Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The federal three-judge panel acknowledged the "unusual" nature of its decision to reinstate a map that it found to have moved 30,000 Black residents out of a congressional district based on their race in violation of their constitutional rights. Freighter pilot called for tugboat help before plowing into Baltimore bridge The pilot of the cargo freighter that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship's "black box" data recorder.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

A million solar eclipse enthusiasts expected at Niagara Falls

From vintage train rides costing almost $4,000 per person to hotel rooms listed at $1,600 a night, businesses in and around majestic Niagara Falls are preparing to cash in on the April 8 total solar eclipse - with around a million visitors expected. The dramatic waterfall, situated along the Canadian-U.S. border, is in the path of the eclipse, and many people are splurging on hotels and rentals in advance to experience the phenomenon at one of North America's natural wonders. Demand has pushed up prices of hotels as people making last-minute plans book the last of the available accommodations.

White House issues new federal standards to collect data on race

The White House on Thursday announced new standards for collecting federal data on race and ethnicity, a decision that will touch organizations that receive federal funding, determine how congressional districts are drawn and whether equal employment policies can be enforced. The standards from the White House's Office of Management & Budget (OMB)- revised for the first time since 1997- requires federal agencies to use one combined question for race and ethnicity, encourages respondents to select multiple options on how they identify and adds Middle Eastern or North African as a new identification category.

US gives Maryland $60 million to rebuild collapsed Baltimore bridge

The U.S. government awarded the state of Maryland $60 million in federal emergency relief on Thursday in response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, an extraordinarily fast disbursement after such a disaster. The bridge came tumbling down early on Tuesday after a massive cargo freighter that had lost power plowed into the structure in Baltimore Harbor. Two bodies have been recovered and four other missing people are presumed dead.

Texas judge transfers lawsuit over card fees to Washington, D.C

A federal judge in a Texas court that has become a favorite for conservative challenges to Biden administration policies transferred a lawsuit challenging a rule curbing credit card late fees to a court in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman said half of the business groups that sued are based in Washington, as are most of the lawyers representing them and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which wrote the rule the groups are seeking to block.

Biden's campaign war chest exceeds Trump's before major fundraising event

U.S. President Joe Biden's campaign has pulled in more money ahead of November's election than that of his Republican rival Donald Trump, which analysts attribute to Biden's incumbent status and support from Democratic predecessors. That support will be on full display Thursday at a fundraising event for Biden in New York City, where former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, both prominent Democrats, will be in attendance.

South Carolina voting map faulted for racial bias by court revived for 2024

A federal court that previously threw out a Republican-drawn South Carolina electoral map for bias against Black voters decided on Thursday that it can be used in this year's congressional elections, a ruling that could undercut Democratic chances of winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The federal three-judge panel acknowledged the "unusual" nature of its decision to reinstate a map that it found to have moved 30,000 Black residents out of a congressional district based on their race in violation of their constitutional rights.

Freighter pilot called for tugboat help before plowing into Baltimore bridge

The pilot of the cargo freighter that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship's "black box" data recorder. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more vulnerable to a catastrophic collapse.

Immigrants killed in Baltimore bridge collapse died doing job 'others do not want to do'

They came to the United States for a chance at a better life. They found work filling pot holes on a bridge in the middle of the night, and they ended up dead in the Baltimore harbor. The six victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse were all immigrants from Mexico and Central America, doing the kind of grueling work that many immigrants take on, when a container ship crashed into a support pillar at 1:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday and sent them plunging into the icy Patapsco River.

US House to deliver Homeland Secretary Mayorkas impeachment to Senate April 10

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will deliver two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on April 10, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Thursday. Mayorkas, who Republicans blame for record flows of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, was narrowly impeached by the House last month on allegations that he has not enforced U.S. immigration laws and has made false statements to Congress.

Trump can't match Biden's 2024 fundraising, Republican's campaign says

Donald Trump will be unable to match President Joe Biden's fundraising totals in this year's presidential election race, the Republican candidate's campaign said on Thursday. "We're never gonna be able to raise dollar for dollar with Biden," a Trump campaign adviser said in a call with reporters.

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