Biden's Bold Moves: Veterans Pardons, Housing Funds & AI Guardrails

President Joe Biden has issued a proclamation to pardon US veterans convicted by the military for gay sex, announced $85 million for affordable housing, and highlighted a major union deal in Hollywood that includes AI restrictions. These moves reflect Biden's broad domestic policy focus.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden announces process to pardon US veterans convicted by military for gay sex

President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on Wednesday that would set in motion a process to pardon U.S. veterans convicted by the military for gay sex, which was illegal until the provision was repealed in late 2013. The Biden administration estimates that the proclamation could affect thousands of individuals convicted of consensual sexual conduct and who may be eligible for a pardon, senior administration officials said.

Hollywood workers union reaches pay, AI-use deal with top studios

A union representing Hollywood film and television crew said on Tuesday it has reached a tentative three-year deal with major studios that includes agreed-on pay hikes and guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) members, which include lighting technicians and costume designers, are to ratify the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Disney, Netflix and others.

Federal data privacy laws gain support in US Congress, but critics remain

A drive for the United States' first major data privacy legislation has bipartisan support in the divided Congress ahead of a House of Representatives committee hearing on Thursday, though it faces criticism from businesses and privacy advocates.

The American Privacy Rights Act, cosponsored by Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, sets a national data privacy standard that would allow people to request access to and delete their data held by companies, and opt out of targeted advertising. It would also create a national data broker registry.

16 Nobel Prize-winning economists say Trump policies will fuel inflation

Sixteen Nobel prize-winning economists signed a letter on Tuesday warning that the U.S. and world economy will suffer if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November. The jointly signed letter, first reported by Axios, says the economic agenda of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is "vastly superior" to Trump's, the former Republican president seeking a second term.

Paris Hilton to testify at US House hearing on youth care programs

Reality TV star Paris Hilton is set to testify before a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing on Wednesday, in support of reauthorization of a federal program responsible for children in foster care. Hilton, 43, the great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, has spoken publicly about the alleged emotional and physical abuse she endured when she was placed in residential youth treatment facilities as a teen.

Judge partially lifts Trump hush money gag order

A New York judge partially lifted a gag order on Donald Trump on Tuesday following the Republican presidential candidate's conviction on criminal charges stemming from an effort to influence the 2016 election by buying a porn star's silence. The revised order now allows Trump to speak publicly about witnesses in the case and eases a prohibition on his commenting about the jury, but keeps in place restrictions on his statements about individual prosecutors and others involved in the case.

Are you better off today? A question for voters as Biden, Trump debate

Perhaps the most famous one-liner in a presidential debate, Ronald Reagan's "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" question to voters in his match with Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter in October 1980, came as high inflation pummeled consumers' spending power and captured a general malaise about the economy. As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump head to the first of two debates ahead of their rematch this November, some version of that question may well come up or at least be on the minds of people taking stock of the past, very turbulent, four years.

Biden administration awards $85 million to ease affordable housing development

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced the award of $85 million in housing funds to 21 state and local governments for a new program aimed at helping them remove barriers to the development and preservation of more affordable housing units. Vice President Kamala Harris and Department of Housing and Urban Development Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman said the awards from HUD's initial Pathways to Removing Obstacles (PRO) to Housing program would help update state and local housing plans, revise land use policies and streamline the permitting process for new developments.

US voters prefer Trump on economy, Biden on democracy, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

U.S. voters see Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as the better candidate for the economy but prefer his Democratic rival President Joe Biden's approach on preserving democracy, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The three-day poll that concluded on Sunday showed that less than five months before the Nov. 5 election, the electorate is divided on the candidates' approach on the issues that respondents view as the top two problems facing the nation.

Biden supporters bank on debate with Trump to ease age concerns

For 90 minutes on Thursday night, U.S. President Joe Biden has the chance to show doubting Americans that, at age 81, he is capable of handling the rigors of another four-year term, when he faces off in a debate against Republican Donald Trump. A strong showing could help neutralize those concerns and focus voter attention on policy issues. A weak performance could dampen fundraising and push Trump further ahead in the polls.

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