Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

How bird flu could threaten cow cuddling. Yes, it is a thing.

Farmer Luz Klotz straightened the brightly striped hair bow on Reba, a 1,600-pound heifer lounging on the ground under twinkling fairy lights. Teenager Joey Pachl, hoping to impress his girlfriend with an invitation to the high school prom, had paid $75 for an hour-long cow cuddling session at the farm. Pachl successfully wowed animal loving girlfriend Emma. For Luz and husband Dan Klotz, such visitors have become key to covering the feed bills and keeping their small farm running.

Explainer-How US campus protests over Gaza differ from Vietnam war era

A deep generational divide, anti-war protests on college campuses and a looming Chicago Democratic convention invite comparisons between today's protests against Israel's attacks in Gaza and the movement against the Vietnam War. The 54th anniversary of the Kent State University shooting on Saturday, marks the day when the Ohio National Guard troops sent to quell campus protests shot 13 students, killing four and unleashing a surge of unrest across the country.

Biden vetoes bid to repeal US labor board rule on contract, franchise workers

President Joe Biden followed through on Friday on his vow to veto a Republican-backed measure that would have repealed a U.S. labor board rule treating companies as the employers of many of their contract and franchise workers and requiring them to bargain with those workers' unions. The proposal to repeal the National Labor Relations Board rule passed Congress narrowly and it is unlikely Republicans can muster the two-thirds majority to override the veto by Biden, a Democrat. A federal judge in March blocked the rule from taking effect, but that decision will likely be appealed.

Dairy worker bird flu case shows need for protective gear, US CDC study shows

The Texas dairy farm worker infected with H5N1 bird flu was not wearing respiratory or eye protection and had been exposed to cattle that appeared to have the same symptoms as those in a nearby farm with a confirmed outbreak of the virus, according to new details on the case released on Friday. The details, reported online in the New England Journal of Medicine, underscore the risk to farm workers in the ongoing outbreak among U.S. dairy cattle and the need to wear protective gear to avoid infection.

US lawmaker Cuellar hit with bribery charges tied to Azerbaijan, Mexican bank

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted for allegedly accepting close to $600,000 in bribes in two schemes meant to benefit an Azerbaijani state-owned energy company and an unnamed bank based in Mexico, court papers showed. The federal indictment, returned by a grand jury in Texas on Tuesday and unsealed on Friday, said the bribes were laundered through sham consulting contracts into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, the Democratic congressman's wife, from December 2014 through at least November 2021.

Drones above, police at the gates: Columbia protest camp's final moments

The occupation of a building at Columbia University by pro-Palestinian student protesters was in its 18th hour when photos and videos dinged across students' phones: police had parked at least seven jail buses south of the campus. The backs of New York police officers standing guard outside the gates of the Manhattan campus could be seen through the railings. Police surveillance drones appeared in the dusk sky.

Analysis-Trump vows to fight 'anti-white feeling' in US. His allies have a plan

Donald Trump's pledge to fight what he calls "anti-white feeling" in the U.S. will likely embolden allies who seek to dismantle government and corporate programs created to battle racism and boost diversity in American life. Some high-profile supporters of the former president, now the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, say policies for safeguarding people of color in classrooms, workplaces and charities should be repurposed to protect the rights of white people as well.

Former Trump aide Hope Hicks testifies he told her to deny Stormy Daniels affair

Hope Hicks, a former top aide to Donald Trump, testified on Friday that he told her in the final days of the 2016 presidential election to deny that he had a sexual relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels. Hicks' testimony gave jurors an inside look at the campaign's damage-control efforts when Trump faced multiple accusations of unflattering sexual behavior in the waning weeks of his successful White House campaign.

Exclusive-Biden campaign rolls out new abortion ads aimed at Latino men

Joe Biden will ramp up spending this month as part of a new advertising push aimed partly at convincing Latino men that abortion rights are a vital issue that affects them, the U.S. president's 2024 campaign said on Friday. A television, radio and digital advertisement airing in both English and Spanish in competitive "battleground" states features Cesar Carreon, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who now works as a Las Vegas carpenter, mentioning his daughters and attacking Trump as "not tough" for taking away women's "freedom."

Exiled Chinese businessman's chief-of-staff pleads guilty in US to fraud

The chief of staff to exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring with him to carry out a massive scheme that defrauded thousands of investors out of more than $1 billion. Yvette Wang, 45, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Her plea came just three weeks before she was set to face trial alongside Guo.

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