US Domestic News Roundup: Legal Battles, Political Drama, and Corporate Sanctions

A roundup of current US domestic news includes Boeing being sanctioned for revealing details of a 737 MAX investigation, the Supreme Court allowing emergency abortions in Idaho, upcoming Biden vs. Trump debate, Oklahoma mandating Bible teaching in schools, and new sanctions against Iran. Additional stories cover Uvalde police chief indictment and used cooking oil import concerns.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

NTSB sanctions Boeing over release of 737 MAX investigation details

U.S. investigators on Thursday sanctioned Boeing for revealing details of a probe into a 737 MAX mid-air blowout and said they would refer its conduct to the Justice Department, prompting the embattled planemaker to issue an apology. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing had "blatantly violated" its rules by providing "non-public investigative information" and speculating about possible causes of the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines door-plug emergency during a factory tour attended by dozens of journalists.

US Supreme Court allows emergency abortions in Idaho for now

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to permit - for now - abortions to be performed in Idaho when pregnant women are facing medical emergencies, as the justices dispensed with the contentious issue without actually deciding the underlying legal issue in the case. The 6-3 ruling revived a federal judge's decision that a 1986 U.S. law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) takes precedence over Idaho's Republican-backed near-total abortion ban when the two conflict. EMTALA requires hospitals that receive funds under the federal Medicare program to "stabilize" patients with emergency medical conditions.

Biden and Trump face off in early debate, with age, ability in focus

Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump take the stage on Thursday night for a debate that will offer voters a rare side-by-side look at the two oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency. Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, will be under pressure to display their command of issues and avoid verbal stumbles as they seek a breakout moment in a race that opinion polls show has been deadlocked for months.

Oklahoma orders schools to teach the Bible in every classroom

Oklahoma's Department of Education ordered every teacher in the state to have a Bible in their classroom and to teach from it, in an announcement on Thursday that challenges U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have found state sponsorship of religion to be unconstitutional. Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction, announced the order with immediate effect at Thursday's Department of Education board meeting, in which he said special attention will be afforded to the Ten Commandments.

US Supreme Court ruling on emergency abortions offers no clarity for states

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday allowing abortions for women facing medical emergencies in Idaho - for now - despite the state's near-total ban on the procedure does nothing to lift the confusion in many states surrounding when emergency abortions are permissible, according to legal experts.

The case is one of several around the United States over when abortion is legally available in medical emergencies under exceptions to state abortion bans. Doctors have said that they are unable to perform abortions that they believe are medically necessary for fear of prosecution because it is not clear what is allowed, leaving pregnant women to travel to states with more permissive laws or wait as their medical conditions worsen.

Wall Street wants drama-free presidential debate, watching comportment as much as policy

Investors watching the first live debate of the 2024 election race on Thursday hope to hear U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump argue thoughtful positions on fiscal policy, tariffs and taxes, while closely monitoring their mental acuity. For the debate at CNN studios in Atlanta without an in-person audience, many on Wall Street are looking for the ageing candidates to prove they are sharp enough for four years in the White House.

Former Uvalde, Texas, school police chief indicted over deadly shooting

A grand jury in Uvalde, Texas, indicted former school district police chief Pedro Arredondo over the police response to the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School that killed 19 students and two teachers, authorities said on Thursday. The Uvalde County Sheriff's office said Arredondo was in custody and was being booked on 10 counts of child endangerment.

US lawmakers seek crackdown on Chinese used cooking oil imports over fraud concerns

A group of U.S. farm state senators is pushing for a regulatory crackdown on surging imports of used cooking oil from China and elsewhere amid concerns some of the shipments could be fraudulent. U.S. biofuels manufacturers have been buying increasing volumes of used cooking oil in recent years to make products like biodiesel that can fetch lucrative federal and state climate subsidies.

US issues fresh sanctions against Iran over nuclear escalations

The United States on Thursday issued fresh sanctions targeting Iran in response to "continued nuclear escalations," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "Over the past month, Iran has announced steps to further expand its nuclear program in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose," Blinken said.

CNN bans White House pool reporters from debate room

The White House Correspondents' Association said on Thursday CNN has rejected multiple requests to include White House pool reporters inside the studio during the first presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump. The press pool, made up of representatives of major news organizations including Reuters, accompanies the president on foreign and domestic trips and normally has access to any event where he speaks or appears in public, with the goal of keeping the U.S. public informed.

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