Reuters US Domestic News Summary

A DHS official said there was "no indication of malicious action" in the outage, which occurred during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to Congress. Trump tightens grip on US Republican Party with daughter-in-law poised to take key post Donald Trump will cement his grip on the Republican National Committee on Friday when his daughter-in-law and another ally assume top leadership posts amid a debate among members over whether the organization should help pay his legal bills.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US Senate poised to pass spending package, averting government shutdown

The U.S. Senate is expected to give Congress' final approval on Friday of legislation funding several federal agencies through September, averting a partial government shutdown that otherwise would begin at midnight. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed by a vote of 339-85 the package of fiscal 2024 appropriations bills to keep operations running for agriculture, transportation, housing, energy, veterans and other programs.

Trump cannot delay enforcement of $83.3 million verdict in E. Jean Carroll case

A federal judge on Thursday denied Donald Trump's request to delay enforcement of the writer E. Jean Carroll's $83.3 million verdict in her recent defamation case. The decision by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan adds to pressure on the former U.S. president to line up an acceptable bond by Monday so he can appeal.

US Homeland Security resolves website issue after brief outage

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it had resolved an issue with its website and related domains that caused them to temporarily go down on Thursday. A DHS official said there was "no indication of malicious action" in the outage, which occurred during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to Congress.

Trump tightens grip on US Republican Party with daughter-in-law poised to take key post

Donald Trump will cement his grip on the Republican National Committee on Friday when his daughter-in-law and another ally assume top leadership posts amid a debate among members over whether the organization should help pay his legal bills. RNC members meeting in Houston are expected to appoint North Carolina Republican Party head Michael Whatley and Lara Trump as chair and co-chair of the organization, which will play a key role in marshaling voters and funds for the Nov. 5 general election.

Biden takes on Trump and Republicans in fiery State of the Union speech

President Joe Biden on Thursday laid out his case for re-election in a fiery State of the Union speech that accused Donald Trump of threatening democracy, kowtowing to Russia and torpedoing a bill to tackle U.S. immigration woes. In a 68-minute address to Congress, Biden, a Democrat, drew sharp contrasts with his Republican rival and gamely challenged Trump's supporters in the chamber during a speech that was watched as much for the 81-year-old president's performance as it was for his policy proposals.

Excerpts: Biden aims at Trump, Republicans, Putin

U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech on Thursday evening aimed to remind Americans how the economy has recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic, and draw a sharp contrast between himself and Republican candidate Donald Trump. Biden, 81, did not mention Trump, 77, by name, but he made clear jabs at Trump and Republicans who have blocked a bill with aid for Ukraine and restricted abortion rights around the country:

Factbox-At a glance: US presidential nominating contests and delegates counts for March 12

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could each net enough delegates in the next round of nominating contests on Tuesday to clinch their parties' nominations. In the Republican race, 161 delegates are up for grabs across the four states holding contests: Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington. Trump, the sole remaining Republican candidate, already has secured 1,060 delegates and needs at least 1,215 to win the party’s nomination.

Trump prosecutor calls immunity bid in documents case a delay tactic

U.S. prosecutors on Thursday accused Donald Trump of bringing a “frivolous” claim of presidential immunity in the criminal case accusing him of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House. The move by Special Counsel Jack Smith is an effort to block the former president from using an immunity claim to delay trial, after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments next month on his claims of immunity in a separate case accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

Trump shirt, ceasefire pins are State of the Union fashion

Some were clad in white for reproductive rights. One donned red to represent Washington's desire to be a state. And former Representative George Santos wore a bedazzled collar. Lawmakers and their guests used fashion to make a statement on Tuesday as Joe Biden's State of the Union address gives not just the president, but also his audience, their biggest platform of the year.

Israel, Laken Riley feature in Biden's State of the Union speech

President Joe Biden on Thursday attacked former President Donald Trump's vision for America, criticized Israel and was challenged on immigration in his last State of the Union speech before the two men face off in the November U.S. election. Here are some takeaways from the State of the Union address on Thursday.