Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Speaking at a campaign event in Clinton, Iowa with the first Republican nominating contest little more than a week away, Trump called those jailed in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack "hostages" and said they had been mistreated by the Biden administration. Boeing checks hit paperwork snag; US investigators search for missing part Safety checks on some Boeing jets hit a snag over paperwork on Sunday, as U.S. authorities searched for a missing panel that blew off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet in midair on Friday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Michigan Republicans vote to oust embattled leader Karamo

A group of Michigan Republicans voted on Saturday to remove Kristina Karamo as state party chairperson after months of infighting and slow fundraising raised concerns her leadership would hurt the party's chances in the key swing state in 2024. Karamo, a former community college instructor and grassroots activist who was elevated to her post in February, has indicated she would not respect Saturday's vote, setting the stage for a potentially messy court battle over party leadership.

Epstein invoked 5th Amendment right to silence 600 times - court filings

The late financier Jeffrey Epstein invoked his constitutional right against incriminating himself about 600 times in testimony for a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse. Epstein's refusal to answer questions in Giuffre's lawsuit against his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was disclosed in a filing on Friday in Manhattan federal court, as part of a trove of documents being unsealed this month from the civil defamation case, which settled in 2017.

House Speaker Johnson invites Biden to give State of the Union address March 7

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson on Saturday invited President Joe Biden to give the State of the Union address on March 7. Johnson, a Republican, said in a letter to Biden, a Democrat, it was his duty to send the invite "in this moment of great challenge for our country." A copy of the letter was posted on X, the social media site.

Storm may not be wintry enough to end New York City's snow drought

New York City's historic, two-year snow drought may not come to an end this weekend, despite the arrival of a winter storm system that began passing through the most populous U.S. city and across the East Coast on Saturday. The city's 8.5 million residents have not seen more than 1 inch (2.54 cm) of snow fall in Manhattan's Central Park since Feb. 13, 2022, a record-long streak of 692 days.

Top US Congress Democrat, Republican reach spending deal, starting race to pass it

The top Democrat and Republican in the U.S. Congress on Sunday agreed on a $1.59 trillion spending deal, setting up a race for bitterly divided lawmakers to pass the bills that would appropriate the money before the government begins to shut down this month. Since early last year, House of Representatives and Senate appropriations committees had been unable to agree on the 12 annual bills needed to fund the government for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 because of disagreements over the total amount of money to be spent.

Top military officials were initially unaware of Austin's hospitalization -media

The number two at the U.S. Defense Department was not informed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized when she assumed some of his duties on Jan. 2, according to a report from CNN. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was not notified until two days later that Austin had been admitted on New Year's Day to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, CNN reported on Sunday citing two unidentified defense officials.

US appeals court prevents California from banning guns in most public places

A federal appeals court on Saturday allowed a judge's ruling that barred California from enforcing a new law that bans the carrying of guns in most public places on the grounds that it was unconstitutional to take effect. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved an order by a different 9th Circuit panel from a week earlier that suspended an injunction issued by a judge who concluded the Democratic-led state's law violated the right of citizens to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.

Trump, in Iowa, demands release of those jailed for 2021 Capitol attack

Donald Trump on Saturday downplayed his role in the siege of the U.S. Capitol on the third anniversary of the attack, arguing that those prosecuted for storming the building should be freed. Speaking at a campaign event in Clinton, Iowa with the first Republican nominating contest little more than a week away, Trump called those jailed in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack "hostages" and said they had been mistreated by the Biden administration.

Boeing checks hit paperwork snag; US investigators search for missing part

Safety checks on some Boeing jets hit a snag over paperwork on Sunday, as U.S. authorities searched for a missing panel that blew off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet in midair on Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel after the eight-week-old Alaska Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage.

Harris marks Jan. 6, calls on Black South Carolina voters to defend rights

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday marked the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol with remarks in South Carolina, where the state's Democratic primary will be held on Feb. 3. Harris spoke on the anniversary of the deadly attacks after Biden offered scathing criticism of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's actions that day in a speech near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, on Friday.