US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. House Speaker McCarthy says he thinks U.S. will not default; Biden to continue debt talks later this week amid G7, White House says and more

Twenty-five people who survived the attack and family members of people who died are scheduled to speak during a hearing in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick imposes the sentence on Sayfullo Saipov, convicted in January of murder and terrorism charges. Explainer-Abortion pill case goes before conservative appeals court; What's next? The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Wednesday will hear the Biden administration's bid to overturn a Texas judge's order that, if allowed to take effect, would make the abortion drug mifepristone illegal.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. House Speaker McCarthy says he thinks U.S. will not default

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday said he believed the United States will not default on its debt now that congressional leaders and President Joe Biden's administration are sitting down and negotiating. "I think at the end of the day, we do not have a debt default," McCarthy said in an interview with CNBC.

Biden to continue debt talks later this week amid G7, White House says

U.S. President Joe Biden will continue talks with congressional leaders on the nation's debt limit later this week and will meet with them again after the G7 summit, the White House said on Wednesday one day after an hour-long meeting seen as productive. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, in interviews on MSNBC and CNN, said Biden would speak with top lawmakers by telephone during his trip to the Group of Seven gathering in Japan as negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling continue.

Man convicted of New York bike path attack to be formally sentenced to life

A U.S. judge is set on Wednesday to formally mete out a life sentence to the Uzbek man convicted of killing eight people and injuring dozens more in a 2017 attack in which he drove a rented truck down a New York City bike path crowded with cyclists and pedestrians. Twenty-five people who survived the attack and family members of people who died are scheduled to speak during a hearing in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick imposes the sentence on Sayfullo Saipov, convicted in January of murder and terrorism charges.

Explainer-Abortion pill case goes before conservative appeals court; What's next?

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Wednesday will hear the Biden administration's bid to overturn a Texas judge's order that, if allowed to take effect, would make the abortion drug mifepristone illegal. However the 5th Circuit rules, the case will likely continue for months or years. Here is what you need to know about the case as it further unfolds:

Kentucky Republicans choose Cameron to challenge Democratic Gov. Beshear

Republican voters in Kentucky on Tuesday chose Daniel Cameron, the state's popular conservative attorney general, to challenge Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, setting up one of the most closely watched elections of the year, according to an early call of the race by the Associated Press. Cameron, who is Black and has a rising national profile among conservatives, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. With 39% of votes counted Tuesday night, he led his nearest opponent by more than 20 points.

US appeals court to weigh fate of abortion pill

A federal appeals court in New Orleans will hear arguments on Wednesday in a closely watched case brought by anti-abortion activists seeking to ban the abortion pill mifepristone, with potentially far-reaching impact on abortion access across the United States. The Biden administration will urge a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn last month's unprecedented ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas suspending mifepristone's FDA approval. Danco Laboratories, which sells the drug under the brand name Mifeprex, is also expected to argue before the panel.

North Carolina legislature overrides veto of 12-week abortion ban, making it law

North Carolina Republican lawmakers overrode a veto by the state's Democratic governor to enact a law on Tuesday that cuts the window for most abortions in the southern state from 20 to 12 weeks. The law bans elective abortions after the first trimester, except in cases of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and medical emergencies. It will curtail access to the procedure for millions of women across the U.S. South where a number of states have greatly restricted abortions.

Theranos founder Holmes loses bid to stay out of prison, hit with huge restitution bill

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former CEO Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani were on Tuesday ordered to pay $452 million to victims of the blood-testing startup's fraud, and an appeals court also denied Holmes' request to remain out of prison while challenging her conviction. Holmes, who rose to fame after claiming Theranos' small machines could run an array of diagnostic tests with just a few drops of blood, was convicted last year of misrepresenting the startup's technology and finances. She was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison.

Factbox-The judges who will decide the appeal over the abortion pill

All three of the judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that will hear the Biden administration's appeal to keep the abortion pill mifepristone on the market are staunchly conservative, with a record of opposing abortion rights. Here is a look at their records. Jennifer Walker Elrod

Trump is attacking DeSantis hard on policy, amid the flurry of insults

Amid the headline-grabbing insults and name-calling, Donald Trump is pursuing a surprisingly policy-heavy strategy to damage his closest Republican rival Ron DeSantis before he enters the presidential race, according to a Reuters analysis of the former president's statements since he announced his White House bid. Forty percent of Trump's attacks on the Florida governor have targeted issues such as Social Security, the government-run Medicare health program for older Americans, foreign policy and DeSantis' record in office.

(With inputs from agencies.)