US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. senators say CIA data collection has been hidden from public, lawmakers; U.S. energy department advances $6 billion nuclear plant program and more

Another man who carried an infant girl out of the dwelling unharmed was taken into custody during the incident, which apparently stemmed from a domestic dispute before escalating into bloodshed and a standoff with a police, authorities said. Republican senator targets Biden's Fed nominee Raskin The U.S. Senate Banking committee's top Republican on Friday took renewed aim at President Joe Biden's nominee to a senior Federal Reserve post, Sarah Bloom Raskin, suggesting she had improperly lobbied the head of the Kansas City Fed on behalf of a fintech firm on whose board she then served.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. senators say CIA data collection has been hidden from public, lawmakers

Two U.S. senators claim the Central Intelligence Agency is running a secret program aimed at scooping up massive amounts of data and has been shielding it from Congressional oversight, they said in a letter released on Friday. In the letter dated April 13, 2021, Senators Ron Wyden, of Oregon, and Martin Heinrich, of New Mexico, warned top U.S. intelligence officials that an unspecified "bulk collection" program was operating "entirely outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection."

U.S. energy department advances $6 billion nuclear plant program

The U.S. Department of Energy said on Friday it is seeking input from utilities, communities and advocates as it develops its new program to boost struggling nuclear power plants with $6 billion in credits. The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year tasked the DOE with creating the Civil Nuclear Credit Program to distribute the credits to nuclear plants.

Phoenix gunfight leaves victim and suspect dead, 9 officers wounded

A man fatally shot a woman inside a Phoenix home on Friday, then opened fire on police who were called to the scene, wounding nine officers in a gunfight that ended with the suspect shot dead, city police said. Another man who carried an infant girl out of the dwelling unharmed was taken into custody during the incident, which apparently stemmed from a domestic dispute before escalating into bloodshed and a standoff with a police, authorities said.

Republican senator targets Biden's Fed nominee Raskin

The U.S. Senate Banking committee's top Republican on Friday took renewed aim at President Joe Biden's nominee to a senior Federal Reserve post, Sarah Bloom Raskin, suggesting she had improperly lobbied the head of the Kansas City Fed on behalf of a fintech firm on whose board she then served. In an interview on Friday with Reuters, Dennis Gingold, the founder of the fintech firm, said that Senator Pat Toomey's account was "unfair" and that Raskin, nominated to be Fed vice chair of supervision, had acted ethically and correctly.

Jury to decide if New York Times defamed Sarah Palin or made 'honest mistake'

Sarah Palin's defamation case against the New York Times is heading to a jury, after her lawyer accused the newspaper of falsely associating her in a 2017 editorial with a mass murder, a link that a Times lawyer said was an honest mistake. In his closing argument in federal court in Manhattan, Palin's lawyer Kenneth Turkel said the Times and its former editorial page editor, James Bennet, turned a "blind eye" to the facts as it smeared the reputation of Palin, a former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate.

Few signs of Super Bowl trucker protest, monitoring firm says

A reported trucker protest planned to coincide with the Super Bowl appears to be going nowhere, a social media monitoring firm that has been tracking the issue said on Saturday. After media reported on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo warning of potential disruption around Sunday's Super Bowl, there was a notable increase in social media mentions about a convoy of anti-vaccine truckers purportedly planning to descend on Los Angeles.

Suspect in deadly Wisconsin parade attack pleads not guilty

A man accused of driving his vehicle into a traditional Christmas parade near Milwaukee late last year, killing six people and injuring dozens others, pleaded not guilty on Friday to multiple criminal charges. Darrell Brooks, 39, entered the pleas to 77 charges, including six counts of homicide and several counts of reckless endangerment, in a court appearance.

Thousands of unvaccinated New York municipal workers could lose jobs Friday

Thousands of unvaccinated New York City municipal workers are up against a deadline on Friday to get a COVID-19 shot or get fired, with Mayor Eric Adams apparently determined to carry out the terminations despite an outcry from union leaders. Fewer than 4,000 of the city's 370,000 workers were facing termination at the end of January as a result of the mandate, according to the mayor's office, which said it expected to have an updated number of affected city employees on Monday.

NFL-SoFi Stadium set for sizzling Super Bowl debut

The new SoFi Stadium will get its day in the sun when the $5.5 billion venue hosts the NFL's championship game on what is forecast to be the hottest ever Super Bowl Sunday. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s and the architects behind the massive "indoor-outdoor" stadium said the conditions would play to its strengths.

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