Reuters US Domestic News Summary

A Washington, D.C, jury deliberated just two hours before finding Guy Reffitt of Texas guilty on all five charges he faced for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, violence by Donald Trump's supporters, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Maxwell juror calls failure to disclose abuse a 'huge mistake'

A juror in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex abuse trial said on Tuesday that his failure to disclose that he had been sexually abused as a child on a pre-trial screening form was a "huge mistake," but that he did not deliberately lie to get chosen for the jury. Maxwell was convicted on Dec. 29 on five of the six counts she faced for helping the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

U.S. Congress edges toward Ukraine aid, government funding bill

The U.S. Congress on Tuesday appeared to be on the cusp of an agreement to allocate billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, fund the federal government through Sept. 30, and provide resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Sweeping legislation, awaiting final approval from Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, was expected to provide $1.5 trillion for defense and nondefense discretionary spending, as much as $14 billion to help Ukraine respond to Russia's invasion and about $15 billion for COVID.

D.C., 22 states back stringent U.S. EPA vehicle emissions rules

A group of 22 states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday backed the Biden administration's new vehicle emissions rules after court challenges from some other states, ethanol producers and the oil refining industry. The filing https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/EPA%20GHG%20Standrds%20-%20Motion%20to%20Intervene.pdf led by the state of California urged a U.S. Appeals court to uphold the Environmental Protection Agency's new rules, which take effect in September and require a 28.3% reduction in vehicle emissions through 2026. Those rules reverse former President Donald Trump's rollback of car pollution cuts and aim to speed a U.S. shift to more electric vehicles.

Four in five Americans support end to U.S. imports of Russian energy -Reuters/Ipsos

A large majority of Americans supports an end to U.S. imports of Russian energy as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite surging gasoline prices, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, suggests U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has broad support from voters of his party and from Republicans for the ban on Russian oil and natural gas imports.

Biden bans Russia oil imports to U.S., warns gasoline to rise further

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, amid strong support from American voters and lawmakers, even though the move will drive up U.S. energy prices. "We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas energy," Biden told reporters at the White House. "That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable in U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war machine."

Texas man guilty for role in assault on U.S. Capitol in landmark win for prosecutors

A Texas man who joined the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump was found guilty for his role in the attack on Tuesday, a milestone victory for federal prosecutors in the first such case to go before a jury. The defendant, Guy Reffitt, was found guilty on all five of the felony charges he faced, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding.

Dual national charged with acting as unregistered Russian agent in U.S. -prosecutors

A dual national of the United States and Russia who ran an "I Love Russia" influence campaign has been charged with acting illegally as an unregistered agent of the Russian government, federal prosecutors in New York said on Tuesday. Elena Branson, 61, faces six criminal counts over allegations by prosecutors that she failed to register with the U.S. government as a foreign government agent and participated in a visa fraud conspiracy. She left the United States for Russia in 2020 and remains at large, prosecutors said.

Watchdog: U.S. Homeland Security office failed to warn about Capitol threats

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's intelligence office was aware in advance about threats connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but failed to warn other law enforcement offices until it was too late, the department's internal watchdog has found. The new report from the DHS inspector general paints a critical picture of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), which it says failed at least three times to disseminate intelligence about the storming of the building by then- President Donald Trump's supporters, who wanted to block Congress' certification of his November 2020 election defeat.

Analysis-U.S. can expect 'a flood of plea deals' in Capitol attack cases after guilty verdict

Prosecutors can expect a wave of guilty pleas from some of the hundreds of people charged with joining the assault on the U.S. Capitol, after the first criminal trial related to the riot ended in a lightning-quick guilty verdict on Tuesday, legal experts said. A Washington, D.C, jury deliberated just two hours before finding Guy Reffitt of Texas guilty on all five charges he faced for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, violence by Donald Trump's supporters, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Former Proud Boys chairman Tarrio arrested on U.S. Capitol riot conspiracy charge

The former chairman of the U.S. right-wing group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested on Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his alleged role in plotting the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol in a bid to block certification of President Joe Biden's election. Tarrio, 38, appeared in a virtual Miami-based federal court hearing from a cellblock in a nearby local jail, and prosecutors said they were seeking to have him detained pending trial because they believe he is a danger to the community and poses a risk of flight.

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