Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Maine’s top court needed to weigh in on the dispute now “before ballots are counted, promoting trust in our free, safe and secure elections.” Georgia prosecutor on Trump case paid for flights with DA Fani Willis, filing shows A lawyer hired to help run the Georgia election interference criminal case against Donald Trump paid for airline tickets for the district attorney overseeing the prosecution, bank records attached to a legal filing showed on Friday, potentially bolstering claims the two had an inappropriate relationship.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Haley says no to vice presidency as former rival backs Trump

Nikki Haley made it clear to New Hampshire voters on Friday: She won't serve as former President Donald Trump's vice president if he wins the Republican nomination. Haley, who's challenging Trump for the Republican presidential nod, has long said she won't "play for second." But in touring the independent-leaning state this week, she explicitly ruled out being a running mate in November, media reports said.

New York mayor vetoes bills he says would 'handcuff' police

New York Mayor Eric Adams on Friday vetoed legislation that would ban the use of solitary confinement in city jails and a second bill that would force police officers to document more of their stops, but city council leaders vowed to override the vetoes. Adams, a Democrat and former New York City police captain, said during a City Hall ceremony marking his vetoes that "we cannot handcuff the police, we want to handcuff bad people who are violent."

Explainer-How is the 'war on the administrative state' faring at the Supreme Court?

Three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court will help determine the advance of the conservative push called the "war on the administrative state" that aims to weaken federal agencies that regulate key aspects of American life and business. The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, is weighing cases challenging the power of federal agencies to issue regulations and enforce laws in areas ranging from finance to fish conservation, that could have far-reaching reverberations.

Nikki Haley aims to upend Republican race against Trump in New Hampshire

Nikki Haley and her allies are flooding New Hampshire with campaign workers and sharpening their attacks on frontrunner Donald Trump as they angle for an upset in next week's Republican presidential primary. AFP Action, a political advocacy group backed by conservative billionaire Charles Koch, is sending up to 100 additional employees to knock on doors in the final sprint ahead of Tuesday's vote. SFA, another deep-pocketed PAC supporting Haley, released a new ad this week featuring New Hampshire residents calling Trump a bully and a liar.

Biden's New Hampshire votes matter, even though he's not on the ballot

Democrats are trying to temper expectations for U.S. President Joe Biden in next week's Democratic primary election in New Hampshire, as supporters scramble to gin up write-in support for him since his name is not on the ballot. The primary on Jan. 23 offers the first at-the-polls gauge of Biden's political strength this election cycle, and the unprecedented situation will be closely watched amid polls showing him tied with likely Republican challenger Donald Trump .

US House panel advances $78 billion tax break bill in strong bipartisan vote

U.S. lawmakers on Friday advanced a bill to enhance tax breaks for businesses and low-income families in a strong show of bipartisan support for the largely revenue-neutral measure, despite their deep divisions over federal spending levels. The House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee approved the measure in a 40-3 vote, just three days after its Republican chairman announced the deal with his Democratic Senate counterpart.

Maine official asks state's top court to consider Trump ballot disqualification

Maine's top election official on Friday appealed a lower court ruling delaying a final decision on former President Donald Trump's eligibility for the Republican primary ballot until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules in a related case. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Maine's top court needed to weigh in on the dispute now "before ballots are counted, promoting trust in our free, safe and secure elections."

Georgia prosecutor on Trump case paid for flights with DA Fani Willis, filing shows

A lawyer hired to help run the Georgia election interference criminal case against Donald Trump paid for airline tickets for the district attorney overseeing the prosecution, bank records attached to a legal filing showed on Friday, potentially bolstering claims the two had an inappropriate relationship. Records show special prosecutor Nathan Wade paid for flights with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to Miami in 2022 and San Francisco in 2023, according to court documents seen by Reuters. The charges brought by Willis against the Republican former U.S. president are in one of two cases in which Trump is accused of crimes for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Harvard urges judge to toss families' lawsuits over morgue scandal

Harvard University on Friday urged a judge in Boston to dismiss lawsuits by families accusing it of mishandling the bodies of loved ones that were donated to its medical school and whose organs and parts were then sold on the black market by the former manager of its morgue. Martin Murphy, a lawyer for the school, told a state court judge that Harvard Medical School was "deeply sorry for the uncertainty and pain" families suffered as a result of the alleged conduct of its ex-morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, who has been indicted for selling body parts on the black market.

Plane makes emergency landing on Virginia highway

A small commercial plane with seven people on board made an emergency landing on a Virginia highway on Friday after taking off from Dulles International Airport, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said. Nobody was injured, WUSA9 television reported, citing police and the airline.

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