Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a closed-door hearing on July 26 into the circumstances of tax audits for former FBI director James Comey and FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, said Senator Ron Wyden, the panel's chairman, in an emailed statement. Biden pushes to ban assault weapons, gets heckled at gun violence event A man whose son was killed in the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, interrupted President Joe Biden's remarks at the White House on Monday during an event to herald the passage of the first major federal gun safety law in three decades.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Senator Graham ordered to testify in front of grand jury in Trump election probe

A judge ordered U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham to testify in front of a special grand jury in Georgia investigating former President Donald Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered that Graham will be required to testify on Aug. 2. The judge's certification filed on Monday described Graham as a "necessary and material witness" to the grand jury probe. The development was reported earlier by WSB-TV.

Non-white ICU patients get less oxygen treatment than needed -study

A flaw in a widely used medical device that measures oxygen levels causes critically ill Asians, Blacks and Hispanics to receive less supplemental oxygen to help them breathe than white patients, according to data from a large study published on Monday. Pulse oximeters clip onto a fingertip and pass red and infrared light through the skin to gauge oxygen levels in the blood. It has been known since the 1970s that skin pigmentation can throw off readings, but the discrepancies were not believed to affect patient care.

U.S. tax committees to question IRS chief over audits of ex-FBI officials

U.S. tax commissioner Charles Rettig will face questions from legislators over how two former FBI officials vilified by former President Donald Trump were targeted for intensive tax audits, lawmakers and the Internal Revenue Service said on Monday. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a closed-door hearing on July 26 into the circumstances of tax audits for former FBI director James Comey and FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, said Senator Ron Wyden, the panel's chairman, in an emailed statement.

Biden pushes to ban assault weapons, gets heckled at gun violence event

A man whose son was killed in the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, interrupted President Joe Biden's remarks at the White House on Monday during an event to herald the passage of the first major federal gun safety law in three decades. Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, shouted "we've already gone through this for years and years" at the event, during which Biden lauded the new law but said more needed to be done.

U.S. to renew but not expand humanitarian protection for Venezuelans in the country

The United States will renew but not expand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans in the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Monday, a move that leaves tens of thousands of recently arrived Venezuelans without access to the humanitarian program. The Biden administration will offer an 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuelans who were in the United States by March 8, 2021, but not allow more recent arrivals to enroll, DHS said.

U.S. health dept says doctors must offer abortion if mother's life is at risk

The Biden administration said on Monday healthcare providers must offer abortion services if the life of a mother is at risk and that procedures conducted under such circumstances would be protected under federal law regardless of various state bans. The guidance comes days after President Joe Biden signed an executive order easing access to services to terminate pregnancies after the U.S. top court's decision last month to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling.

Utah judge blocks state's sweeping new abortion ban

A state court judge in Utah on Monday blocked a sweeping new abortion ban from taking effect following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last month eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion. Judge Andrew Stone of the Third Judicial District Court for Salt Lake City ruled at a hearing that the ban, which prohibited abortion at any point during pregnancy with some exceptions, must remain on hold while Planned Parenthood pursues a legal challenge.

U.S. judge declines to delay former Trump adviser Bannon's contempt trial - media

A judge declined to delay the contempt of Congress trial of Donald Trump's former close adviser Steve Bannon, just one week before it is set to begin, CNN and NBC News reported. Bannon was indicted last year for refusing to answer questions from the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the former president.

Subway can be sued over its tuna, U.S. judge rules

A federal judge said Subway can be sued for allegedly deceiving customers about its tuna products, including a claim it uses other fish species, chicken, pork and cattle instead of the advertised "100% tuna." U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco called it premature to accept Subway's argument that any presence of non-tuna DNA might result from eggs in mayonnaise, or cross-contact with other ingredients that its restaurants' employees handle.

Texas grid avoids blackouts with voluntary cutbacks amid scorching heat

Texas's power grid operator held off from imposing rolling blackouts on Monday using voluntary cutbacks and appeals to conserve energy as scorching triple-digit temperatures hit much of the state. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) warned of a potential shortage in reserves "with no market solution available." Its website showed the operator entered late afternoon with about 3,600 megawatts of operating reserves - which could power three-quarters of a million homes.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)