US Domestic News Roundup: Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits New York City region; Forecasts for cloudy skies cast shadow over North American solar eclipse and more

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 352-65 on March 13 to give TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, about six months to divest the U.S. assets of the short-video app, or face a ban. Trump eyes $43 million haul from biggest fundraiser yet A major fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Florida on Saturday is expected to rake in a massive $43 million or more as the former president seeks to replenish diminished coffers in his rematch against Democrat Joe Biden.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US on high alert for Iran threat in region after Israeli strike in Syria

The United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Israel's strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria, a U.S. official said on Friday. "We're definitely at a high state of vigilance," the official said in confirming a CNN report that said an attack could come in the next week.

New York City to pay $17.5 million for forcing women to remove hijabs for mug shots

New York City agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit by two Muslim-American women who said the police violated their rights after arresting them by forcing them to remove their hijabs before being photographed. The preliminary class action settlement covers men and women required to remove religious attire before being photographed. It was filed on Friday in Manhattan federal court, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.

Schumer says US Senate can make progress on TikTok bill

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday outlined a busy agenda for lawmakers returning to Washington, saying they can make progress "on a path forward on TikTok legislation." The Senate is returning to work next week after a two-week recess. The U.S. House of Representatives voted 352-65 on March 13 to give TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, about six months to divest the U.S. assets of the short-video app, or face a ban.

Trump eyes $43 million haul from biggest fundraiser yet

A major fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Florida on Saturday is expected to rake in a massive $43 million or more as the former president seeks to replenish diminished coffers in his rematch against Democrat Joe Biden. The event, slated to be his biggest fundraiser yet, is a much-needed opportunity for Trump, who has been routinely outraised by Biden and is in the midst of a financial squeeze due to ballooning lawyer fees and legal payouts.

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits New York City region

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near New York City on Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, shaking buildings up and down the East Coast and surprising residents in an area that rarely experiences notable seismic activity. The quake's epicenter was in Tewksbury in central New Jersey, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of New York City. It occurred just after 10:20 a.m. ET (1420 GMT) at a depth of 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles), the USGS said.

Forecasts for cloudy skies cast shadow over North American solar eclipse

Cloudy skies forecast for Monday could spell disappointment for many of the millions of North Americans hoping to glimpse the continent's first total solar eclipse since 2017, possibly turning this spellbinding celestial phenomenon into a dud. Some regions that more typically experience fair skies in April within the "path of totality" - the narrow corridor where the moon can be seen obscuring the entire face of the sun - appear to have the gloomiest weather outlook for Monday.

New Mexico mental health first responders are increasingly civilians, not police

Unarmed emergency responders Nevada Sanchez and Sean Martin take a police dispatch call in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, a city with high rates of violent crime and police shootings. They have no enforcement powers or protective equipment and say they use their voices and brains to deescalate encounters with people in mental health and substance abuse crises.

Biden surveys collapsed Baltimore bridge, pledges help

President Joe Biden took an aerial tour on Friday of the collapsed Baltimore bridge that is blocking a key East Coast shipping lane, and he pledged federal help in rebuilding the span, an idea some Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress have resisted. A cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending it splashing into the harbor and killing six people. Work to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through the Mid-Atlantic state's shipping channel is ongoing.

US court rejects transfer of credit card fees rule case amid focus on 'judge shopping'

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that a Texas judge wrongly transferred to another court in Washington, D.C., an industry-backed lawsuit challenging an agency rule on credit card late fees, highlighting the debate over "judge shopping" in the U.S. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals on a 2-1 vote sided with business and banking groups who last month filed the lawsuit in Fort Worth, Texas, a city whose federal courthouse has become a favorite venue for litigants challenging President Joe Biden's administration's policies.

Biden campaign raises over $90 million in March, $187 million in Q1 2024

U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign announced Saturday it raised over $187 million in the first quarter 2024, almost double what it took in during the previous quarter. In March alone, when Biden clinched the Democratic Party's nomination, the campaign raised more than $90 million, up from over $53 million the previous month. The team also reported $192 million in cash on hand, which it said was the highest total amassed by any Democratic candidate in history at this point in the cycle.

(With inputs from agencies.)