Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Justice Arthur Engoron in New York state court in Manhattan said at a virtual hearing that he would go on holding the former U.S. president in contempt of court and fine him $10,000 a day despite a request from Trump's lawyer to lift both orders. Maxwell loses bid to toss sex trafficking conviction, as sentencing looms British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday lost a bid to overturn her December 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges, paving the way for her to be sentenced to decades in prison.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California willing to keep nuclear plant running to keep lights on

California is open to keeping its last remaining nuclear power plant running to maintain electric reliability as it transitions away from fossil fuels, a spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday. The statement marked an about-face for the state, which has been planning since 2016 to replace Diablo Canyon's large generating capacity this decade with other carbon-free energy sources like solar, battery storage and wind.

U.S. challenges Alabama law on transgender youth

The U.S. Justice Department said it filed a complaint on Friday challenging a law in Alabama that criminalizes some gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth. Earlier this month, Alabama's Republican governor signed into law the bill, which makes it a felony punishable with up to 10 years of imprisonment for providing voluntary medical treatments, including hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgery to help align physical characteristics to the gender identity of a minor.

Oath Keepers member pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy in U.S. Capitol attack

An Oath Keepers member on Friday admitted to engaging in seditious conspiracy during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and agreed to cooperate with investigators, handing a win to prosecutors as they prepare for a likely trial against the far-right group's founder. Brian Ulrich, 44, of Georgia pleaded guilty on Friday during a court hearing in federal court in the District of Columbia.

White House communications director tests positive for COVID-19

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, as journalists and politicians in Washington were set to kick off a weekend of events around the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner. Bedingfield said she was not considered a close contact with President Joe Biden, whom she last saw on Wednesday at a socially-distanced meeting during which she wore an N-95 mask.

U.S. likely to find out about next COVID booster by summer -Fauci

Scientists and health officials by this summer should have a better sense of what type of COVID-19 booster will be needed to deal with the next phase of the pandemic and when it should be administered, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday. The National Institutes of Health, where Fauci serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is conducting clinical studies to determine if the next COVID booster should be specific to a particular variant of the coronavirus or designed to address more than one variant, known as a bivalent vaccine, ahead of the fall season, he said.

Judge 'surprised' at Trump claim he has no documents sought in probe

A New York judge expressed surprise on Friday that Donald Trump, a man he described as perhaps the world's most famous real estate developer, was unable to provide any documents sought in a probe of the Trump Organization, his family company. Justice Arthur Engoron in New York state court in Manhattan said at a virtual hearing that he would go on holding the former U.S. president in contempt of court and fine him $10,000 a day despite a request from Trump's lawyer to lift both orders.

Maxwell loses bid to toss sex trafficking conviction, as sentencing looms

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday lost a bid to overturn her December 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges, paving the way for her to be sentenced to decades in prison. Maxwell, 60, who was convicted of helping recruit and sexually abuse girls for deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

Islamic State 'Beatle' sentenced to life for murdering U.S. hostages

A U.S. judge on Friday imposed a lifetime prison sentence on a member of an Islamic State militant group nicknamed "The Beatles" that beheaded American hostages, at a hearing where one victim's mother told the defendant, "I will not hate you." U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis in Alexandria, Virginia, held an emotionally charged sentencing hearing for London-born Alexanda Kotey, 38, who pleaded guilty to murdering U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.

Northern New Mexico villagers prepare to flee as winds whip wildfire

Thousands of people who live in mountain villages of northern New Mexico prepared to evacuate on Friday as gusting winds and drought conditions drove the largest wildfire in the United States perilously close to their homes. About 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Santa Fe near the village of Ledoux, flames from the Calf Canyon fire ripped through forest as high winds blew embers over a mile, spreading a wildfire that has scorched about 66,000 acres, or 103 square miles, of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains since April 6.

FBI searches of data collected without a warrant nearly triples last year

The FBI made nearly 3.4 million queries last year to a database of information collected without a warrant, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said on Friday, nearly tripling from the previous year. The FBI data, which ODNI said was being included for the first time in its transparency report, included some 1.9 million queries done as part of investigations into attempts by foreign cyber attackers to compromise U.S. critical infrastructure, like U.S. power plants.

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