Nation and world news in brief for July 17

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Musk says he will move SpaceX, X headquarters to Texas from Calf.

(Reuters) — Elon Musk said on Tuesday he is moving the headquarters of two more of his companies — social media platform X and rocket company SpaceX — to Texas from California, citing a new gender-identity law there as the “last straw.”

With these steps, the billionaire, who last week endorsed Republican Donald Trump for U.S. president, will have relocated Tesla and most of the businesses he controls or heads to Texas.

The world’s richest man, he changed his own residence in 2021 from California to Texas, where there is no state income tax on individuals.

Biden to announce support for major Supreme Court reforms, Washington Post reports

(Reuters) — U.S. President Joe Biden is preparing to propose a major Supreme Court overhaul in the coming week that would include term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday citing two sources familiar with the plans. Biden is also weighing whether to call for a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad presidential immunity, the Post reported

During a call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday, Biden said there would be some form of Supreme Court reform that he will be unveiling or seeking, according to a source familiar with the discussion. He provided no specifics during that call.

Minnesota cannot bar adults under 21 from carrying guns, court rules

(Reuters) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled a Minnesota law requiring a person to be at least 21 years old before obtaining a permit to carry a handgun in public for self-defense is unconstitutional.

The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with gun rights groups in finding the state’s ban violated the rights of 18- to 20-year-olds under the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment to keep and bear arms.

U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton, writing for a panel of three judges all appointed by Republican presidents, held that under recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have expanded gun rights, the state’s 2003 law could not be deemed valid.

“Importantly, the Second Amendment’s plain text does not have an age limit,” he wrote.