Gavin Newsom called the bill "unnecessary," citing broader discrimination laws which already prohibit caste discrimination. The issue is of particular meaning to Americans of South Asian and Hindu descent.

A draft bill that would legally allow people to use and grow cannabis is to be put before lawmakers for consideration. But there are many voices opposing the legalization of the drug for recreational purposes.

A divided U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling on Wednesday, with majority support from both Democrats and Republicans to overcome opposition led by hardline conservatives and avoid a catastrophic default.

A two-pill combination of mifepristone and another drug is the most common way of carrying out an abortion in the US. Wyoming's new law would ban them.

After days of protests in the streets, Georgia's ruling party has said it will withdraw a proposed law to classify media and NGOs that receive funding from abroad as "foreign agents."