US Domestic News Roundup: Trump urges US Supreme Court to endorse 'absolute immunity' for ex-presidents; Intel prepares for $100 billion spending spree across four US states and more

Trump, the Republican challenger to Democratic President Joe Biden, had endorsed Moreno in the primary, appearing at a campaign rally for the entrepreneur on Saturday. Factbox-Nine US House of Representatives races to watch in 2024 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will be defending a narrow 219-213 majority in the Nov. 5 elections, with court-ordered redistricting putting some of their seats - including one in Alabama - at risk.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump urges US Supreme Court to endorse 'absolute immunity' for ex-presidents

Donald Trump on Tuesday filed a U.S. Supreme Court brief in his bid for criminal immunity for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, arguing that a former president enjoys "absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for his official acts." The case is due to be argued before the justices on April 25. Trump has appealed a lower court's rejection of his request to be shielded from the criminal case being pursued by Special Counsel Jack Smith because he was serving as president when he took the actions at the center of the case.

In test of Trump's clout, Ohio Republicans pick US Senate challenger

Bernie Moreno won the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in November, Edison Research projected on Tuesday, in a race that had been considered to be a test of former President Donald Trump's sway. Trump, the Republican challenger to Democratic President Joe Biden, had endorsed Moreno in the primary, appearing at a campaign rally for the entrepreneur on Saturday.

Factbox-Nine US House of Representatives races to watch in 2024

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will be defending a narrow 219-213 majority in the Nov. 5 elections, with court-ordered redistricting putting some of their seats - including one in Alabama - at risk. Below are some of the races to watch as the Republican and Democratic parties battle through 2024 for control of the chamber.

Trump draws ire for saying Jews who vote for Democrats hate their religion, Israel

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump drew outrage from the White House, Democrats and leaders of Jewish groups for saying Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats hate their religion and Israel. "Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, they hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves," said Trump, who hopes to unseat President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

Intel prepares for $100 billion spending spree across four US states

Intel is planning a $100 billion spending spree across four U.S. states to build and expand factories after securing $19.5 billion in federal grants and loans - and it hopes to secure another $25 billion in tax breaks. The centerpiece of Intel's five-year spending plan is turning empty fields near Columbus, Ohio, into what CEO Pat Gelsinger described to reporters on Tuesday as "the largest AI chip manufacturing site in the world" starting as soon as 2027.

Biden pushes plan to lower rents, blasts Trump in Nevada

U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted plans to lower housing costs during stops across Nevada on Tuesday, taking aim at high rents and blasting the policies of Republican challenger Donald Trump while using the former president's signature slogan. "We need housing that's affordable," Biden said in Las Vegas. "For too many people, the dream of having a home - it feels out of reach."

Texas border enforcement law again blocked in legal whiplash

A Republican-backed Texas law that would allow state law enforcement authorities to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border was blocked again by an appeals court on Wednesday, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for it to go into effect. A late night ruling on Tuesday from the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted the enforcement of the law ahead of oral arguments on the issue scheduled for Wednesday.

US to lift Afghan visa limit under Biden, Congress deal

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has reached a compromise deal with Republicans in House of Representatives to lift the number of resettlement visas for Afghans who worked for the United States, U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday. The congressionally-authorized limit of 38,500 Special Immigration Visas (SIVs), which offer a path to U.S. citizenship, had been expected to be reached sometime around the August anniversary of the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal.

US House panel holds Biden impeachment hearing, but next steps unclear

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives seeking to chart a part forward in their impeachment probe of President Joe Biden will on Wednesday question two former associates of his son Hunter. House Republicans say the president and members of his family improperly profited from policy decisions in which Biden, a Democrat, participated while vice president from 2009-17.

Factbox-Who will Trump choose for his US Republican running mate?

With the Republican primary race behind him, Donald Trump now faces a big decision about his choice for a running mate to take on Democratic President Joe Biden in November. Will the Republican presidential candidate pick a woman or a person of color to boost his support from key voting blocs? Will he choose loyalty over political ambition? Will he surprise with someone who isn't on most people's radar?