US Domestic News Roundup: Inside Trump's election A-team: Lean, mean and largely unseen; US House backs $78 billion child, business tax breaks bill in rare bipartisan vote and more

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had brought a data protection lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence about claims in a dossier written by its co-founder, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. Trump campaign outraised by Biden, legal bills a drag Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's fundraising slowed in the last three months of 2023 and he was outraised by his likely general election rival, Democrat Joe Biden, disclosures submitted to the Federal Election Commission showed on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

RFK Jr's bid for independent presidential run garners mega Trump donor support

A mega donor backing Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has also given major donations to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose presence on the ticket some polls have shown could siphon votes from Democrat Joe Biden in a general match-up against the former president. Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, gave $10 million to the pro-Kennedy American Values 2024 super PAC in the second half of 2023, disclosures to the Federal Election Commission showed on Wednesday. He had previously given the group $5 million in April 2023.

Factbox-Who are Trump's top presidential campaign aides?

A tight, disciplined inner of circle of fiercely loyal aides have helped propel former President Donald Trump to the forefront of the Republican Party's White House contest, putting him on the verge of securing the nomination. See main story. Here's the lowdown on six of those figures:

Tech CEOs told 'you have blood on your hands' at US Senate child safety hearing

U.S. senators on Wednesday grilled leaders of the biggest social media companies and said Congress must quickly pass legislation, as one lawmaker accused the companies of having "blood on their hands" for failing to protect children from escalating threats of sexual predation on their platforms. The hearing marks the latest effort by lawmakers to address the concerns of parents and mental health experts that social media companies put profits over guardrails that would ensure their platforms do not harm children.

Inside Trump's election A-team: Lean, mean and largely unseen

A veteran tactician who worked on Ronald Reagan's campaign. An ex-Marine wounded in the Middle East. The former voice of UFC cage-fighting. A golf caddie turned social media maestro. Meet Donald Trump's election A-team.

Donald Trump's lawsuit over 'Steele dossier' thrown out by UK court

Donald Trump's lawsuit against a British private investigations firm over a dossier which alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russia was thrown out by London's High Court on Thursday. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had brought a data protection lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence about claims in a dossier written by its co-founder, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.

Trump campaign outraised by Biden, legal bills a drag

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's fundraising slowed in the last three months of 2023 and he was outraised by his likely general election rival, Democrat Joe Biden, disclosures submitted to the Federal Election Commission showed on Wednesday. The disclosures also showed the heavy drag Trump's legal expenses have become, with the biggest super PAC supporting the former president sending nearly two-thirds of what it raised in the second half of 2023 to a separate Trump group that has been paying his legal bills.

Biden's job approval drops to 38% as border worries rise - Reuters/Ipsos

President Joe Biden's approval rating declined in January as Americans worried about the economy and immigration while the Democrat ramps up his reelection campaign, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. Only 38% of poll respondents said they approved of Biden's performance as president, down from 40% in December.

Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charge

Actor Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust" in New Mexico. Court documents showed Baldwin, 65, entered his plea as he waived his right to an arraignment nearly two weeks after a grand jury indicted the actor on Jan. 19, reviving a criminal case that had been dismissed months earlier.

Haley casts Trump, Biden as 'Grumpy Old Men' in new campaign attack

Fighting for survival in the Republican presidential race, Nikki Haley is casting rival Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden as "Grumpy Old Men" who are way past their primes in a new strategic effort that looks to tap into voters' apathy toward a 2020 rematch. Haley's campaign said on Wednesday it was rolling out digital ads and mailers that would raise doubts about both Trump and Biden's mental acuity, criticize them for not campaigning more vigorously and cast them as profligate spenders.

US House backs $78 billion child, business tax breaks bill in rare bipartisan vote

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a $78 billion bipartisan package of tax breaks for businesses and low-income families that was put on a fast track even as Congress remains deadlocked over broader fiscal issues. The temporary tax measure, which would increase the Child Tax Credit and reinstate income deductions on business research and development and certain capital investments through 2025, was approved on a strong bipartisan 357-70 vote.