US Domestic News Roundup: Trump fails to secure bond for $454 million judgment in civil fraud case as asset seizures loom; Chicagoans vote on real estate tax hike to fight homelessness and more

The ballot measure would lower property transfer taxes for the vast majority of Chicago residents, to $3 for every $500 of a transfer price under $1 million, down from the current flat rate of $3.75. Six former Mississippi police officers to be sentenced in federal assault case Six former law enforcement officers who prosecutors say called themselves the "Goon Squad" are expected to be sentenced this week after they pled guilty last year to U.S. civil rights charges for brutally assaulting two Black men, including shooting one in the mouth.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US lawmakers reach preliminary agreement to keep government funded

Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers have reached a preliminary deal to keep the government funded through the rest of the fiscal year that began in October, a senior Republican aide said on Tuesday. The last sticking point was funding for the Department of Homeland Security, as a surge in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border has become a major issue in the election rematch between Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.

Out of money, Pentagon chief tries to convince allies of commitment to Ukraine

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday sought to convince European allies that President Joe Biden's administration is still committed to supporting Ukraine, even as Washington has essentially run out of money to continue arming Kyiv and few signs that Congress will move to replenish funds. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to call a vote on a bill that would provide $60 billion more for Ukraine and the White House has been scrambling to find ways to send assistance to Kyiv, which has been battling Russian forces for more than two years.

In test of Trump's clout, Ohio Republicans pick US Senate challenger

Donald Trump's sway over Ohio Republicans will be tested in the state's U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, when they decide whether to nominate a political newcomer backed by the former president to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in November. Republicans are looking to erase Democrats' 51-49 majority in the chamber, and face a geographical advantage as Democrats are defending a half-dozen seats in competitive states including Ohio.

Trump fails to secure bond for $454 million judgment in civil fraud case as asset seizures loom

Donald Trump's efforts to secure a bond to cover a $454 million judgment in a New York civil fraud case has been rejected by 30 surety companies, his lawyers said on Monday, inching him closer to the possibility of having his properties seized. The former president must either pay the sum out of his own pocket or post a bond to stave off the state's seizure while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron's Feb. 16 judgment against him for misstating property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

Chicagoans vote on real estate tax hike to fight homelessness

Chicagoans will vote in Tuesday's primary election on whether to increase the tax rate on real estate transfers worth over $1 million in order to raise funds for affordable housing and fighting homelessness. The ballot measure would lower property transfer taxes for the vast majority of Chicago residents, to $3 for every $500 of a transfer price under $1 million, down from the current flat rate of $3.75.

Six former Mississippi police officers to be sentenced in federal assault case

Six former law enforcement officers who prosecutors say called themselves the "Goon Squad" are expected to be sentenced this week after they pled guilty last year to U.S. civil rights charges for brutally assaulting two Black men, including shooting one in the mouth. In hearings starting on Tuesday in a U.S. District Court in Mississippi, the six white men could each face at least two decades in federal prison and hefty fines over several counts including deprivation of rights and obstruction of justice.

Biden heads to Nevada, Arizona with re-election push and housing pitch

President Joe Biden travels to Nevada and Arizona on Tuesday to promote his affordable housing proposals and pitch his case for re-election in two political swing states that could prove critical to his bid to stay in the White House. The Democratic president has been making stops in a host of battleground states since his State of the Union address earlier this month that criticized his Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, and laid out ideas he hopes to implement if given a second term.

US Supreme Court considers appeal by convicted border drug 'mule'

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to consider a California woman's bid to overturn her conviction for smuggling drugs across the U.S.-Mexican border in a legal dispute over her defense that she acted unwittingly as a "blind" drug mule. The justices will hear arguments in Delilah Guadalupe Diaz's appeal after a lower court refused to exclude testimony by an expert witness who cast doubt on her claim that she did not know that methamphetamine valued at $368,550 was hidden in the door panels of the car she was driving.

New York mayor accused of sexually assaulting transit co-worker in 1993

A former New York City employee filed suit on Monday accusing Mayor Eric Adams of sexually assaulting her in 1993, when both worked for the municipal transit police bureau, after she went to him seeking help in navigating a hostile office environment. In a 26-page civil complaint filed in New York state court in Manhattan, Lorna Beach-Mathura alleged that Adams, then a transit officer, assaulted her in his car while parked along the Hudson River after promising her a ride home to discuss her career problems.

More than 60% of US abortions in 2023 were done by pill, study shows

The proportion of U.S. abortions administered by medication rose to more than 60% in 2023, following a dramatic decline in surgical abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a report said on Tuesday. The Supreme Court's 2022 decision to end abortion rights allowed more than a dozen states to ban abortion with limited exceptions and close clinics, restricting access to surgical abortion procedures.

(With inputs from agencies.)