Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The announcement drew criticism from Bragg's office that Mitchell was playing "political games" in a murder case. Biden's brother tells impeachment probe he kept family and business separate U.S. President Joe Biden's brother on Wednesday told lawmakers pursuing an impeachment inquiry that their relationship had nothing to do with his business career, as a top Democrat said the probe is based on Russian disinformation and should be dropped.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Senate panel to hold hearing on US chips use in Russian weapons

A U.S. Senate panel will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the use of U.S. chips in Russian weapons systems, Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a statement on Wednesday. The hearing by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) will address how export controls intended to block Russia from using U.S. technology in its war in Ukraine are being evaded by Russia, added the office of the Democratic lawmaker, who chairs the panel.

Lockbit crackdown heats up as US offers reward for info on hackers

The U.S. offered a reward of up to $15 million for information on the leaders of the notorious cybercrime group Lockbit on Wednesday as police in Ukraine announced the arrest of a father-son duo alleged to have been involved with the gang.

The developments are the latest in a series of actions by international law enforcement against Lockbit, a leader among the online gangs that encrypt victims' data to extort money.

Biden administration cancels another $1.2 billion of student loan debt

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday his administration is cancelling $1.2 billion worth of student loans for nearly 153,000 people who are eligible under a program used to make good on his promises to increase loan forgiveness. Biden, a Democrat, last year pledged to find other avenues for tackling debt relief after the Supreme Court in June blocked his broader plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt.

Republican US House hardliners ask Johnson to abandon spending talks

Hardline U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday asked Speaker Mike Johnson to abandon talks with Senate Democrats on bipartisan spending legislation to avoid a government shutdown and instead implement an automatic spending cut agreed to by his predecessor. The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, which represents about three dozen of Johnson's 219-212 Republican majority in the House of Representatives, promoted the idea in a letter as congressional leaders rushed to complete legislation to avert a possible partial government shutdown beginning early next month.

'Rust' armorer jury selection starts, Alec Baldwin awaits his own trial date in on-set shooting

Jury selection for the trial of "Rust" chief weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez over the death of the film's cinematographer began on Wednesday, in a case likely to shape actor Alec Baldwin's defense of his role in Hollywood's first on-set shooting fatality in nearly 30 years. Rising-star cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died in 2021 after Gutierrez mistakenly loaded a live round into a reproduction Colt .45 revolver that Baldwin was rehearsing with on a movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.

US Supreme Court raises doubts about EPA's 'Good Neighbor' ozone rule

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative justices on Wednesday appeared sympathetic to a bid by three Republican-led states and several energy companies to block an Environmental Protection Agency regulation aimed at reducing ozone emissions that may worsen air pollution in neighboring states. Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia, as well as pipeline operators including Kinder Morgan, power producers and U.S. Steel Corp, are seeking to avoid complying with the EPA's "Good Neighbor" plan restricting ozone pollution from upwind states, while they contest its legality in a lower court.

Arizona prosecutor says will not extradite suspect in New York hotel murder

An Arizona prosecutor said on Wednesday she will decline an extradition request from New York for a man wanted for the murder of a woman in a hotel room because she did not trust her Manhattan counterpart to keep the man in custody. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, a Republican, said at a press conference she had instructed her staff not to cooperate with any request by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, to extradite Raad Noan Almansoori. The announcement drew criticism from Bragg's office that Mitchell was playing "political games" in a murder case.

Biden's brother tells impeachment probe he kept family and business separate

U.S. President Joe Biden's brother on Wednesday told lawmakers pursuing an impeachment inquiry that their relationship had nothing to do with his business career, as a top Democrat said the probe is based on Russian disinformation and should be dropped. In closed-door testimony, James Biden, 74, told investigators in the House of Representatives that he never asked Biden for official favors, or relied on his status as the sibling of a prominent politician to advance his interests.

US candidate Haley sides with court ruling that embryos are babies

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said on Wednesday that she believed frozen embryos created through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were babies, endorsing a controversial ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court. That state's high court said that frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children, rattling doctors and patients in reproductive medicine as well as raising legal questions, U.S. media reported after Friday's decision.

Black California lawmakers introduce package of reparations bills

California's Legislative Black Caucus on Wednesday detailed a package of 14 reparation bills they introduced to right historic wrongs carried out against the Black community. Legislators said the bills are meant to be the first step in a multi-year effort. Among several issues, they would compensate people whose property was taken in race-based cases of eminent domain, seek an apology from the governor and legislature for human rights violations, and fund community-based programs to decrease violence in Black communities.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)