Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Those efforts have ramped up in recent days and reflect a growing belief that Haley will not pull off an upset win in her home state of South Carolina, where former President Donald Trump holds a deep well of support. California braces for more heavy rain - and possibly tornadoes California is bracing for heavy rainstorms on Monday that forecasters said might produce tornadoes, a relatively rare phenomenon for a state that has experienced other forms of extreme weather recently.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden willing to meet with Republican US House speaker over Ukraine aid

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday said he is willing to meet with House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson to discuss a funding bill for Ukraine's war against Russia, saying that Republicans are making a mistake by opposing the aid package. The Senate in a bipartisan vote earlier this month passed a $95 billion aid package that includes funds for Ukraine, but Johnson so far has declined even to bring it up for a vote on the floor of the House, which Republicans control by a narrow 219-212 margin. He has been demanding a meeting with Biden.

US to soften tailpipe rules, slow EV transition through 2030

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is set to ease proposed yearly requirements through 2030 of its sweeping plan to aggressively cut tailpipe emissions and ramp up electric vehicle sales, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. Automakers and the United Auto Workers had urged the Biden administration to slow the proposed ramp-up in EV sales. They say EV technology is still too costly for many mainstream U.S. consumers and that more time is needed to develop the charging infrastructure.

Trump breaks silence on Navalny, casts no blame on Putin

Donald Trump, who drew criticism as U.S. president for his praise of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, on Monday made his first public comment on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a social media post that cast no blame but alluded to his own legal woes. "The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country," the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination wrote on his Truth Social platform, appearing to link the death to his own political troubles.

Hard hit by the US opioid crisis, Oregon reconsiders decriminalization

It's a common sight on the streets of downtown Portland, Oregon: people in front of stores, trendy restaurants and hotels, on sidewalks, corners, and benches, crouched over torch lighters held up to sheets of tinfoil or meth pipes. Some drape blankets over their heads, or duck behind concrete barriers. Others don’t try to hide.

Trump tells supporters his $355 million fraud fine is election interference

Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at the New York judge who ruled he must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders, telling thousands of supporters at a campaign rally the decision was an "election interference ploy." Addressing supporters for the first time since Justice Arthur Engoron on Friday hit him with massive financial penalties, Trump made the unsubstantiated claim that the judge was part of a "left wing" conspiracy aimed at stopping him from becoming president again.

What's at stake for Trump, Haley in South Carolina's primary

Donald Trump wants to make South Carolina the end of the road for Nikki Haley in their battle for the Republican nomination. Haley aims to survive and take their fight into the multistate Super Tuesday contest in March. Opinion polls show the former U.S. president with a clear advantage in South Carolina ahead of the state's primary on Saturday, despite the fact that Haley served as its governor for six years.

Reuters wins Polk Award for coverage of Elon Musk’s business empire

The staff of Reuters has received a George Polk Award for its coverage of how Elon Musk’s manufacturing operations harmed consumers, workers and laboratory animals. The prestigious Polk Awards, presented by Long Island University in the United States, honor special achievement in journalism, with a particular focus on investigative reporting in the public interest.

When the double brood of cicadas will come out - and what to expect

Parts of the United States are about to experience a rare natural phenomenon with the simultaneous emergence of two enormous adjacent broods of periodical cicadas. More than a trillion of these noisy bugs are set to pop out of the ground starting around April.

Nikki Haley allies, facing daunting odds, place last bets on 'Super Tuesday'

Backers of Nikki Haley's quest for the Republican presidential nomination are pouring money into states that hold early March nominating contests in a bid to keep her candidacy alive, regulatory filings and pro-Haley political operatives said. Those efforts have ramped up in recent days and reflect a growing belief that Haley will not pull off an upset win in her home state of South Carolina, where former President Donald Trump holds a deep well of support.

California braces for more heavy rain - and possibly tornadoes

California is bracing for heavy rainstorms on Monday that forecasters said might produce tornadoes, a relatively rare phenomenon for a state that has experienced other forms of extreme weather recently. Much of California faces flood risks, but experts said the state was unlikely to experience damage like that produced by an atmospheric river two weeks ago. That phenomenon dumped up to a year's worth of precipitation in some areas, knocked out power to nearly 1 million customers and killed nine people.