US Domestic News Round Up: Trump seeks, California man, Trump, Limo company


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 11-10-2018 08:24 IST | Created: 11-10-2018 05:21 IST
US Domestic News Round Up: Trump seeks, California man, Trump, Limo company
U.S. President Donald Trump will probably travel to the area hit by Hurricane Michael on Sunday or Monday after the storm passes, he told reporters on Wednesday.
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Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump seeks to use battle over Kavanaugh to spur Republican voter turnout

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday used the bitter Senate confirmation battle for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to try to boost Republican voter enthusiasm and prevent a Democratic takeover of Congress in the Nov. 6 elections. At a political rally in support of Iowa and Nebraska Republicans, Trump called the Democrats' attempt to block Kavanaugh from the high court "a national embarrassment, a national disgrace," without mentioning the sexual assault accusation raised by Christine Blasey Ford when she and Kavanaugh were high school students in 1982.

California man who sold stolen identities sentenced to prison in Russia probe

A California man accused by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office of operating an online auction service for stolen identities was sentenced to one year of incarceration on Wednesday in a federal district court. Richard Pinedo, who pleaded guilty to one count of identity fraud in February, could serve half the sentence at home, U.S. Judge Dabney Friedrich said.

Trump will probably travel to storm zone after Hurricane Michael

U.S. President Donald Trump will probably travel to the area hit by Hurricane Michael on Sunday or Monday after the storm passes, he told reporters on Wednesday. The hurricane was closing in on the northwest coast of Florida on Wednesday, carrying top winds of 150 miles per hour (241 km per hour), making it a very dangerous Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the National Hurricane Center said.

Missouri judge blocks parts of state's voter photo ID law

A Missouri state judge ordered on Tuesday that state election authorities could no longer tell voters that they are required to show a photo identification card in order to cast a ballot, blocking parts of Missouri's voter identification law. The ruling came less than a month before Nov. 6 elections when control of Congress is at stake.

Limo company operator in New York crash charged with homicide

The operator of a limousine company that owned the vehicle involved in a crash that killed 20 people in upstate New York was charged on Wednesday with criminally negligent homicide, New York State Police said. Nauman Hussain, 28, was charged with one felony count related to the deadliest U.S. transportation accident in nearly a decade. All 20 victims were listed on the charging document.

FBI chief says threats from drones to U.S. 'steadily escalating'

FBI director Christopher Wray told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday that the threat from drones "is steadily escalating" even as Congress gives agencies new tools to address threats. Wray told the Senate Homeland Security committee that the FBI assesses that "given their retail availability, lack of verified identification requirement to procure, general ease of use, and prior use overseas, (drones) will be used to facilitate an attack in the United States against a vulnerable target, such as a mass gathering."

Florida Panhandle battered by record-breaking Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael, the fiercest storm to hit Florida in a quarter century and the third-most powerful ever to strike the U.S. mainland, roared into the state's Gulf coast on Wednesday with tree-snapping winds, towering waves and torrential rains. Michael, whose rapid intensification as it churned north over the Gulf of Mexico caught many by surprise, made landfall early in the afternoon near Mexico Beach, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Panama City in Florida's Panhandle region, with top sustained winds reaching 155 miles per hour (249 kph).

New York City creates gender-neutral 'X' option for birth certificates

People who were born in New York City and do not identify as male or female can now opt for a third gender category of X on their birth certificates. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the provision into a law on Tuesday, making New York City the fifth place to do so after California, Oregon, Washington state and New Jersey. Three states and Washington, D.C., also allow gender-neutral driver licenses.

Trump appointees hold keys in Supreme Court immigration case

The outcome of the latest immigration case involving President Donald's Trump administration to come before the U.S. Supreme Court could hinge on his two appointees, conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. The nine justices on Wednesday heard the administration argue for sweeping government authority to detain immigrants awaiting deportation after they complete sentences for criminal convictions, even years after leaving prison.

Colorado man pleads guilty to three murder counts in Walmart shooting

A man accused of fatally shooting three people inside a Denver-area Walmart pleaded guilty on Wednesday to multiple counts of murder in the deaths, under a deal that allows him to avoid execution, prosecutors said. Scott Allen Ostrem, 48, admitted in Adams County District Court to killing Pamela Marques, 52, Carlos Moreno, 66, and Victor Vasquez, 26, in the Denver suburb of Thornton, District Attorney Dave Young said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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