US Domestic News Roundup: Biden, Harris target Trump, Republicans on abortion rights; Biden, Harris target Trump, Republicans on abortion rights and more

A good showing for Democratic long-shots Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and self-help author Marianne Williamson would likely fuel concerns that Biden is weak heading into the general election battle. Trump seeks a big victory, Haley tries to stop him as New Hampshire votes Voters in New Hampshire will decide whether to hand Donald Trump a glide path to the Republican presidential nomination or bolster rival Nikki Haley's long-shot bid to topple him on Tuesday in a pivotal primary election.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden, Harris target Trump, Republicans on abortion rights

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday took aim at Republican curbs on abortion rights, a galvanizing issue for Democrats that they hope will boost enthusiasm among their base, attract independent voters, and increase turnout in November. Women in America face a new "cruel reality," Biden said, because of new laws curbing reproductive rights, ahead of a meeting on the topic at the White House on Monday. The day marks the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which recognized a woman's constitutional right to abortion before that was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.

Hawk talk: Trump, Haley spar in New Hampshire over foreign wars

At a campaign speech in an American Legion hall in New Hampshire last week, Nikki Haley animatedly warned the U.S. must prepare for a war with China. Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump, rattled off the size of the Chinese navy, warned of China's advances in artificial intelligence and hypersonic missiles, and worried about the development of "neurostrike" weapons that can scramble the brains of military commanders in the field.

Biden, not on the ballot, faces a test in New Hampshire

U.S. President Joe Biden is not on the ballot in New Hampshire's primary election on Tuesday, but it will provide a first at-the-polls gauge of Biden's political strength this election cycle. A good showing for Democratic long-shots Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and self-help author Marianne Williamson would likely fuel concerns that Biden is weak heading into the general election battle.

Trump seeks a big victory, Haley tries to stop him as New Hampshire votes

Voters in New Hampshire will decide whether to hand Donald Trump a glide path to the Republican presidential nomination or bolster rival Nikki Haley's long-shot bid to topple him on Tuesday in a pivotal primary election. The former U.S. president and the former South Carolina governor made their final pitches to voters in what became a two-person race after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once seen as the party's best bet to take on Trump, dropped out and endorsed the New York businessman.

Factbox-Who is the Republican 2024 US presidential hopeful Nikki Haley?

U.S. presidential contender Nikki Haley has enjoyed a bump in support among voters and donors over the last four months, and is now the lone challenger to former President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. If Haley can make a good showing in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, it will keep her challenge viable. According to polling and analysis website 538, Trump holds the lead in the New England state with nearly 50% of likely primary voters planning to cast a ballot for the former president. Haley is in second place with nearly 37% support.

Trump defamation trial delayed by COVID concerns; he could testify on Wednesday

Donald Trump may be set to testify in the writer E. Jean Carroll's latest civil defamation trial in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, following a two-day postponement triggered by COVID-19 concerns. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan canceled testimony on Monday after one juror who felt ill was sent home for a COVID test, and Trump's lawyer Alina Habba said she caught a fever after dining with her parents, one of whom contracted the virus.

Suspect in 8 Chicago-area slayings turns up dead in Texas

A man suspected of shooting eight people to death and wounding another in suburban Chicago has turned up dead hundreds of miles away in Texas, where he apparently took his own life after an encounter with law enforcement there, police said on Monday. The death of 23-year-old Romeo Nance near the town of Natalia, Texas, about 35 miles (56 km) southwest of San Antonio, ended a manhunt that began with the slaying of one man and the wounding of another in two Chicago-area shootings on Sunday, police said.

Mother of boy who murdered four classmates faces manslaughter trial

Jury selection begins in Michigan on Tuesday in a rare trial of a parent who prosecutors have charged with being complicit in a mass shooting carried out by her son. Lawyers were set to start questioning prospective jurors in the manslaughter trial of Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old son Ethan murdered four fellow students at Oxford High School in 2021 with a gun his parents had given him as a Christmas gift.

US Supreme Court lets Border Patrol remove Texas razor-wire fencing - for now

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to temporarily let U.S. Border Patrol agents cut or remove razor-wire fencing that Texas officials placed along part of the Republican-governed state's border with Mexico to deter illegal border crossings. The justices, in a 5-4 decision, granted a request by President Joe Biden's administration to pause a lower court's ruling that temporarily blocked federal agents from disturbing the fencing while litigation over the issue proceeds.

California professors end strike after one day

A union representing 29,000 professors and staff at the California State University (CSU) reached a tentative deal on Monday night to call off a five day strike after one day, ending uncertainty for more than 450,000 students on 23 campuses. The California Faculty Association and the CSU have been bargaining for a new contract since May. The union started their proposed five-day strike earlier on Monday in the first week of the semester.