US Domestic News Roundup: Agency powers under threat in U.S. Supreme Court FTC and SEC cases; Biden warns election deniers pose threat, blames Trump and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Agency powers under threat in U.S. Supreme Court FTC and SEC cases

Two cases that give the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority another opportunity to restrain the power of federal agencies go before the justices next week in disputes involving the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission. The court has scheduled arguments on Monday in the cases, which represent the latest battles in what is sometimes called the legal "war on the administrative state" pursued by plaintiffs who accuse agencies of taking actions either not authorized by Congress or by the U.S. Constitution.

Biden warns election deniers pose threat, blames Trump

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that threats by some Republican candidates to refuse to accept results from the Nov. 8 elections if they lose is a threat to democracy and he blamed former President Donald Trump for inspiring them. "Make no mistake, democracy is on the ballot for all of us," Biden said in a speech just days before Americans decide whether Democrats maintain control of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives or hand over power to Republicans.

Analysis-What's at stake in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections

Control of Congress is at stake in Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections, along with President Joe Biden's agenda for the two years remaining in his term. Republicans stand a strong chance of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, while Democrats retain a slim hope of keeping a majority in the Senate. Republican control of either would be enough to derail most legislation Biden and his fellow Democrats want to enact and propel a flood of congressional probes of his administration.

U.S. beauty pageant can exclude transgender contestants, court rules

Beauty pageant operator Miss United States of America LLC cannot be forced to allow transgender women to compete because doing so would interfere with its ability to express "the ideal vision of American womanhood," a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision rejected a lawsuit by Anita Green, a transgender activist, claiming that Miss United States of America's policy of only allowing "natural born" women to compete violates an Oregon anti-discrimination law.

Republican door knockers intimidate voters while hunting for voter fraud, say officials

The canvassers in California's Shasta County in September wore reflective orange vests and official-looking badges that read "Voter Taskforce." Four residents said they mistook them for government officials. But the door knockers didn't explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election.

Federal Reserve rate hikes rival inflation pain in one rural town

The community roundtable was organized as a chance for Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic to hear how a town in the heart of the western Alabama Black Belt approached chronic problems like population loss, housing, and the challenge of creating new jobs. Curtis Travis, who represents the area in the state legislature, had a different topic in mind: Interest rates.

U.S. courts still grappling with election lawsuits as midterms near

With just days left before the U.S. midterm elections, Democrats and Republicans are waging court battles that are shaping contests in some districts and helping to set the stage for the 2024 presidential race. The expansion of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with fraud fears stoked by debunked but widespread claims that President Joe Biden's 2020 election win was rigged, has helped create new flashpoints over election integrity and voter intimidation.

Nikolas Cruz: Parkland school shooter sentenced to life in prison

Nikolas Cruz, who murdered 17 students and staff with a semi-automatic rifle at a Florida high school, was formally sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday after listening to hours of anguished testimony from survivors and victims' relatives. A jury voted last month to spare Cruz, 24, the death penalty, instead choosing life in prison without the possibility of parole for one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

U.S. announces takedown of massive catalytic converter theft ring

U.S. authorities on Wednesday said they have taken down a nationwide ring to steal thousands of catalytic converters from cars and trucks, charging 21 people and seizing millions of dollars in assets. Various defendants were accused in separate indictments unsealed in Sacramento, California, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, of crimes such as transporting and receiving stolen goods across state lines, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Police back Republican candidates in U.S. midterms, even those at Jan. 6 riot

The Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed some Democratic candidates in past elections. But this year, in each of the 13 races it weighed in on, the union decided Republicans would be more forceful champions of law enforcement.

That was the case even in a competitive U.S. House of Representatives race, in which Democrat Brad Pfaff has repeatedly attacked his rival, Republican Derrick Van Orden, for attending the Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol.