Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The justices turned away the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville's appeal of a lower court's ruling that a middle school's policy on bathroom access likely violated the rights under the U.S. Constitution and a federal anti-discrimination law of a transgender student who was prohibited from using the boys' bathroom. Trump back in court for second defamation trial after Iowa victory Fresh off a campaign victory in Iowa, Donald Trump sat in a New York courtroom on Tuesday to defend himself for a second time against charges that he defamed writer E.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US Defense Secretary Austin's 911 call sought 'subtle' ambulance approach

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's aide asked for the ambulance picking up the Pentagon chief to keep its lights and sirens off during a New Year's Day call to 911, according to audio of call obtained by Reuters. "Can the ambulance not show up with lights and sirens? We're trying to remain a little subtle," the aide, whose name was redacted from the audio, told the 911 dispatcher.

Explainer-New Hampshire 2024 primary: When is it? What's at stake?

Contenders for the Republican presidential nomination will face off in the second contest of their nominating process on Jan. 23 in New Hampshire, while Democrats compete there on the same day in a battle expected to be significantly less competitive. The New Hampshire primary comes eight days after Iowa's Republican caucuses, which former President Donald Trump dominated. His competitors will be eager to prove their candidacies are still viable despite Trump's nearly 30-point victory in the Republicans' first nominating state.

US House panel considers commission to tackle nation's soaring debt

Bipartisan legislation to create a commission charged with taming the $34 trillion U.S. national debt is set to advance this week in a House of Representatives panel, as lawmakers battle over federal spending. The House Budget Committee on Tuesday said it will hold a work session at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Thursday to debate and potentially vote on the "Fiscal Commission Act of 2023," just weeks after Washington's total public debt breached the $34 trillion mark, putting it at more than 122% of GDP.

US Supreme Court sidesteps fight over transgender student bathroom access

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an Indiana public school district's defense of a policy barring transgender students from using bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, as the justices steered clear - at least for now - of a contentious issue in the nation's culture wars. The justices turned away the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville's appeal of a lower court's ruling that a middle school's policy on bathroom access likely violated the rights under the U.S. Constitution and a federal anti-discrimination law of a transgender student who was prohibited from using the boys' bathroom.

Trump back in court for second defamation trial after Iowa victory

Fresh off a campaign victory in Iowa, Donald Trump sat in a New York courtroom on Tuesday to defend himself for a second time against charges that he defamed writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of raping her decades ago. Trump watched from the defendant's table as Carroll's lawyer told a jury that the then-U.S. president made her life miserable when she went public in 2019 with her story that he had attacked her in a department store dressing room in Manhattan.

Biden, congressional leaders discuss supplemental spending bill Wednesday at White House

U.S. President Joe Biden will host Democratic and Republican leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss Biden's national security supplemental request, the White House said. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are expected to attend the meeting.

Republicans shift to New Hampshire after Trump's record Iowa win

Republican candidates trying to stop Donald Trump from being the party's White House nominee turned on Tuesday to New Hampshire, the next nominating contest, having lost to the former president by historic margins in Iowa. After trouncing his rivals in Iowa despite facing multiple criminal and civil cases, Trump, 77, appeared in a New York court on Tuesday to defend himself against charges he defamed writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of raping her decades ago.

Arctic blast ends New York snow drought, brings record cold to West

Millions of Americans awoke on Tuesday to snow, freezing rain and frigid temperatures as an Arctic blast gripped much of the United States, ending a nearly two-year "snow drought" in New York City and putting much of the West into a deep freeze. Record-breaking cold was expected across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Midwest, with wind chills below minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) reaching the mid-Mississippi Valley in the morning.

Hunter Biden not protected from gun charges by Second Amendment, DOJ argues

President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden posed a threat to public safety and cannot rely on his constitutional right to a firearm to avoid prosecution for federal gun charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a court filing on Tuesday. Hunter Biden's legal team has misinterpreted U.S. Supreme Court guidance by arguing there is no historical precedent for preventing people with a history of substance abuse from possessing guns, the DOJ said.

Trump faces tougher test in New Hampshire after blowout Iowa win

Donald Trump's commanding victory in Iowa underscores his enduring appeal to a wide swath of Republican voters, and his campaign's sophisticated, data-driven ground game. But the next nominating contest in New Hampshire will test whether he can replicate that success in a less conservative state. While Trump remains the prohibitive favorite to secure the Republican Party's presidential nomination, he needs a convincing win in New Hampshire to ensure his surviving rivals have little to no path left to outmaneuver him. He can then turn his attention to his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 5 election, President Joe Biden, earlier than usual in the primary calendar.