News Wrap: Supreme Court Allows Enforcement of EPA Rules on Methane Gas and Mercury

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day’s other headlines at the Supreme Court.

The justices agreed to leave in place two EPA rules aimed at reducing methane and mercury emissions from the oil and gas industry. Republican-led states and industry groups had asked the Supreme Court to suspend the rules, arguing that the standards are – quote – “impossible to meet.”

But the justices will consider taking up Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. arms makers when they officially begin their terms on Monday. The case centers on allegations that the company’s sales practices contribute to the trafficking of illegal weapons to drug cartels.

And the Supreme Court will weigh in on who gets to say where nuclear waste is stored, specifically whether to grant a permit to a private company in West Texas.

The UN Human Rights Office says the death toll from a gang attack in central Haiti yesterday rose to at least 70 people, including women and children. The attack took place in the town of Pont-Sonde, about 90 kilometers north of the capital Port-au-Prince. Video footage taken near the scene showed hordes of people frantically running away from the attack. Witnesses say they saw bodies with gunshot wounds on the street.

The attack was blamed on the Gran Grif gang, one of the country’s most brutal groups, but the motive remains unclear.

In Pakistan, police clashed today in Islamabad with anti-government protesters calling for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from prison. Authorities had tried to seal off the city by blocking roads with shipping containers and cutting off cell phone service, but dozens of Khan supporters managed to get through. They were confronted with tear gas but remained defiant.