US Domestic News Roundup: Montana youth ask judge for historic order in climate trial; Jeffrey Epstein got $300 million in US Virgin Islands tax incentives, JPMorgan says and more

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." 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.

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.

Jeffrey Epstein got $300 million in US Virgin Islands tax incentives, JPMorgan says

JPMorgan Chase said the U.S. Virgin Islands gave Jeffrey Epstein more than $300 million in tax incentives and waived sex offender monitoring requirements, shielding the disgraced late financier as he gave cash and gifts to top officials. In a Tuesday night court filing, the largest U.S. bank described how Epstein allegedly paid law enforcement entities such as the Virgin Islands Police Department.

After Roe v. Wade fell, this father-daughter duo left Texas to go on providing abortions

The day Alan Braid opened his abortion clinic for business in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last August, he looked out at a waiting room full of patients fresh off trips from Texas, some with suitcases in tow. Several months later, Dr. Braid's daughter Andrea Gallegos drew a similar crowd to the opening of their abortion clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, with patients arriving from far-flung states to end pregnancies.

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."

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.

Fed members, shaping the 2024 campaign economy, head to Capitol Hill

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and nominees for three Fed Board seats will testify on Capitol Hill Wednesday, laying out over several hours of hearings a set of views that could broadly shape the economic conditions facing the country during a contentious presidential election campaign next year. The themes will likely sound familiar given the consensus currently driving central bank policy: Inflation is too high and interest rates need to remain restrictive to fight it; the job market remains strong and may even need to weaken some for prices to cool; bank failures in March haven't rattled the financial system in a fundamental way.

US Supreme Court's Alito defends against ethics questions

Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Tuesday published a commentary in the Wall Street Journal defending himself from questions about his ethical conduct raised in a yet-to-be published article by news outlet ProPublica. The commentary on the WSJ website addressed what Alito referred to as "charges" by journalists from ProPublica that he had failed to recuse from cases in which an entity connected to hedge fund founder Paul Singer was a party, and to report certain gifts on mandatory annual financial disclosure forms, such as a private flight to Alaska for a fishing trip.

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).