Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP to reconsider a 2-1 ruling by a panel of judges holding that only the government and not private plaintiffs can pursue cases enforcing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Investor Griffin gave $5 million to pro-Haley group in January -source Hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin gave $5 million to an outside group supporting Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley this month, a person familiar with the donation said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Chita Rivera, 'West Side Story' Broadway star, dead at 91

Chita Rivera, the musical theater legend and multiple Tony winner who created the role of Puerto Rican firebrand Anita on Broadway in "West Side Story" and other memorable characters, has died at the age of 91. The petite, raven-haired dancer, singer and actress made history when she became the first Hispanic woman to receive a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 2002. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009.

US court will not revisit ruling limiting voting rights lawsuits

Civil rights activists on Tuesday failed to convince a federal appeals court to reconsider a ruling that could sharply curtail lawsuits enforcing a landmark voting rights law's protections against racial discrimination. The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP to reconsider a 2-1 ruling by a panel of judges holding that only the government and not private plaintiffs can pursue cases enforcing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Investor Griffin gave $5 million to pro-Haley group in January -source

Hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin gave $5 million to an outside group supporting Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley this month, a person familiar with the donation said on Tuesday. The support from Griffin, a Republican mega donor, may help Haley assuage concerns of running out of money after she lost the first two Republican nominating contests to runaway frontrunner Donald Trump and faces a steep path to clinching the party's presidential nomination ahead of the November election.

Exclusive-Hotelier Robert Bigelow gives Trump $1 million for legal fees

Hotelier Robert Bigelow told Reuters on Tuesday he gave Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump $1 million for his legal fees and agreed to donate another $20 million to a pro-Trump outside group for campaign purposes. "I gave him $1 million towards his legal fees a few weeks ago. I made a promise to give him $20 million more, that will be to the super PAC," the Nevada-based owner of Budget Suites of America said in an interview.

Extremist sentenced to 18 years for attack on Ohio church that planned drag events

A far-right extremist from Ohio was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for firebombing a church that planned to host two drag events, a court filing showed on Tuesday. Aimenn Penny, 20, was a member of White Lives Matter, Ohio, a group with racist, pro-Nazi and homophobic views, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Biden says he has decided how to respond to attack on US troops in Jordan

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he has made up his mind on how to respond to a drone attack that killed U.S. service members in Jordan, as he weighs punishing Iran-backed militias without triggering a wider war. Biden, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on a campaign trip to Florida, did not elaborate on his decision, which came after consultations with top advisers at the White House.

US Representative Cori Bush says Justice Dept probing her security spending

Democratic U.S. Representative Cori Bush said on Tuesday the Justice Department is probing her campaign's spending on security, adding that she is fully cooperating with the investigation. Bush, a member of the high-profile group of House progressives nicknamed "The Squad," said in a statement that she had faced threats even before she was sworn into office in January 2021 and had used campaign funds for security. She denied wrongdoing.

Alec Baldwin to be arraigned this week for 'Rust' movie-set shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin will be arraigned on Thursday in New Mexico after he was charged again with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the film "Rust," officials said on Tuesday. A spokesperson for New Mexico's court system said in an email that Baldwin's arraignment in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe would be a virtual proceeding.

Biden to meet with UAW workers in Michigan on Thursday

U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Michigan on Thursday to meet with United Auto Workers members at an event at a Detroit-area union hall, a campaign official told Reuters. The trip to the battleground state comes a week after the UAW endorsed Biden's reelection, with union president Shawn Fain delivering a fiery speech in Washington that was also harshly critical of Republican former president and likely Biden election rival Donald Trump.

NYC Council overrides mayor's vetoes of solitary confinement ban, policing bill

The New York City Council voted on Tuesday to override Mayor Eric Adams' vetoes of two bills it passed last month, one banning solitary confinement in city jails, the other requiring police to record lower-level investigative stops of civilians. In passing the bills with veto-proof majorities in December, lawmakers called solitary confinement cruel and torturous, and said it leads to heightened risks of injury or death for people in custody.