New Mexico Wildfires Claim Lives as Biden's Policies Stir Debate

A summary of current US domestic news covers topics such as wildfires in New Mexico causing deaths and evacuations, President Biden's immigration policies, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential debate bid, Trump's economic promises, Biden's citizenship path for spouses, and new evidence in Alec Baldwin's manslaughter case.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

At least one dead due to New Mexico wildfires, thousands evacuated

At least one person died due to the wildfires in New Mexico which have also led to the evacuation of thousands of people and damaged hundreds of structures, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's office said on Wednesday. "We don't have any additional details," a spokesperson of the governor's office told media. "Only one fatality as a result of the fire."

Biden policy is welcome relief for Americans with spouses in the country illegally

When news broke of U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to provide a path to citizenship for certain immigrants who entered the country illegally and are married to U.S. citizens, Pennsylvania-based immigration lawyer Bridget Cambria didn't need long to think of clients it could help. Over the years, she had met with many such couples, explaining to them how difficult it was going to be for the immigrant spouse to get U.S. legal permanent residency. The process, in most cases, required the immigrant to leave the country, potentially enduring years of family separation before being eligible to return.

RFK Jr faces midnight deadline to qualify for CNN presidential debate

Time is running out for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to qualify for 2024's first U.S. presidential debate, with the independent candidate counting on a longshot bid with a U.S. elections agency to put him on the stage. CNN, host of the June 27 debate, says only President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump have met its conditions for taking part: appear on enough state ballots to potentially win the presidency and also receive at least 15% in four separate national polls.

On US-Mexico bridge, two sides of Biden border crackdown

A group of migrants walked into Mexico on Saturday against pedestrian traffic on the international bridge between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez minutes after being deported from the United States under the Biden administration's new asylum ban. The mainly twenty-something Venezuelan men were ejected under the June 5 proclamation fast-tracking deportations of most people crossing the border illegally.

Trump decries state of economy in Wisconsin city where his promise of jobs fell short

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sought to present himself as the best candidate for the U.S. economy at a Tuesday rally in Racine, Wisconsin, where a local factory that he broke ground on six years ago has proven to be a major flop. The former president also vowed to quickly reverse a plan announced by Democratic President Joe Biden earlier in the day that would give hundreds of thousands of people in the country illegally a pathway to citizenship.

Biden offers citizenship path to spouses of Americans in sweeping election-year move

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a sweeping effort to provide a path to citizenship to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are married to U.S. citizens, an election-year move that contrasts sharply with Republican rival Donald Trump's plan for mass deportations. At a White House event, Biden criticized Trump for separating migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border and using incendiary language about immigrants in the U.S. illegally, including comments that they were "poisoning the blood of our country."

Louisiana requires display of Ten Commandments in all classrooms

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Wednesday signed into law a bill that makes the state the only one in the country to require displaying the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. The American Civil Liberties Union immediately announced it would sue to block the law, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

New evidence Baldwin was reckless with gun before 'Rust' shooting, prosecutors say

New evidence shows that Alec Baldwin was reckless with a revolver before the weapon fired a live round that killed "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, prosecutors alleged ahead of the actor's July manslaughter trial. The evidence, which includes images and video from crew and a set photographer, shows Baldwin pointed his gun at a crew member and fired a blank round, held his finger on the trigger when not supposed to and engaged in horseplay with the weapon, special state prosecutors said in a Monday filing.

Pro-Trump groups outspend pro-Biden groups so far in US presidential race

Outside groups supporting Donald Trump's presidential bid have spent significantly more money in recent months than groups that are working to re-elect Democratic President Joe Biden, according to a Reuters analysis of campaign finance records. Pro-Trump spending groups have spent more than $25 million since Trump clinched the Republican nomination on March 6, Federal Election Commission records show, compared to more than $15 million spent by Biden's allies during the same time.

Analysis-US FDIC chair nominee likely has the votes but confirmation process could drag

Christy Goldsmith Romero will likely win enough votes to be confirmed as U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation chair but Republicans are likely to slow walk the process. President Joe Biden last week nominated Goldsmith Romero, a Democratic commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to replace Martin Gruenberg who is stepping down after a probe found widespread sexual harassment at the agency.

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