US Domestic News Roundup: Ban on marijuana users owning guns is unconstitutional, U.S. judge rules; Koch-backed group AFP ready to back new Republican candidate and more

The bulletin said the Justice Department as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police would take part in an "independent, external review" requested by the city to assess the Memphis Police Department's special units and use-of-force policies. U.S. working to recover suspected Chinese spy balloon The United States is working to recover a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, according to a statement released by the Pentagon on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Ban on marijuana users owning guns is unconstitutional, U.S. judge rules

A federal law prohibiting marijuana users from possessing firearms is unconstitutional, a federal judge in Oklahoma has concluded, citing last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly expanded gun rights. U.S. District Judge Patrick Wyrick, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump in Oklahoma City, on Friday dismissed an indictment against a man charged in August with violating that ban, saying it infringed his right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.

Koch-backed group AFP ready to back new Republican candidate

A political advocacy group backed by billionaire businessman Charles Koch is preparing to get involved in the primaries for the 2024 U.S. Presidential elections, saying it wanted to back a candidate who could "lead the country forward", a memo released on Sunday said. The group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), has not previously supported candidates in presidential elections but said in the memo the best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who "represents a new chapter."

U.S. Senator Booker sees delicate path forward for police reform

Democratic U.S. Senator Cory Booker on Sunday said he believes a policing reform bill could pass the current Congress, although he acknowledged that it will be an uphill battle given disinterest in the Republican-led House of Representatives. "I'm sobered about the belief that we can get a big comprehensive bill done. But can we get something done? I believe we can," Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

New Hampshire Governor Sununu 'definitely thinking' about White House run

Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said on Sunday he is considering running for U.S. president in 2024, adding that he believes Donald Trump would lose to Democratic President Joe Biden if the former president secures his party's nomination. Sununu, who has served as governor of the small New England state since 2017, underscored the need for new leadership.

China urges restraint as U.S. military searches for balloon remnants

Beijing on Monday urged Washington to show restraint as the U.S. military searched for remnants of what it believes was a Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down over the Atlantic but which China says was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray. The balloon drama has further strained tense relations, prompting Washington to cancel a planned visit over the weekend to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

U.S. Justice Dept. to review Memphis police after Tyre Nichols' killing

The U.S. Justice Department will participate in a review of the Memphis Police Department after the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man fatally beaten by officers in the Tennessee city last month, according to city officials. The review was disclosed in a bulletin by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. The bulletin said the Justice Department as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police would take part in an "independent, external review" requested by the city to assess the Memphis Police Department's special units and use-of-force policies.

U.S. working to recover suspected Chinese spy balloon

The United States is working to recover a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, according to a statement released by the Pentagon on Sunday. "Our U.S. Navy component is currently conducting recovery operations, with the U.S. Coast Guard assisting in securing the area and maintaining public safety," General Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, said.

Good-bye Iowa! Democrats approve Biden's revamped primary calendar

The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved President Joe Biden's shakeup of the party's 2024 primary calendar, giving Black voters a greater say in the nominating process and carving an easier path for Biden's expected re-election bid. The party's vote on Saturday replaces the famed Iowa caucuses as the first in the nation with South Carolina, a state with significantly more Black voters and one that saved Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. It would be followed by New Hampshire and Nevada one week later, and then by primaries in Georgia and Michigan.

Brutal cold seizes northeast U.S., shattering record lows

A dangerous combination of record-setting cold temperatures and powerful winds buffeted the northeastern United States on Saturday, creating life-threatening conditions and causing the death of an infant in Massachusetts. New Hampshire's Mount Washington overnight recorded a wind chill – a measure of how the combined effect of air and wind feels to the skin – of minus 108 degrees Fahrenheit (-78°Celsius), which appeared to be the lowest ever in the United States. The air temperature at the peak reached minus 47 degrees F (-44 C), with winds gusting near 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), according to the Mount Washington Observatory.

(With inputs from agencies.)