US Domestic News Roundup: 'The Crown,' 'Ted Lasso' lead field in second pandemic-era Emmy Awards; California to examine tighter rules for recall elections after Newsom victory and more

In a divided ruling on Wednesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the lawsuit must be dismissed after the government invoked the "state secrets privilege", which meant that a full exploration of the issue in a court would damage national security. Biden met moderate U.S. Senate Democrats to discuss $3.5 trln spending bill President Joe Biden was meeting separately with moderate Democratic U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema on Wednesday to discuss Democratic-backed domestic spending legislation, the White House said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

'The Crown,' 'Ted Lasso' lead field in second pandemic-era Emmy Awards

Television may have been what helped people get through the lockdowns and quarantines of the past year, but the Emmy Awards themselves just can't seem to get a break. Forced for a second year to abandon the traditional mass gathering of celebrities and executives, Cedric the Entertainer will host a scaled-back show in Los Angeles on Sunday that has been moved to an outdoor tent because of concerns over the Delta variant.

California to examine tighter rules for recall elections after Newsom victory

A day after California voters resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed effort to oust Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom from his job, lawmakers began considering ways to reform the state's system for recalling elected officials. Newsom on Tuesday handily beat back the challenge with 64% of the vote, sending a decisive message that voters in the deeply Democratic state-supported his policies for tackling COVID-19, immigration and crime.

South Carolina lawyer who plotted own shooting will turn himself in for arrest - media

A prominent South Carolina attorney whose wife and son were murdered in June and who conspired with a man to have himself shot dead so a surviving son could collect a $10 million insurance payout will surrender to authorities on Thursday, an ABC affiliate reported. Alex Murdaugh's attorney confirmed to WCIV on Wednesday night that South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division had issued warrants for Murdaugh's arrest.

Biofuel makers seeks changes to aviation fuel tax credit in Biden spending plan

Biofuel producers are seeking last-minute changes to a proposal to boost production of sustainable aviation fuel tucked in the Democrat's $3.5 trillion spending plan that they say will allow the nation's farmers to join the emerging multi-billion market. The changes center on how the carbon-saving benefits of producing the fuel are measured, and could force the White House to choose between environmental groups who believe using land and food supply for fuel squanders earth's resources, and farm and agribusiness groups hoping to benefit from the push to stop climate change.

U.S. judge rules Trump cannot stop rape accuser's lawsuit from proceeding

A U.S. judge on Wednesday said former President Donald Trump cannot delay a lawsuit accusing him of defaming former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll after she claimed he raped her in the mid-1990s. In a one-sentence order, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan refused to put the case on hold while Trump appeals an earlier ruling he made.

Simone Biles condemns U.S. Olympic Committee, FBI for sex-abuse crisis

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles held back tears on Wednesday, as she told lawmakers how the FBI and U.S. gymnastic and Olympic officials failed to stop the sexual abuse that she and hundreds of other athletes suffered from former doctor Larry Nassar. "To be clear, I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse," she said before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee alongside fellow gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols.

Biden backs top general Milley after reported 'secret' calls with China

President Joe Biden on Wednesday threw his support behind the top U.S. military officer, Mark Milley, a day after a new book said he went around civilian leaders to place secret calls to his Chinese counterpart over concerns about then-President Donald Trump. Milley's office pushed back against the report in the book, saying the calls he made as chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff were coordinated within the Pentagon and across the U.S. government.

One U.S. state stands out in restricting corporate use of biometrics: Illinois

When night fell, a clerk at a bustling 24-hour MotoMart flipped a switch from behind the counter. Electromagnetic locks sealed the doorway. A window sign, now illuminated in red, warned “facial recognition technology in use” and directed customers to “look up at the camera.”

U.S. court upholds dismissal of lawsuit against NSA on 'state secrets' grounds

A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, that challenged the National Security Agency's mass interception and searching of Americans' international internet communications. In a divided ruling on Wednesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the lawsuit must be dismissed after the government invoked the "state secrets privilege", which meant that a full exploration of the issue in a court would damage national security.

Biden met moderate U.S. Senate Democrats to discuss $3.5 trln spending bill

President Joe Biden was meeting separately with moderate Democratic U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema on Wednesday to discuss Democratic-backed domestic spending legislation, the White House said. Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate, making Manchin and Sinema critical to the $3.5 trillion bill's prospects.

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