Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The Republican-controlled Alabama Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 16 that frozen embryos should be considered children, a decision experts said could embolden other states to follow suit. US targets Russia with hundreds of sanctions over Ukraine war, Navalny death The United States on Friday imposed extensive sanctions against Russia, targeting more than 500 people and entities to mark the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and retaliate for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Moon lander described as tipped over sideways but 'alive and well' on lunar surface

The moon lander dubbed Odysseus is "alive and well" but resting on its side a day after a white-knuckle touchdown as the first private spacecraft ever to reach the lunar surface, and the first from the United States since 1972, the company behind the vehicle said on Friday. The chief executive officer of Houston-based Intuitive Machines, which built and flew the lander, said the vehicle is believed to have caught one of its six landing feet on the lunar surface during its final descent and tipped over, coming to rest propped up sideways on a rock.

Alabama's attorney general won't prosecute IVF clinics, families

The Alabama Attorney General's office had "no intention" of prosecuting providers of in vitro fertilization or families who use their services, it said on Friday after the state's top court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children. Following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week that allowed parents to sue for wrongful death of their minor children, including embryos, several of the state's fertilization clinics halted their work on in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is the creation of embryos by mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish.

Haley to launch ad buy in Super Tuesday states, Trump potential VP picks speak at CPAC

Nikki Haley's campaign will launch a "seven-figure" ad buy aimed at Super Tuesday states, campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Friday, a signal that Haley plans to continue campaigning for the Republican nomination even if she loses by a large margin in South Carolina. Ankney did not disclose any details of the ad buy, including which markets will be targeted. Fifteen states and one U.S. territory will hold Republican nominating contests on Super Tuesday, which falls on March 5 this year.

Trump formally ordered to pay $454 million in New York fraud case

Donald Trump was formally ordered by a New York judge to pay $454.2 million after being found liable for manipulating his net worth, in a civil fraud case brought by New York state's attorney general. The payment includes the $354.9 million penalty that Justice Arthur Engoron of the state court in Manhattan ordered on Feb. 16, plus interest, following a non-jury trial that stretched over three months.

Jury says ex-NRA chief LaPierre mismanaged gun rights group, cost it $5.4 million

A New York state jury found that former National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre mismanaged the gun rights group and cost it $5.4 million, ruling in a civil corruption case brought by New York's attorney general. The jury said that LaPierre had already repaid the NRA a little more than $1 million, and a judge will ultimately decide how much he must pay the group.

Night before 'Rust' shooting, armorer smoked 'to get high,' texts show

New Mexico prosecutors on Friday showed jurors texts in which "Rust" weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez said she smoked to "get high" the night before the movie's cinematographer was fatally shot on set in October 2021. In court filings, prosecutors in the trial have alleged Gutierrez's use of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol on evenings after filming may have led to her impairment at work on Oct. 21, 2021 when she mistakenly loaded a live round into a gun actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with. The texts shown Friday, the second day of testimony in the trial, did not specify a drug.

Pennsylvania Republicans clash with Trump on mail-in voting

Pennsylvania Republican leaders are trying to raise millions of dollars to convince state voters to embrace mail-in ballots and to ignore criticism from their party's likely presidential candidate, Donald Trump, over the practice. The previously unreported effort puts Republican leadership in Pennsylvania, one of the most important battleground states in the 2024 presidential race, at odds with Trump over 'absentee' or mail-in balloting.

Florida lawmakers pass bill to ban social media for anyone under 16

Florida's Republican-controlled legislature has passed legislation that would ban anyone under age 16 from social media platforms in a move that supporters have said would protect young people from online risks to their mental health. The measure, which goes to the desk of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis after being passed by lawmakers on Thursday, would require social media platforms to terminate the accounts of people under 16 and use a third-party verification system to screen out those who are underage.

Republicans, Trump try to contain backlash from Alabama fertility ruling

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and his party are scrambling to contain the fallout from a conservative Alabama court ruling that prompted some state providers to suspend in vitro fertilization treatments, while Democrats seized on the outcome as more evidence that reproductive rights are under assault. The Republican-controlled Alabama Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 16 that frozen embryos should be considered children, a decision experts said could embolden other states to follow suit.

US targets Russia with hundreds of sanctions over Ukraine war, Navalny death

The United States on Friday imposed extensive sanctions against Russia, targeting more than 500 people and entities to mark the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and retaliate for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. President Joe Biden said the measures aim to ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin "pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)