US Domestic News Roundup: Biden confident in Pentagon's Austin despite judgment lapse; Hunter Biden would be willing to testify with new House subpoena, lawyer says and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Hunter Biden would be willing to testify with new House subpoena, lawyer says

U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden would be willing to testify in a public hearing or a deposition if Republicans in the House of Representatives issued a new subpoena, his lawyer said on Friday. The offer, made in a letter to the chairs of the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee, comes two days after the panels moved ahead with historic efforts to hold Hunter Biden, 53, in contempt and he made a surprise appearance at one of the hearings.

Trump's broadsides in 2018 were met with veritable silence at Fed, transcripts show

On the surface, Donald Trump's blistering comments about the Federal Reserve beginning in 2018 seemed a grand breach of protocol for a U.S. president, with the businessman-turned-politician railing against a "loco" central bank he thought was undermining his economic policies with interest rate increases. Inside the Fed, however, an institution designed to be insulated from direct political influence, Trump's insults in interviews and social media posts landed with nary a whisper among policymakers, according to newly released transcripts of the U.S. central bank's eight policy meetings in 2018, a year that marked the leadership change from former Chair Janet Yellen to current chief Jerome Powell, who was handpicked by Trump.

Republican rivals make final push in Iowa ahead of first test against Trump

Republicans vying to beat a dominant Donald Trump to be the party's nominee in the 2024 U.S. presidential election will crisscross a frozen Iowa this weekend in the final campaigning ahead of the first nominating contest on Monday. His rivals will be trying to prevent a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden for the leadership of the world's most powerful country in what looks set to be a close and deeply acrimonious November vote that has raised questions about the depth of support for Europe and even basic democratic values.

Top US House Republican Johnson stands by bipartisan spending deal

Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday stood by a $1.59 trillion spending deal with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, defying hardline conservatives who had pressured him to scrap it in favor of lower spending and new border restrictions. Two days after a dozen hardliners from his own party shut down legislative business on the House of Representatives floor in protest, Johnson said lawmakers would move forward to implement the deal with "a robust appropriations process," as Congress seeks to avert a partial government shutdown after funding for some federal agencies expires next Friday.

Biden confident in Pentagon's Austin despite judgment lapse

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that he has confidence in Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin despite what Biden agreed was a lapse in judgment by the Pentagon chief over his secret hospitalization. Biden spoke to reporters in Pennsylvania, a hotly contested state in the 2024 election, as he campaigns on reviving faded manufacturing hubs.

US Supreme Court to review anti-camping laws that impact homeless

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an Oregon city's bid to enforce local laws against people camping on public property, teeing up a legal fight over a homelessness crisis that has vexed municipalities across the Western United States. The justices took up an appeal by Grants Pass, a city of roughly 40,000 people in southern Oregon, of a lower court's ruling that found that the ordinances - which make it illegal to camp on sidewalks, streets, parks or other public places - violate the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against "cruel and unusual" punishment.

Explainer-Did Biden break the law by ordering Yemen airstrikes?

Some members of the U.S. Congress have charged that President Joe Biden violated the Constitution by authorizing overnight strikes on Yemen. But provisions in U.S. law give the White House the authority to launch limited foreign military action, experts say. "There's not actually a strong case to prevent Biden from this kind of action," said Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution.

In snowy Iowa, Republican rivals race to dent Trump's lead

Severe winter weather caused havoc for Republican presidential candidates in Iowa on Friday, three days before the party's nominating race kicks off in the state. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, was forced to cancel all three of her events, as blizzard snow, bitter cold and high winds made Iowa's roads dangerous.

US House votes to repeal labor board rule on contract, franchise workers

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted to repeal a federal labor board rule set to take effect in February that would treat companies as the employers of many contract and franchise workers and require them to bargain with those workers' unions. The House voted 206-177 to nix the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule, which has been heavily criticized by business groups. The vote sends the proposal to the Senate where Democrats hold a one-seat majority but Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, has said he opposes the rule.

Blizzard strikes US Midwest, cancelling flights and disrupting presidential campaign

Tens of millions of Americans were in the pathway of dangerous and damaging weather conditions as snowstorms moved across the Northwest and Midwest, flooding threatened the East Coast and potential tornadoes were on tap in the South. Airlines delayed more than 7,600 flights across the U.S. on Friday, including planes grounded at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport due to winds and blinding snow. In Iowa, Republican presidential candidates canceled events three days out from the state's caucuses, the first of the state-by-state contests in which parties pick their nominees ahead of November's general election.

(With inputs from agencies.)