US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. gets warrant to search phone of Trump's election attorney John Eastman; U.S. says 'substantial offer' on the table for Russia to release detainees Griner, Whelan and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. gets warrant to search phone of Trump's election attorney John Eastman

The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it got a warrant to search the phone of former President Donald Trump's election attorney, John Eastman, who spoke at a rally before the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Federal agents in June seized Eastman's phone based on a warrant authorizing them to take the device. They needed a second warrant to search the phone's contents.

U.S. says 'substantial offer' on the table for Russia to release detainees Griner, Whelan

The United States has made "a substantial offer" to Russia to release U.S. citizens detained there, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, adding he would press his Russian counterpart to respond in a conversation planned for the coming days. Washington offered Moscow a deal to bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan weeks ago, Blinken told reporters and hoped to advance the process when he speaks to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Two Minnesota ex-officers sentenced on federal charges in George Floyd case

Two former Minneapolis police officers were sentenced on Wednesday on federal charges stemming from the murder of George Floyd, the Black man who was killed when their colleague Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck during an arrest. At a hearing in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Tou Thao, 36, to 3-1/2 years. Earlier on Wednesday, he sentenced J. Alexander Kueng, 28, to three years, Andrew Luger, U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said in a statement.

Exclusive-Former Republicans and Democrats form new third U.S. political party

Dozens of former Republican and Democratic officials announced on Wednesday a new national political third party to appeal to millions of voters they say are dismayed with what they see as America's dysfunctional two-party system. The new party, called Forward and whose creation was first reported by Reuters, will initially be co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey. They hope the party will become a viable alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties that dominate U.S. politics, founding members told Reuters.

Biden administration announces $400 million for rural internet access

President Joe Biden's administration announced on Thursday that it will provide $401 million to provide access to high-speed internet for 31,000 rural residents and businesses in 11 states, as part of Biden's drive to expand access to the web.

"With this money we are one step closer to President Biden's ambitious goal of affordable and reliable internet for all," Biden's infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters.

U.S. Senate Democratic deal would expand EV tax credits

A Senate Democratic deal includes a new $4,000 tax credit for used electric vehicles and other new tax credits and grants for automakers to retool factories to build greener cars.

The deal struck between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also includes an expansion of the existing $7,500 EV tax credit as well as a new $10 billion investment tax credit to build clean-technology manufacturing facilities, according to a summary from Schumer's office.

Judges temporarily block North Dakota, Wyoming 'trigger' bans on abortions

Judges in North Dakota and Wyoming on Wednesday blocked enforcement of "trigger" bans on abortions, allowing abortion providers in those states to resume services after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion. Those two states join others including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have blocked abortion bans, providing at least a temporary victory for abortion rights advocates following their defeat at the federal level.

Biden's pledge to tax wealthy, companies revived with the Manchin-led bill

U.S. President Joe Biden's campaign trail promise to increase taxes on corporations and the wealthy as part of a battle against glaring income inequality in the United States got an unexpected boost on Wednesday. Early proposals to increase tax rates from Biden and his fellow Democrats hit a brick wall in Congress after Republicans, and some Democrats opposed them. But a sudden reversal by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a swing vote in the divided Senate, has given Biden's tax agenda a new lease on life.

U.S. Senate climate deal 'transformative', backers say

The nearly $370 billion in climate and energy security measures in the budget reconciliation deal U.S. Senate Democrats struck on Wednesday were whittled down from previous versions of the bill, but highly praised by backers of clean energy. Early versions of the bill had $555 billion in tax breaks for clean energy such as wind and solar power as well as batteries and nuclear reactors.

Biden looks to tamp down Taiwan tension during China Xi call

U.S. President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping will hold their fifth call as leaders on Thursday, as concerns rise over a possible visit to Chinese-claimed Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. White House officials have said the long-planned call, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT), will have a broad agenda, including a discussion of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which China has yet to condemn.