Reuters US Domestic News Summary

U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi in Trenton, New Jersey, became the fourth federal judge to uphold the program, one of Democratic President Joe Biden's signature initiatives, against drug industry challenges, rejecting their argument that it was an illegal taking of their property. Republican-led states sue to block Biden protections for transgender students Nine Republican-led states and several conservative groups on Monday filed lawsuits challenging new Biden administration regulations that bar schools and colleges that receive federal funding from discriminating against students based on their gender identity.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US lawmakers strike deal to boost aviation safety, will not raise pilot retirement age

U.S. House and Senate negotiators said early Monday they had reached a deal to boost air traffic controller staffing and boost funding to avert runway close-call incidents, but will not increase the airline pilot retirement age to 67 from 65. The U.S. House of Representatives in July voted 351-69 on a sweeping bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that would also raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67 but the Senate Commerce Committee had voted in February to reject the retirement age increase. International rules would have prevented airline pilots older than 65 from flying in most countries outside the United States.

J&J, Bristol Myers lose challenges to US drug price negotiation program

A U.S. judge on Monday rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson to a law requiring them to negotiate the prices of their blockbuster blood clot prevention drugs with the U.S government's Medicare health insurance program or pay heavy penalties. U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi in Trenton, New Jersey, became the fourth federal judge to uphold the program, one of Democratic President Joe Biden's signature initiatives, against drug industry challenges, rejecting their argument that it was an illegal taking of their property.

Republican-led states sue to block Biden protections for transgender students

Nine Republican-led states and several conservative groups on Monday filed lawsuits challenging new Biden administration regulations that bar schools and colleges that receive federal funding from discriminating against students based on their gender identity. The states and advocacy groups filed the lawsuits in federal courts in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas challenging new U.S. Department of Education regulations that extend sex discrimination protections in federal civil rights law to LGBTQ students.

State health plans must cover gender-affirming surgery, US appeals court rules

Health insurance plans run by U.S. states must cover gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday. The 8-6 opinion from the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld two lower court rulings, which had found that North Carolina's state employee health insurance plan discriminated against transgender people by not covering surgeries for "sex changes or modifications," and that West Virginia's Medicaid program discriminated by excluding "transsexual surgeries."

Three law enforcement officers killed in North Carolina, police say

Three law enforcement officers were killed and another four were shot and wounded in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a suspect was found dead, police said on Monday. President Biden was briefed on the incident and has spoken with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, the White House said.

Columbia begins suspending protesters after encampment talks break down

Columbia University on Monday began suspending pro-Palestinian activists who refused to disband an encampment of tents on its New York campus after the Ivy League school declared a stalemate in talks seeking to end the polarizing protest. University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to dismantle the dozens of tents they set up to express opposition to Israel's war in Gaza.

US, Mexico to clamp down on illegal immigration, leaders say

The United States and Mexico plan to clamp down on illegal immigration at their shared border, leaders from both countries said on Monday, vowing to disrupt irregular crossings that have reached record levels in recent years. In a phone conversation on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said their administrations would soon take steps to decrease illegal crossings while also addressing the economic and security problems that cause people to migrate.

US to require new cars to have emergency braking systems by 2029

Nearly all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the United States will be required to have automatic emergency braking systems by September 2029, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday, saying that the rule will save at least 360 lives annually and prevent at least 24,000 injuries. The new rule comes as traffic deaths have spiked following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows

The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing, but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas.

Biden to deliver Morehouse commencement address over student, faculty concerns

U.S. President Joe Biden has no plans to abandon giving the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black men's college in Georgia on May 19, White House officials said on Monday, shrugging off criticism from some faculty and students over his Israel policies. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that Biden would proceed as planned at the historic college founded in 1867, whose alumni also include civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

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