US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. Supreme Court dismisses dispute over Title 42 border expulsions; US Senator Feinstein still suffering complications from shingles, her office says and more

The justices in a case involving Google LLC's video-sharing platform YouTube, both part of Alphabet Inc, sidestepped making a ruling on a bid to weaken a federal law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that safeguards internet companies from lawsuits for content posted by users. Biden's team reports 'progress' in US debt ceiling talks Democratic negotiators told President Joe Biden on Friday that they are making "steady progress" in talks with Republicans aimed at avoiding a U.S. default, according to a White House official.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. Supreme Court dismisses dispute over Title 42 border expulsions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a case in which Republicans sought to keep in place a policy introduced under former President Donald Trump that had let American officials quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants at the U.S.-Mexican border. The policy, known as Title 42, was implemented by Trump's administration in March 2020 - early in the COVID-19 pandemic - as a measure tied to a public health emergency. President Joe Biden's administration allowed the policy to expire last week, with new asylum restrictions taking effect.

US Senator Feinstein still suffering complications from shingles, her office says

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who returned to Washington last week after a months-long absence due to shingles, is continuing to suffer from a medical complication known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

Feinstein had also previously suffered encephalitis, her office said, after the New York Times reported on medical conditions that had not been publicly disclosed.

Biden likely to get another update on budget talks on Friday -spokesperson

U.S. President Joe Biden is likely to get another update from his team on budget negotiations with Republicans on Friday night in Japan, where he is traveling for the Group of Seven (G7) meetings, a spokesperson said. Biden was also planning to leave the G7 leaders' dinner early, according to spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

In New Mexico, an unlikely wildfire thinning alliance

A unexpected alliance between traditional woodcutters and federal land managers in New Mexico could provide a model for a push by President Joe Biden's administration to thin forests near villages and towns at risk of climate-driven wildfires. Near Taos in northern New Mexico, Vicente Fernandez, a mayordomo, or forest caretaker, cut saplings and seedlings crowding a mature fir tree. He explained he was removing fuel that could supercharge a wildfire.

Migrants sleep in Chicago police stations as shelters strain

Chicago's new mayor is grappling with how to house hundreds of migrants arriving on buses from the U.S.-Mexico border, with some sleeping in police stations and shelters strained after border crossings rose earlier this month. Officials in the third-largest U.S. city have said they cannot afford to rent hotel rooms for all arriving migrants and have pressed for more federal funding. Some migrants seeking a safe place to sleep have turned to police stations.

US Supreme Court leaves protections for internet companies unscathed

The U.S. Supreme Court handed internet and social media companies a pair of victories on Thursday, leaving legal protections for them unscathed and refusing to clear a path for victims of attacks by militant groups to sue these businesses under an anti-terrorism law. The justices in a case involving Google LLC's video-sharing platform YouTube, both part of Alphabet Inc, sidestepped making a ruling on a bid to weaken a federal law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that safeguards internet companies from lawsuits for content posted by users.

Biden's team reports 'progress' in US debt ceiling talks

Democratic negotiators told President Joe Biden on Friday that they are making "steady progress" in talks with Republicans aimed at avoiding a U.S. default, according to a White House official. Biden received an update on the talks with aides to Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Friday morning in Japan, where he is traveling for the Group of 7 (G7) summit, officials said.

Hammer of gun in 'Rust' shooting possibly modified -prosecutors

The hammer of the gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding when it fired a live round killing "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins may have been intentionally modified, New Mexico special prosecutors said in a court filing this week. The comments came a month after prosecutors dropped a criminal charge against Baldwin over Hutchins' death in 2021, citing new evidence. A source close to the case at the time said the evidence concerned modifications to the reproduction long Colt .45 revolver Baldwin was using.

Exclusive-Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions

Three employees of the largest agricultural research facility in the U.S. have filed federal whistleblower complaints alleging that the facility's conditions are hazardous to workers and undermine their research, even as farmers are facing pressing issues like climate change, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with staff. The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. Yet conditions at the facility have been worsening for years due to staff cuts and deferred maintenance that have left its basic systems in disrepair, according to the documents and interviews.

TikTok users file lawsuit to block Montana ban

Five TikTok users in Montana who create content posted on the short-video app filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the state's new ban on the Chinese-owned platform. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban TikTok in the state, effective Jan. 1. The five users seek to block the law, which makes it unlawful for the app stores of Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc to offer TikTok within the state.