(Reuters) – A man who fatally shot two Missouri correctional officers in 2000 was scheduled to be executed on Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court and the governor declined to intervene even though jurors in the case petitioned for a reduced sentence.

Michael Tisius, 42, was convicted in 2001 of murdering Randolph County sheriff’s deputies Jason Acton and Leon Egley, who were both unarmed, during a failed attempt to help a former cellmate escape from jail.

Lawyers for Tisius argued he should be spared the death penalty given that he was 19 at the time of the crime, the New York Times reported. They said he was abused and neglected as a child, and that he was convinced by Roy Vance, the inmate, to go through with the plan.

Six jurors, including two alternates who voted in favor of a death sentence in 2010, said in sworn affidavits they were sympathetic to a reduced sentence, the Times reported.

Governor Mike Parson on Monday declined a clemency petition to commute the sentence to life in prison.

“Missouri’s judicial system provided Mr. Tisius with due process and fair proceedings for his brutal murders of two Randolph County jail guards,” the Republican governor said in a statement.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined a request by Tisius to stay the execution.

Tisius was accused of plotting with Tracie Bulington, Vance’s then-girlfriend, to help Vance escape from jail. Prosecutors said Bulington had decided against going through with the plan before Tisius shot Acton and Egley.

Bulington was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the killings.

Tisius had met Vance in 1999 while he was in jail on a misdemeanor charge for theft of a rented stereo, CBS News reported.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; editing by Paul Simao)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A lawyer for Texas billionaire Harlan Crow has offered to meet with Senate Judiciary Committee staff to discuss the panel’s concerns over his ties to conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a letter released on Tuesday showed.

Revelations about the links between Thomas, the court’s longest-tenured member, and Crow, including real estate purchases and luxury travel paid for by the Dallas businessman, have prompted calls from Democratic lawmakers for more rigorous ethics standards for the Supreme Court.

The Democratic-led committee held a hearing on the subject last month. Crow, a major Republican donor, last month rejected the panel’s request for a meeting.

In a six-page follow up dated Monday, Crow’s lawyer Michael Bopp reiterated that he does not think the committee has the power to request information from Crow or to impose ethics standards on the nation’s top judicial body, as it is considering pursuing.

Still, Bopp wrote, “we respect the Senate Judiciary Committee’s important role in formulating legislation concerning our federal courts system, and would welcome a discussion with your staff.”

Representatives for the panel said they received the letter, first reported by CNN, and would response shortly.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts last month said the court is considering steps to “adhere to the highest standards of conduct” and was committed to ensuring that its nine members adhered to them.

Unlike other federal judges, Supreme Court justices are not bound by the code of conduct adopted by the policymaking body for the broader U.S. judiciary that requires federal judges to avoid even the “appearance of impropriety.”

The news outlet ProPublica has detailed the ties between Thomas and Crow. Separately, the news outlet Politico has reported that conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch failed to disclose the buyer of a Colorado property in which he had a stake – the chief executive of a major law firm whose attorneys have been involved in numerous Supreme Court cases.

Some Republican committee members have sought to portray these revelations as part of an effort by liberals and Democrats to smear the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority.

(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A lawyer for Texas billionaire Harlan Crow has offered to meet with Senate Judiciary Committee staff to discuss the panel’s concerns over his ties to conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a letter released on Tuesday showed.

Revelations about the links between Thomas, the court’s longest-tenured member, and Crow, including real estate purchases and luxury travel paid for by the Dallas businessman, have prompted calls from Democratic lawmakers for more rigorous ethics standards for the Supreme Court.

The Democratic-led committee held a hearing on the subject last month. Crow, a major Republican donor, last month rejected the panel’s request for a meeting.

In a six-page follow up dated Monday, Crow’s lawyer Michael Bopp reiterated that he does not think the committee has the power to request information from Crow or to impose ethics standards on the nation’s top judicial body, as it is considering pursuing.

Still, Bopp wrote, “we respect the Senate Judiciary Committee’s important role in formulating legislation concerning our federal courts system, and would welcome a discussion with your staff.”

