Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Milley has spent much of the past two days fending off often personal attacks from Republicans during acrimonious hearings on the withdrawal from Afghanistan over his calls with China and interviews for books critical of Donald Trump's presidency. U.S. House panel approves three bills aimed at tackling high drug prices The U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to approve three bills to stop practices drugmakers use to raise prices and fend off competition, including a bill to ban the tactic of paying generic companies to delay bringing cheaper versions of their medicines to market.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Republican Cheney offers strong defense of Milley, invokes Jan. 6 Capitol riot

U.S. Representative Liz Cheney offered a resounding defense on Wednesday of General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praising him for "standing in the breach" in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and drawing a contrast with some of her fellow Republicans. Milley has spent much of the past two days fending off often personal attacks from Republicans during acrimonious hearings on the withdrawal from Afghanistan over his calls with China and interviews for books critical of Donald Trump's presidency.

U.S. House panel approves three bills aimed at tackling high drug prices

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to approve three bills to stop practices drugmakers use to raise prices and fend off competition, including a bill to ban the tactic of paying generic companies to delay bringing cheaper versions of their medicines to market. While the votes were not unanimous, they passed the committee by a big margin. A fourth measure is set to be considered on Thursday.

Congressional panel probing U.S. Capitol riot issues subpoenas to rally organizers

The U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol said on Wednesday it had issued subpoenas seeking information from organizers of events and rallies leading up to the attack on the seat of government. The committee said the subpoenas were sent to 11 individuals, including leaders of Women for America First, the group that organized the "Save America Rally" on Jan. 6, where Republican former President Donald Trump told the crowd to march to the Capitol, urging them "to show strength."

'Unmitigated disaster': Republicans attack Biden's defense of Afghan pullout

Republican U.S. lawmakers tried on Wednesday to pick apart President Joe Biden's defense of his withdrawal from Afghanistan as they attacked his judgment and honesty during a second day of contentious Congressional hearings with Pentagon leaders. Democrat Biden has faced the biggest crisis of his presidency over the war in Afghanistan, which he argued needed to be brought to a close after 20 years of stalemated fighting that had cost American lives, drained resources and distracted from greater strategic priorities.

Biden agenda at risk as Democrats squabble ahead of shutdown deadline

President Joe Biden's agenda was at risk of being derailed by divisions among his own Democrats, as moderates voiced anger on Wednesday at the idea of delaying a $1 trillion infrastructure bill ahead of a critical vote to avert a government shutdown. The White House said talks over twin bills that would revitalize the nation's roads and airports and fund social programs and climate change measures, were at a "precarious" point as moderates and progressives disagreed over the scope of some $4 trillion in spending.

Los Angeles moves toward barring the unvaccinated from most businesses

Los Angeles officials on Wednesday signaled they would vote next week to prohibit unvaccinated people from entering most businesses in the United States' second-largest city, one of the nation's most severe crackdowns so far of the COVID-19 pandemic. All but one of the City Council members present on Wednesday said they supported the proposed "emergency" ordinance, which would require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, shopping centers, gyms and other indoor spaces.

Britney Spears' father suspended as conservator, judge cites toxic situation

A judge on Wednesday suspended Britney Spears' father as her conservator, ending his role controlling the singer's $60 million estate. "The current situation is not tenable. It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of Jamie Spears, effective today," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny said during a court hearing.

U.S. DHS plans to issue new memo ending Trump-era immigration policy

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday it intends to issue a new memo in the coming weeks ending the "remain in Mexico" immigration program. The department issued a memo in June ending the program implemented by former President Donald Trump, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), but a Texas-based federal judge ruled MPP must be restarted.

U.S. defense secretary says he is concerned for Afghan pilots held in Tajikistan

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern on Wednesday for U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel being held in Tajikistan after fleeing across the border from Afghanistan last month as the Taliban took power. Reuters exclusively reported first-person accounts from U.S.-trained Afghan personnel being held at a sanatorium in a mountainous, rural area outside of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, waiting and hoping for over a month for transfer by the United States.

U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller pleads guilty in U.S. Capitol riot case

Klete Keller, a former Olympic swimmer who won two gold medals for the United States, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to his participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Keller admitted to obstructing an official proceeding, after prosecutors agreed to drop six other criminal charges they brought against him in February.

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