Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Farm Bureau, Deere & Co sign MOU ensuring farmers’ “right to repair” equipment
The American Farm Bureau Federation and machinery manufacturer Deere & Co signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that ensures farmers have the right to repair their own farm equipment or go to an independent technician. As the agriculture sector accelerates its adoption of technology, the reliance on high-tech machinery such as GPS-guided combines and tractors has become more common-place.
Seattle public schools blame tech giants for social media harm in lawsuit
Seattle’s public school district filed a lawsuit against Big Tech claiming that the companies were responsible for a worsening mental health crisis among students and directly affected the schools’ ability to carry out their educational mission. The complaint, filed on Friday against Alphabet Inc, Meta Platforms Inc, Snap Inc and TikTok-owner ByteDance with the U.S. District Court, claimed they purposefully designed their products to hook young people to their platforms and were creating a mental health crisis.
Explainer-Why are migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers?
U.S. President Joe Biden is visiting the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since he took office in January 2021 on Sunday, ahead of a visit to Mexico and after announcing new measures to reduce border crossings. What is happening at the U.S.-Mexico border now and why are there record numbers of crossings?
Biden visits U.S. Mexico border as immigration issue heats up
President Joe Biden visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday for the first time since taking office, tackling one of the most politically charged issues in the country as he prepares for a re-election bid. Accompanied by Border Patrol agents, Biden toured a section of the wall that divides the two countries, a signature priority of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, in an effort to demonstrate that he was taking the issue seriously.
Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s dream job could become a nightmare
Kevin McCarthy woke up on Saturday morning with a long-held dream fulfilled: After a four-day standoff, he was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the most powerful member of the Republican Party. But that role could turn into a nightmare because it requires leading a caucus that strongly rejects leadership. Conservatives have regularly excoriated top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell for agreeing to compromises of any kind with Democrats and earlier this week rejected former President Donald Trump’s call to quickly fall in line behind McCarthy.
White House says it doesn’t want to ‘go around Congress’ on debt ceiling
The White House on Sunday said it wasn’t planning to circumvent Congress in order to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, a regular flashpoint in times of divided government. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that “we’re not considering any measures that would go around Congress,” calling on lawmakers to raise the limit without preconditions.
California braces for ‘parade of cyclones’ after storms kill 7
California was bracing on Sunday for more severe weather after a week of torrential downpours and damaging winds killed at least seven people and left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Forecasters warned on Sunday that northern and central California was still in the path of a “relentless parade of cyclones,” promising little relief for the region until the middle of the week.
‘Listen to people on this side,’ migrants in Mexico say as Biden visits border
Venezuelan migrant Julio Marquez sells lollipops near the border in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, holding a cardboard sign scrawled with marker: “Help us with whatever comes from your heart.” He has the same message for U.S. President Joe Biden, who visits the Texas city of El Paso, just across the border, on Sunday.
CNH Industrial union workers at two U.S. plants reject proposed contract
Members of two local unions that have been on strike since May at CNH Industrial factories in Wisconsin and Iowa on Saturday voted down a tentative labor contract, the United Auto Workers union said. The union did not disclose how many workers at the two plants rejected the four-year deal, which included wage increases of 25% to 38% according to CNH on Sunday. Still, union members said the proposed contract failed to provide enough of a raise to combat inflation, additional vacation days or better healthcare coverage.
U.S. House Republican probed over Jan. 6 attack may now investigate FBI
A prominent Republican whose phone was seized as part of the Justice Department’s probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election said on Sunday he may seek to participate on a new House of Representatives panel that will investigate those same federal investigators. Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania is an ally of former President Donald Trump who helped spread Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. The FBI seized his phone in August, apparently as part of a probe into efforts to overturn the election.
(This story has not been edited by Newsd staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
