Harris and Democrats Target Trump on Abortion, US Judges Block Biden's Student Loan Relief

This summary covers recent US domestic news, focusing on Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats targeting Trump on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's abortion ruling. Also included are updates on Biden's student loan relief plan being blocked, a lawsuit against Louisiana, and a debate preview between Biden and Trump.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Harris, Democrats aim at Trump on abortion ruling anniversary

President Joe Biden's campaign used the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision overturning abortion rights on Monday to spotlight Donald Trump's role in the ruling, as Democrats zero in on the issue ahead of the November election. Vice President Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, said Trump, the Republican former president seeking reelection, was "guilty" of taking away reproductive rights from women. First Lady Jill Biden and other Democrats speaking on Monday also tried to mobilize volunteers and voters around protecting the patchwork remains of abortion access.

US judges block parts of Biden's student loan relief plan

Two federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday at the urging of several Republican-led states blocked President Joe Biden's administration from further implementing a new student debt relief plan that lowers payments. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Wichita, Kansas, blocked the U.S. Department of Education from implementing parts of a student loan repayment plan not already in effect that cuts borrowers' monthly payments and provides a faster path to have debts forgiven.

Louisiana is sued for requiring display of Ten Commandments in classrooms

Louisiana was sued on Monday over a new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state. The complaint said displaying the Ten Commandments violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and "simply cannot be reconciled with the fundamental religious-freedom principles that animated the founding of our nation."

What to watch for in Thursday's Biden-Trump presidential debate

The two oldest candidates ever to run for U.S. president meet on Thursday for a televised debate unlike any other. One accuses his rival of being unhinged and a danger to democracy, while the other accuses his opponent of being senile and corrupt. President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 78, are essentially tied in national opinion polls with fewer than five months until the Nov. 5 election.

Exclusive-Trump handed plan to halt US military aid to Kyiv unless it talks peace with Moscow

Two key advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine - if he wins the presidential election - that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more U.S. weapons if it enters into peace talks. The United States would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased U.S. support for Ukraine, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, one of Trump's national security advisers, said in an interview.

US Surgeon General declares gun violence a public health crisis

The U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence in the country a public health crisis on Tuesday, calling on Americans to act to prevent rising firearm-related deaths and its cascading effects, particularly on Black Americans and other communities. In the first-ever public health advisory on gun violence, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy outlined what he called devastating and far-reaching consequences on the public's well-being and called for more research funding, better mental health access and other steps such as secure storage to reduce harm.

WikiLeaks' Assange set to be freed after US espionage charge plea deal

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty on Wednesday to violating U.S. espionage law, in a deal that will set him free after a 14-year British legal odyssey and allow his return home to Australia. Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Surfer and actor Tamayo Perry killed by shark in Hawaii

Professional surfer, lifeguard and actor Tamayo Perry, 49, was killed by shark while surfing near the north shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Sunday, officials said. Tamayo was well-known as a big-wave surfer and a lifeguard in Oahu, home to some of the world's greatest surfing spots such as the Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay.

Trump seeks to exclude evidence seized from Florida home in documents case

Donald Trump's lawyers are set to ask a U.S. judge on Tuesday to bar prosecutors from using evidence critical to the criminal case accusing the former U.S. president of illegally holding onto classified information after leaving office. Lawyers for Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, are expected to urge Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to suppress evidence seized during an FBI search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home and social club in August 2022 and gathered from his one-time lawyer.

Judge skeptical of requests to muzzle Trump attacks on FBI

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified-documents case reacted skeptically on Monday to a request from prosecutors to bar the former president from making statements that could endanger law enforcement agents who have worked on the case. At a hearing in federal court in Florida, U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon pressed prosecutors for evidence that Trump's false claims that the FBI had been authorized to assassinate him has led to violent threats against agents working on the case.

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