US Domestic News Roundup: Conservative activist steers U.S. Supreme Court college race cases; Biden to warn Republicans will boost inflation in Syracuse and more

The challenges to race-conscious admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina were brought by a group called Students for Fair Admissions founded and headed by Edward Blum, a 70-year-old former stockbroker and unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate. Biden to warn Republicans will boost inflation in Syracuse President Joe Biden will once again contrast his economic plan with Republicans' on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to convince voters Democrats are better equipped to battle high inflation and grow the economy, less than two weeks away from midterm elections.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Conservative activist steers U.S. Supreme Court college race cases

When the U.S. Supreme Court next week considers ending policies used by many colleges and universities to increase their numbers of Black and Hispanic students, a conservative activist will be on hand to watch this fateful moment in his long quest to erase racial preferences intended to boost diversity in American life. The challenges to race-conscious admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina were brought by a group called Students for Fair Admissions founded and headed by Edward Blum, a 70-year-old former stockbroker and unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate.

Biden to warn Republicans will boost inflation in Syracuse

President Joe Biden will once again contrast his economic plan with Republicans' on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to convince voters Democrats are better equipped to battle high inflation and grow the economy, less than two weeks away from midterm elections. Biden will visit Syracuse, New York, where Micron Technology plans to invest up to $100 billion in computer chip manufacturing, part of tens of billions in new factory spending announced after Biden signed the CHIPS Act subsidizing the industry in August.

Darrell Brooks convicted in deadly Wisconsin Christmas parade attack

Darrell Brooks, a Wisconsin man who killed six people and injured dozens of others when he drove his SUV into a Christmas parade near Milwaukee last year, was found guilty on Wednesday of intentional murder and other charges. A 12-member jury convicted Brooks, 40, of more than 76 charges, including six counts of intentional homicide, each of which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison.

New frontline of U.S. abortion battles emerges in New Mexico

The new frontline of the U.S. abortion battle is on the remote plains of New Mexico, where two conservative towns are set to outlaw the medical procedure despite it remaining legal in the state after Roe v. Wade was struck down. The towns of Clovis and Hobbs do not even have abortion clinics but are strategic, activists and clinicians say, because they are near the border with Texas, to the east. Texas was one of the first states to impose a near-total ban on abortion and providers could face up to life in prison there.

TikTok immune from lawsuit over girl's death from 'blackout challenge' -judge

TikTok Inc won dismissal of a lawsuit accusing it of causing the death of a 10-year-old girl by promoting a deadly "blackout challenge" that encouraged people to choke themselves on its video-based social media platform. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond in Philadelphia ruled Tuesday that the company was immune from the lawsuit under a part of the federal Communications Decency Act that shields publishers of others' work.

Trump ally Barrack can be questioned on Khashoggi comments, Saudi nuclear plans

Prosecutors charging onetime Donald Trump fundraiser Tom Barrack with being an illegal foreign agent can ask him about his comments on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and efforts to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East, the judge overseeing Barrack's trial said on Wednesday. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan came on the third day of Barrack's testimony in his own defense in Brooklyn federal court. He faces charges of pushing the United Arab Emirates interests to the former president's administration without notifying the U.S. Attorney General, as required by law. Cross-examination is expected to begin on Thursday.

Biden compares Republican economic plans to Britain's Truss

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday compared Republican plans on taxes and spending if they take control of Congress in November to the economic plan rolled out by Britain's former Prime Minister Liz Truss, warning of similar results. "You read about what happened in England recently, and the last Prime Minister, she wanted to cut taxes for the super-wealthy," Biden said during a fundraising call for Michigan lawmaker Cynthia Axne.

U.S. Supreme Court's Kagan blocks Jan. 6 panel from getting Arizona Republican's records

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Wednesday temporarily blocked the congressional committee investigating last year's U.S. Capitol attack by then-President Donald Trump's supporters from obtaining Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward's phone records while the court further assesses the dispute. Ward, a Trump ally, had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after lower courts declined to bar telephone carrier T-Mobile from complying with a subpoena issued by the Democratic-led House of Representatives committee seeking three months of her call records. Kagan issued an order effectively putting the litigation on hold and preventing enforcement of the subpoena pending further order by her or the full court.

U.S. Senate hopeful Herschel Walker faces fresh claim of paying for abortion

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who has said he opposes abortion with no exceptions, faced fresh allegations on Wednesday from a second woman who said he pressured her to have an abortion and paid for the procedure after a six-year relationship with him. Walker, who hopes to unseat Democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia in a Nov. 8 election that could determine which party controls the Senate, has already denied allegations from another woman who claims he paid for her to have an abortion in 2009 and that she later gave birth to one of his children.

Democrats turn to Obama for a midterm miracle, or at least to stem the bleeding

Less than two weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, with Democrats on verge of losing their razor-thin majority in Congress, the party is asking former President Barack Obama to perform some late-game heroics - or at least help limit their losses. Obama, who left office in 2017 after serving two terms, travels to Georgia on Friday, and then moves on to Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania, all key battlegrounds in the Nov. 8 election.