US Domestic News Roundup: Ghislaine Maxwell put on suicide watch, may seek sentencing delay, lawyer says; Legal clashes await U.S. companies covering workers' abortion costs and more

Biden is looking for more "solutions" in the aftermath of the abortion decision, including possible unilateral executive orders, according to spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre. Biden administration signals fight over medication abortion President Joe Biden's administration indicated it will seek to prevent states from banning a pill used for medication abortion in light of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Ghislaine Maxwell put on suicide watch, may seek sentencing delay, lawyer says

Ghislaine Maxwell has been put on suicide watch at a Brooklyn jail, and may seek to delay her Tuesday sentencing for aiding Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls, her lawyer said on Saturday night. In a letter to the judge overseeing Maxwell's case, Maxwell's lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, said her client is "unable to properly prepare, for sentencing," after officials at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Friday declared the suicide watch and abruptly moved Maxwell to solitary confinement.

Legal clashes await U.S. companies covering workers' abortion costs

A growing number of large U.S. companies have said they will cover travel costs for employees who must leave their home states to get abortions, but these new policies could expose businesses to lawsuits and even potential criminal liability, legal experts said. Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Lyft Inc, Microsoft Corp, and JPMorgan Chase & Co were among companies that announced plans to provide those benefits through their health insurance plans in anticipation of Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide.

U.S. confident Nato's strategy document will be "strong" on China - official

The U.S. is confident that NATO's new strategy document will include "strong" language on China, a White House official said on Sunday, adding that negotiations on how to refer to Beijing were still underway. The military alliance is at work preparing a new strategic concept - a strategy document setting out its aims and values - which is due to be unveiled at a summit in Madrid next week.

Analysis-Conservative U.S. justices show maximalism on guns and abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court's blockbuster rulings on successive days that eliminated the right to abortion nationwide and widened the rights of gun owners illustrate how its expanded conservative majority is willing to boldly assert its power. In both rulings, the conservative justices delivered long-sought victories to activists on the right who have decried the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion and believe the court has been slow to broaden gun rights.

Large U.S. law firms mostly quiet on abortion ruling, are 'walking a tightrope'

The largest U.S. law firms did not take a public stance following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade on Friday, diverging from the approach of some major companies that have made statements on the closely watched abortion case. The high court's 6-3 Dobbs decision upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Many states are expected to further restrict or ban abortions following the ruling.

U.S. screened 2.45 million air passengers Friday, the highest since early 2020

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 2.45 million air passengers on Friday, the highest daily number since February 2020. The number was however below the 2.73 million https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput screened on the same day in 2019. The high traffic was despite weather and staffing issues resulting in travel disruptions. On Friday, U.S. airlines canceled 711 flights and delayed more than 6,000, according to FlightAware https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/yesterday.

U.S. court upholds Arizona land swap deal for Rio Tinto copper mine

A U.S. appeals court has ruled that the federal government may give thousands of acres in Arizona to Rio Tinto Plc for a copper mine, upholding a lower court's ruling and rejecting a request from Native Americans who said the land has religious and cultural import. The 2-1 ruling from the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, issued late Friday night, essentially defers to a 2014 decision made by the U.S. Congress and then-President Barack Obama to give the land to Rio for its Resolution Copper project as part of a complex land swap deal.

Planned Parenthood of Utah sues to block abortion ban after Supreme Court ruling

The Utah branch of Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit on Saturday seeking to block the state's abortion ban, which came into effect on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade precedent that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion. Utah was one of eight states that imposed an immediate ban on abortions under a so-called "trigger law" as soon as the Supreme Court ruled on Friday to end a constitutional right that had been in place for almost 50 years. Up to 25 Republican-controlled states are expected to follow suit by banning abortions or curtailing access to abortions in the coming months.

Biden 'respects' Supreme Court despite abortion ruling, White House says

President Joe Biden, who is weighing unilateral actions to counter an "extreme" ruling ending the U.S. right to abortion, nonetheless "respects" the Supreme Court and sees no need to expand its membership, a spokesperson said. Biden is looking for more "solutions" in the aftermath of the abortion decision, including possible unilateral executive orders, according to spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

Biden administration signals fight over medication abortion

President Joe Biden's administration indicated it will seek to prevent states from banning a pill used for medication abortion in light of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, signaling a major new legal fight. The administration could argue in court that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of mifepristone, one of the pills used for medication abortions, pre-empts state restrictions, meaning federal authority outweighs any state action.

(With inputs from agencies.)