US Domestic News Roundup: 45 U.S. House Republicans seek to prevent another speaker ouster; Factbox-California bill veto is setback in North American fight against caste discrimination and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

45 U.S. House Republicans seek to prevent another speaker ouster

Forty-five allies of former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are calling on their Republican colleagues for "fundamental changes" that would make it more difficult for a small faction to oust whoever may take his place. As the slim 221-212 Republican majority in the House of Representatives prepares to select a replacement for McCarthy, the letter underscores the acrimony hovering over the stalled chamber as Congress approaches a new government shutdown deadline on Nov. 17.

Factbox-California bill veto is setback in North American fight against caste discrimination

California governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday vetoed a bill passed recently by state lawmakers to explicitly ban caste discrimination, citing that exiting laws already prohibited ancestry discrimination, which made the bill "unnecessary." Newsom's veto marked a rare but consequential setback in the movement against caste discrimination that had picked up momentum this year in North America. Had the bill been signed into law, California would have become the first U.S. state to explicitly ban caste discrimination.

New COVID shots still hard to find for some Americans

Americans have started rolling up their sleeves for the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine, but weeks into the rollout some say they are still having difficulty finding appointments for themselves and their children. Shot seekers also say they have been surprised by requests for upfront payments of $150 to $200 now that the U.S. government has handed off to private companies including vaccine makers, pharmacies, and insurance plans to handle distribution, administration and payment coverage.

New York appeals court pauses breakup of Trump businesses during civil fraud trial

A New York state appeals court on Friday temporarily halted the dissolution of some of Donald Trump’s most valuable properties as it weighs the former U.S. president’s appeal in a civil fraud case. The ruling by the New York Appellate Division pauses enforcement of a September order by Justice Arthur Engoron, who found Trump and his family business committed fraud and stripped them of companies that control crown jewels of his real estate empire, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street in Manhattan.

Judge lets Oklahoma ban on gender treatments for minors take effect

A federal judge in Oklahoma has allowed a state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect, adding to a growing split among courts on whether such laws can be enforced. Gender-affirming care includes puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.

California governor vetoes bill to ban caste discrimination

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday vetoed a bill passed recently by the state legislature to explicitly ban caste discrimination, citing existing laws that already prohibit ancestry discrimination, which made the bill "unnecessary." Had Newsom signed the bill, officially called Senate Bill 403 or SB 403, California would have become the first ever U.S. state to explicitly ban caste discrimination.

McCarthy says he will not resign from House after ouster as speaker

Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Friday he will finish his congressional term and run for re-election, denying media reports that suggested the Republican would resign from Congress before the end of his term. THE TAKE

Suspect in Colorado supermarket shooting declared mentally fit for trial

A Colorado man accused of murdering 10 people in a shooting rampage at a Boulder supermarket in 2021, then diagnosed as schizophrenic and declared mentally unfit for prosecution months later, is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled on Friday. Boulder County District Judge Ingrid Bakke agreed with state psychiatric experts and prosecutors that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa has made enough progress through treatment to render him capable of understanding the criminal proceedings against him and meaningfully assisting in his own defense.

Mummified Pennsylvania man identified and buried after 128 years on display

A leather-skinned mummified man lying in an open coffin in Reading, Pennsylvania, known only as "Stoneman Willie” to the public got two things Saturday he went without for 128 years - a burial and his real name. Dressed in a period tuxedo, his generations-long public afterlife as the stuff of city lore and ghost stories ended when he was introduced to the world as James Murphy of New York at a funeral in Reading.

US House's Scalise, Jordan locked in two-way speaker race, for now

Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Jim Jordan, a leader of the party's conservative wing, are in a two-way race to lead the chamber after the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy, but neither has the election sewn up. Scalise, a lawmaker from Louisiana, has taken the more traditional route to the top by raising money and building relationships across the party, while Jordan has made his mark as a right-wing firebrand.