US Domestic News Roundup: Pittsburgh shooting, mail bomber case, Gillnet ban illegal

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Kentucky supermarket shooting investigated as hate crime

The shooting of a black man and woman at a Kentucky supermarket was being investigated as a possible hate crime, a federal prosecutor said on Friday. Gregory Bush, 51, a white man, has been charged with shooting Maurice Stallard, 69, in front of his grandson as they shopped in a Kroger Inc grocery store in Jeffersontown, some 15 miles (24 km) from downtown Louisville. According to an arrest citation, he then went to the parking lot and shot Vickie Jones, 67.

Control of U.S. Senate may hinge on possible Mississippi runoff

A crowded U.S. Senate race in Republican stronghold Mississippi could set the stage for weeks of uncertainty over which party ends up controlling the upper chamber of Congress after the Nov. 6 elections. Two Republicans and two Democrats are contesting a special election to serve out the remainder of retired Republican Senator Thad Cochran's term. Under state law, if no one gets 50 per cent of the vote, the top two candidates regardless of party affiliation will go to a Nov. 27 runoff.

U.S. withdrawal of California gillnet protections for whales, turtles ruled illegal

The Trump administration unlawfully withdrew a plan to limit the number of whales, turtles and other marine creatures permitted to be inadvertently killed or harmed by drift gillnets used to catch swordfish off California, a federal judge has ruled. The decision requires U.S. fisheries managers to take steps to implement the plan, which calls for placing numerical limits on the "bycatch" of bottlenose dolphins, four whale species and four sea turtle species snared in swordfish gillnets.

Jackpot of $750 million, fourth largest in U.S. history, at stake in Powerball lottery

A $750 million jackpot, the fourth largest in U.S. history and the second astronomical jackpot this week, will be at stake during the Powerball drawing on Saturday. The drawing will be held at 11 p.m. EST.

Gunman targeting Jews kills 11 in Pittsburgh synagogue

A gunman yelling, "All Jews must die," stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue during Saturday services, killing 11 worshippers and wounding six other people including four police officers, before he was arrested. U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania Scott Brady told a news conference that charges could be filed later on Saturday against the suspected shooter, 46-year-old Robert Bowers from Pittsburgh.

Who is Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect?

The suspect in Saturday's mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue is a 46-year-old local man named Robert Bowers who posted virulent anti-Semitic messages on social media filled with slurs and conspiracy theories. Two hours before a gunman burst into the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire during a Shabbat religious service, Bowers posted on chat site Gab.com about the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), a non-profit that helps Jewish refugees relocate to the United States.

U.S. mail bomber case prompts call for better postal screening

The arrest on Friday of a man accused of mailing at least 14 explosive devices to prominent Democrats and critics of U.S. President Donald Trump has prompted concern about how the U.S. Postal Service screens against deadly deliveries. "We've got to do a better job of screening the mail," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN after Cesar Sayoc, 56, was arrested in Florida. Sayoc was charged with five federal crimes including threats against former presidents and faces up to 48 years in prison if found guilty.

Trump says Pittsburgh shooting has little to do with gun laws

President Donald Trump told reporters that the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue earlier on Saturday had little to do with gun laws and that the killings might have been prevented if there was an armed guard inside the building. "If they had some kind of a protection inside the temple maybe it could have been a very much different situation," Trump said to reporters about the shooting at a synagogue that was holding a Shabbat religious service. "They didn't and he was able to do things that unfortunately he shouldn't have been able to do," Trump told reporters before getting on Air Force One to fly to Indianapolis for a farmers' convention.

Search goes on for missing plane off South Carolina

U.S. Coast Guard ships and aircraft continued to scour the Atlantic Ocean for a civilian plane that went down on Friday as a flight tracking site showed the aircraft tried to return to South Carolina before it disappeared off radar. The Coast Guard has searched an area of ocean bigger than the state of Delaware but has yet to report any sign of the Piper PA-31 civilian aircraft that went down around 11.30 a.m. EDT on Thursday en route to the Bahamas from South Carolina, the agency said.

Florida man charged after bombs sent to Trump critics

The Florida man suspected of mailing at least 14 pipe bombs to some of U.S. President Donald Trump's leading critics was in custody on federal charges on Saturday, in a case reflecting the rancour of one of the most toxic election campaigns in decades. Cesar Sayoc, 56, a part-time pizza deliveryman, grocery worker and former stripper once charged with threatening to bomb an electric company in a billing dispute, was arrested by federal agents outside an auto parts store in Plantation near Miami on Friday.

(With inputs from Reuters)