US Domestic News Roundup: Biden administration plans to resume plans for federal oil and gas development; Google is accused in lawsuit of systemic bias against Black employees and more

But Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who hopes to become House speaker next year if Republicans retake the majority, said he was still backing Cawthorn in the Nov. 8 midterm election. South Carolina institutes firing squad executions South Carolina now has the means to facilitate executions by firing squad, officials said Friday, making it one of few states where it is lawful to carry out a death sentence in that manner.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden administration plans to resume plans for federal oil and gas development

The Biden administration on Friday said it would resume plans for oil and gas development on federal lands following a court ruling this week that temporarily restored a measure meant to factor the cost of global warming into federal decision-making. The development is the latest in a string of stops and starts to the federal oil and gas leasing program since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. Biden pledged during his presidential campaign to halt federal drilling auctions, but that effort has been stymied by a court challenge from Republican-led states.

Google is accused in lawsuit of systemic bias against Black employees

A lawsuit filed on Friday accuses Google of systemic racial bias against Black employees, saying the search engine company steers them to lower-level jobs, pays them less and denies them opportunities to advance because of their race. According to a complaint seeking class-action status, Google maintains a "racially biased corporate culture" that favors white men, where Black people comprise only 4.4% of employees and about 3% of leadership and its technology workforce.

Stuck at Mexico border, anti-war Russians sweat their futures as Ukrainians enter U.S

Russians trying to enter the United States at the Mexican border are frustrated they are not getting in like Ukrainians are, despite leaving their homeland over the invasion of Ukraine. U.S. officials have let dozens of Ukrainians through this week but Russians remain in limbo, prompting some to camp on the pavement alongside a barbed wire border fence, defying warnings from Mexican authorities to leave.

Top U.S. House Republican slams party hardliner over Zelenskiy 'thug' comment

The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Friday that Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn was wrong to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a "thug" during a meeting with his North Carolina constituents. But Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who hopes to become House speaker next year if Republicans retake the majority, said he was still backing Cawthorn in the Nov. 8 midterm election.

South Carolina institutes firing squad executions

South Carolina now has the means to facilitate executions by firing squad, officials said Friday, making it one of few states where it is lawful to carry out a death sentence in that manner. The state Department of Corrections said it alerted the Attorney General's office that it has developed protocols and completed renovations at a correctional facility in Columbia, the capital city, making way for death row inmates to choose to be shot by a three-man squad among three possible methods of execution.

U.S. House passes bill banning race-based discrimination on hair

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill banning race-based discrimination on hair, specifically textures or styles associated with a particular race or national origin such as dreadlocks, Afros and braids. The bill, known as the CROWN Act, was co-sponsored by Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, among others, who cited research showing that Black students were significantly more likely to face school detention, often for dress code violations based on their hair.

Longest-serving U.S. congressman, Alaska's Don Young, dies at 88

U.S. Republican Representative Don Young, who was first elected to Congress in 1973 and was its longest-serving current member, died on Friday, his office said in a statement. The 88-year-old congressman died while traveling home to Alaska, his office said.

U.S. Senators introduce bill to ban U.S. imports of Russian uranium

U.S. Republican Senators on Thursday introduced a bill to ban U.S. imports of Russian uranium to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The bill https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d7d62189-d0af-478b-a079-8a14304f77cf/barrasso-russianuranianban.pdf comes as the Biden administration has been weighing sanctions on Russian nuclear power company Rosatom, a major supplier of fuel and technology to power plants around the world.

How a Columbia professor became the scourge of activist short sellers

You may not have heard of Joshua Mitts, a young Columbia University professor who is making some powerful enemies on Wall Street. The 36-year-old securities law specialist has become an increasingly influential figure in the hot debate over activist short selling since publishing a 2018 analysis of trading data that suggested some players were manipulating the market.

Two lawmakers want Hertz, Avis to answer questions on rising U.S. rental prices

Two U.S. House Democratic lawmakers on Friday asked Hertz Global Holdings, and Avis Budget Group to answer questions about rising rental car prices and higher industry profits. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, and Representative Katie Porter said both rental car firms appear to have used their market position to raise prices as expenses fell.

(With inputs from agencies.)