US Domestic News Roundup: US bans new oil and gas leasing around New Mexico cultural site; Experts debate how much US Supreme Court ruling chills labor strike and more

Here is a list of 2024 hopefuls in both the Democratic and Republican parties. Family of girl who died in US Border Patrol custody denied ambulance, investigation finds An investigation into the death of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl while in custody of the U.S. Border Patrol in Harlingen, Texas, showed that the family was repeatedly denied an ambulance, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US bans new oil and gas leasing around New Mexico cultural site

The Biden administration said on Friday it would stop issuing new oil and gas drilling leases within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historic Park, a region central to Pueblo ancestral heritage in northwest New Mexico. Tribes, conservationists and state officials have long called on the federal government to ban drilling in the area. Structures in the area date back thousands of years, and the park is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency.

Experts debate how much US Supreme Court ruling chills labor strikes

The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered the latest in a series of rulings undercutting organized labor, with some legal experts predicting that the decision will make unions that engage in strikes more vulnerable to lawsuits while others see a more modest impact. An 8-1 ruling on Thursday authored by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett made it easier for companies to sue over strikes that cause certain instances of property damage. The case involved a strike by the union representing truck drivers at a concrete business owned by Japan-based Taiheiyo Cement Corp in Washington state.

Casey DeSantis emerges as pivotal figure on 2024 campaign trail

When Casey DeSantis took to a New Hampshire stage on Thursday to talk about her advocacy work and share anecdotes about the travails of raising small children, Lisa Teeman was among the women in attendance whose face lit up with a smile. "She is a very strong woman," said Teeman, a 62-year-old retired IT professional who had come to hear Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential pitch. "I think she can gain votes for him."

US Congress averts historic default, approves debt-limit suspension

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation backed by President Joe Biden that lifts the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, averting what would have been a first-ever default. The Senate voted 63-36 to approve the bill that had been passed on Wednesday by the House of Representatives, as lawmakers raced against the clock following months of partisan bickering between Democrats and Republicans.

US food aid could shrink under debt ceiling deal, hunger groups warn

Changes to the largest U.S. food aid program in the debt deal passed by Congress this week could force hundreds of thousands of older Americans off of federal food aid and bury other applicants in new paperwork, food security experts warned.

Eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) became a lightning rod in negotiations of the debt deal. Food banks nationwide have been struggling to meet rising demand as low-income Americans shoulder higher grocery costs while COVID-era benefits have expired.

New Tiananmen museum opens in New York ahead of June 4 anniversary

The hope for a "free China" lives on in a new Manhattan museum dedicated to China's 1989 suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square, exhibit organizers said on Thursday ahead of the 34th anniversary of the crackdown. The June 4th Memorial Museum in New York will be the only such permanent exhibition in the world, following the 2021 closure of a similar museum in Hong Kong under pressure from authorities.

Two more Oath Keepers to be sentenced for sedition in US Capitol attack

Another two members of the far-right Oath Keepers militant group are set to be sentenced on Friday for seditious conspiracy and other crimes arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by then-President Donald Trump's supporters. Prosecutors have asked U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to sentence Joseph Hackett to 12 years in prison and David Moerschel to 10 years. Mehta since last week has sentenced six other Oath Keepers members to prison terms ranging from three to 18 years.

Dev Shah, 14, crowned US National Spelling Bee champion

Dev Shah, a 14-year-old boy from Largo, Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, nailing the word "psammophile," meaning an organism that thrives in sandy soils, in the 15th round of the contest's finals. He edged out fellow eighth-grader Charlotte Walsh, 14, from Arlington, Virginia, who finished in second-place after she misspelled "daviely," a Scottish-rooted word for listlessly, in the 14th round.

Experts debate how much US Supreme Court ruling chills labor strikes

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie plan to announce next week they are running for president, joining former President Donald Trump in a growing list of Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden. Here is a list of 2024 hopefuls in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Family of girl who died in US Border Patrol custody denied ambulance, investigation finds

An investigation into the death of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl while in custody of the U.S. Border Patrol in Harlingen, Texas, showed that the family was repeatedly denied an ambulance, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Thursday. The child died on May 17 after experiencing a medical emergency at the agency's station in Harlingen, three days after being transferred from the Donna Processing Facility, near the border in Donna, Texas, for medical isolation.

(With inputs from agencies.)