US Domestic News Roundup: Mueller investigation; California bar shooting; census citizenship query


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 09-11-2018 06:35 IST | Created: 09-11-2018 05:30 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: Mueller investigation; California bar shooting; census citizenship query
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  • United States

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Recounts, runoffs loom over high-profile elections in Florida, Georgia

High-profile U.S. elections in Georgia, Florida and Arizona remained unresolved on Thursday, two days after the vote, with the prospect of legal challenges, recounts and ballot reviews setting the stage for possible weeks of uncertainty. The still-undecided races will not tip the balance in either chamber of Congress but include contests in parts of the country important to the futures of both parties and potentially to President Donald Trump's re-election chances in two years.

Syrian man sentenced in U.S. for making bomb parts

A Syrian man accused in 2011 of designing and assembling electronic parts for radio-controlled roadside bombs for attacks on U.S. military forces in Iraq was convicted on Wednesday in an Arizona federal court, U.S. officials said. Ahmed Alahmedalabdaloklah, 41, also known as Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Ahmad, was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, after a jury found him guilty on March 16 on six terrorism-related charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg, 85, breaks three ribs in fall

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a prominent liberal who at age 85 is the oldest U.S. Supreme Court justice, was hospitalized on Thursday after fracturing three ribs in a fall the night before at her office at the court, a court spokeswoman said. Ginsburg, appointed in 1993 by Democratic former President Bill Clinton as only the second woman to serve on the high court, initially went home after the fall, but experienced discomfort overnight and went to George Washington University Hospital on Thursday morning, court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in a statement.

Victorious U.S. House Democrats could stymie census citizenship query

With their party set to control the U.S. House of Representatives after Tuesday's congressional elections, Democrats are already looking to halt the Trump administration's efforts to collect citizenship data during the 2020 U.S. Census. The decision to ask respondents to the census whether they are American citizens has drawn scorn since it was announced in March by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross - including from House Democrats who made futile calls to subpoena Ross earlier this year over his motives.

Activists call for nationwide protests to protect Mueller investigation

U.S. progressive groups will stage hundreds of protests nationwide on Thursday to demand that President Donald Trump do nothing to hinder an ongoing investigation into Russian meddling to help him win the 2016 U.S. election. The protests, operating under the banner "Nobody is Above the Law" and led by the activist group MoveOn, called for people to gather in cities at 5 p.m. on Thursday in an effort to protect the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Ex-NY Attorney General Schneiderman will not face criminal charges

Prosecutors said on Thursday they have decided not to bring criminal charges against former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned in May after four women accused him of physical abuse. The decision was announced by Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, who was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to investigate the allegations shortly after Schneiderman’s sudden May 7 resignation.

U.S. senator adds to pressure on Pentagon to clean up military housing

A U.S. senator added to calls on the Department of Defense to address housing hazards documented by Reuters at military bases across the country. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, asked Secretary of Defense James Mattis to lay out plans to ensure military homes are safe and called for legislative proposals to ensure more accountability over the private companies that run the housing on bases.

Manafort's ex son-in-law arrested on new criminal charges

The former son-in-law of Paul Manafort, the one-time chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign, has been arrested on charges that he engaged in financial fraud while out on bail on a prior case, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Jeffrey Yohai, a former business partner of Manafort's, was already facing potential jail time after pleading guilty in February in the prior case, which involved misuse of real estate loan funds. That agreement included Yohai cooperating with prosecutors in other criminal probes, Reuters reported in May.

Captain of deadly Missouri duck boat charged in federal court

The captain of the World War Two-style tourist "duck boat" that sank on a Missouri lake during a storm in July, killing 17 people, was charged on Thursday with misconduct, negligence and inattention to duty in an indictment by a federal grand jury, prosecutors said. Kenneth Scott McKee, 51, of Verona, Missouri, was charged in a 17-count indictment, one count for each of the passengers who died when the vessel sank on July 19.

Ex-Marine apparently acted alone in California bar shooting: FBI

A former U.S. Marine combat veteran opened fire in a Los Angeles area bar and dance hall filled with college students, killing 12 people in a mass shooting that stunned a Southern California community with a reputation for safety. The gunman, identified by police as 28-year-old Ian David Long, was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound following the Wednesday night massacre at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, a suburb 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Los Angeles, law enforcement officials said.

(With inputs from Reuters)

(With inputs from agencies.)

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