US News Roundup: Kevin McCarthy elected Republican U.S. House speaker, but at a cost; U.S. Trustee files objection to FTX's planned asset sales and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis-Biden's new border plan undercuts campaign vow to restore asylum access

U.S. President Joe Biden's move this week to block migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border aims to reduce record crossings and shield him from Republican criticism but is a turn away from his campaign promise to restore access to asylum. Initial backlash to Biden's policy shift also signals it could be challenged in court, from both those who favor restricting immigration and advocates for asylum seekers.

Explainer-Why are migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers?

U.S. President Joe Biden is visiting the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since he took office in January 2021 on Sunday, ahead of a visit to Mexico and after announcing new measures to reduce border crossings. What is happening at the U.S.-Mexico border now and why are there record numbers of crossings?

Biden to visit Mexico border in push on migrants, but Republicans are his biggest wall

President Joe Biden will visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday for the first time since taking office nearly two years ago, tackling one of the most politically charged issues in the country as he prepares for a reelection bid. Biden on Thursday announced fresh plans to block Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, expanding the nationalities of migrants who can be expelled back to Mexico, and the visit to El Paso, Texas, isn't expected to yield any new policy breakthroughs.

Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's dream job could become a nightmare

Kevin McCarthy woke up on Saturday morning with a long-held dream fulfilled: After a four-day standoff, he was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the most powerful member of the Republican Party. But that role could turn into a nightmare because it requires leading a caucus that strongly rejects leadership. Conservatives have regularly excoriated top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell for agreeing to compromises of any kind with Democrats and earlier this week rejected former President Donald Trump's call to quickly fall in line behind McCarthy.

California storm leaves over 560,000 homes without power, more rough weather ahead

Torrential downpours and damaging winds left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power in California early on Sunday as the area braced for the next onslaught of severe weather. More than 560,000 homes were reported to be still without power in California as of 0506 ET (1006 GMT), according to data from PowerOutage.us.

'Listen to people on this side,' migrants in Mexico say as Biden visits border

Venezuelan migrant Julio Marquez sells lollipops near the border in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, holding a cardboard sign scrawled with marker: "Help us with whatever comes from your heart." He has the same message for U.S. President Joe Biden, who visits the Texas city of El Paso, just across the border, on Sunday.

Kevin McCarthy elected Republican U.S. House speaker, but at a cost

Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives early on Saturday, after making extensive concessions to right-wing hardliners that raised questions about the party's ability to govern. The 57-year-old Californian suffered one final humiliation when Representative Matt Gaetz withheld his vote on the 14th ballot as midnight approached, prompting a scuffle in which fellow Republican Mike Rogers had to be physically pulled away.

Abortion, China, big government: Republicans gear up to flex U.S. House muscles

Hours after Republican leader Kevin McCarthy finally clinched the U.S. House speaker role, his party was already rolling out its initial legislative steps: the creation of committees to investigate China and the "weaponization of the federal government," and a bill that could potentially limit abortion care nationwide. McCarthy won the election for speaker of the U.S. House in the 15th round of voting in the early hours of Saturday, after four solid days of negotiation with a group of hardline conservatives in his caucus - the longest speaker's election in 160 years.

U.S. Trustee files objection to FTX's planned asset sales

A U.S. Trustee filed an objection on Saturday to plans by bankrupt crypto exchange FTX to sell its digital currency futures and clearinghouse LedgerX, as well as units in Japan and Europe, according to a court filing. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in November and said last month it planned to sell its LedgerX, Embed, FTX Japan and FTX Europe businesses. On Tuesday, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he cheated investors and caused billions of dollars in losses, in what prosecutors have called an "epic" fraud.

(With inputs from agencies.)