Reuters US Domestic News Summary

(We) haven't seen anything from the Russians indicating that two such individuals are in their custody," U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, describing reports about the two men as unconfirmed. Trump pressed, threatened Pence to overturn election, panel hears Former President Donald Trump pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to overturn his 2020 election defeat despite being told repeatedly it was illegal to do so, aides to Pence told the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Takeaways from third day of Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot hearings

The third day of the hearings in the U.S. Congress on the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by former President Donald Trump's supporters featured more testimony, often intense, by close allies of the former president. Here are three takeaways from the third day of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Jan. 6's hearings:

Michael Avenatti pleads guilty to fraud, obstruction charges

Michael Avenatti, the brash lawyer known for taking on then-U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday pleaded guilty to fraud and obstruction charges, in a bid to end years of defending against criminal charges that destroyed his career and led to two criminal convictions. Avenatti, 51, admitted to four counts of wire fraud for defrauding clients and one count of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service on a coffee business he once operated.

Nebraska man pleads guilty to making threats against election official

A Nebraska man pleaded guilty on Thursday to making threats against an election official, marking the third federal case brought by a U.S. Justice Department task force formed last year to address the rising tide of such threats. The Justice Department said that Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, wrote threatening posts on Instagram in August 2021 to an unnamed election official, asking: "Do you feel safe? You shouldn't... Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you."

U.S. Senate passes bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

A major bill expanding health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic military burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday, as senators praised their bipartisan work on one of the few issues on which they can find common ground. The bill eases and expands access to health services and disability benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic smoke from the U.S. military's use of burn pits on foreign bases until the mid-2010s.

Russian court gives U.S. man 14 years' prison for drug offences -agency

A Russian court on Thursday sentenced a former employee at the U.S. embassy to 14 years' imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony on drug smuggling charges, Interfax news agency said. The agency said Marc Fogel had been detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in August 2021 with drugs. He had once worked at the embassy but at the time of his arrest was employed at the city's Anglo-American school, it said.

Liberal Justice Sotomayor says U.S. Supreme Court 'mistakes' can be fixed

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said on Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court's "mistakes" in high-profile cases can be corrected over time as she adopted a positive tone ahead of a decision in which its conservative majority is expected to curtail abortion rights. Sotomayor, speaking in Washington at the annual meeting of a liberal legal group, did not directly address last month's publication of a leaked draft opinion in the abortion case or any of the court's other current cases. But Sotomayor said she believes the court can help people "regain the public's confidence" in government institutions.

Lead Democrat hopeful on U.S. gun legislation despite Republican walk-out

The lead Republican negotiator in U.S. Senate efforts to craft a bipartisan gun safety bill walked out of the talks on Thursday, raising questions about whether lawmakers will vote on the legislation before leaving for a two-week July 4 recess. "It's fish or cut bait," Senator John Cornyn said after hours of negotiations that included his fellow Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senators Chris Murphy and Kyrsten Sinema.

Ginni Thomas says she 'can't wait' to talk to Jan. 6 committee

Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is eager to appear before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, she told the Daily Caller news website on Thursday. Thomas was responding to comments by the committee's chairman, Democrat Bennie Thompson, that suggested the panel would seek her testimony.

Third American reported missing after traveling to Ukraine

The United States said on Thursday it was aware of reports that a third U.S. citizen is missing after traveling to Ukraine and it had not yet asked Russia about two Americans reportedly captured after going to the country to fight Russian forces. "As of today, we have not raised this yet with the Russian Federation ... (We) haven't seen anything from the Russians indicating that two such individuals are in their custody," U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, describing reports about the two men as unconfirmed.

Trump pressed, threatened Pence to overturn election, panel hears

Former President Donald Trump pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to overturn his 2020 election defeat despite being told repeatedly it was illegal to do so, aides to Pence told the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. Members of the Democratic-led House of Representatives select committee said Trump continued his pressure campaign even though he knew a violent mob of his supporters was threatening the Capitol as Pence and lawmakers met to formally certify President Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 election.

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