US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. Supreme Court's Sotomayor lets Yeshiva University bar LGBT student club for now; As Biden touts Ohio Intel plant, Rep. Tim Ryan questions his 2024 plans and more

The court's nine justices - all of whom have been vaccinated against COVID-19 - will begin hearing a new round of cases when the court's next term kicks off on Oct. 3. Trump legal team wants special master to review all documents seized in Florida search Attorneys for Donald Trump said in a court filing on Friday that all documents seized in an FBI search of the former president's Florida home should be reviewed by a special master, including those with classified markings, a position opposed by the Justice Department.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 11-09-2022 18:36 IST | Created: 11-09-2022 18:30 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. Supreme Court's Sotomayor lets Yeshiva University bar LGBT student club for now; As Biden touts Ohio Intel plant, Rep. Tim Ryan questions his 2024 plans and more
US President Joe Biden (Photo Credit: Twitter) Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. Supreme Court's Sotomayor lets Yeshiva University bar LGBT student club for now

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Friday permitted Yeshiva University to refuse to recognize an LGBT student club that the Jewish school in New York City has said violates its religious values, temporarily blocking a judge's ruling ordering it to allow the group. Sotomayor put on hold for now the judge's ruling that a city anti-discrimination law required Yeshiva University to recognize Y.U. Pride Alliance as a student club while the school pursues an appeal in a lower court. The liberal justice handles certain cases for the court from a group of states including New York.

As Biden touts Ohio Intel plant, Rep. Tim Ryan questions his 2024 plans

President Joe Biden made an election-year visit to an overwhelmingly Republican part of Ohio on Friday for the groundbreaking of a semiconductor plant that he promoted as evidence that his economic policies are working. But his trip was punctuated by comments from a fellow Democrat, Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, who is now running for the U.S. Senate. On Thursday, Ryan publicly questioned whether the party needed new leadership after he was asked if the 79-year-old president should run for re-election in 2024.

U.S. Senate hopeful Fetterman aims to quell health fears at Pennsylvania rally

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman will seek to tamp down concerns about his health after suffering a stroke earlier this year at a Sunday rally outside Philadelphia, where he will promote his support for abortion rights. Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, has largely kept off the campaign trail since a stroke in May that he said almost killed him. His Republican rival, wellness celebrity Mehmet Oz, has seized on the issue, suggesting Fetterman's health would prevent him from carrying out his duties if elected.

Lawmakers seek U.S. probe on airline handling of COVID funds

The leaders of two congressional committees want a federal probe into whether airlines used government pandemic money to fund pilot buyouts and early retirements that may have fueled current pilot shortages, according to a letter released on Friday. Congress approved $54 billion in three rounds covering much of U.S. airline payroll costs for 18 months that ended in September 2021. Airlines accepting government assistance that funded payroll costs were prohibited from furloughs or firing workers and faced limits on executive compensation and bans on stock buybacks and dividends.

Rain helps California firefighters combat blaze, ends brutal heat wave

A tropical storm off the Pacific Coast brought cooler temperatures and much-needed rain to Southern California on Saturday, ending a scorching heat wave and easing fears that a massive wildfire could threaten more residents. Officials had warned that high winds from the remnants of Tropical Storm Kay could fan the flames of the Fairview Fire, which as of Friday had consumed about 27,000 acres in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, and was only 5% contained. Heavy rain from the storm, meanwhile, raised the possibility of flash flooding and mudslides.

Payments giants to apply new code identifying sales at U.S. gun stores

Visa Inc, the world's largest payments processor, said on Saturday it will implement a new merchant category code for U.S. gun retailers, which will identify transactions at firearms stores. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved the creation of the merchant code on Friday following pressure from gun-control activists who say it will help track suspicious weapons purchases.

U.S. Justice Dept, Trump team deeply divided over special master appointment

The U.S. Justice Department and Donald Trump's attorneys said on Friday they are deeply divided over whether classified records seized by the FBI from the former president's Florida estate should be reviewed by a special master, and they each put forth a separate list of candidates for the job. In a joint filing on Friday evening, the U.S. Justice Department told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that Trump's legal team is insisting that the special master should be allowed to review "all seized materials, including documents with classification markings."

U.S. Supreme Court to reopen to public after long COVID closure - reports

The U.S. Supreme Court will allow the public to hear arguments in person for the first time in about 2-1/2 years following a closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Justice John Roberts said late on Friday, according to media reports. The court's nine justices - all of whom have been vaccinated against COVID-19 - will begin hearing a new round of cases when the court's next term kicks off on Oct. 3.

Trump legal team wants special master to review all documents seized in Florida search

Attorneys for Donald Trump said in a court filing on Friday that all documents seized in an FBI search of the former president's Florida home should be reviewed by a special master, including those with classified markings, a position opposed by the Justice Department. In the filing, Trump's attorneys and the Justice Department each proposed two different names to serve as an independent arbiter known as a special master.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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