US Domestic News Roundup: California says it needs more power to keep the lights on;

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California says it needs more power to keep the lights on

California energy officials on Friday issued a sober forecast for the state’s electrical grid, saying it lacks sufficient capacity to keep the lights on this summer and beyond if heatwaves, wildfires or other extreme events take their toll.

The update from leaders from three state agencies and the office of Governor Gavin Newsom comes in response to a string of challenges with the ambitious transition away from fossil fuels, including rolling blackouts during a summer heat wave in 2020.

Georgia official rules U.S. Representative Greene can seek reelection

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene should be allowed to run for reelection, Georgia’s secretary of state ruled on Friday, rejecting arguments by a group of voters that her comments about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol made her unfit for federal office. Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger issued a final decision upholding the findings of Charles Beaudrot Jr., an administrative law judge in Atlanta. Free Speech for People, the group spearheading the legal challenge, vowed to appeal the decision to the Georgia Superior Court.

Heavy winds expected to fan New Mexico wildfire over weekend

Firefighting teams in New Mexico braced on Friday for a mix of relentless winds, near-record high temperatures and low humidity expected to stoke a blaze that has chased thousands from their homes in the mountains and canyons near Santa Fe. Forecasts called for steady gale-force winds of up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) to sweep the northern New Mexico fire zone starting Saturday, accompanied by temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit and single-digit humidity readings.

After abortion leak, Justice Thomas warns Supreme Court can’t be ‘bullied’

Following protests sparked by the leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court decision indicating the justices are poised to overturn the constitutional right to abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas said on Friday that the court cannot be “bullied.” The leak set off a political firestorm, with abortion-rights supporters staging rallies outside the courthouse and at locations around the United States, as well as an internal crisis at the nation’s top judicial body where an investigation into the source of the unprecedented disclosure is underway.

Rich nations must stick to climate promises, says U.S. envoy Kerry

The world’s richest nations must implement their promises to keep alive a global goal to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told Reuters on Saturday. Kerry said progress was vital as Egypt prepares to host the next round of U.N. climate talks, known as COP27, in November in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Biden touts manufacturing, union jobs in battleground Ohio

President Joe Biden boasted on Friday of a U.S. manufacturing surge and introduced a new small business program in the key swing state of Ohio during his sixth visit there as president Biden was buoyed by strong numbers earlier in the day that showed the U.S. added 428,000 jobs in April https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-job-growth-solid-april-unemployment-rate-steady-36-2022-05-06, more than expected and the 12th straight month of job gains in excess of 400,000. Manufacturing has seen the largest 15-month job gain in 15 years, he noted.

Two plead guilty for assaulting ex-police officer Fanone during 2021 U.S. Capitol riot

Two men pleaded guilty this week for their roles in assaulting former Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone, who was beaten and electrocuted with a taser during the January 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington by throngs of former President Donald Trump’s supporters. On Friday, defendant Albuquerque Cosper Head, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in a federal court in Washington to assaulting or impeding a police officer. In the hearing, he acknowledged he was responsible for pulling Fanone into the crowd.

U.S. judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit challenging his Twitter ban

A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter Inc that challenged his suspension from the platform. In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco rejected Trump’s argument that Twitter violated his right to freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Alito’s abortion history lesson in dispute

Justice Samuel Alito’s draft U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide hinges on a contested historical review of restrictions on the procedure enacted during the 19th century. Lawyers and scholars backing abortion rights have criticized Alito’s reading of history as glossing over disputed facts and ignoring relevant details as the conservative justice sought to demonstrate that a woman’s constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy was wrongly recognized in the Roe ruling.

U.S. identifies 109 cases of severe hepatitis, including 5 deaths, in children

U.S. health officials on Friday said they are investigating 109 cases of severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children, including five reported deaths, updating a nationwide alert issued in April for doctors to be on the lookout for such cases of the liver disease. The cases have been identified over the past seven months in 25 states and territories, Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said during a conference call.

(With inputs from agencies.)