US Domestic News Roundup: Texas school shooting victims take action against gunmaker; U.S. Senate candidate Fetterman 'almost died' from stroke, vows to return to trail and more

Lawyers for Alfred Garza, father of Robb Elementary School student Amerie Jo Garza, requested in a letter on Friday that Daniel Defense provide information about its marketing to teens and children. U.S. DOJ declines to charge ex-Trump officials Meadows and Scavino, NY Times reports The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to charge Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino, two former officials in ex-President Donald Trump's White House, for failing to cooperate with a House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Texas school shooting victims take action against gunmaker

The father of a 10-year-old girl slain in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and a school employee have taken initial steps that could lead to lawsuits against Daniel Defense, the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in last week's massacre that killed 21 people. Lawyers for Alfred Garza, father of Robb Elementary School student Amerie Jo Garza, requested in a letter on Friday that Daniel Defense provide information about its marketing to teens and children.

U.S. DOJ declines to charge ex-Trump officials Meadows and Scavino, NY Times reports

The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to charge Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino, two former officials in ex-President Donald Trump's White House, for failing to cooperate with a House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the New York Times reported on Friday. The newspaper cited a letter from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves to House General Counsel Douglas Letter in which he said "my office will not be initiating prosecutions for criminal contempt" against Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff, and Scavino, a former deputy chief of staff.

Ohio lawmakers advance trans sports ban with genital check

Ohio's House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban transgender girls from school sports and require verification from a doctor if a student's sex is called into question. The provision was a last-minute addition to an unrelated bill that passed in a marathon session late on Wednesday, the first day of Pride month. The bill next goes to a vote in the state Senate when it reconvenes in several months after a recess.

Families and survivors of recent U.S. mass shootings to testify before Congress

Relatives of victims killed in recent mass shootings in New York state and Texas as well as a fourth grader who survived last week's attack will speak before two congressional panels next week as U.S. lawmakers weigh new measures to curb gun violence. The mother of one of the 10 people killed at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, will join the parents of one of the 19 children gunned down at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school at the House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee's hearing on June 8, the panel said on Friday. Miah Cerrillo, a fourth-grader at the school, will also appear.

U.S. sports teams take stand against gun violence after Uvalde, Buffalo

As advocates call on Washington to curb violence after mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, its hometown team the Nationals are already taking up the cause. Professional teams across the United States are jumping into a national debate over gun control, with 75 teams expected to take part in "Wear Orange Weekend," an annual event that kicked off Friday to advocate for an end to gun violence, according to non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety.

Facing backlash, Republican congressman quits race after supporting U.S. gun control

A Republican congressman who came out in support of gun control after a mass shooting in his area dropped out of the race for his re-election on Friday upon coming under withering criticism from Republicans who saw his policy shift as a betrayal. Chris Jacobs, a first-term U.S. representative from suburban Buffalo, New York, said he decided to withdraw to avoid "an incredibly divisive election" for the Republican Party.

Trump-backed Oz wins U.S. Senate Republican primary after rival concedes

Former hedge fund executive David McCormick conceded to wellness celebrity Mehmet Oz on Friday in the Republican primary race for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, following a recount and securing another Donald Trump-endorsed candidate in a critical midterm election. Oz, who will square off against Democrat John Fetterman in the Nov. 8 midterm election to replace retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey, won by a margin of 916 votes, according to Edison Research.

U.S. Senate candidate Fetterman 'almost died' from stroke, vows to return to trail

John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania and the state's current lieutenant governor, said on Friday that he “almost died” from the stroke that has kept him off the campaign trail, indicating that his condition was graver than initially suggested. Fetterman, 52, had a stroke that he attributed to atrial fibrillation, days before the May 17 primary in which he won his party’s nomination for Senate. Despite his campaign's assurances that he would make a swift recovery, he has not been able to campaign since, prompting concerns in some Democratic circles about his fitness to continue in the race.

U.S. FDA flags risk of heart inflammation after Novavax COVID vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about a possible risk of heart inflammation from Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, even as the company's data showed it could reduce the chances of mild-to-severe disease. In Novavax's nearly 30,000 patient trial, conducted between December 2020 and September 2021, there were four cases of a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis detected within 20 days of taking the protein-based shot.

Former Trump adviser Navarro charged with contempt of Congress in Jan 6 probe

Peter Navarro, a former top adviser to ex-President Donald Trump, was charged on Friday with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. But two other close associates of the former president, Mark Meadows and Daniel Scavino, will not face criminal charges despite a House vote recommending them.

(With inputs from agencies.)