US Domestic News Round-up: Survivors feel, Bausch Health unit moves, Apple wins reversal,

In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals said Apple deserved judgment as a matter of law because jurors could not have found infringement based on evidence introduced in the liability phase of a 2015 trial.

Survivors feel both hope and fear after Kavanaugh hearing, advocates say

For sexual assault survivors, Christine Blasey Ford emerged as a new hero on Thursday, triggering a surge in calls to a national rape hotline as she told senators that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were teenagers. But even as many saw her nervous yet assured testimony as a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement, the skepticism, indifference and even scorn she faced, both from Republican senators and online critics, was disturbing to victims and their advocates.

Bausch Health unit moves to settle charges it misled investors -SEC

Salix Pharmaceuticals, a unit of Bausch Health Companies Inc, has moved to settle charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled investors about the company's prospects, the SEC said on Friday. As part of the proposed settlement, which must be approved by a U.S. district court, Salix agreed to an SEC order to avoid future violations of antifraud and corporate reporting provisions of federal securities laws, the agency said.

Apple wins reversal in University of Wisconsin patent lawsuit

Apple Inc persuaded a federal appeals court on Friday to throw out a $234 million damages award in favor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's patent licensing arm for infringing a patent on computer processing technology. In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals said Apple deserved judgment as a matter of law because jurors could not have found infringement based on evidence introduced in the liability phase of a 2015 trial.

California moves to protect auto emissions rules from Trump rollback

California regulators on Friday voted to require that automakers stick with Obama-era federal vehicle emissions standards for cars sold in the state regardless of Trump administration efforts to weaken the standards. The move was the latest in running political clashes between the most populous U.S. state and President Donald Trump's administration over issues running from climate change to immigration.

F-35 fighter jet crashes in South Carolina, pilot ejects

A U.S. military F-35B fighter jet crashed near the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina on Friday, for reasons that are under investigation, local law officials and the U.S. military said. The pilot, the only person aboard the craft, ejected safely and was being checked for injuries, said a Pentagon spokesman, adding that there were no other injuries.

Harvard admissions bias case can proceed to trial: U.S. judge

A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for a lawsuit accusing Harvard University of discriminating against Asian-American applicants to go to trial, a closely watched case that could influence the use of race in college admissions decisions. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston rejected dueling motions by Harvard and a nonprofit group suing the Ivy League university to rule in their favor ahead of a non-jury trial set to begin on Oct. 15.

More than 20 million Americans glued to Kavanaugh hearing telecasts

The high-stakes Senate hearing on the nomination of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh riveted American television viewers with roughly 20.4 million people tuning in on six broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen data released on Friday. The large number for a weekday audience represents only a fraction of Thursday's total viewership of the emotional testimony that lasted nearly nine hours. It does not include millions more who streamed the event on phones or computers or crowds that watched in bars and other public places.

Walgreens to pay $34.5 million to settle U.S. charges of misleading investors

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc will pay $34.5 million to settle charges it misled investors about the increased risk that it would miss a key financial goal related to its merger in 2012, the top U.S. securities regulator said on Friday. The Securities and Exchange Commission said it had also charged former chief executive officer Gregory Wasson and former finance head Wade Miquelon, who agreed to each pay a $160,000 penalty.

Under pressure, Trump orders FBI Kavanaugh probe, causing week delay

President Donald Trump, under intense pressure from moderates in his own party over his Supreme Court nominee, on Friday ordered an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh at the request of Senate Republicans, a move that will delay the contentious confirmation process by a week. The key player in a day of dramatic and unexpected developments was Senator Jeff Flake, a moderate Republican retiring from the Senate in January who provided the decisive vote to approve Kavanaugh's nomination in the Judiciary Committee and send the matter to the full Senate.

Prosecutors to seek death penalty for accused New York bike path attacker

U.S. prosecutors on Friday said they would seek the death penalty for Sayfullo Saipov, the man accused of killing eight people by driving a truck into a New York City bike path last October. Saipov, a 30-year-old Uzbek national, was arrested immediately after police said he plowed a truck down a bike lane in lower Manhattan. The militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the deadliest assault on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.