US Domestic News Roundup: Biden, Republican Johnson hold 'intense' Ukraine talks at White House; US Congress seeks to pass stopgap funding bill ahead of shutdown deadline and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden, Republican Johnson hold 'intense' Ukraine talks at White House

President Joe Biden and top Democrats and Republicans in Congress on Tuesday made progress toward avoiding a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, but have not cut a deal on paying for weapons for Ukraine's battle against Russia. "We've got a lot of work to do," Biden said as the meeting opened in the Oval Office, with Vice President Kamala Harris at his side and the two top congressional Democrats and two top Republicans sitting on couches nearby.

Supreme Court trains sights on US ban on gun 'bump stocks'

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday is set to consider the legality of a federal ban imposed under former President Donald Trump on "bump stock" devices that enable semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns in a case targeting another firearms restriction after a major gun rights expansion in 2022. The justices will hear arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's ruling in favor of Michael Cargill, a gun shop owner and gun rights advocate from Austin, Texas, who challenged the ban that was put in place after a 2017 mass shooting that killed 58 people in Las Vegas.

Trump, Biden win Michigan primaries but Democrats mount Gaza protest vote

U.S. President Joe Biden easily won the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan on Tuesday, but a protest vote by Democrats angry over his support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza exceeded organizers' expectations. Donald Trump won the state's Republican presidential primary by a large margin, strengthening his grip on the party’s White House nomination as Nikki Haley, his last remaining rival, came in a distant second.

US Senate Democrats to try to pass bill protecting in vitro fertilization

Democrats on Wednesday will try rushing legislation through the U.S. Senate guaranteeing Americans' access to in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies, after an Alabama court designated frozen embryos as children. The state Supreme Court ruling on Feb. 16 that frozen embryos should be considered children prompted at least three Alabama providers to halt the IVF procedure that involves combining eggs and sperm in a laboratory dish for couples having difficulty conceiving.

Democrats outline first stage of planned $60 million campaign to win state legislatures

The Democratic Party's campaign arm dedicated to state legislative races is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars across seven states in an early salvo ahead of November's election, part of its plan to spend a record-setting $60 million to capture statewide power at a time of congressional gridlock. The targeted states include Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina – all also expected to be decisive swing states in the presidential race that will headline the Nov. 5 election.

US president's son Hunter Biden to testify to Republicans' impeachment probe

U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden on Wednesday will testify behind closed doors at the impeachment inquiry into his father, which House Republicans are pushing ahead with even after the person who provided accusations at the heart of their case was charged with lying to the FBI. House of Representatives Republicans for months had sought the younger Biden's testimony, requests that he first rebuffed and then belittled by making surprise public appearances at the Capitol.

San Francisco to vote on using AI, drones and security cameras to fight crime

San Francisco will vote next week on a divisive ballot measure that would authorize police to use surveillance cameras, drones and AI-powered facial recognition as the city struggles to restore a reputation tarnished by street crime and drugs. The Safer San Francisco initiative, formally called Proposition E, is championed by Mayor London Breed who believes disgruntled citizens will approve the proposal on Tuesday.

Michigan's 100,000 'uncommitted' votes show Israel impact on Biden

Joe Biden's campaign and top Democratic officials vowed to double down on efforts to win over voters as the U.S. president aims to solve conflicts in the Middle East, after Michigan registered a stronger-than-anticipated protest vote over his support of Israel. About 13.2% of Michigan Democrats cast a ballot for "uncommitted" in the primary, following a weeks-long push by activists, an Edison Research tally showed early Wednesday morning.

US Congress seeks to pass stopgap funding bill ahead of shutdown deadline

The U.S. Congress on Wednesday has three days to avert a partial government shutdown, as disagreements between the two parties and within the fractious House Republican majority delay lawmakers in their duty of funding federal agencies. The two chambers' top Democrats and Republicans had emerged from what they described as an intense Tuesday meeting with President Joe Biden vowing to avert a shutdown, but without agreement on how to do so - whether by reaching a deal covering the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, or by passing a fourth short-term stopgap.

Exclusive-Extremism is US voters' greatest worry, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Worries about political extremism or threats to democracy have emerged as a top concern for U.S. voters and an issue where President Joe Biden has a slight advantage over Donald Trump ahead of the November election, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. Some 21% of respondents in the three-day poll, which closed on Sunday, said "political extremism or threats to democracy" was the biggest problem facing the U.S., a share that was marginally higher than those who picked the economy - 19% - and immigration - 18%.

(With inputs from agencies.)