US Domestic News Roundup: Sam Bankman-Fried's trial to resume with testimony from ex-FTX executive; UAW strike decision day comes as bargaining heats up and more

Several factors will play into how the 221-member House Republican conference will cast their votes, possibly as soon as Wednesday, in a race for the party nomination for speaker, following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy in Republican infighting on Tuesday. Exclusive-US-China tech war: RISC-V chip technology emerges as new battleground In a new front in the U.S.-China tech war, President Joe Biden's administration is facing pressure from some lawmakers to restrict American companies from working on a freely available chip technology widely used in China - a move that could upend how the global technology industry collaborates across borders.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Sam Bankman-Fried's trial to resume with testimony from ex-FTX executive

Former FTX executive Gary Wang is set to retake the stand on Friday and continue testifying against his former roommate and boss, Sam Bankman-Fried, who stands accused of stealing billions of dollars from customers of the cryptocurrency exchange. Wang, 30, is one of three FTX insiders who have pleaded guilty to fraud charges and entered a cooperation agreement with the government. He and Bankman-Fried were college roommates before going on to co-found the hedge fund Alameda Research.

UAW strike decision day comes as bargaining heats up

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is scheduled to say later on Friday whether recent intensified bargaining with the Detroit Three automakers has produced enough progress to forestall more walkouts. A video address by Fain is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) and will cover substantive bargaining updates, people familiar with the UAW's plans said. That timing is a departure from the previous two Fridays in which Fain addressed union members at about 10 a.m. Detroit time (1400 GMT), and ordered walkouts at additional Detroit Three factories to start at noon.

German president to meet CIA chief during surprise trip to Washington

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will meet Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns on Friday during his surprise trip to Washington to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, his spokesperson said. The spokesperson gave no details on the planned meeting.

Biden to build more US border wall using Trump-era funds

President Joe Biden's administration said on Thursday it will add sections to a border wall to stave off record migrant crossings from Mexico, carrying forward a signature policy of former President Donald Trump. Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination to challenge Biden, a Democrat, in the 2024 presidential race. Trump made building border barriers a central tenet of his first campaign for president with the rally chant, "Build That Wall."

Money matters as Republicans Scalise, Jordan vie for US House speaker

The two declared candidates for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, stand out as top campaign fundraisers in their caucus, with Scalise holding an edge in dollars contributed to party allies. Several factors will play into how the 221-member House Republican conference will cast their votes, possibly as soon as Wednesday, in a race for the party nomination for speaker, following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy in Republican infighting on Tuesday.

Exclusive-US-China tech war: RISC-V chip technology emerges as new battleground

In a new front in the U.S.-China tech war, President Joe Biden's administration is facing pressure from some lawmakers to restrict American companies from working on a freely available chip technology widely used in China - a move that could upend how the global technology industry collaborates across borders. At issue is RISC-V, pronounced "risk five," an open-source technology that competes with costly proprietary technology from British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings. RISC-V can be used as a key ingredient for anything from a smartphone chip to advanced processors for artificial intelligence.

Strike by 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers enters third day

Some 75,000 unionized healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente, one of the top U.S. medical employers, entered the third day of a planned 72-hour strike on Friday, as contract talks focusing on staffing shortages and pay appeared to remain in a stalemate. Nurses, medical technicians and other support personnel at hundreds of Kaiser hospitals and clinics in California, Oregon, Washington state, Colorado, Virginia and the District Columbia, took to picket lines on Wednesday morning in the largest strike ever in the U.S. healthcare sector.

Trump endorses Jim Jordan to be House speaker

Donald Trump is endorsing Congressman Jim Jordan to replace ousted U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the former president said on Friday, as the chamber's fractious Republicans try to unify in the aftermath of McCarthy's historic fall. "He (Jordan) is STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding - He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social app.

Ex-aide to US Rep Santos pleads guilty to conspiracy charge

The former campaign treasurer for U.S. Representative George Santos, who has been indicted on fraud charges, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a conspiracy charge for inflating his 2022 congressional campaign's fundraising numbers. Nancy Marks was arrested on Thursday and entered the plea in federal court in Long Island before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, court records showed.

Trump says US presidents immune from charges in challenge to election case

Donald Trump, seeking to dismiss the federal case accusing him of trying to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election, argued on Thursday that he cannot be prosecuted because U.S. presidents are immune from criminal charges. "Here, 234 years of unbroken historical practice - from 1789 until 2023 - provide compelling evidence that the power to indict a former President for his official acts does not exist," Trump's lawyers wrote to the U.S. District Court in Washington.