling out a new fleet of long-range nuclear-capable stealth bombers built by Northrop Grumman, according to a Reuters witness. The B-21 left Northrop's facility at the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, at sunrise on Friday offering the first unscripted look at the new bomber which has been developed under strict security.

Biden's infrastructure law has begun 40,000 projects. Will it help him in 2024?

Two years after President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, his administration has launched 40,000 projects aimed at rebuilding America, according to his infrastructure czar, Mitch Landrieu. The White House wants Biden to gain maximum credit for the projects to help him in his fight for re-election, with a year to go until Election Day.

Trump plans sweeping undocumented immigrant roundups, detention camps - report

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, if re-elected in 2024, would expand his first-term immigration crackdown to include sweeping roundups of people who would be held in large camps to await deportation, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The report was based on interviews with several advisers, including Stephen Miller, who oversaw Trump's first-term immigration policies, the Times said.

Biden registers for South Carolina primary, seen as first test of re-election strength

U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign on Friday formally filed paperwork for the South Carolina Democratic primary, the party's first official clash and an early enthusiasm test for a president dogged by a rash of recent polls that show declining support among Black voters. The state's Feb. 3 primary will represent the first time Biden faces a contested election since 2020, squaring off against long shots Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and self-help guru Marianne Williamson.

US House Speaker Johnson floats two-step measure to avert gov't shutdown

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a Republican stopgap spending measure on Saturday aimed at averting a government shutdown a week from now, but the measure quickly ran into opposition from lawmakers from both parties in Congress. Unlike ordinary continuing resolutions, or "CRs," that fund federal agencies for a specific period, the measure announced by Johnson would fund some parts of the government until Jan. 19 and others until Feb. 2. House Republicans hope to pass the measure on Tuesday.

Unpublished study finds elevated cancer rates at US military base

Cancer and mortality studies conducted by a U.S. health agency have found elevated cancer rates in military and civilian personnel who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune, a major American military base, an epidemiologist familiar with the research says. A report on the findings was submitted in April, but the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has yet to release it, angering people who say they got sick drinking tainted water at the Marine base near Jacksonville, N.C., from 1953 through 1987.