US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. House panel advances Supreme Court ethics bill; Burial sites found at 53 Native American boarding schools, U.S. government says and more

The proposal, which is being reviewed by government agencies, would also direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent federal funding from supporting the transfer of U.S. health data to foreign adversaries, according to the excerpts. Biden marks 1 million Americans dead from COVID President Joe Biden on Thursday commemorated the death of 1 million people in the Unites States from COVID-19, marking what he called "a tragic milestone" and urging Americans to "remain vigilant" amid the ongoing pandemic.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. House panel advances Supreme Court ethics bill

A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday advanced a bill requiring the Supreme Court to adopt an ethics code and strengthen rules for justices and other federal judges to recuse themselves from cases when they have conflicts of interest. The 22-16 vote by the House Judiciary Committee sends the measure to the full House for consideration. It follows calls by Democrats, who hold the majority in the House, for conservative Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack because text messages showed his wife encouraged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Burial sites found at 53 Native American boarding schools, U.S. government says

A U.S. government investigation into the dark history of Native American boarding schools has found "marked or unmarked burial sites" at 53 of them, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on Wednesday. Haaland, the first Native American cabinet member, announced the investigation last year. In releasing preliminary findings during a press conference in Washington, she spoke through tears and in a choked-up voice.

Biden visits Illinois farm to highlight Russia-driven food inflation

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday blamed Russia's war on Ukraine for the latest spike in global food prices and visited a family farm in Illinois where he pledged to support the nation's farmers as they seek to fill the supply shortage. Biden said U.S. farmers have helped pull Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic and now the Ukraine crisis. "You are the backbone of freedom," he said, following a tour of an 800-acre (320-hectare) family farm in Kankakee owned by Jeff and Gina O'Connor.

California regulators set to vote on desalination plant

California regulators on Thursday will vote on whether to approve a proposed $1.4 billion plant to convert seawater to drinking water, a project billed as a partial solution to a sustained drought that threatens the state's economic health. In deciding the fate of the Huntington Beach desalination plant, the California Coastal Commission must weigh an expert recommendation to kill the project against pressure from Governor Gavin Newsom to approve it. The vote will follow a hearing at a Costa Mesa hotel conference room.

COVID claims 1 million U.S. lives

The United States has now recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, according to a Reuters tally, crossing a once-unthinkable milestone about two years after the first cases upended everyday life and quickly transformed it. The 1 million mark is a stark reminder of the staggering grief and loss caused by the pandemic even as the threat posed by the virus wanes in the minds of many people. It represents about one death for every 327 Americans or more than the entire population of San Francisco or Seattle.

Abortion bill fails in U.S. Senate as Supreme Court weighs overturning Roe v. Wade

Legislation to make abortion legal throughout the United States was defeated in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, amid solid Republican opposition. Democrats had sought to head off an impending Supreme Court opinion that is expected to overturn the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision that established the national right to abortion. Wednesday's effort was a protest gesture that never stood much chance of success.

U.S. cities are backing off banning facial recognition as crime rises

Facial recognition is making a comeback in the United States as bans to thwart the technology and curb racial bias in policing come under threat amid a surge in crime and increased lobbying from developers. Virginia in July will eliminate its prohibition on local police use of facial recognition a year after approving it, and California and the city of New Orleans as soon as this month could be next to hit the undo button.

Exclusive-Biden eyes new ways to bar China from scooping up U.S. data

The Biden administration has drafted an executive order that would give the Department of Justice vast powers to stop foreign adversaries like China from accessing Americans' personal data, according to a person familiar with the matter and excerpts seen by Reuters. The proposal, which is being reviewed by government agencies, would also direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent federal funding from supporting the transfer of U.S. health data to foreign adversaries, according to the excerpts.

Biden marks 1 million Americans dead from COVID

President Joe Biden on Thursday commemorated the death of 1 million people in the United States from COVID-19, marking what he called "a tragic milestone" and urging Americans to "remain vigilant" amid the ongoing pandemic. In a statement, Biden acknowledged the loss' impact on families left behind and urged the country not to "grow numb to such sorrow," noting "a nation forever changed."

U.S. citizen tells of tearful reunion after Ukraine rescue mission

A U.S. citizen who says he was held captive and beaten by Russian forces in Ukraine before being rescued by a private volunteer group spoke of his relief at reaching safety in Poland, describing his ordeal as an example of war crimes. Kirill Alexandrov, 27, crossed the Polish border in the early hours of Wednesday and had an emotional reunion with his mother, who had contacted Florida-based nonprofit organization Project Dynamo in the hope they could rescue her son.

(With inputs from agencies.)