US Domestic News Roundup: Sandy Hook families' lawyer says Alex Jones' InfoWars bankruptcy is 'sinister'; Guns became the leading killer of U.S. children, teens in 2020, analysis shows and more

In a contest that has been defined by which candidate could prove the most fealty to the former president, Mandel has lost the golden ticket: Trump’s endorsement. Florida governor signs bill stripping Disney of self-governing authority Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that strips Walt Disney Co of self-governing authority at its Orlando-area parks in retaliation for its opposition to a new law that limits the teaching of LGBTQ issues in schools.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Sandy Hook families' lawyer says Alex Jones' InfoWars bankruptcy is 'sinister'

Families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre called for InfoWars' bankruptcy to be thrown out of court on Friday, accusing the far-right-wing website of seeking Chapter 11 protection for "sinister" purposes. Lawyers for the families, who have won defamation lawsuits against InfoWars and its founder, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, raised questions about the legitimacy of the bankruptcy at a hearing in Victoria, Texas.

Guns became the leading killer of U.S. children, teens in 2020, analysis shows

More children and teenagers in the United States were killed by guns than any other cause in the 2020 year, according to a mortality analysis by researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Guns surpassed car crashes as the top cause of death in America for those aged 19 and under in 2020, the analysis, based on recent mortality data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, shows.

COVID-19 third leading cause of death again in 2021- U.S. study

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States for the second year in a row in 2021, with death rates rising for most age groups, a government study showed on Friday. COVID-19 was the underlying or contributing cause of 460,513 deaths in the United States last year, a nearly 20% jump compared to 2020, the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed.

Gunman takes own life after wounding 4 near-elite Washington prep school, police say

A gunman opened fire on random victims from a sniper's nest in an apartment building near an elite prep school in the nation's capital on Friday, wounding four people, before taking his own life as police closed in, officials said. Police said the suspect, Raymond Spencer, 23, of suburban Fairfax, Virginia, was initially identified from the video he had posted on social media that appeared to show gunshots fired from the vantage point of an upper-floor window, with the misspelled label: "Shool shooting!"

Fierce winds drive wildfires in U.S. Southwest

Howling winds pushed wildfires towards villages in northern New Mexico on Friday, forcing thousands to flee homes as blazes burned across the parched U.S. Southwest. Over a dozen small communities were evacuated as two wildfires merged in mountains around 30 miles northeast of Santa Fe, driven by wind gusts of over 60 mph (97 kph), according to local authorities.

Republican Kevin McCarthy is under fire after audio shows he discussed urging Trump to resign

Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, came under fire from some of his fellow party members after an audio recording showed him saying that then-President Donald Trump should resign over the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The comments, which McCarthy had denied hours before the recording emerged, could undermine his widely known ambition to become House speaker next year if Republicans take control of the chamber in November's midterm elections, as expected.

Republican Party is 'the MAGA party now,' Biden says after McCarthy audio's release

U.S. President Joe Biden took an unusually harsh swipe at his Republican opponents during Earth Day remarks on Friday, calling their party the "MAGA party," a reference to former President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. "This ain’t your father’s Republican Party,” Biden said during remarks in Seattle, as he described the difficulty in getting Republican support for his climate change and other goals in Congress.

The golden ticket: Will Trump's endorsement in Ohio race burnish or tarnish his star power?

Josh Mandel, a leading contender to win the nomination in the U.S. Senate Republican primary battle in Ohio, expressed confidence this week that victory was within his grasp as he campaigned with General Michael Flynn, an ally of Donald Trump. But for Mandel, Flynn was a consolation prize. In a contest that has been defined by which candidate could prove the most fealty to the former president, Mandel has lost the golden ticket: Trump’s endorsement.

Florida governor signs bill stripping Disney of the self-governing authority

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that strips Walt Disney Co of self-governing authority at its Orlando-area parks in retaliation for its opposition to a new law that limits the teaching of LGBTQ issues in schools. The Republican-controlled legislature on Thursday approved the bill, which will eliminate the special governing jurisdiction that allows the company to operate Walt Disney World Resort as its own city. Within the 25,000-acre tract, it operates four theme parks, two water parks, and 175 miles of roadway.

Voting rights groups sue over new Florida congressional maps

Several voting rights groups filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging Florida's new congressional map, saying it unfairly diluted the voting power of Black residents to benefit Republicans. The new map is backed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who signed it into law on Friday. It passed the state Senate on Wednesday and the House of Representatives on Thursday after some Black lawmakers from the Democratic Party staged a sit-in protest during the debate.

(With inputs from agencies.)