Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Seventeen other states have agreed to adopt California's tailpipe emissions rules and 15 have backed its zero-emission vehicle requirements. U.S. Capitol riot panel questions Republican lawmaker about tour of building The U.S. congressional committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol on Thursday said it wants to ask Republican U.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk about a tour it believes he led through the complex the day before the riot.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

In case by Trump-era prosecutor, ex-FBI official says former Clinton campaign lawyer did not disclose client

An ex-FBI official testified on Thursday that a former lawyer for Hillary Clinton's presidential election campaign said he was not acting on behalf of any client when in 2016 he relayed a tip about Donald Trump's possible ties to Russia. The Clinton campaign lawyer, Michael Sussmann, is accused of lying to the FBI by hiding his political ties, which he denies. Former FBI general counsel James Baker testified in federal court for several hours on Thursday about a September 2016 meeting with Sussmann.

American driving mileage tops pre-pandemic levels in March

Americans are getting back behind the wheel, despite higher fuel prices. The Federal Highway Administration said on Thursday https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/travel_monitoring/22martvt/page2.cfm motorists drove 277.4 billion miles (446.4 billion km) in March, up 7.9 billion miles over the same month in 2021, and up 5 billion miles over March 2019.

U.S. expert panel backs COVID boosters for children 5 to 11

An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for children ages 5 to 11, at least five months after completing their primary vaccination course. The advisers considered data from the CDC that showed protection from the initial two shots starts to wane over time, and that boosters in older age groups improved efficacy against severe COVID and hospitalizations.

U.S. FDA says Abbott baby formula plant on track to reopen in 1-2 weeks

Abbott Laboratories and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are on track to reopen Abbott's baby formula manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan, within one or two weeks, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said on Thursday. Abbott, the biggest U.S. supplier of powder infant formula, including Similac, on Monday agreed with the FDA on steps needed to resume production at the plant.

Oklahoma lawmakers pass near-total abortion ban

Oklahoma lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would ban nearly all abortions and would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps women terminate a pregnancy. The bill would take effect immediately upon being signed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, making it the most restrictive abortion ban in the United States.

Barr, Biden's pick for Fed regulation role, cruises through confirmation hearing

Michael Barr, the second person nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden to be the Federal Reserve's Wall Street cop, looked to be on a path to confirmation after testifying before the Senate on Thursday. Barr, who served as a senior Treasury Department official under Democratic President Barack Obama, received some skeptical questions from Republican lawmakers. But there was little indication of any concerted effort to sink his candidacy, and moderate Democrats appeared supportive of him.

20 U.S. states back restoring California strict emissions rules

California and 19 other U.S. states and the District of Columbia on Thursday backed efforts by President Joe Biden to restore the most populous state's ability to set its own strict tailpipe and zero-emission vehicle standards. Last week, a group of 17 states including Ohio and Texas filed a challenge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to restore the authority that was withdrawn under former President Donald Trump. Seventeen other states have agreed to adopt California's tailpipe emissions rules and 15 have backed its zero-emission vehicle requirements.

U.S. Capitol riot panel questions Republican lawmaker about tour of building

The U.S. congressional committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol on Thursday said it wants to ask Republican U.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk about a tour it believes he led through the complex the day before the riot. "Based on our review of evidence in the Select Committee's possession, we believe you have information regarding a tour you led through parts of the Capitol complex on January 5, 2021," the panel's leaders told Loudermilk in a publicly released letter.

U.S. redistricting forces midterm battles between incumbents

U.S. Representative Lucy McBath has been a rising Democratic star since 2018, when she ended 40 years of Republican dominance in a suburban Atlanta seat. Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux staked her own claim to fame in 2020, when she captured the district next door and became the only Democratic House candidate in the country to flip a Republican seat that year.

After delay, U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approves $40 billion in Ukraine aid

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved nearly $40 billion in new aid for Ukraine on Thursday sending the bill to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law as Washington races to keep military assistance flowing nearly three months after Russia's invasion. The Senate voted 86-11 in favor of the emergency package of military, economic and humanitarian assistance, by far the largest U.S. aid package for Ukraine to date. All 11 no votes were from Republicans.

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