Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The six-legged robot lander, dubbed Odysseus, was headed toward a touchdown planned for 6:24 p.m. EST (2324 GMT), even as engineers at mission control were working to resolve a last-minute navigation glitch that surfaced on the spacecraft, the company and NASA commentators said in a joint webcast. Judge blocks California from suing makers of 'abnormally dangerous' guns A federal judge on Wednesday blocked California's attorney general from enforcing a new law that allows residents, the state and local governments to sue members of the firearms industry that manufacture or sell "abnormally dangerous" guns.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US nears attempt at first moon landing in half century with private robot spacecraft

A spacecraft built and flown by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines began its final descent from lunar orbit on Thursday to attempt the first U.S. moon landing in more than half a century and the first ever conducted entirely by the private sector. The six-legged robot lander, dubbed Odysseus, was headed toward a touchdown planned for 6:24 p.m. EST (2324 GMT), even as engineers at mission control were working to resolve a last-minute navigation glitch that surfaced on the spacecraft, the company and NASA commentators said in a joint webcast.

Judge blocks California from suing makers of 'abnormally dangerous' guns

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked California's attorney general from enforcing a new law that allows residents, the state and local governments to sue members of the firearms industry that manufacture or sell "abnormally dangerous" guns. U.S. District Judge Andrew Schopler in San Diego sided with a firearms industry trade association in finding that part of a gun control measure signed into law by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 was likely unconstitutional.

US Supreme Court lets $2.46 billion Boy Scouts sex abuse settlement proceed

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Boy Scouts of America's $2.46 billion settlement with sexual abuse victims to move forward, lifting a temporary pause imposed in response to an appeal by 144 former scouts who opposed the agreement. The order supersedes one issued by Justice Samuel Alito on Feb. 16 that froze the settlement to give the full court more time to consider a Feb. 9 request by abuse claimants who sought to stop the settlement from moving forward while they pursue appeals.

'Rust' armorer called 'sloppy,' defense says she's a scapegoat

A New Mexico prosecutor on Thursday held the chief weapons handler for "Rust" Hannah Gutierrez responsible for the 2021 fatal shooting of the Western film's cinematographer while her lawyer said she was being scapegoated for a tragedy. Gutierrez, 27, listened calmly to the prosecution's opening statements in her involuntary manslaughter trial. She is accused of bringing live rounds on set - an act strictly forbidden for nearly a century.

Yale University reinstates standardized test requirement

Yale University said on Thursday it would reinstate a requirement that applicants submit standardized test scores after a four-year hiatus for the COVID-19 pandemic, and the admissions dean said the requirement would help disadvantaged students. Critics of standardized testing in college admissions have long pushed for schools to permanently drop the requirement, saying the tests mostly benefit students with access to expensive preparation courses, leaving disadvantaged students further behind.

Four charged in connection with boat that US Navy SEALs died raiding

Four men were charged on Thursday in connection with a vessel that was intercepted by the U.S. Navy in January while allegedly transporting Iranian-made weapons, the U.S. Justice Department said. Two U.S. Navy SEALs were reported missing after boarding the unflagged vessel in a Jan. 11 operation near the coast of Somalia. They were declared deceased 10 days later after an exhaustive search.

US Justice Dept names first AI officer as new technology challenges law enforcement

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday named its first official focused on artificial intelligence as the department grapples with the potentially transformative affects of AI on federal law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Jonathan Mayer, a professor at Princeton University who researches technology and law, will serve as chief science and technology adviser and chief AI officer, the department said.

Three Alabama providers halt IVF after high court rules embryos are children

At least three Alabama providers of in vitro fertilization have halted treatments since the state Supreme Court on Friday said frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children, casting doubt on future access to the procedure in the state. The ruling by the court, whose elected judges are all Republican, has left doctors and patients wondering how to legally store, transport, and use embryos in Alabama.

South Carolina veterans feel disrespected by Trump. Many will support him anyway

Bill Lyons disapproves of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's mockery of rival Nikki Haley's military husband for not joining her on the U.S. campaign trail. But it won't shake Lyons' support for the former president. "He should not be disparaging our military. I don't agree with that at all," said Lyons, 81, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran. "But other than that, he did a good job for this country when he was in there for four years."

Texas judge rules school district can discipline Black teen over hairstyle

A Texas judge ruled on Thursday that a Houston-area school district did not violate a newly enacted state law when it punished a Black student for refusing to change his hairstyle, local media reported. The case involved Darryl George, who wears his dreadlocks braided on top of his head, and Barbers Hill Independent School District, which had claimed the 18-year-old's hairstyle violated its dress code, Houston Public Media reported. It suspended him in August and sent him to an off-site disciplinary program for the entire school year.