US Domestic News Roundup: With butterflies and candles, Americans remember Uvalde's tragedy; Explainer-Why is Ron DeSantis in a feud with Disney World Florida? and more

Mehta is due to sentence co-defendant Kelly Meggs, also convicted of seditious conspiracy, at 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT). Analysis-Can Ron DeSantis take his Miami miracle national in 2024? As he toured the country before the formal announcement of his presidential bid on Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regaled crowds with the story of his surprising re-election victory last year in sprawling, largely Hispanic Miami-Dade County.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

With butterflies and candles, Americans remember Uvalde's tragedy

From a White House candlelight event to a butterfly release in Texas Hill Country, Americans paused on Wednesday to reflect on the 21 victims shot dead at an elementary school one year ago and the seemingly endless scourge of U.S. gun violence.

President Joe Biden used the occasion to renew his call for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, declaring, "too many schools, too many everyday places have become killing fields."

Explainer-Why is Ron DeSantis in a feud with Disney World Florida?

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been embroiled in a bitter tussle with Walt Disney Co that began last year when the media company criticized a state bill on sexual identity and has spread to oversight of municipal services at its parks. DeSantis will announce his presidential run on Wednesday during a Twitter Spaces discussion with billionaire Elon Musk.

Guam weathers Category 4 super typhoon without major damage

Guam weathered its most powerful storm in years without major damage on Thursday after Super Typhoon Mawar unleashed winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph) and torrential rain on the Western Pacific Island. All but 1,000 of the island's 52,000 homes and businesses lost power, according to the Guam Power Authority, but government officials reported nothing unusual in hospital emergency rooms, and only moderate damage such as flooding, fallen debris and downed power lines.

Oath Keepers founder faces sentencing for sedition in US Capitol attack

Stewart Rhodes, the former Army paratrooper turned Yale-educated lawyer who founded the far-right Oath Keepers militia, is set on Thursday to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy and other crimes related to the U.S. Capitol attack, with prosecutors asking for 25 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is scheduled to sentence Rhodes, convicted in November by a federal court jury in Washington, at a hearing set for 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT). Mehta is due to sentence co-defendant Kelly Meggs, also convicted of seditious conspiracy, at 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT).

Analysis-Can Ron DeSantis take his Miami miracle national in 2024?

As he toured the country before the formal announcement of his presidential bid on Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regaled crowds with the story of his surprising re-election victory last year in sprawling, largely Hispanic Miami-Dade County. It was the first time a Republican had won the Democratic-leaning county in 20 years, and DeSantis did it by winning 62% of the Hispanic vote.

Chinese hackers spying on US critical infrastructure, Western intelligence says

A state-sponsored Chinese hacking group has been spying on a wide range of U.S. critical infrastructure organizations, from telecommunications to transportation hubs, Western intelligence agencies and Microsoft said on Wednesday. The espionage has also targeted the U.S. island territory of Guam, home to strategically important American military bases, Microsoft said in a report, adding that "mitigating this attack could be challenging."

US colleges game out a possible end to race-conscious student admissions

In 1998, the year a voter-approved measure barring the use of race-conscious admissions policies for public colleges and universities in California took effect, the percentage of Black, Hispanic and Native American students admitted at two of the state's elite public schools plummeted by more than 50%. Those figures for UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley offer a cautionary tale as administrators at schools around the United States await a Supreme Court decision due by the end of June that is expected to prohibit affirmative action student admissions policies nationwide.

DeSantis to campaign in Iowa, NH, SC after chaotic presidential launch

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will return to traditional politicking next week in the presidential primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina after an online campaign launch that was marred by technical glitches. The Florida governor will make speeches and conduct fireside chats in a four-day swing across 12 cities and towns from May 30 to June 2, beginning in Iowa and ending in South Carolina, his campaign said on Thursday.

Biden picks Air Force chief to become top US general

President Joe Biden has picked U.S. Air Force chief General Charles Q. Brown as the top U.S. military officer, the White House said on Wednesday, elevating a former fighter pilot with experience in the Pacific at a time of rising tension with China. Brown, whose long-anticipated appointment is subject to Senate confirmation, would be only the second Black officer to become chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after Colin Powell two decades ago.

White House, Republicans seek to close US debt-ceiling deal as deadline nears

The White House and congressional Republicans on Thursday are expected to resume negotiations on a deal to raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, with as little as a week remaining until a potential economically catastrophic default. Democratic President Joe Biden and House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy are at odds over spending, taxes and work requirements for anti-poverty programs. But both sides say they believe they can find common ground after hours-long discussions by their negotiating teams on Wednesday that they characterized as productive.