Representatives for the panel said they received the letter, first reported by CNN, and would response shortly.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts last month said the court is considering steps to “adhere to the highest standards of conduct” and was committed to ensuring that its nine members adhered to them.

Unlike other federal judges, Supreme Court justices are not bound by the code of conduct adopted by the policymaking body for the broader U.S. judiciary that requires federal judges to avoid even the “appearance of impropriety.”

The news outlet ProPublica has detailed the ties between Thomas and Crow. Separately, the news outlet Politico has reported that conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch failed to disclose the buyer of a Colorado property in which he had a stake – the chief executive of a major law firm whose attorneys have been involved in numerous Supreme Court cases.

Some Republican committee members have sought to portray these revelations as part of an effort by liberals and Democrats to smear the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority.

(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham)

By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl.

“Today’s summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago,” Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada.

Gupta added that “synthetic drugs have truly become a global threat.”

Biden administration officials said they would use tools such as medications to reverse opioid overdoses and use data collection to guide their efforts.

“Today, we’re here to … look at how our collective response can be improved and the role data collection has on saving lives,” Gupta said.

More than 109,000 Americans died last year from drug overdoses, with about two-thirds of those involving synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, according to data shared during the summit.

An unprecedented number of people are dying from overdoses and poisonings in the United States, Mexico and Canada every year, Gupta said.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said a regional approach to deal with the overdose and addiction crisis is critical.

The Biden administration last month said it was seeking to meet with the makers of the life-saving medication naloxone, used to reverse opioid overdoses, in an effort to increase access and reduce cost.

Opioid abuse has plagued the United States for more than two decades and has killed more than a half million Americans, according to federal data, turning the highly addictive pain medications into a public health crisis.

The White House in April said the Unites States planned to expand efforts to disrupt illicit financial activities by drug traffickers involved in the fentanyl trade by increasing the use of sanctions.

Some U.S. lawmakers have been calling on the Biden administration to take a harder line and ratchet up pressure on Mexico to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. A handful of Republican legislators have called for the U.S. military to bomb Mexican cartels and their labs inside Mexico – a proposal the Biden administration has not embraced.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)

By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl.

“Today’s summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago,” Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada.

Gupta added that “synthetic drugs have truly become a global threat.”

Biden administration officials said they would use tools such as medications to reverse opioid overdoses and use data collection to guide their efforts.

“Today, we’re here to … look at how our collective response can be improved and the role data collection has on saving lives,” Gupta said.

More than 109,000 Americans died last year from drug overdoses, with about two-thirds of those involving synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, according to data shared during the summit.

An unprecedented number of people are dying from overdoses and poisonings in the United States, Mexico and Canada every year, Gupta said.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said a regional approach to deal with the overdose and addiction crisis is critical.

The Biden administration last month said it was seeking to meet with the makers of the life-saving medication naloxone, used to reverse opioid overdoses, in an effort to increase access and reduce cost.

Opioid abuse has plagued the United States for more than two decades and has killed more than a half million Americans, according to federal data, turning the highly addictive pain medications into a public health crisis.

The White House in April said the Unites States planned to expand efforts to disrupt illicit financial activities by drug traffickers involved in the fentanyl trade by increasing the use of sanctions.

Some U.S. lawmakers have been calling on the Biden administration to take a harder line and ratchet up pressure on Mexico to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. A handful of Republican legislators have called for the U.S. military to bomb Mexican cartels and their labs inside Mexico – a proposal the Biden administration has not embraced.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)

By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl.

“Today’s summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago,” Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada.

Gupta added that “synthetic drugs have truly become a global threat.”

Biden administration officials said they would use tools such as medications to reverse opioid overdoses and use data collection to guide their efforts.

“Today, we’re here to … look at how our collective response can be improved and the role data collection has on saving lives,” Gupta said.

More than 109,000 Americans died last year from drug overdoses, with about two-thirds of those involving synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, according to data shared during the summit.

