Reuters US Domestic News Summary

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix in Lubbock agreed with Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) guidance was unauthorized and went beyond the text of a related federal law. Ghislaine Maxwell sued by her lawyers over unpaid fees Ghislaine Maxwell has failed to pay some $878,000 in fees to two lawyers who defended the now-convicted British socialite against criminal charges she helped Jeffrey Epstein abuse teenage girls, the lawyers' firm said in a new lawsuit.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

New York's highest court allows Harvey Weinstein to appeal rape conviction

New York state's highest court has agreed to allow former movie producer Harvey Weinstein to appeal his rape and sexual assault conviction. Chief Judge Janet DiFiore "granted leave to appeal" on Aug. 19, the court wrote in a letter dated Monday that was sent to Weinstein's lawyers, and reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday. It did not detail what grounds may have led to the decision.

U.S. releases 2019 memo opposing Trump obstruction charges

The Justice Department on Wednesday released under court order all of a 2019 memo https://www.justice.gov/file/1528466/download in which two top officials advised then-Attorney General William Barr not to charge then-President Donald Trump with obstructing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Barr's decision to clear Trump after receiving the memo drew criticism from many Democrats and some former Justice Department lawyers, who accused the top U.S. law enforcement official of protecting his boss. Mueller himself did not exonerate Trump of committing obstruction of justice in trying to impede the probe.

Trump ally Perry pauses suit amid talks with U.S. over seized cellphone

Republican U.S. congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, an ally of former President Donald Trump, on Wednesday asked a federal court to put on hold his lawsuit against the Justice Department seeking to block investigators from searching the contents of his cellphone after it was seized this month. Perry, who has helped spread Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud, was vacationing with his family in New Jersey on Aug. 9 when three FBI agents approached him with a search warrant to seize his cellphone.

U.S. first lady Jill Biden tests positive for rebound case of COVID-19

U.S. first lady Jill Biden has tested positive in a rebound case of COVID-19 but is not experiencing any symptoms, while President Joe Biden continues to test negative for the virus, officials said on Wednesday. Jill Biden tested positive on Wednesday by antigen testing, following a negative test the previous day, and the White House's medical unit has notified close contacts, her deputy communications director said.

Biden forgives millions of student loans; critics fear inflation

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the U.S. government will forgive $10,000 in student loans for millions of debt-saddled former college students, keeping a pledge he made in the 2020 campaign for the White House. The move could boost support for his fellow Democrats in the November congressional elections, but some economists said it may fuel inflation and some Republicans in the U.S. Congress questioned whether the president had the legal authority to cancel the debt.

Democratic win in New York signals power of abortion issue in midterm vote

A New York Democrat who campaigned on abortion rights and the future of U.S. democracy won a special congressional election in a swing district on Tuesday, a victory that Democrats hope could signal a fundamental shift in national voter sentiment ahead of the November midterm elections. Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Marc Molinaro 51.3% to 48.7%, with 99% of the vote counted, Edison Research said, after a hard-fought contest for an open seat in New York's 19th Congressional District, which spans part of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains region and is known as a bellwether.

Explainer-How Biden's student loan forgiveness will impact U.S. consumers

President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a long-awaited plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt, making good on a campaign promise to aid debt-strapped younger Americans even as some Republicans argue the move could worsen inflation. HOW MUCH WILL BE CANCELED AND FOR WHOM? The government will cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. Students who received Pell Grants, low-interest federal loans to benefit lower-income college students, will have up to $20,000 of their debt canceled.

Texas judge blocks Biden administration emergency abortion guidance

A federal judge in Texas late on Tuesday blocked President Joe Biden's administration from enforcing new guidance in the Republican-led state requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions to women regardless of state bans on the procedure. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix in Lubbock agreed with Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) guidance was unauthorized and went beyond the text of a related federal law.

Ghislaine Maxwell sued by her lawyers over unpaid fees

Ghislaine Maxwell has failed to pay some $878,000 in fees to two lawyers who defended the now-convicted British socialite against criminal charges she helped Jeffrey Epstein abuse teenage girls, the lawyers' firm said in a new lawsuit. Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year prison sentence over her role in recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein, a financier and registered sex offender who had been known for socializing with elite U.S. politicians and businessmen.

Uvalde school board to decide whether to fire its police chief

The Uvalde, Texas, school board is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to fire the school district's embattled police chief for his much-criticized handling of the shooting rampage that killed 19 children and two teachers in the city three months ago. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. local time to consider the employment of Pete Arredondo, a public agenda posted on its website showed. He has been on unpaid administrative leave since shortly after the May 24 shooting.