Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Trump should face insurrection, obstruction charges, U.S. Capitol riot panel says
The U.S. House of Representatives panel probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol asked federal prosecutors on Monday to charge Donald Trump with four crimes, including obstruction and insurrection, for his role in sparking the deadly riot. The Democratic-led select committee’s request to the Justice Department – after more than 1,000 witness interviews and the collection of hundreds of thousands of documents – marked the first time in history that Congress has referred a former president for criminal prosecution.
Appeals court says U.S. cannot mandate federal contractor COVID vaccines
A U.S. appeals court on Monday said the White House could not require federal contractors to ensure that their workers are vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of government contracts. The U.S. government has contracts with thousands of companies, and courts have said the issue could affect up to 20% of U.S. workers.
Turbulence causes injuries on two flights, prompts U.S. safety board probe
U.S. federal safety officials will launch an investigation into a Hawaiian Airlines flight after severe turbulence injured 36 people aboard, while five people were hospitalized in Houston on Monday after a second flight was rocked by turbulence en route from Brazil. There was no indication that the two instances of turbulence were related. Air travel is exceptionally busy around the world this week due to the winter holidays.
Senator wants review of U.S. security assistance to Nigeria following abortion report
U.S. Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has requested a review of U.S. security assistance and cooperation programs in Nigeria following Reuters reporting on an illegal abortion program and killing of children carried out by the Nigerian military. Risch, in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken seen by Reuters, also called for the State Department to examine the potential use of sanctions in addition to an expeditious review of U.S. security assistance and cooperation.
TikTok bans hit more U.S. states; security firm says most access blocked globally
State agencies in Louisiana and West Virginia on Monday became the latest to ban the use of the popular social media service TikTok on government-managed devices over concern that China could use it to track Americans and censor content. Some 19 of the 50 U.S. states have now at least partially blocked access on government computers to TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. Most of the restrictions came within the past two weeks.
Senator Warren, Tesla investor turn up heat over Musk’s Twitter role
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a longtime critic of Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk, on Monday raised concerns that the automaker’s board had failed to address the risks posed by his role as CEO of Twitter. Musk’s $44 billion takeover of the social media platform in October has been marked by chaos and controversy, with even Tesla bulls questioning if he is too distracted to properly run the EV maker, where he is personally involved in production and engineering.
U.S. targeted adversary cyber infrastructure to safeguard midterm vote
The U.S. military’s Cyber Command hunted down foreign adversaries overseas ahead of this year’s mid-term elections, taking down their infrastructure before they could strike, the head of U.S. Cyber Command said. U.S. Army General Paul Nakasone said the cyber effort to secure the vote began before the Nov. 8 vote and carried through until the elections were certified.
U.S. Supreme Court temporarily keeps in place COVID-era border restrictions on migrants
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said COVID-era restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border set to end this week should temporarily stay in place as a Republican legal challenge moves forward, just as the White House had been prepping for an increase in the number of migrant crossings. Chief Justice John Roberts agreed to keep the restrictions known as Title 42 after a group of states with Republican attorneys general said lifting the measure would saddle them with additional costs if more migrants entered.
Alex Jones seeks $1.3 million salary in Infowars bankruptcy
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Monday asked a judge to allow him to take a $1.3 million annual salary from the bankrupt parent company of his Infowars’ website. Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems LLC, both went bankrupt in recent months as they owe families of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting a total of $1.5 billion in damages for falsely claiming the massacre was a hoax. Jones has said he cannot pay those judgments, which came after back-to-back defamation trials in Texas and Connecticut.
Exclusive-Probe of Musk’s Neuralink to scrutinize long-criticized U.S animal welfare regulator
Law enforcement officials investigating Elon Musk’s Neuralink Corp over its animal trial program are also scrutinizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s oversight of the company’s operations, after the agency failed to act on violations at other research organizations, according to several people familiar with the matter. Reuters reported on Dec. 5 that the USDA’s watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General, is investigating Neuralink, a medical device company that is developing brain implants, over potential animal-welfare violations. A federal prosecutor in the civil division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California requested the probe, people familiar with the matter said.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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