US Domestic News Roundup: Oath Keeper claims she met Secret Service before; Texans stuck with $5,000 electric bills and more

Texans stuck with $5,000 electric bills after winter storm need help, officials says The mayors of two of the largest cities in Texas said the state should help pay some of the eye-watering electricity bills sent to residents after the devastating and deadly winter storm that caused widespread blackouts.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Oath Keeper claims she met with Secret Service before Capitol riot

A leader of the far-right "Oath Keepers" group charged in the deadly U.S. Capitol riots said she was in Washington on Jan. 6 to provide security for legislators and meet with Secret Service agents, according to a court filing. Jessica Watkins, 38, is one of nine associates of the far-right anti-government group charged for conspiring to storm the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory.

Texans stuck with $5,000 electric bills after winter storm need help, officials says

The mayors of two of the largest cities in Texas said the state should help pay some of the eye-watering electricity bills sent to residents after the devastating and deadly winter storm that caused widespread blackouts. Texas has a highly unusual deregulated energy market that allows consumers to choose between scores of competing electricity providers.

Biden to revise small business loans to reach smaller, minority firms

U.S. President Joe Biden will launch changes on Monday to the main U.S. coronavirus aid program for small businesses to try to reach smaller, minority-owned firms and sole proprietors left behind in previous rounds of aid. Biden administration officials said that for two weeks starting on Wednesday, the Small Business Administration will only accept applications for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from firms with fewer than 20 employees to ensure that they are not crowded out by larger firms.

Biden's first month was a 'honeymoon,' but bigger challenges loom ahead

One month into the job, President Joe Biden is on the cusp of securing a bigger economic rescue package than during the 2009 financial crisis. He has wiped out his predecessor Donald Trump's policies from climate change to travel bans, while the U.S. daily COVID-19 vaccine distribution rate grew 55%. That may have been the easy part. 'We were wiped out.'

Merchants in historic Philadelphia market grapple with pandemic

Athens Voulgaridis and his family have run their Greek gyro stand in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market since 1984, outlasting three recessions and a trademark battle with the U.S. Olympic Committee. No crisis has hit the business as hard as the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a brief shutdown and slashed sales by as much as 80% at the lowest point.

About a third of Texans still facing disrupted water supplies: CNN

Some 8.8 million people in Texas, about a third of the state's population, still had issues with their water supply as of Sunday evening, CNN quoted authorities as saying, after a record-breaking freeze knocked out power stations last week. Millions of Texans are still being advised to boil water before using, though all power plants were back online over the weekend and power had been restored to most homes as the weather returned to normal.

Cost of flood damage to U.S. homes will increase by 61% in 30 years

Rising sea levels and extreme weather could cause $20 billion of flood damage to at-risk U.S. homes this year, rising to $32 billion by 2051, according to research from New York-based flood research non-profit First Street Foundation published on Monday. "Increased awareness of flood risk and rising future insurance costs impact perceptions of value, which will impact real estate markets," said Matthew Eby, founder and executive director of First Street Foundation.

Michigan, Maryland governors to testify on new U.S. infrastructure push

A U.S. Senate panel will hold a hearing on Wednesday on efforts to boost crumbling U.S. transport infrastructure, which will include testimony from two key governors Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, will be among those testifying at the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) hearing titled "Building Back Better: Investing in Transportation while Addressing Climate Change, Improving Equity, and Fostering Economic Growth and Innovation".

U.S. nears 500,000 COVID-19 deaths as Biden plans commemoration

The United States faces a dark milestone this week despite a recent decline in COVID-19 cases as it prepares to mark a staggering half-million deaths, with President Joe Biden planning to memorialize the lives lost. While the number of COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight week and officials scrambled to inoculate the population, the nation was poised to reach 500,000 deaths from the highly infectious respiratory disease.

Texas freeze led to release of tons of air pollutants as refineries shut

The largest U.S. oil refiners released tons of air pollutants into the skies over Texas this past week, according to figures provided to the state, as refineries and petrochemical plants in the region scrambled to shut production during frigid weather. An arctic air mass that spread into an area unused to such low temperatures killed at least two dozen people in Texas and knocked out power to more than 4 million at its peak. It also hit natural gas and electric generation, cutting supplies needed to run the plants along the U.S. Gulf Coast.