An unprecedented number of people are dying from overdoses and poisonings in the United States, Mexico and Canada every year, Gupta said.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said a regional approach to deal with the overdose and addiction crisis is critical.

The Biden administration last month said it was seeking to meet with the makers of the life-saving medication naloxone, used to reverse opioid overdoses, in an effort to increase access and reduce cost.

Opioid abuse has plagued the United States for more than two decades and has killed more than a half million Americans, according to federal data, turning the highly addictive pain medications into a public health crisis.

The White House in April said the Unites States planned to expand efforts to disrupt illicit financial activities by drug traffickers involved in the fentanyl trade by increasing the use of sanctions.

Some U.S. lawmakers have been calling on the Biden administration to take a harder line and ratchet up pressure on Mexico to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. A handful of Republican legislators have called for the U.S. military to bomb Mexican cartels and their labs inside Mexico – a proposal the Biden administration has not embraced.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week will take on what some lawmakers see as a burning issue: protecting Americans from new restrictions on gas-fueled stoves.

The House is set to vote on two bills preventing regulators from banning the stoves in the future or setting new energy conservation and health standards for new models.

Some state and local governments have begun banning gas-fueled furnaces, water heaters, and gas stoves in some new buildings as a way of reducing fossil-fuel emissions contributing to climate change.

The Republican bills, if passed by the House, could face opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Republicans accuse the Biden administration of pursuing regulations that could impact the more than one-third of American households using gas stoves for cooking.

“The White House wants to limit your ability to purchase and use gas stoves,” House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole said on Monday.

Democrats say they are trying to ensure new gas stoves do not lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or put children at risk of developing asthma. They also aim to reduce carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels such as natural gas.

“Contrary to rhetoric out there, the government is not coming for anybody’s gas stove,” Democratic Representative Mary Gay Scanlon said on Monday.

The votes come as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has begun collecting information on health hazards of gas stove emissions. CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka suggested in January a ban was possible, but the agency clarified that any regulatory changes, if ever pursued, would involve a “lengthy process.”

On Tuesday, the House is expected vote on the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, which would prohibit the CPSC from declaring gas stoves a hazardous product or take other steps to prohibit their sale.

On Wednesday, the House is due to vote on the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, which would restrict energy conservation standards for the appliances. It also would block the Department of Energy from taking actions that would lead to gas stoves being taken off the market or selling at higher prices.

Republican President Donald Trump in 2019 and 2020 eased or blocked rules encouraging water-conserving plumbing and energy-efficient light bulbs.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Andy Sullivan and Chris Reese)

By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Neither President Joe Biden’s Democrats nor Republicans in Congress emerged as a clear winner in the battle to raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The survey, conducted after Congress passed a bipartisan deal to raise the borrowing limit, found that 50% of Americans thought neither party emerged as a winner, while another 20% said both sides won.

Another 20% said they thought Democrats emerged with the better side of the deal, while 11% said Republicans had done better, according to the four-day poll which concluded on Monday.

The poll found self-identified Democrats were more likely to be satisfied with the outcome. Some 80% of Democrats liked how President Joe Biden handled their side’s end of the talks, while just 13% took a dim view of Biden’s performance.

By contrast, only 44% of Republicans approved of how their party’s top congressional official, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, drove the bargain for Republicans. Forty-two percent disapproved.

McCarthy’s poor marks reflect the deep divisions within his party. Hard-line Republicans who sought deeper government spending cuts in the talks have warned that McCarthy’s job could be in danger.

Biden and McCarthy reached a deal last week to suspend the debt ceiling weeks of negotiations between Biden’s White House and Republicans who control the House of Representatives.

Biden signed the deal into law on Saturday, averting the financial disaster that would have unfolded if Washington were forced to stop paying all its bills.

Politicians on both sides have presented the deal as a victory, with Republicans touting a reduction in non-military spending. Biden said the compromises in the deal were a sign the polarized nation could bridge its political divides.

