US Domestic News Roundup: Half of Americans interested in getting updated COVID shot -Reuters/Ipsos poll; Biden weighed by economic concerns, age in potential 2024 rematch with Trump -Reuters/Ipsos poll and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Half of Americans interested in getting updated COVID shot -Reuters/Ipsos poll

About half of Americans are interested in getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine more than three years after the virus infected millions and upended daily life across the United States and around the world, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The results suggest that more might be willing to get a booster shot than a year ago when only around roughly one in six Americans opted for an updated shot, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden weighed by economic concerns, age in potential 2024 rematch with Trump -Reuters/Ipsos poll

U.S. President Joe Biden's chances of re-election are being jeopardized by voters' concerns over his age, the economy and crime, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, creating an opportunity for Republican challenger Donald Trump to return to the White House. The opinion poll found Democrat Biden, 80, tied in a hypothetical November 2024 election against Trump, 77, the former president who is the front-runner for the Republican nomination, with both receiving 39% of the vote and one in five voters undecided.

Biden's son Hunter hit with gun charge, first for a US president's child

U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden was criminally charged on Thursday with deceiving a gun dealer into selling him a firearm, in the latest sign of how the younger Biden's legal woes may weigh on his father's re-election bid next year. The first-ever indictment of a sitting president's child, filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, charged Hunter Biden with three criminal counts related to lying about the fact he was using illegal drugs at that time, which would have banned him under the law from owning a firearm.

Impeachment trial of Texas AG Paxton nears end, could see him removed

Closing arguments were set for Friday in the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, following eight days of testimony from whistle blowers alleging corruption and defenders saying he did nothing wrong. Paxton, a conservative Republican firebrand who is strongly aligned with former U.S. President Donald Trump, faces 16 articles of impeachment in the trial, in which the Republican-dominated Texas Senate serves as the jury. Paxton has called the trial a political witch hunt.

Can Joe Biden and a fistful of cash win rural America for Democrats?

Rhiannon Hampson drives hundreds of miles across Maine's countryside each week as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's top rural development official in the state, and says she's never seen so many newly paved roads and rebuilt bridges as in the past year. Replacement of Maine's century-old Ticonic Bridge in Waterville and upgrades to the airport in Presque Isle are among the thousands of projects nationwide funded by President Joe Biden's bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure law.

Football-U.S. college student develops device he hopes can help eradicate sport concussions

When Carter Hogg's brother F.J. suffered a concussion that ended his football career and then spent agonizing months regaining his health, Carter was moved to study the causes of concussions in the hopes of finding a way to prevent them. The 20-year-old from Dallas has developed a protective hood that is worn under the helmet and shoulder pads called G8RSkin that has received positive results in testing and he hopes can help eradicate head injuries, one of the biggest health concerns in sport.

Biden to speak on UAW strike Friday, White House eyes economic aid

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will deliver remarks on the contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Detroit Three automakers, the White House said, within hours of the union launching strikes at three factories. The White House did not specify a time for his remarks. The UAW strike at three factories owned by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler-owner Stellantis on Friday, kicked off the most ambitious U.S. industrial labor action in decades.

US opposes Trump request to remove judge in federal election case

U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith on Thursday opposed Donald Trump’s request to remove the federal judge overseeing the criminal case accusing the former U.S. president of attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Smith, whose office is prosecuting the case against Trump, said there was "no valid basis" for U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself from the case over prior statements she made in court that appeared to reference Trump’s responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol.

Maker of MDMA-assisted PTSD treatment to seek US regulatory nod

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) plans to file for regulatory approval for the party drug MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in the United States later this year, in a potential boost to the nascent psychedelic therapeutics industry. PTSD is a disorder caused by very stressful events and can significantly disrupt patients' lives. MDMA, used in the drug Ecstasy, is currently illegal in the U.S.

Biden’s offshore wind target slipping out of reach as projects struggle

President Joe Biden’s goal to deploy 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind along U.S. coastlines this decade to fight climate change may be unattainable due to soaring costs and supply chain delays, according to forecasters and industry insiders. The 2030 target, unveiled shortly after Biden took office, is central to Biden's broader plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050. It is also crucial to targets of Northeast states hoping wind will help them move away from fossil fuel-fired electricity.