US Domestic News Round-Up: Social Media Laws, Space Legend Lost, and High-Stakes Trials

The latest in US domestic news includes New York passing laws to protect youths on social media, the death of Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, Sandy Hook families' agreement to Alex Jones' bankruptcy liquidation, Hunter Biden's daughter's testimony, and Trump's rally in Nevada. Additionally, scrutiny over the NewsBreak app's Chinese origins and Supreme Court justices' disclosures are highlighted.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

New York lawmakers pass measure to protect youths on social media

New York state lawmakers on Friday passed legislation to bar social media platforms from exposing "addictive" algorithmic content to users under age 18 without parental consent, becoming the latest of several states moving to limit online risks to children. A companion bill to restrict online sites from collecting and selling the personal data of underage users also gained final legislative approval in the New York Assembly on Friday, a day after both measures cleared the state Senate.

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took 'Earthrise' photo, dead in plane crash

Retired astronaut William Anders, who was one of the first three humans to orbit the moon, capturing the famed "Earthrise" photo during NASA's Apollo 8 mission in 1968, died on Friday in the crash of a small airplane in Washington state. He was 90. NASA chief Bill Nelson paid tribute to Anders on social media with a post of the iconic image of Earth rising over the lunar horizon, saying the former Air Force pilot "offered to humanity among the deepest of gifts an astronaut can give."

Sandy Hook families agree to Alex Jones' bankruptcy liquidation

Families of the Sandy Hook massacre victims claimed victory in Alex Jones' bankruptcy case on Friday, accepting the conspiracy theorist's proposal to sell his assets, including InfoWars, to partly pay legal judgments to them for his lies about the 2012 U.S. school shooting. Jones, who filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection 17 months ago, has given up trying to reach a bankruptcy deal that would reduce the $1.5 billion that he owes to the relatives of 20 students and six staff members killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Hunter Biden's daughter testifies at his criminal gun trial

Hunter Biden's daughter testified in her father's defense on Friday that he seemed to respond well to drug treatment in the weeks before he bought a gun that prosecutors say he obtained illegally by failing to disclose his addiction. Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, has pleaded not guilty in federal court to felony charges that include lying about his addiction when he applied for the Colt Cobra revolver in 2018 and illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.

Trump to hold rally in swing state Nevada during heatwave

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will hold an outdoor rally in sweltering Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, seeking to shore up support in a swing state he lost twice but which polls suggest is leaning his way in the Nov. 5 election. It will be Trump's first large-scale rally since a New York jury found him guilty on May 30 of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election, making him the first former president convicted of a crime.

Some US lawmakers call for more scrutiny of news app NewsBreak over Chinese origins

Three U.S. lawmakers have called for more scrutiny of NewsBreak, a popular news aggregation app in the United States, after Reuters reported it has Chinese origins and has used artificial intelligence tools to produce erroneous stories. The Reuters story drew upon previously unreported court documents related to copyright infringement, cease-and-desist emails, and a 2022 company memo registering concerns about "AI-generated stories" to identify at least 40 instances in which NewsBreak's use of AI tools affected the communities it strives to serve.

US Supreme Court justices disclose Bali hotel stay, Beyoncé tickets, book deals

U.S. Supreme Court justices reported receiving gifts including a stay in a Bali hotel and tickets to a Beyoncé concert, as well as nearly $1.6 million in book advances and royalties in annual financial disclosure forms for 2023 released on Friday. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who has come under criticism for failing to disclose gifts from businessman and Republican donor Harlan Crow, revised his 2019 form to acknowledge he accepted "food and lodging" at a Bali hotel and at a California club.

Migrant arrests drop at US-Mexico border as Biden asylum ban rolls out

The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped on Friday, a senior U.S. border official told Reuters, saying it signaled a restrictive new Biden administration policy was deterring some illegal immigration. U.S. Border Patrol arrested around 3,100 people crossing illegally, down roughly 20% from the days before, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss preliminary figures.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)