Critics of the deal on the right said the cuts did not go far enough, while progressives criticized increased work requirements for struggling Americans receiving food or monetary assistance and provisions streamlining approvals for fossil fuel projects amid a climate change crisis.

The deal would cut spending by $1.3 trillion, less than the $4.8 trillion Republicans had sought. It does little to slow growth in federal debt that is on pace to exceed $50 trillion in a decade.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,004 U.S. adults nationwide and had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 4% in either direction.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; editing by Andy Sullivan and Aurora Ellis)

(Reuters) – Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to formally announce his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday in New Hampshire, joining a growing Republican field led by Donald Trump.

Christie, who served as an adviser to Trump’s successful 2016 campaign but has since become a vocal critic of the former president over his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, is scheduled to hold a town hall at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.

A former federal prosecutor, Christie, 60, has argued he is the only potential rival with the skills and willingness to attack Trump directly.

Christie has not fared well in public opinion polling thus far, however. He netted just 1% support from potential Republican primary voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May, compared to Trump’s 49% support and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 19% support.

Other Republicans seeking to challenge President Joe Biden include former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and U.S. Senator Tim Scott. Former Vice President Mike Pence is set to enter the race on Wednesday.

Christie ran for president in 2016 but ended his bid after a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primary and became the first major party figure to throw his support behind Trump.

He since has urged Republicans to disavow Trump’s assertions about the 2020 election and told reporters he would not vote for Trump in 2024, even if Trump won the nomination.

That strategy may entice Republican voters who are ready to move past Trump, but it remains unclear whether any Republican can prevail without the support of Trump’s still-loyal base.

As an underdog, Christie could end up playing the role of spoiler, a position he found himself occupying in 2016, when his dissection of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio at a debate days before Christie dropped out of the race blunted Rubio’s momentum.

Christie first emerged as a national figure on the strength of his two terms from 2009 to 2017 as governor of Democratic-leaning New Jersey, where his confrontational approach to politics earned him plaudits from admirers and accusations of bullying from detractors.

His tenure was tarnished by the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal, in which two allies deliberately shut down lanes at the heavily trafficked George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York City to punish a local mayor for failing to endorse Christie’s re-election.

Christie has said he was unaware of the plot at the time, but witnesses at a criminal trial for the two allies testified that the governor knew about the lane closures.

Despite his early support for Trump, Christie was passed over for vice president and for attorney general, and was fired as the head of Trump’s transition team just three days after the 2016 election.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week will take on what some lawmakers see as a burning issue: protecting Americans from new restrictions on gas-fueled stoves.

The House is set to vote on two bills preventing regulators from banning the stoves in the future or setting new energy conservation and health standards for new models.

Some state and local governments have begun banning gas-fueled furnaces, water heaters, and gas stoves in some new buildings as a way of reducing fossil-fuel emissions contributing to climate change.

The Republican bills, if passed by the House, could face opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Republicans accuse the Biden administration of pursuing regulations that could impact the more than one-third of American households using gas stoves for cooking.

“The White House wants to limit your ability to purchase and use gas stoves,” House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole said on Monday.

Democrats say they are trying to ensure new gas stoves do not lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or put children at risk of developing asthma. They also aim to reduce carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels such as natural gas.

“Contrary to rhetoric out there, the government is not coming for anybody’s gas stove,” Democratic Representative Mary Gay Scanlon said on Monday.

The votes come as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has begun collecting information on health hazards of gas stove emissions. CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka suggested in January a ban was possible, but the agency clarified that any regulatory changes, if ever pursued, would involve a “lengthy process.”

On Tuesday, the House is expected vote on the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, which would prohibit the CPSC from declaring gas stoves a hazardous product or take other steps to prohibit their sale.

On Wednesday, the House is due to vote on the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, which would restrict energy conservation standards for the appliances. It also would block the Department of Energy from taking actions that would lead to gas stoves being taken off the market or selling at higher prices.

Republican President Donald Trump in 2019 and 2020 eased or blocked rules encouraging water-conserving plumbing and energy-efficient light bulbs.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Andy Sullivan and Chris Reese)