US Domestic News Roundup: Gun violence in the US in 2023; DeSantis bashes Trump as 2024 campaign swing begins and more

The 16-member body, assembling experts from fields ranging from physics to astrobiology, was formed last June to examine unclassified UFO sightings and other data collected from civilian government and commercial sectors. Trump critic Chris Christie to launch White House bid -source Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who advised Donald Trump's White House campaign in 2016 only to become a vocal critic of the former president in recent months, will launch a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination next week, a person familiar with the matter said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Gun violence in the US in 2023

U.S. health and advocacy groups have declared June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. People are asked to wear orange - traditionally a color worn by hunters - to remember shooting victims. The annual event began in 2015 on what would have been the 18th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, shot dead in Chicago in 2013 at the age of 15.

DeSantis bashes Trump as 2024 campaign swing begins

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stepped up his attacks on Republican rival Donald Trump on Tuesday as he kicked off his first campaign swing as a presidential candidate in Iowa. While DeSantis rarely alluded to the former president during remarks at an evening rally, he showed less restraint afterward when taking questions from the media.

Texas battery rush: Oil state's power woes fuel energy storage boom

BlackRock, Korea's SK, Switzerland's UBS and other companies are chasing an investment boom in battery storage plants in Texas, lured by the prospect of earning double-digit returns from the power grid problems plaguing the state, according to project owners, developers and suppliers. Projects coming online are generating returns of around 20%, compared with single digit returns for solar and wind projects, according to Rhett Bennett, CEO of Black Mountain Energy Storage, one of the top developers in the state.

Boeing 737 MAX relatives may pursue pre-impact victim compensation claims

A U.S. judge ruled late on Tuesday that relatives of those killed in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX Ethiopian Airlines crash may seek compensation for pain and suffering of passengers before the plane hit the ground. Boeing in 2021 agreed to acknowledge liability for compensatory damages in lawsuits filed by families of the 157 people killed in the fatal Ethiopian 737 MAX crash. In February, the U.S. planemaker sought to exclude any evidence of pain and suffering that passengers may have experienced before the crash.

Deepfaking it: America's 2024 election collides with AI boom

"I actually like Ron DeSantis a lot," Hillary Clinton reveals in a surprise online endorsement video. "He's just the kind of guy this country needs, and I really mean that." Joe Biden finally lets the mask slip, unleashing a cruel rant at a transgender person. "You will never be a real woman," the president snarls.

NASA panel to hold first public meeting on UFO study ahead of report

A NASA panel formed last year to study what the government calls "unidentified aerial phenomena," commonly termed UFOs, was due to hold its first public meeting on Wednesday, ahead of a report expected in coming weeks. The 16-member body, assembling experts from fields ranging from physics to astrobiology, was formed last June to examine unclassified UFO sightings and other data collected from civilian government and commercial sectors.

Trump critic Chris Christie to launch White House bid -source

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who advised Donald Trump's White House campaign in 2016 only to become a vocal critic of the former president in recent months, will launch a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination next week, a person familiar with the matter said. Christie, 60, enters the race as a decided underdog, six years after his 2016 presidential campaign failed to gain traction amid a crowded field that included Trump. Only 1% of Republicans said he would be their preferred nominee in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted May 9-15.

California appeals court deems Manson follower Van Houten entitled to parole

A California appeals court overruled Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday to find Leslie Van Houten, one of Charles Manson's murderous "family" of followers, entitled to parole after more than 50 years in prison for her part in the cult's 1969 killing spree. Van Houten, 73, the youngest of Manson's devotees, has been recommended for early release by the state parole board on five occasions since 2016, but was denied three times by Newsom and twice by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Jerry Brown.

Debt ceiling bill will pass, No. 3 U.S. House Republican says

The U.S. House of Representatives will have the votes needed to pass a Republican debt ceiling bill later on Wednesday, Representative Tom Emmer, the No. 3 House Republican, said. "We're going to have the votes tonight. This will pass," Emmer told CNN in an interview.

US debt ceiling bill faces narrow path to passage in House

The U.S. House of Representatives is due to vote on Wednesday on a bill to lift the government's debt ceiling, a critical step to avoid a potential economically destabilizing default that could come early next week without congressional action. Republicans control the House by a narrow 222-213 majority, but the bipartisan deal will need support from both Speaker Kevin McCarthy's Republicans and President Joe Biden's Democrats to pass, as members of both parties object to significant parts of the bill.