US Domestic News Roundup: North Korea says its new spy satellite photographed White House, Pentagon; Judge rejects Trump bid for US House Jan. 6 committee records and more

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington found that Trump "has not sufficiently justified his requests" for information tied to the Democratic-led House of Representatives probe, which concluded in 2022. Idaho asks US Supreme Court to allow near-total abortion ban Idaho officials on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily halt a federal judge's ruling that blocked the Republican-governed state from enforcing its near-total abortion ban in medical-emergency situations following a legal challenge by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

North Korea says its new spy satellite photographed White House, Pentagon

After decades of satellite surveillance by foreign governments and analysts, North Korea has sent its first spy satellite on a global orbit with a message to the world: we can watch you too. On Tuesday North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un had reviewed spy satellite photos of the White House, Pentagon and U.S. aircraft carriers at the naval base of Norfolk.

Judge rejects Trump bid for US House Jan. 6 committee records

A judge on Monday rejected Donald Trump’s request to see records from the congressional investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which the former president said may be relevant to his defense against election interference charges. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington found that Trump "has not sufficiently justified his requests" for information tied to the Democratic-led House of Representatives probe, which concluded in 2022.

Idaho asks US Supreme Court to allow near-total abortion ban

Idaho officials on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily halt a federal judge's ruling that blocked the Republican-governed state from enforcing its near-total abortion ban in medical-emergency situations following a legal challenge by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. Republican state officials urged the justices to pause U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill's August 2022 preliminary injunction issued after he concluded that the state's abortion restrictions conflicted with a federal law that ensures that patients can receive emergency "stabilizing care."

US FDA approves SpringWorks Therapeutics' non-cancerous tumor treatment

The U.S. health regulator on Monday approved SpringWorks Therapeutics' drug for treating adult patients with desmoid tumors, making it the first approved treatment for this type of non-cancerous soft-tissue growth. Shares of the company were up about 18% after the bell.

SEC's in-house enforcement powers at risk in US Supreme Court case

A challenge to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's powers to protect investors from fraud comes before the Supreme Court on Wednesday in another in a series of legal attacks against federal agencies that regulate financial markets. The justices are due to hear arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's ruling restricting the SEC's power to enforce securities laws through the agency's longstanding in-house tribunal system. The case involves hedge fund manager George Jarkesy, who the SEC fined and barred from the industry after determining he had committed securities fraud.

Climate change, overharvesting exacerbating Texas oyster decline

For the second year in a row, Texas has closed the majority of its public oyster reefs for harvesting due to declining populations. Wildlife officials say these dwindling numbers are caused by extreme weather events fueled by climate change, as well as by overharvesting.

Two US projects highlight divide over carbon removal’s role in climate fight

In Texas, oil and gas producer Occidental Petroleum is constructing a giant facility to suck 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere annually to keep it from warming the climate, a project backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from investment firm BlackRock. In Louisiana, a consortium of companies that includes Swiss firm Climeworks is teaming up to build a similar facility that can pull a million tonnes of the greenhouse gas out of the sky each year, boosted by hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the U.S. government.

Vermont man charged with attempted murder in shooting of students of Palestinian descent

The man accused of shooting and wounding three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, over the weekend pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges on Monday and was ordered by a judge to remain held without bond. Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arraigned in Chittenden County Criminal Court in Burlington, appearing via a video feed from the county jail where he has been detained since his arrest on Sunday, the day after the attack.

Russian court extends detention of US reporter Gershkovich

A Russian court said on Tuesday it had extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who is awaiting trial on espionage charges he denies, until Jan. 30, 2024. Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison.

Biden to join mourners at memorial of former US first lady Rosalynn Carter

U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will help lead tributes to Rosalynn Carter, the former U.S. first lady who died on Nov. 19 at age 96, at a memorial service in Atlanta on Tuesday. Her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, who called her "an extension of myself" and has been in hospice care at home, was expected to attend the service at the Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, his office said. Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Bill Clinton and former first ladies Melania Trump, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama were also due to take part.