US Domestic News Roundup: Florida yoga studio shoot; America's costliest election; NYC Marathon

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. campaigns in high gear three days before congressional elections

U.S. congressional candidates hammered into the homestretch of a bruising campaign season on Saturday, with Democrats focused on protecting a 2010 healthcare law while President Donald Trump touted economic growth and sounded dire warnings on immigration. Control of both houses of the U.S. Congress, currently dominated by Republicans, and 36 governors' offices will be at stake when Americans vote in Tuesday's elections. Interest has been unusually high for a non-presidential election year, with early voting running well ahead of past cycles.

Ready for a fight: Voter enthusiasm surges among U.S. Hispanics

Hispanics are more interested in voting this year than in the last U.S. congressional midterm elections in 2014 and their enthusiasm outpaces that of all U.S. adults, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll released on Sunday. The poll also found likely Hispanic voters nearly twice as inclined to support Democrats for the House of Representatives as Republicans in Tuesday's elections.

Hacking allegation shows peril of Georgia Republican's twin election roles

The Republican candidate in Georgia's governor's race, who also oversees the state's elections, accused Democrats on Sunday of trying to hack voter registration systems, a move analysts said highlighted the inherent conflict between his twin roles. The contest between Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is vying to become the United States' first black female governor, had already become a flashpoint for allegations of voter suppression.

Democrats' road to controlling U.S. House runs through Pennsylvania

Donald Trump's stunning 2016 White House win got a major boost from sagging Democratic enthusiasm in Pennsylvania, but now the party is poised for big wins on Tuesday in congressional races in the state that could signal which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. A court-ordered overhaul of Pennsylvania voting districts and stubbornly low approval ratings for Trump in the state have placed Democrats within striking distance of claiming at least half of Pennsylvania's 18 congressional seats in a test of the party's ability to win back working-class voters.

Gunman at Florida yoga studio had been accused of harassment

A gunman who killed two women at a Florida yoga studio and wounded five other people before taking his own life had previously been accused of harassing young women, police said on Saturday. Authorities said they do not know why Scott Beierle, 40, opened fire on Friday afternoon after posing as a customer to join the class at the Hot Yoga studio in Tallahassee. Detectives are searching for links between him and the victims.

Trump, Obama tout clashing visions of U.S. as elections near

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Barack Obama made duelling election appearances on Sunday, offering sharply different views on the country's problems but agreeing on the high stakes for voters in the final 48 hours of a tight campaign. With opinion polls showing dozens of tight U.S. congressional and gubernatorial races in Tuesday's election, the current and former presidents said the results would determine what kind of country Americans live in for the next two years.

Ethiopia's Desisa takes NYC Marathon, Keitany is women's winner

Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa used a powerful surge to win his first New York City Marathon in five tries and Kenya's Mary Keitany claimed a fourth women's crown with a dominant victory on Sunday. Desisa finally made it to the top of the podium with a strong closing mile to win in an unofficial two hours, five minutes and 59 seconds as he and fellow Ethiopian Shura Kitata (2:06:01) passed defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who finished third in 2:06:26.

Non-stop ads and robocalls: welcome to America's costliest election

Wendy Burke has had enough. Campaign advertisements bombard her favourite TV shows. Dozens of election pamphlets fill her mailbox. Every day, she gets several political calls on her cell phone and more on her landline. Strangers knock at her door seeking her vote. "It's ridiculous," Burke, 47, said outside a shopping centre in Palmdale, California. "I've had to block my calls."

Utah mayor, deployed to Afghanistan, is killed in attack

The mayor of a Utah city was killed in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday in an apparent insider attack, the state's lieutenant governor said. The death of Brent Taylor, mayor of North Ogden and a member of the Utah National Guard, was confirmed by Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox, who posted a tribute on Facebook.

Three Girl Scouts, one adult killed in Wisconsin crash

Three girls scouts and a woman were killed in Wisconsin on Saturday when a pickup truck veered off a road and hit them while they were picking up litter, police said. Another girl scout was critically injured when the black Ford F-150 pickup veered off the road and hit them on a two-lane county road near Lake Hallie, about 90 miles (145 km) east of Minneapolis, police said in a statement.

(With inputs from Reuters)