US Domestic News Roundup: Analysis-U.S. trucking downturn foreshadows possible economic gloom; Johnny Depp to face more questions from ex-wife's lawyers in defamation case and more

Another is a former Iowa governor, Terry Branstad, who nominated two of the IUB's three commissioners, including its chair. U.S. Senate set to confirm Bedoya as FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya will be confirmed to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday, giving the agency enough votes to investigate oil companies Democrats say are "gouging" consumers with high gasoline prices.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis-U.S. trucking downturn foreshadows possible economic gloom

Craig Fuller monitors millions of transactions between U.S. truckers and their customers as chief executive of transportation data company FreightWaves - and he does not like what he is seeing. There has been an unexpectedly sharp downturn in demand to truck everything from food to furniture since the beginning of March and rates in the overheated segment that deals in on-demand trucking jobs - known as the spot market - are skidding.

Johnny Depp to face more questions from ex-wife's lawyers in defamation case

Hollywood star Johnny Depp returns to the witness stand on Monday to answer additional questions from attorneys for ex-wife Amber Heard in front of a jury that will decide the actors' dueling defamation claims. Depp, 58, issuing Heard, 36, for $50 million after she accused him of abuse before and during their roughly two-year marriage. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor has argued that Heard was the one who became violent in the relationship.

Exclusive-Trump weighs how deeply to dig into his war chest for the November elections

Former President Donald Trump is weighing how much to spend and how many Republican candidates to fund in this year's elections as he faces pressure to use his war chest to help Republicans gain control of Congress, two sources familiar with the matter said. Trump's Save America leadership political action committee has become a fundraising juggernaut since its inception in November 2020, amassing some $112.5 million in cash but spending only around $17 million to help pay for rallies and promote Republicans, according to the latest federal filings.

NYC pension leaders urge fossil fuel lending curbs, a late boost for activists

New York City pension leaders said the $262 billion systems will mostly favor calls for sharp limits on fossil fuel lending at top banks this week, giving a late boost to activists who have gained little backing from proxy advisers. The fate of the closely watched shareholder resolutions will show how investors will weigh climate concerns against rising energy prices and Republican criticism of Wall Street's embrace of environmental concerns.

Biden names Brink as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine

President Joe Biden on Monday named Bridget Brink, who currently represents the United States in Slovakia, as the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.

Exclusive-Local election chief threatened by Republican leader seeking illegal access to voting equipment

A local Republican Party leader in North Carolina threatened to get a county elections director fired or have her pay cut unless she helped him gain illegal access to voting equipment, the state elections board told Reuters. The party official, William Keith Senter, sought evidence to support false conspiracy theories alleging the 2020 election was rigged against former U.S. President Donald Trump. The previously unreported incident is part of a national effort by Trump supporters to audit voting systems to bolster the baseless stolen-election claims.

U.S. Midwest carbon pipeline's backers have close ties to Iowa government

Summit Carbon Solutions, the company behind a huge carbon pipeline proposal in the U.S. Midwest, has close ties to Iowa officials and regulators charged with approving a large part of its route, according to a Reuters review of public documents and company websites. At least four members of Summit's leadership have direct links to the Iowa governor's office or the Iowa Utility Board (IUB), both of which could influence the future of the roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) pipeline, according to the review. One is the top individual donor to the current governor, Kim Reynolds. Another is a former Iowa governor, Terry Branstad, who nominated two of the IUB's three commissioners, including its chair.

U.S. Senate set to confirm Bedoya as FTC commissioner

Alvaro Bedoya will be confirmed to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday, giving the agency enough votes to investigate oil companies Democrats say are "gouging" consumers with high gasoline prices. Vice President Kamala Harris will be on hand to break an expected 50-50 Senate tie over Bedoya's nomination, giving Democrats a 3-2 majority among FTC commissioners. Currently, there are two Democrats and two Republicans, resulting in deadlocks.

U.S. Supreme Court to tackle football coach's on-field prayers

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday addresses the religious rights of government employees as it weighs an appeal by a Christian former public high school football coach in Washington state who was suspended from his job for refusing to stop leading prayers with players on the field after games. The justices are set to hear arguments in the case pitting the religious rights of individual workers against the Constitution's prohibition on the government endorsing a particular religion. The court's 6-3 conservative majority has taken a broad view of religious liberty in numerous cases.

First all-private astronaut team aboard space station heads for splashdown

The first all-private astronaut crew to fly aboard the International Space Station (ISS) headed for splashdown Monday off the coast of Florida, wrapping up a two-week mission that NASA has touted as a landmark in commercial spaceflight. A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four-man team of Houston-based startup Axiom Space Inc began its return flight at about 9 p.m. EDT Sunday (0100 Monday GMT) as it undocked from the space station orbiting about 250 miles (420 km) above Earth.