Five national stories of the week

<p>The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a case that could lead to a significant rollback of the Roe v. Wade decision. <strong>(Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS)</strong></p>

The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a case that could lead to a significant rollback of the Roe v. Wade decision. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS)

Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from around the world. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.

President Joe Biden moves to improve legal services for poor and minority communities, an associate of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz pleads guilty to sex trafficking charges, the Supreme Court will take up a major abortion rights challenge, the officer charged in the Daunte Wright death will stand trial Dec. 6 and California faces another month until unmasking begins make up this week's five national stories.

Biden moving to improve legal services for poor, minorities

President Joe Biden plans to take executive action Tuesday to ensure minorities, low-income Americans and others have better access to quality legal representation after services dwindled during the Trump administration. Biden will sign a memorandum directing the Department of Justice to restore key functions of the shuttered Access to Justice Office and to reestablish the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable.

Gaetz associate pleads guilty to sex trafficking charges

A Florida politician who emerged as a central figure in the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty Monday to six federal charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal. Joel Greenberg, a longtime associate of Gaetz’s, appeared in federal court in Orlando. He pleaded guilty to six of the nearly three dozen charges he faced, including sex trafficking of a minor, and he admitted that he had paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men.

Supreme Court to take up major abortion rights challenge

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to a showdown over abortion in a case that could dramatically alter nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights. With three justices appointed by President Donald Trump part of a 6-3 conservative majority, the court is taking on a case about whether states can ban abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

Officer charged in Daunte Wright death to stand trial Dec. 6

A Minnesota judge ruled Monday that the manslaughter case can proceed against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright, and she set a trial date for December. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, will stand trial Dec. 6, barring any future scheduling conflicts, Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu said during a pretrial hearing.

California faces another month before unmasking begins

California officials say the state isn’t ready to follow the federal lead and unmask, at least for another month. The state’s health director announced Monday that California will require people to keep wearing masks and practice social distancing indoors until June 15 — the date when Gov. Gavin Newsom already said nearly all COVID-19 restrictions will be dropped if cases remain low.

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