US Domestic News Roundup: US Supreme Court faces fight over emergency abortions after toppling Roe; Judge to consider gag order violations in Trump hush money trial and more

The administration plans to announce a new goal of protecting, restoring and reconnecting 8 million acres (3.2 million hectares) of threatened wetlands and 100,000 miles (161,000 km) of rivers and streams, according to White House documents. Biden and Trump face enthusiasm test in battleground Pennsylvania U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump go before voters on Tuesday's primaries in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, one of the last tests of voter enthusiasm ahead of November's general election.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Cable news coverage of Trump trial reflects a U.S. divided

When Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's hush money trial began in a Manhattan courthouse on Monday, cable TV news coverage of the case was as divided as America itself. A Reuters review of 2-1/2 hours of daytime coverage showed the distinctly partisan approaches of the Fox News Channel and MSNBC News to the trial taking place in the midst of an election campaign pitting the former president against Democratic President Joe Biden.

Alzheimer's drug adoption in US slowed by doctors' skepticism

Nine months into the U.S. launch of the first drug proven to slow the advance of Alzheimer's, Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi is facing an unexpected hurdle to widespread use: an entrenched belief among some doctors that treating the memory-robbing disease is futile. Alzheimer's experts had anticipated bottlenecks due to Leqembi's requirements, which include additional diagnostic tests, twice-monthly infusions and regular brain scans to guard against potentially lethal side effects.

US Supreme Court faces fight over emergency abortions after toppling Roe

The idea of a doctor in the United States having to consider the risk of imprisonment before performing an emergency abortion might have been difficult to imagine just two years ago. But after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide, such dilemmas are a reality in several states that have since adopted Republican-backed near-total bans that include the threat of criminal penalties and loss of medical licensure.

Factbox-Trump has slight edge over Biden in U.S. swing-state election polls

Seven U.S. states are likely to decide the outcome of the U.S. presidential election between Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican president Donald Trump in November - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. These states - known as swing states because they swing between Democratic and Republican candidates - play a critical role in determining which candidate wins the Electoral College, the vehicle that picks U.S. presidents.

In Florida, Biden to blame Trump for abortion ban

President Joe Biden visits Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday to tie opponent Donald Trump to new abortion restrictions, hoping to boost his own chances in a state that has drifted out of Democrats' reach in recent elections. Earlier this month, Florida's Supreme Court cleared the way for a six-week abortion ban starting May 1, a time-frame before many women realize they are pregnant.

Long-awaited aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan poised to pass US Congress

Billions of dollars in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan should easily win approval in the U.S. Senate this week, after the House of Representatives abruptly ended a months-long stalemate and approved the assistance in a rare Saturday session. The Senate on Tuesday will take up the package of four bills passed by the House, one providing $61 billion for Ukraine, a second with $26 billion for Israel, a third with $8.12 billion "to counter communist China" in the Indo-Pacific and a fourth that includes a potential ban on the social media app TikTok, measures for the transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine and new sanctions on Iran.

Judge to consider gag order violations in Trump hush money trial

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial will decide on Tuesday whether the former U.S. president should be punished for violating a gag order that prevents him from criticizing witnesses and others involved in the case. Prosecutors are asking Justice Juan Merchan to fine Trump for criticizing porn star Stormy Daniels and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, both of whom are expected to testify. They also have highlighted Trump's claim last week that people were lying to get on the jury so they could convict him.

Biden sets new target to protect vast US water sources

The Biden administration on Tuesday set a new goal to protect vast U.S. water sources, from rivers to wetlands, as part of a series of announcements marking Earth Week. The administration plans to announce a new goal of protecting, restoring and reconnecting 8 million acres (3.2 million hectares) of threatened wetlands and 100,000 miles (161,000 km) of rivers and streams, according to White House documents.

Biden and Trump face enthusiasm test in battleground Pennsylvania

U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump go before voters on Tuesday's primaries in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, one of the last tests of voter enthusiasm ahead of November's general election. Pennsylvania, with 19 Electoral College votes toward the 270 needed to win, is a top prize and a toss-up in the 2024 presidential election featuring a Biden-Trump rematch.

Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Yale, NYU; Columbia cancels in-person classes

Police arrested dozens of people at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Yale University in Connecticut and New York University in Manhattan on Monday, as the war in Gaza continued to reverberate through U.S. university campuses. The police crackdowns came after Columbia University canceled in-person classes on Monday in response to protesters setting up tent encampments at its New York City campus last week.