Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' manslaughter charges downgraded, cutting possible prison time
Prosecutors have downgraded the involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, reducing the possible prison time the Hollywood star may face for the 2021 fatal shooting on the set of the movie "Rust," charging documents showed.

New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies had charged Baldwin and the movie's set armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter last month for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, with the most serious charge carrying a potential prison sentence of five years.
Explosion rocks Ohio factory, scattering molten metal; 14 injured
An explosion tore through an Ohio metals plant on Monday, scattering molten metal and debris that rained down on neighboring buildings and injuring at least 14 people, mostly with burns, officials and witnesses said.

The blast sent smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen for miles around the damaged factory about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Cleveland.
Alligator captured in Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake
New York City park staff stumbled across a sickly alligator in Brooklyn's Prospect Park this weekend, Лучшие фильмы 2023 года zFilm-HD the Parks Department said, and rangers captured the lost reptile and brought it to the Bronx Zoo for care.

Park maintenance staff found the alligator in Prospect Park Lake on Sunday morning, in the heart of the concrete jungle, and noted that it appeared lethargic and in a state of cold shock.
A family's tragedy leads to U.S. Supreme Court social media showdown
Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old aspiring industrial designer, ventured to Paris as a student at California State University, Long Beach on a study-abroad program.

She lost her cellphone, so one day in November 2015 she let her mother Beatriz know she was well with a one-word message on Facebook: "Mommy." Beatriz responded with one word, "Mimi," her daughter's nickname.
Michigan Republicans tap election denier to lead state party
Republicans in Michigan on Saturday selected Trump loyalist Kristina Karamo as their next state chair, elevating an election denier to a critical leadership role in a sign of the growing clout of far-right and grassroots members over the party in the battleground state.

The election of Karamo could complicate the party's ability to raise money ahead of the 2024 elections, when Michigan will likely play an important role in who controls the White House and the U.S. Senate.
Factbox-Jimmy Carter's biggest challenges while president
Former U.S.

President Jimmy Carter, 98, has decided to receive hospice care, the Carter Center said on Saturday. Here are several key events from the Georgia Democrat's time in office from 1977 to 1981. CAMP DAVID ACCORDS
Buttigieg urges U.S.
railroads to boost safety, not oppose reforms
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday he would call on major railroads to improve safety after a Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, of a train operated by Norfolk Southern. Buttigieg in a letter to Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw said he would also urge Congress to raise the cap on fines against railroads for violating safety regulations "to ensure their deterrent effect is commensurate with the economic proportions of today's large railroad companies."
Former U.S.

President Jimmy Carter to receive hospice care -statement
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has decided to receive hospice care and "spend his remaining time at home with his family" instead of additional medical intervention, the Carter Center said on Saturday.
Carter, 98, who has lived longer after leaving the White House than any former president in U.S. history, was a Democrat who served from January 1977 to January 1981.