US Domestic News Round-Up: Early Voting, Antitrust Suits, and Legislation Updates

The latest US domestic news includes Trump's attacks on early voting, new antitrust lawsuits against Live Nation, Louisiana's new abortion pill law, lawsuits from Uvalde shooting victims, and potential changes in FDIC leadership. Other stories cover consumer sentiment, UCLA mob arrest, a procedure for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Alec Baldwin's legal troubles, and a probe into an Israeli private eye.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump's attacks on early voting muddle Republican election plans

Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin was traveling to a campaign rally aboard Donald Trump's private jet in early April when he decided to broach the delicate issue of early voting. As the Boeing 757 flew from Florida to Green Bay, Wisconsin, Johnson pressed the Republican candidate to use his speech to urge his supporters to cast their votes ahead of Election Day.

Live Nation ticket buyers sue in wake of US Justice Department case

Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit have been hit with the first in a likely wave of new consumer antitrust lawsuits after the U.S. government and states sued to break up the two companies on Thursday. The first consumer class action to piggyback on the government cases was filed later on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, seeking $5 billion in damages on behalf of potentially millions of ticket purchasers.

Louisiana governor signs bill classifying abortion pills as controlled substances

Louisiana's governor on Friday enacted a bill making his state the first in the U.S. to classify two abortion-inducing medications as controlled substances, a category that healthcare regulators typically reserve for drugs that may be abused or cause addiction. Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, announced on social media that he had signed the measure into law after the Republican-controlled state legislature sent it to his desk.

Families of Uvalde school shooting victims sue Meta, Microsoft, gunmaker

Families of the victims of the 2022 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, filed two lawsuits on Friday against Instagram's parent company Meta, Activision Blizzard and its parent Microsoft and the gunmaker Daniel Defense, claiming they cooperated to market dangerous weapons to impressionable teens such as the Uvalde shooter. Together, the wrongful death complaints argue that Daniel Defense – a Georgia-based gun manufacturer – used Instagram and Activision's video game Call of Duty to market its assault-style rifles to teenage boys, while Meta and Microsoft facilitated the strategy with lax oversight and no regard for the consequences.

White House could decide on FDIC chair as soon as next week, source says

The White House could decide on a nominee to replace the chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as early as next week, two people with knowledge of the matter said on Friday as further evidence of agency lapses emerged. FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg this week said he would step down once a successor is confirmed by the Senate, succumbing to pressure from lawmakers who said the agency needed fresh leadership after an independent investigation found widespread sexual harassment and other misconduct at the agency.

US political independents drift closer to Republicans' sour view of economy

U.S. political independents, who typically occupy the center ground in a closely watched monthly survey of overall consumer attitudes about the economy, have drifted closer this year to the dour views held by Republicans, a potential warning sign for Democrats hoping to hold onto the White House in the Nov. 5 presidential election. In another indication of the difficulty President Joe Biden faces with voters on the economy - consistently ranked as the U.S. electorate's top concern ahead of the election - the University of Michigan's monthly consumer sentiment survey fell to a six-month low in May. Assessments of the current situation were the lowest in a year and household expectations were the weakest since December.

UCLA police make first arrest in mob attack on pro-Palestinian encampment

Three weeks after a mob attacked pro-Palestinian activists encamped at the University of California, Los Angeles, police have made their first arrest in the violence, a man they say was seen in video footage beating victims with a wooden pole. The suspect, identified as Edan On, 18, was taken into custody on Thursday in the city of Beverly Hills and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the UCLA Police Department said in a statement on Friday.

US defense secretary to undergo non-surgical procedure, Pentagon says

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will turn over his duties temporarily on Friday while he undergoes a non-surgical procedure related to his previously reported bladder issue, the Pentagon said. Austin has determined he will be unable to perform his duties during the minimally invasive procedure and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks will assume them, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Judge denies Alec Baldwin request to drop indictment for 'Rust' shooting

A New Mexico judge on Friday rejected Alec Baldwin's bid to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge for the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, opening the way for an unprecedented trial of a Hollywood actor for an on-set death.

Baldwin's lawyers argued at a May 17 hearing that a grand jury indictment of the actor was "a sham" as a New Mexico state prosecutor failed to tell jurors they could question defense witnesses and stopped them hearing evidence helpful to the actor's case.

Israeli private eye accused of hacking was questioned about DC public affairs firm, sources say

An Israeli private investigator sought by the United States over hack-for-hire allegations previously told colleagues that he had been questioned by FBI agents over his work for the Washington public affairs firm DCI Group, according to three people familiar with the matter. Federal law enforcement's interest in DCI, which has not been previously reported, shows a years-long U.S. probe into cybermercenary activity is wider than publicly known.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)