Did the Maliki school (Imam Ibn al-Arabi) or any of the scholars permit the consumption of meat slaughtered by the People of the Book, regardless of the method of slaughter (e.g., like carrion), and do you favor the permissibility of the People of the Book's slaughtered meat in the United States based on a study indicating that their slaughter methods are better than those in Europe?

We have not come across the fatwa (definition) you mentioned. What is well-known in the Maliki madhhab (definition) is that a lawful slaughter (dhakāt shar‘īyah) is performed with a sharp instrument, excluding teeth and nails, without distinguishing between a Muslim and a People of the Book in the manner of slaughter. Ibn al-Arabi issued a fatwa permitting the consumption of the food of the People of the Book unconditionally, even if it was not slaughtered according to our method, citing the verse: "The food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you." Al-Wansharisi supported him in this. However, many Maliki scholars critiqued his statement, and what is well-known in the madhhab and what most scholars adhere to is what we mentioned at the beginning.