US Domestic News Roundup: SpaceX rocket sends first global water survey mission into orbit; U.S. labor board region sides with USC athletes seeking 'employee' designation and more

The ruling by the Appellate Division in Manhattan marked the latest setback for the university in its fight to avoid recognizing Y.U. Pride Alliance in a case that conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices have signaled interest in reviewing. U.S. Senate passes record $858 billion defense act, sending bill to Biden The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden, and rescinding the military's COVID vaccine mandate.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

SpaceX rocket sends first global water survey mission into orbit

A SpaceX rocket blasted off early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct an unprecedented global survey of Earth's surface waters, a mission expected to shed new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change. The Falcon 9 booster owned and operated by Elon Musk's commercial rocket company lit up the predawn sky along California's coast as it roared off its launch pad at the Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Los Angeles.

U.S. labor board region sides with USC athletes seeking 'employee' designation

The Los Angeles regional head of the U.S. agency that enforces U.S. labor laws has sided with scholarship basketball and football players at the University of Southern California (USC) seeking recognition as employees and the right to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) director of the agency's Region 31 office issued a finding of merit in an unfair labor practice charge brought by the student athletes against USC, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 athletic conference.

Judicial security measure clears U.S. Congress as part of defense bill

The U.S. Congress on Thursday passed legislation that would allow U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges to shield their personal information from being viewed online in response to a rising number of threats targeting them. The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, named for the son of a federal judge who was fatally shot in 2020, was attached to the annual must-pass defense policy bill that the Senate endorsed 83-11.

Yeshiva University must recognize LGBTQ club, New York appeals court rules

A New York appeals court on Thursday ruled that Yeshiva University must formally recognize an LGBTQ student group, rejecting the Jewish school's claims that doing so would violate its religious rights and values. The ruling by the Appellate Division in Manhattan marked the latest setback for the university in its fight to avoid recognizing Y.U. Pride Alliance in a case that conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices have signaled interest in reviewing.

U.S. Senate passes record $858 billion defense act, sending bill to Biden

The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden, and rescinding the military's COVID vaccine mandate. Senators supported the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by an overwhelming 83-11 bipartisan majority.

Louisiana officers charged in 2019 death of unarmed Black motorist

A grand jury indicted five Louisiana law enforcement officers on Thursday on charges ranging from negligent homicide to malfeasance for their role in the death of unarmed Black motorist Ronald Greene while making an arrest in 2019. Greene, 49, died in May 2019 on a roadside in rural northern Louisiana after a violent confrontation with officers that followed a high-speed car chase.

Three men sentenced to prison for aiding plot to kidnap Michigan governor

Three men convicted of playing supporting roles in a foiled plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan in 2020 were sentenced to multiple years in prison on Thursday, as two of the conspiracy's ringleaders await sentencing before the end of the month. The three were convicted by a jury in October on charges of gang membership, firearm violations and providing material support for terrorism.

National Archives releases documents related to JFK assassination

The U.S. National Archives on Thursday released thousands of documents related to the 1963 assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy, acting shortly after President Joe Biden issued an executive order authorizing the release that also kept hundreds of other sensitive records secret for up to another year. The release of 13,173 documents was not expected to include any new bombshells or change the conclusion reached by the commission led by Chief Justice Earl Warren that Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine and communist activist who had lived in the Soviet Union, acted alone. However, the latest cache will be useful for historians focusing on the events around the assassination.

U.S. Senate passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown

The U.S. Senate passed by a 71-19 vote a weeklong stopgap funding bill on Thursday to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of a midnight Friday deadline, sending the House-passed bill to President Joe Biden to sign it into law. Next up is a sweeping measure expected to tally around $1.7 trillion that will keep federal agencies operating through the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023.

Philadelphia schools will require masks as U.S. COVID cases spike

Public school students in Philadelphia will have to wear face coverings at school for 10 days after their winter break, officials said, as communities around the country contend with another surge of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. The mandate, which will run from Jan. 3-13, is aimed at reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses after a holiday season likely filled with more social gatherings and increased exposure, the school district said in a statement on Thursday.