US Domestic News Roundup: Trump breaks silence on Navalny, casts no blame on Putin; Biden willing to meet with Republican US House speaker over Ukraine aid and more

While rocket motors themselves are relatively inexpensive, they play a vital role in propelling billions of dollars of missiles and rockets on order to supply the war efforts in Ukraine and Israel, and to re-stock dwindling U.S. inventories. Biden campaign, Democrats rake in $42 million in January fundraising U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign and his Democratic Party allies raised more than $42 million in January and have $130 million cash-on-hand as they prepare for a likely general election contest against Republican Donald Trump.

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.

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.

Exclusive-Biden administration to approve E15 gasoline expansion starting in 2025, sources say

The White House will approve a request from a group of Midwest governors to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol, but will push the start date into next year, two sources familiar with discussions said. The decision will likely be bittersweet for the biofuel industry, which wants to expand sales of corn-based ethanol but might be frustrated by the 2025 start date. The one-year delay could put off any potential localized price spikes and supply issues that the oil industry says could arise from the decision until after the U.S. election, the sources said.

Surging rocket motor demand drives Pentagon to buy from tiny Ursa Major

Desperate to address surging demand for solid fuel rocket engines, the Pentagon is close to giving a contract for new motors to the untested, privately held startup Ursa Major, according to two sources familiar with the situation. While rocket motors themselves are relatively inexpensive, they play a vital role in propelling billions of dollars of missiles and rockets on order to supply the war efforts in Ukraine and Israel, and to re-stock dwindling U.S. inventories.

Biden campaign, Democrats rake in $42 million in January fundraising

U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign and his Democratic Party allies raised more than $42 million in January and have $130 million cash-on-hand as they prepare for a likely general election contest against Republican Donald Trump. The fundraising figures, released by Biden's campaign, were propelled by small-dollar donors giving money online, officials said.

US Supreme Court weighs bid to challenge debit card 'swipe fee' rule

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday was set to hear a bid to revive a lawsuit aimed at invalidating a contentious debit card "swipe fee" rule in a case with the broad potential to make federal regulations more vulnerable to legal challenges. A convenience store called Corner Post in Watford City, North Dakota is asking the justices to restore its lawsuit - thrown out by lower courts - targeting a 2011 U.S. Federal Reserve regulation governing how much businesses pay to banks when customers use debit cards to make purchases.

Republican lawmakers urge Biden to deactivate campaign TikTok account

A group of 18 Republican lawmakers has urged President Joe Biden to deactivate his campaign's TikTok account citing national security concerns. The lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters said Biden was "ignoring TikTok's well-established national security risks. How can the federal government warn Americans about the risks of this app if the Commander in Chief uses it, too?"

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.

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 doused by atmospheric river but spared major damage

An atmospheric river pounded California with thunderstorms and hail on Monday but spared the state major damage as there were no tornadoes which had been forecast as a possibility. Packing gusty winds, the storms knocked out power for more than 11,000 customers, according to PowerOutage.us, flooded roads, knocked down trees and shut down Santa Barbara airport for the day, officials said.

(With inputs from agencies.)