Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The incident marked the latest in a string of "swatting" attacks nationally in which individuals have falsely reported crimes in progress to trigger emergency responses by police and get them to respond to particular locations. Florida Republicans replace party chairman under rape investigation Florida's Republican Party on Monday ousted their chairman as police investigate a rape accusation against him, switching leaders a week before Governor Ron DeSantis faces his first test in his quest for the GOP presidential nomination.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden denounces 'poison' of white supremacy in South Carolina Black church

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday denounced white supremacy and political violence in a direct message to Black voters during a visit to South Carolina aimed at shoring up a critical constituency whose support has waned since he took office. Biden spoke from the pulpit of the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, where avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof gunned down nine Black parishioners in 2015.

LaPierre turned NRA into 'Wayne's World,' NY lawyer says at graft trial

Wayne LaPierre ran the National Rifle Association (NRA) as "Wayne's World" for decades, a lawyer for New York state said at the start of the gun rights group's corruption trial, three days after LaPierre suddenly resigned as chief executive. New York Attorney General Letitia James had sued the NRA and its longtime leader in August 2020, saying the group diverted millions of dollars to fund luxuries for top officials, including travel expenses for LaPierre to several resorts.

Gloves off, mittens on as Trump rivals go on attack in snowy Iowa

With just one week to go before the first contest of the Republican presidential nominating process, the top three contenders are intensifying attacks on one another as they bid to be the one who takes on President Joe Biden in November's election. For much of the campaign, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley shied away from criticizing the clear frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, unless prompted by an audience question.

California sets special primary for McCarthy's US House seat on March 19

California will hold the special primary election for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's recently vacated congressional seat on March 19, according to the secretary of state website. Unlike in most states, where primaries are divided by political party, all of the declared candidates in a California jurisdiction are put against each other in the primary.

United finds loose bolts on several 737 MAX planes, raising pressure on Boeing

Boeing's latest 737 MAX crisis deepened on Monday after United Airlines said it had found loose bolts on multiple grounded MAX 9 aircraft, raising new concerns among industry experts about how its best-selling jet family is manufactured. U.S. regulators grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9 aircraft after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane flight not long after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport on Friday, forcing pilots to scramble to land the plane safely.

Explosion in Fort Worth, Texas, injures 11 people

Eleven people were injured on Monday following an explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, local emergency services said. Video images from the scene showed rubble in a Fort Worth street between two buildings and first responders on the scene.

US judge in Trump's election case subject of apparent 'swatting' incident

Police responded on Sunday night to an apparent "swatting" call falsely reporting a shooting at the home of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge presiding over the criminal case charging former President Donald Trump with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The incident marked the latest in a string of "swatting" attacks nationally in which individuals have falsely reported crimes in progress to trigger emergency responses by police and get them to respond to particular locations.

Florida Republicans replace party chairman under rape investigation

Florida's Republican Party on Monday ousted their chairman as police investigate a rape accusation against him, switching leaders a week before Governor Ron DeSantis faces his first test in his quest for the GOP presidential nomination. The Florida GOP said in a post on X that it elected Evan Power as its chair. Power, who had served as vice chairman, will replace Christian Ziegler, who was accused in October of raping a woman with whom he and his wife had previously had a sexual encounter, according to a search warrant issued by a Florida Circuit Court in Sarasota.

Biden defends Pentagon chief Austin after hospitalization furor

U.S. President Joe Biden does not plan to fire Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after his failure to disclose his hospitalization last week, officials said on Monday, as the Pentagon revealed a second hospital stay that was kept from the White House. Biden's administration attempted to quiet a political furor that has erupted following revelations over the past several days that Biden did not know his defense secretary was in the hospital for several days, although Austin's role means that he is supposed to be available at a moment's notice in the case of a national security emergency.

Moon lander problem threatens mission after Vulcan rocket makes successful debut

A robotic lander built by a private company suffered a propulsion system issue on its way to the moon on Monday, upending the first U.S. soft lunar landing attempt in over 50 years as mission managers scrambled to fix its position in space. Space robotics firm Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander had launched successfully to space at 2:18 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).