US Domestic News Roundup: Trump is disqualified from Illinois ballot, judge rules; Biden, Trump make competing election-year visits to southern US border and more

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is expected to take up a short-term stopgap measure that would extend by one week federal funding that expires at midnight on Friday (0500 GMT Saturday) and set a March 22 funding deadline for other government agencies. Biden dogged by Democrats' anger over Israel: Reuters/Ipsos poll A majority of Democrats prefer a presidential candidate who does not back U.S. military aid for Israel, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed Democratic President Joe Biden tied with Donald Trump ahead of the November presidential election.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California's coveted coastal cliffs eroding in atmospheric rivers

The views of the Pacific Ocean from Alan Ashavi's cliff-top property are breathtaking, but underneath lurks a danger to the dream home he has been building for the last 12 years. When the first round of atmospheric rivers battered the California coastline last year, several of his neighbors' backyards collapsed, but Ashavi was spared.

US proposes to strengthen airline passenger wheelchair regulations

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is proposing on Thursday new rules to strengthen protections for airline passengers using wheelchairs. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the proposed regulation is the biggest expansion of rights for wheelchair users since 2008 and would make it easier for USDOT to hold airlines accountable for damage to wheelchairs or any delay in their return.

Trump is disqualified from Illinois ballot, judge rules

An Illinois state judge on Wednesday barred Donald Trump from appearing on the Illinois' Republican presidential primary ballot because of his role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but she delayed her ruling from taking effect in light of an expected appeal by the former U.S. president. Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter sided with Illinois voters who argued that the former president should be disqualified from the state's March 19 primary ballot and its Nov. 5 general election ballot for violating the anti-insurrection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment.

Analysis-McConnell departure could signal a more Trumpian turn for US Senate

Mitch McConnell's decision to step aside as U.S. Senate Republican leader raises questions about whether the chamber long known for being slow and deliberative will be swept up in the heated populism of Donald Trump. In recent weeks, the Senate has taken on the more raucous atmosphere of the House of Representatives, with Republican hardliners fighting a bipartisan bill backed by McConnell to toughen border security and provide more aid to Ukraine.

Biden, Trump make competing election-year visits to southern US border

U.S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, his likely Republican opponent in the November election, will make dueling visits to the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday as a large influx of immigrants has become a dominant issue for voters.Biden, who has been on the defensive on the issue in recent months, will use a visit to the border town of Brownsville, Texas, to try to shame Republican lawmakers for rejecting a bipartisan effort to toughen immigration policies after Trump told them not to pass it and give Biden a policy victory. Biden will meet with border patrol agents and customs and law enforcement officials and deliver remarks.

US Supreme Court to decide Trump criminal immunity claim in 2020 election case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide Donald Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, giving him a boost as he tries to delay criminal prosecutions while running to regain the presidency. The justices put on hold the criminal case being pursued by Special Counsel Jack Smith and will review a lower court's rejection of Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution because he was president when he took actions aimed at reversing President Joe Biden's election victory over him.

Healthcare providers hit by frozen payments in ransomware outage

Healthcare providers across the United States are struggling to get paid following the week-long ransomware outage at a key tech unit of UnitedHealth Group, with some smaller providers saying they are already running low on cash. Large hospital chains are also locked out of processing payments with some absorbing the upfront costs of being unable to collect, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA), which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks and other providers.

US Defense Secretary Austin faces Congress grilling over health secrecy

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faces a reckoning in Congress on Thursday over his decision to keep secret his prostrate cancer surgery and subsequent hospitalization from President Joe Biden and even his deputy at the Pentagon. Austin has apologized for the way he handed the matter, including to Biden himself, but his appearance before the Republican-led House of Representatives Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT) will be the first time lawmakers will directly question him.

US Congress makes last-minute bid to avert government shutdown

A divided and chaotic U.S. Congress will make a last-minute attempt to avert a partial federal government shutdown on Thursday, less than 48 hours before funding for some federal agencies is due to expire. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is expected to take up a short-term stopgap measure that would extend by one week federal funding that expires at midnight on Friday (0500 GMT Saturday) and set a March 22 funding deadline for other government agencies.

Biden dogged by Democrats' anger over Israel: Reuters/Ipsos poll

A majority of Democrats prefer a presidential candidate who does not back U.S. military aid for Israel, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed Democratic President Joe Biden tied with Donald Trump ahead of the November presidential election. The three-day poll, which closed on Wednesday, showed 56% of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they were less likely to support a candidate who backs military assistance for Israel, compared to 40% who said they would be more likely to support such a candidate.