US News Roundup: Trials, Policies, and Social Justice

The latest US news highlights include Elon Musk potentially becoming a policy adviser for Donald Trump, the historic criminal trial of Hunter Biden, a lawsuit against Indiana's abortion ban, deliberations in Trump's hush money trial, and a White House initiative to support new nuclear power plants.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Elon Musk could become policy adviser if Trump wins election, WSJ reports

Donald Trump is considering tapping billionaire Elon Musk as a policy adviser if the Republican presidential candidate reclaims the White House in November's election, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the talks. The two have discussed ways for Musk, who runs the social media platform X as well as SpaceX and Tesla, to have "formal input and influence" over economic and border security policies, according to the Journal.

Historic criminal trial of Hunter Biden to probe drug addiction

The criminal trial of Hunter Biden on gun charges kicks off next week, with federal prosecutors likely to dissect lurid details of his crack cocaine addiction that could provide fuel for opponents of his father's presidential reelection bid. Hunter Biden will be the first child of a sitting president to be a criminal defendant when jury selection begins on Monday, coming just days after another historic first: the criminal trial of a former U.S. president.

Indiana needs clearer medical exception to abortion ban, doctor tells judge

An Indiana doctor who is suing the state over its abortion ban on Wednesday told a state judge that the exception for medical emergencies was unclear, and could prevent medically necessary abortions. The testimony from Dr. Amy Caldwell kicked off a nonjury trial, which is expected to last through Friday. Caldwell brought case along with Planned Parenthood.

Trump trial jurors finish first day of deliberations without a verdict

Jurors in Donald Trump's hush money trial finished their first day of closed-door deliberations on Wednesday without reaching a verdict that would decide the fate of the only U.S. president to be charged with a crime. The 12 jurors and six alternates were due to return to the New York courthouse at 9:30 ET (1330 GMT) on Thursday to weigh evidence and witness testimony they have seen and heard over the five weeks of trial.

Exclusive-White House to support new nuclear power plants in the U.S.

The White House on Wednesday plans to announce new measures to support the development of new U.S. nuclear power plants, a large potential source of carbon-free electricity the government says is needed to combat climate change. The suite of actions, which weren't previously reported, are aimed at helping the nuclear power industry combat rising security costs and competition from cheaper plants powered by natural gas, wind and solar.

US Supreme Court's Alito rejects calls to recuse in 2020 election-related cases

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito rejected on Wednesday requests by Democratic lawmakers to recuse himself from two cases - one on Donald Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution and the other on a charge involving the Capitol attack - after reports involving contentious flags flown outside his homes. Alito, in two letters sent to congressional Democrats, said the flags at issue were flown not by him but by his wife, who he said was exercising her right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution. Trump, who is seeking to regain the presidency this year, quickly praised Alito's decision.

American Airlines sued for removing Black passengers from flight

American Airlines was accused in a lawsuit on Wednesday of race discrimination for temporarily removing three Black men from a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York City. In a complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, the plaintiffs said they and five other Black men were removed from the flight in January for about an hour after a white flight attendant complained about a passenger with offensive body odor.

Federal probe urged of Black Lives Matter protest killing after Texas pardon

The attorneys general of more than a dozen states urged the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday to open a federal criminal civil rights probe into the shooting death of a Black Lives Matter protester whose killer was pardoned two weeks ago by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. In their letter calling for an investigation, the attorneys general, all of them Democrats, challenged the propriety of the Texas "stand your ground" law cited by Abbott, a Republican, as the basis for his act of clemency.

Biden campaign plots stay-the-course strategy after Trump verdict

Typically, if your political opponent is convicted of a felony, it's considered a rare gift. But as the world anticipates a verdict in Donald Trump's criminal case in New York, President Joe Biden's campaign does not plan to change course, even for a guilty verdict.

Black voters will help defeat Trump, Biden says in Philadelphia

U.S. President Joe Biden began a new push in Philadelphia on Wednesday to court Black voters, a critical voting bloc that is showing signs of weakness for Democrats ahead of the November election, as he attacked his Republican opponent. "With your vote in 2024, we're gonna make Donald Trump a loser again," Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, told a cheering crowd at Girard College, a historic boarding school founded to serve poor, white orphan boys that desegregated in 1968.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)