US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. Supreme Court lets Republicans defend North Carolina voter-ID law; Florida judge finalizes settlement for victims of Surfside condo collapse and more

The proposed rule, which is expected to be published in the coming days, comes after the U.S. Congress passed the Havana Act last year that authorizes the State Department, CIA and other U.S. government agencies to provide payments to staff and their families who have been affected by this syndrome during assignment. U.S. House speaker's husband charged with driving under influence of alcohol The husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was charged on Thursday with driving under the influence of alcohol, weeks after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Napa County, California, the county's district attorney said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis-U.S. Supreme Court ruling provides ammunition for gun law challenges

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down New York state's limits on carrying concealed handguns in public is likely to provide legal ammunition to challenge other regulations around the country even as Congress considers modest reforms. In a 6-3 ruling, the court for the first time recognized that individuals have a right to carry a firearm in public under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.

Harvard must face lawsuit over 'horrific' slave photos -Massachusetts court

Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday ruled that Harvard University can be sued for mistreating a descendant of slaves who were forced to be photographed in 1850 for a study by a professor trying to prove the inferiority of Black people. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled https://tmsnrt.rs/3xH6fPa Harvard's "horrific, historic role" in creating the images meant it had a duty to respond carefully to Tamara Lanier's requests for information about them, which she said the university failed to do.

Biden administration plans six-figure compensation for Havana Syndrome victims

The Biden administration is planning to compensate the victims of Havana Syndrome, the anomalous health incidents affecting U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers worldwide, with payments ranging from $100,000 to $200,000, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The proposed rule, which is expected to be published in the coming days, comes after the U.S. Congress passed the Havana Act last year that authorizes the State Department, CIA and other U.S. government agencies to provide payments to staff and their families who have been affected by this syndrome during assignment.

U.S. House speaker's husband charged with driving under influence of alcohol

The husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was charged on Thursday with driving under the influence of alcohol, weeks after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Napa County, California, the county's district attorney said. Late in May, Paul Pelosi, 82, was booked into the Napa County Detention Center. He was released from custody upon his promise to appear for an arraignment in Napa County Superior Court on August 3.

'Miracle on the Hudson' pilot stepping down from international post

C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, who rose to fame as the commercial pilot who safely landed an Airbus A320 on New York's Hudson River in 2009 after hitting a flock of geese, said on Thursday he would be stepping down as U.S. envoy to a key international aviation group on July 1. Sullenberger was confirmed in December as U.S ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization based in Montreal. He said in a statement that "relinquishing my role" was not an easy decision.

Analysis-Abortion pills over the counter? Experts see major hurdles in widening U.S. access

A pill used to terminate early pregnancies is unlikely to become available without a prescription for years, if ever, experts say, as the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court is expected to dramatically curb abortion rights in the coming weeks. The Biden administration is considering several options to increase access to so-called medication abortions, which can be administered at home, to help women in the many U.S. states that are expected to severely limit or outright ban abortions following the upcoming Supreme Court ruling.

U.S. Supreme Court lets Republicans defend North Carolina voter-ID law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Republican lawmakers in North Carolina can intervene in a lawsuit challenging a voter-ID law that they believed the state's Democratic attorney general was unlikely to defend strongly enough. In an 8-1 decision https://tmsnrt.rs/3ndjwKA authored by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court ruled that two Republican legislative leaders could join the lawsuit to defend the constitutionality of a 2018 law that Attorney General Josh Stein was already defending.

Senators urge U.S. role in probe of Al Jazeera journalist's killing

A group of 24 U.S. senators on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to ensure direct U.S. involvement in the investigation of the killing of an Al Jazeera journalist who was covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank last month. The lawmakers, all of them Democrats plus two independents, called for "a thorough and transparent investigation under U.S. auspices" into the shooting death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American reporter, in Jenin on May 11.

Florida judge finalizes settlement for victims of Surfside condo collapse

A Florida judge approved a $1.2 billion settlement for the victims of a condominium collapse that killed 98 people, an attorney for the plaintiffs said on Thursday. The decision from Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman came a day before the one-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida. For more than a month crews searched through the rubble of the 12-story building to recover the remains of victims.

Online privacy bill easily passed by U.S. House panel

A U.S. House of Representatives panel passed a bipartisan online privacy bill on Thursday that aims to limit the collection of personal data, though doubts remain as to whether it will become law. The bill would require companies like Alphabet's Google and Meta's Facebook, along with a long list of others, to only collect personal data that is necessary to provide services. Sensitive information like Social Security numbers would get even more protection.

(With inputs from agencies.)