US Domestic News Roundup: Shaken U.S. Capitol on high alert; Biden raises minimum wage for federal contractors to $15/hour and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis-Are U.S. Supreme Court conservatives aiming to expand gun rights?

The United States, a nation with high levels of gun violence, could witness an increase in firearms carried in public if the Supreme Court rules as expected in a major new case that could recognize wider gun rights under the U.S. Constitution. The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority believed to hold a broad view of the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment, on Monday agreed to hear a case that could lead to the most impactful gun rights ruling in more than a decade. It took up the case in the aftermath of a spree of mass shootings and vows by Democratic President Joe Biden to pursue new gun control measures.

New U.S. COVID cases fall sharply last week, deaths lowest since October

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States fell 16% last week to about 409,000, the biggest percentage drop in weekly new cases since February, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county data. Deaths from COVID-19 fell 4% to 4,972 in the week ended April 25, dropping below 5,000 for the first time since October.

Biden eyes $80 billion boost for IRS to help fund family initiative: NYT

President Joe Biden will seek an extra $80 billion to fund U.S. tax collections that would help pay for his plan to bolster childcare, universal pre-kindergarten education, and paid leave for workers, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. The president's proposal to boost the Internal Revenue Service's budget over 10 years would help the agency curb tax evasion by increasing and better targeting audits of high-earners and large corporations, the Times said, citing two people familiar with the plan.

Biden's first 100 days: COVID-19, jobs, foreign policy, immigration, guns and dogs

U.S. President Joe Biden marks 100 days in office on Friday, April 30. Judging a president's performance after 100 days in office is an American political tradition that historians say began with Franklin Roosevelt's first term in 1933 when he embarked on a rapid-fire rollout of measures to counter the Great Depression.

U.S. Homeland Security to investigate domestic extremism in its ranks

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will investigate the potential threat of domestic violent extremism within its own ranks, the department said on Monday. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas did not say what prompted the internal review at DHS but referred to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. He said it highlighted the threat of U.S.-based extremists.

Shaken U.S. Capitol on high alert for Biden's first address to Congress

President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday will take place in a U.S. Capitol on high alert, with memories fresh of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the building by supporters of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The crowd inside the Capitol will be a fraction of the hundreds of members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, top government officials and guests who typically attend, to allow for more social distancing in a COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 572,000 Americans.

Police 'executed' Black man in North Carolina shooting, lawyers say

Attorneys for the family of Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man shot by sheriff's deputies in North Carolina during an attempted arrest last week, said body camera footage showed Brown had been "executed" and accused officials of withholding evidence. Lawyers said the 42-year-old Brown had his hands on the steering wheel of his car when multiple deputies began firing at him in his driveway in Elizabeth City, a riverfront community near the Virginia border.

U.S. Supreme Court takes major case on carrying concealed handguns

The U.S. Supreme Court stepped back into the heated debate over gun rights on Monday, agreeing to hear a challenge backed by the National Rifle Association to New York state's restrictions on people carrying concealed handguns in public in a case that could further undermine firearms control efforts nationally. The justices took up an appeal by two gun owners and the New York affiliate of the NRA, an influential gun rights group closely aligned with Republicans, of a lower court ruling throwing out their challenge to the restrictions on concealed handguns outside the home.

Biden fares better than Trump over his first 100 days: Reuters/Ipsos poll

More than half of Americans approve of President Joe Biden after nearly 100 days on the job, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, a level of support that his Republican predecessor Donald Trump never achieved and one that should help Democrats push for infrastructure spending and other big-ticket items on Biden's agenda. The national opinion poll of 4,423 adults from April 12-16 found that 55% approved of Biden's performance in office, while 40% disapproved and the rest were not sure.

Biden raises minimum wage for federal contractors to $15/hour

President Joe Biden on Tuesday will continue his push for a national $15 minimum wage with an executive order that raises pay to at least that level for hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers, according to senior White House officials. The move will increase the current minimum wage of $10.95 by nearly 37% by March of next year and continue to tie future increases to inflation.