US Domestic News Roundup: Philadelphia drive-by shooting, Kavanaugh probe

Man arrested in Utah over ricin mailed to Pentagon, Trump: report

A man was taken into custody in Logan, Utah on Wednesday as part of an investigation into envelopes filled with ricin, a poison, mailed to Pentagon officials and President Donald Trump, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The man's identity was not released, local police told the newspaper. A Federal Bureau of Investigation official in Salt Lake City referred Reuters to a statement sent to local media saying the FBI was investigating "potentially hazardous chemicals" in Logan, which is about 66 miles (106 km) north of Salt Lake City.

Police called to Turkish cleric's U.S. compound for a suspected intruder

Police was called on Wednesday to the Pennsylvania compound of Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based Muslim cleric accused by Turkey of instigating a failed 2016 coup after a guard saw a suspected armed intruder and fired a warning shot, a Gulen spokesman said. The security guard fired the shot in the air as the person tried to enter the compound's gates at around 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT) and the person fled, Alp Aslandogan, Gulen's media adviser, told Reuters. There are no known injuries or arrests, he said.

U.S. court to reconsider shielding airport screeners from abuse claims

A federal appeals court decided to revisit its recent decision that made it difficult for travellers to sue U.S. airport screeners over claims of abuse at security checkpoints. In a brief order on Wednesday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said a 13-judge panel will reconsider the 2-1 decision at a Feb. 20 hearing, in a rare review by the full court known as "en banc."

Trump administration asks top U.S. court to intervene in census suit

The Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to block a lower court order for Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to be questioned by lawyers for a group of states challenging a decision by President Donald Trump's administration to ask people taking part in the 2020 census whether they are citizens. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan ruled on Sept. 21 that Ross, whose department oversees the Census Bureau, must face a deposition by lawyers for the states because his "intent and credibility are directly at issue" in the lawsuit.

Philadelphia drive-by shooting leaves five wounded, one critically

A gunman opened fire from a moving vehicle outside a Philadelphia shopping centre on Wednesday, wounding five young men, one of them critically, police said. All five victims of the shooting, which was reported just after 2:30 p.m. EDT in the city's Germantown section, were transported to nearby Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia police said in a statement.

South Carolina shooting leaves one officer dead, four injured: local media

Five law enforcement officers were shot, one of them fatally, near the city of Florence, South Carolina, on Wednesday, before a suspect was arrested, according to local media and emergency management authorities. No official details on the shooting were immediately available. But the Florence County Emergency Management Department said on Twitter that an "active shooting situation" reported in the area was "over and the suspect is in custody."

U.S. Census Bureau nominee says courts should decide citizenship question

U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Census Bureau, Steven Dillingham, said on Wednesday he believed courts should have the final say on whether the census can ask if respondents are U.S. citizens, acknowledging that the question could affect participation. Lawmakers asked Dillingham for his views on asking about citizenship status on the 2020 census at a confirmation hearing held by the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Trump plans travel push to stave off 'blue wave' in House races

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to visit six states over the next 10 days to energize his supporters to turn out for Republicans in tight races for the House of Representatives in upcoming congressional elections, according to a White House memo. Trump's Republican Party is at risk of losing control of the House in the Nov. 6 midterm vote at a time when, historically, the party in control of the White House loses ground in Congress.

Some witnesses say they called FBI in vain as the end of Kavanaugh probe looms

Several people with information related to allegations of sexual misconduct against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh say they have tried in vain to speak with the FBI, which is expected to wrap up its investigation this week. Under pressure, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the FBI investigation following a dramatic Senate hearing last week in which university professor Christine Blasey Ford detailed a sexual assault she says was carried out by Kavanaugh and his friend, Mark Judge, at a high school party in 1982.

Presidential test alert sets American phones buzzing

Millions of U.S. cell phones buzzed and beeped on Wednesday during the first test of a presidential alert system that would warn the public of a national emergency, such as an imminent attack. The test message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) went out at 2:18 p.m. EDT and triggered a loud tone, a special vibration and a message reading: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."

(With inputs from Reuters)