US Domestic News Roundup: Before facing Trump in 2024, DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion; Biden says Chinese spy balloon not a major security breach and more

State Senator Jay Collins' support for the concealed-carry bill was key to DeSantis' efforts to secure a suite of legislative victories this spring ahead of an anticipated announcement that he is seeking the Republican Party nomination, according to interviews with nearly a dozen lobbyists, lawmakers and strategists in Tallahassee. U.S. may target Chinese entities linked to spy balloon The United States will explore taking action against entities connected to China's military that supported the flight of a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week, a senior State Department official said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Before facing Trump in 2024, DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion

When a newly elected Florida legislator endorsed a bill allowing residents to carry a concealed firearm without a permit, he was both demonstrating his fealty to Ron DeSantis and helping to burnish the governor's conservative credentials for a possible White House run in 2024. State Senator Jay Collins' support for the concealed-carry bill was key to DeSantis' efforts to secure a suite of legislative victories this spring ahead of an anticipated announcement that he is seeking the Republican Party nomination, according to interviews with nearly a dozen lobbyists, lawmakers and strategists in Tallahassee.

Biden says Chinese spy balloon not a major security breach

President Joe Biden, under fire from some lawmakers, said on Thursday he did not view a Chinese spy balloon that transited the United States before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean to have been a major security breach. Biden, who has sought to maintain communications with China and not allow tensions with Beijing to get out of control, said in a Noticias Telemundo interview that he did not regret shooting down the balloon sooner.

U.S. may target Chinese entities linked to spy balloon

The United States will explore taking action against entities connected to China's military that supported the flight of a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week, a senior State Department official said on Thursday. Washington is confident that the manufacturer of the Chinese balloon, shot down by the U.S. military last weekend off the U.S. East Coast, has a "direct relationship" with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the official said in a statement.

Biden's Super Bowl: Home alone, with ice cream and guacamole

With first lady Jill Biden attending the big game, President Joe Biden says he plans to watch this coming Sunday's Super Bowl at home on television, with a bowl of ice cream. The first lady's beloved Philadelphia Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and she is planning to attend with her grandson.

Suspect arrested after attack on Minnesota congresswoman

A homeless man was arrested on Thursday after an attack on U.S. Representative Angie Craig, who was left bruised after fighting off her assailant in an elevator of her apartment building, police said. The suspect, identified by District of Columbia Metropolitan Police as 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin, was charged with simple assault.

U.S. Senator Fetterman hospitalized but did not have a new stroke -spokesman

U.S. Senator John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke last year, was taken to a hospital late on Wednesday after feeling lightheaded but tests show he did not have a new stroke, his office said in a statement on Thursday. The 53-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat asked his staff to take him to a hospital in Washington after feeling lightheaded at a Senate Democratic retreat, his spokesman Joe Calvello said.

In Florida, Biden aims at seniors with Social Security message

U.S. President Joe Biden traveled on Thursday to Florida and positioned his Democratic party as the sole protector of Social Security and Medicare in an aim to reclaim the state, which has a large population of retirees who rely on the programs. Speaking to supporters in a one-time battleground state that has leaned Republican in recent years, Biden outlined a list of achievements, such as allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices and impose price caps on insulin. He said Republicans are fighting to roll back those efforts while also seeking cuts to popular social safety net programs.

How recent lawsuits could affect access to abortion pills

Medication abortion has been in the spotlight since the U.S. Supreme Court last June reversed its landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. A lawsuit has been filed to get the drug used in the procedure pulled from the market, while two others seek to expand access to it. Below is a guide to what is at stake. WHAT IS MEDICATION ABORTION?

Former VP Pence, ex-Trump official subpoenaed in special counsel probes - reports

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and former national security adviser Robert O'Brien have been subpoenaed by the special counsel leading probes into classified documents found at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence and efforts to overturn the 2020 election result, according to media reports on Thursday. Pence was issued a subpoena by special counsel Jack Smith, though the nature of the request was not immediately known, ABC News reported, citing sources. The action follows months of negotiations involving federal prosecutors and Pence's lawyers.

North American companies notch another record year for robot orders

North American companies struggling to hire workers in the tightest labor market in decades brought on more robots last year than ever before, with many earmarked for new electric vehicle and battery factories under construction. Demand for robots appears to have slackened near the end of the year, though, raising questions about how strong 2023 will be in the face of shifting household consumption patterns and the rising interest rates engineered by central bankers to bring high inflation under control.