US Domestic News Roundup: Texas grid seeks more power capacity to avoid winter shortages; Criminal trial of US Senator Bob Menendez set for May 6 and more

Kennedy Jr.'s likely independent bid for the White House may complicate the 2024 race by taking votes away from Democrat Joe Biden or Republican Donald Trump in critical states, political analysts said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Texas grid seeks more power capacity to avoid winter shortages

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) sought bids from power producers on Monday to increase its operating reserves by around 3,000 megawatts in case of any unexpected spikes in demand during the upcoming winter season. The Texas grid has been concerned about extreme weather since a deadly storm in February 2021 left millions without power for days as ERCOT struggled to prevent a grid collapse after the closure of an unusually large amount of generation.

Criminal trial of US Senator Bob Menendez set for May 6

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez's trial on corruption charges will begin in May, a federal judge in New York said on Monday. The Democratic senator for New Jersey has pleaded not guilty and resisted calls for his resignation following his indictment last month on charges of taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen.

Republican US Rep Matt Gaetz moves to oust McCarthy as speaker

Far-right Republican Representative Matt Gaetz on Monday moved to oust fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, injecting an additional element of chaos into an already tumultuous Congress. Gaetz, who has clashed with McCarthy for months, introduced a "motion to vacate" that would force a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker.

How RFK Jr. could hurt Biden, Trump in 2024 election with independent bid

Long-shot U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s likely independent bid for the White House may complicate the 2024 race by taking votes away from Democrat Joe Biden or Republican Donald Trump in critical states, political analysts said. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist, scion of the powerful political family and son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, is expected to announce in Philadelphia on Oct. 9 that he will drop his challenge to President Biden for the Democratic Party's nomination, and run as an independent candidate instead.

Hunter Biden due to plead not guilty to gun charges in Delaware court

President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden is expected to plead not guilty on Tuesday to lying about his drug use while buying a handgun, in the first-ever criminal prosecution of a sitting U.S. president's child. Hunter Biden, 53, was charged last month by U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss with three counts related to lying on a federal form to acquire a Colt Cobra handgun in 2018 and for being an illegal drug user in possession of the gun.

Striking Hollywood actors resume contract talks with studios, networks

Negotiators for striking Hollywood actors resumed contract talks on Monday with representatives of major studios, television networks and streaming services, marking the first time the two sides have returned to the bargaining table since mid-July. Renewed talks between the SAG-AFTRA actors union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) came eight days after the producers clinched a separate contract deal with Hollywood writers, who launched their own strike on May 2, about 10 weeks before the actors.

US Congress debates Ukraine aid as Pentagon warns money running low

A last-ditch weekend spending agreement avoided a U.S. government shutdown but left pro-Ukraine officials in Washington scrambling on Monday to determine the best path forward for securing approval for billions more assistance for Kyiv. Leaders in the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, promised to take up legislation in the coming weeks to ensure continued U.S. security and economic support for Ukraine.

Curtain comes up on new term for conservative US Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court began its new term on Monday with arguments in a criminal sentencing case, setting out on a nine-month legal journey that will test how far its 6-3 conservative majority is willing to steer American law in a rightward direction. The court also turned away a series of appeals in cases involving lawyers who pursued unsuccessful litigation to try to overturn former President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, a long-shot candidate's bid to disqualify Trump from the 2024 election and videos secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists.

Schumer confirms U.S. Senate trip to China, Japan, South Korea

A bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation will visit China, Japan and South Korea in October, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office said on Tuesday. The six-senator group will be co-led by Republican Mike Crapo, whose office said earlier the trip is planned for next week and that the senators hope to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump civil fraud trial enters second day as business empire hangs in balance

Donald Trump’s civil trial continues in Manhattan on Tuesday in a case that threatens to dismantle parts of the former U.S. president’s business empire and sharply curtail his ability to do business in New York. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is accused along with his two sons and nearly a dozen business associates of inflating the value of his assets by billions of dollars to secure more favorable loan and insurance terms.