US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. pipeline regulator reviewing special permits after Keystone oil spills -source; Magnitude 6.4 quake shakes northern California, leaves 2 dead, thousands without power and more

The House Ways and Means Committee voted to release a summary of Trump's tax returns between 2015 and 2021, the years when he was running for president and serving in the White House, panel members said. Massachusetts agrees to reform prison conditions for mentally ill inmates The Massachusetts state prison system will reform how it cares for inmates with serious mental health issues and supervise prisoners at risk of harming themselves to resolve a years-long civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. pipeline regulator reviewing special permits after Keystone oil spills -source

The U.S. pipeline regulator launched a review this year of its special permits that waive certain operating requirements for pipelines, following a government report into spills on TC Energy's Keystone oil pipeline, a source familiar with the matter said. The review for U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) highlights growing questions by legislators about whether such permits contribute to spills. The most recent major spill occurred this month in rural Kansas along Keystone, the only U.S. oil pipeline with a special permit to operate at higher pressure.

Magnitude 6.4 quake shakes northern California, leaves 2 dead, thousands without power

A powerful magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted the extreme northern coast of California before dawn on Tuesday, crumpling homes and roads, rupturing utility lines and leaving thousands of residents without running water and electricity. At least a dozen people were injured, and two others died from "medical emergencies" that occurred during or just after the quake, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office.

Buffalo, New York sues gun makers, accusing industry of fueling violence

The upstate New York city of Buffalo on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in state court accusing major gun manufacturers of fueling violence through irresponsible marketing and sales practices. Defendants in the lawsuit include Smith & Wesson Brands Inc, Beretta USA Corp, Bushmaster Firearms Industries Inc, Colt's Manufacturing Co LLC and Glock Inc. The city is seeking an unspecified money award to combat gun violence.

U.S. House committee to release redacted Trump tax filings

A U.S. House of Representatives committee voted on Tuesday to release partially redacted tax filings from former President Donald Trump and said tax authorities had failed to properly scrutinize his returns while he was in office. The House Ways and Means Committee voted to release a summary of Trump's tax returns between 2015 and 2021, the years when he was running for president and serving in the White House, panel members said.

Massachusetts agrees to reform prison conditions for mentally ill inmates

The Massachusetts state prison system will reform how it cares for inmates with serious mental health issues and supervise prisoners at risk of harming themselves to resolve a years-long civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department on Tuesday said the Massachusetts Department of Correction entered into a settlement agreement after investigators concluded conditions at its prisons resulted in inmates on mental health watch dying or injuring themselves.

U.S. Senate advances $1.66 trillion government-funding bill

A $1.66 trillion government spending bill drew overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers steered it toward passage before a weekend deadline to avoid a partial shutdown of federal agencies. Democratic and Republican negotiators agreed early Tuesday morning on the sweeping bill to fund the federal government through the end of its fiscal year on Sept. 30, raising funding from about $1.5 trillion in the last fiscal year.

U.S. Capitol riot probe to release final report on assault by Trump backers

The U.S. congressional panel probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol wraps up its work on Wednesday with a final report outlining its case that former President Donald Trump should face criminal charges of inciting the deadly riot. The report, to be issued online, is expected to be more than 1,000 pages long, based on nearly 1,200 interviews over 18 months and hundreds of thousands of documents, as well as the rulings of more than 60 federal and state courts.

Frustration among migrants at U.S.-Mexico border as COVID restrictions remain

When Vladimir Castellanos learned that COVID-19 restrictions blocking him and other migrants from claiming asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico may not be terminated this week, he said he felt deceived. Castellanos and his brother are Venezuelans, and they were among dozens of migrants gathered on both sides of the Rio Grande on Monday night in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, with some lighting small fires to keep warm as temperatures dropped toward freezing.

Former Texas officer sentenced for killing Black woman in her home

A former Texas police officer was sentenced to over 11 years in prison on Tuesday for shooting and killing a Black woman in her home in 2019. Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth police officer, was sentenced in a Tarrant County court to 11 years, 10 months in prison, a court clerk said. He had been convicted last week by a jury in the killing.

Taliban release two Americans detained in Afghanistan - State Department

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Tuesday released two American nationals in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who indicated that the militants were holding other U.S. citizens. Price declined to identify the freed Americans, and he said they were not released as "part of any swap of prisoners or detainees. There was no money that changed hands."