Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The U.S. territory, where Epstein owned two neighboring islands, made the claim in a letter made public on Tuesday, in its lawsuit accusing the largest U.S. bank of ignoring Epstein's sexual abuses and letting him run a sex trafficking operation. U.S. judge sets Aug. 14 trial date for Trump in Florida documents case U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has set an initial trial date of Aug. 14 in Florida on former President Donald Trump's federal charges of willful retention of classified government records and obstruction of justice, according to a court order on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Montana youth ask judge for historic order in climate trial

A lawyer for 16 young people on Tuesday asked a Montana judge for a historic order declaring the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies violate their rights, wrapping up arguments in the first youth-led U.S. climate change lawsuit to make it to trial.

Judge Kathy Seeley in Helena took the case under consideration on Tuesday after hearing from 12 of the plaintiffs during the course of the trial who described how the state's policies are exacerbating the climate crisis, impacting their health and threatening their futures.

Dimon may have ordered JPMorgan's review of Epstein ties, Virgin Islands says

JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon may have ordered a 2019 review of the bank's relationship with the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. Virgin Islands said. The U.S. territory, where Epstein owned two neighboring islands, made the claim in a letter made public on Tuesday, in its lawsuit accusing the largest U.S. bank of ignoring Epstein's sexual abuses and letting him run a sex trafficking operation.

U.S. judge sets Aug. 14 trial date for Trump in Florida documents case

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has set an initial trial date of Aug. 14 in Florida on former President Donald Trump's federal charges of willful retention of classified government records and obstruction of justice, according to a court order on Tuesday. The Justice Department's special counsel in the case, Jack Smith, promised a speedy trial after a 37-count indictment charging Trump with willfully retaining classified government records and obstructing justice.

Senate confirms abortion rights lawyer to US appeals court

A lawyer who argued on the losing side of the U.S. Supreme Court case that ended the national right to abortion won confirmation on Tuesday to a seat on a federal appeals court. The U.S. Senate confirmed Julie Rikelman, a top lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, to the Boston-based 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals by a vote of 51-43.

Ex New York police sergeant convicted of acting as Chinese agent in 'Fox Hunt' trial

A former New York City police sergeant was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of acting as an illegal Chinese agent by intimidating a U.S.-based fugitive to try to get him to return to his homeland to face charges. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Michael McMahon was hired to surveil New Jersey resident Xu Jin, who was accused by China of corruption as part of a global repatriation campaign by Chinese law enforcement called "Operation Fox Hunt."

Prosecutor fights Trump bid to oust judge in NY hush-money case

Donald Trump's bid to oust the judge overseeing the criminal case against him over a hush-money payment to a porn star should be rejected, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said in a filing on Tuesday. Trump has a "history of baselessly accusing state and federal judges around the country of bias," prosecutors wrote in opposing Trump's motion for New York state Justice Juan Merchan to remove himself from the case.

Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes, reaches deal on gun charge

U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes and to enter into an agreement that could avert a conviction on a gun-related charge, according to a court filing on Tuesday. The news sparked accusations of favorable treatment for the Democratic president's son from former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who for years have attacked both Bidens.

Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors blocked by U.S. judge

A U.S. judge on Tuesday struck down an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery to transgender minors, a victory for families that had sued to challenge the law. "The evidence showed that (gender-affirming care) improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that, by prohibiting it, the state undermined the interests it claims to be advancing," U.S. District Judge James Moody in Little Rock wrote in an order barring the state from enforcing the law.

Indicted US Representative George Santos cannot keep bail guarantors anonymous

The two people who guaranteed George Santos' bail will have their names publicly revealed, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday as she rejected the indicted U.S. representative's claim that disclosure could threaten the guarantors' safety. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, New York, said the names will be made public on Thursday at noon EDT (1600 GMT).

Christian-owned Texas business shielded from LGBT bias claims -appeals court

A Christian-owned wellness center is exempt from the federal law prohibiting employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The unanimous three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Braidwood Management, which runs an alternative health center in Texas, cannot be sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its policy that employees who engage in homosexual or gender non-conforming conduct will be fired.