US News Roundup: Attorney general asked to step aside from Russia probe; Trump to award freedom medals

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Democrats urge acting attorney general to step aside from Russia probe

Top Democrats stepped up pressure Sunday on acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to step aside from overseeing a special counsel probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, vowing to order him to testify early next year. Representative Jerrold Nadler, the expected incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Sunday the committee plans to subpoena Whitaker to testify next year as its first witness.

New drug options, risk factors added to U.S. heart guidelines

Updated U.S. guidelines on heart health advise more personalized assessment of risk as well as two newer types of cholesterol-lowering drugs for people at particularly high risk of heart attack or stroke. The recommendations from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, last issued in 2013, acknowledge recent research showing the benefit of very low levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, which contributes to fatty plaque buildup and narrowing of arteries.

More than 200 still missing in California's deadliest wildfire on record

More than 200 people were missing early on Monday in California's deadliest and most destructive blaze on record, one of two fires raging in the state which have killed at least 31 people and forced more than a quarter of a million evacuations. The so-called Camp Fire 40 miles northwest of Sacramento burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in the town of Paradise, more structures than any other wildfire recorded in California.

Fire on pipeline in Sutton County, Texas injures two: local media

A pipeline ruptured and caught fire in Sutton County, Texas on Saturday injuring at least two people, Hill Country Breaking News reported citing the Sutton County sheriff's office. The report did not say if the pipeline was carrying natural gas or oil.

U.S. marks 100th anniversary of end to WWI with poppies, Bells of Peace

Americans mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One on Sunday with celebrations ranging from high-tech light shows to sombre gatherings in honour of the country's military veterans. More than 100,000 Americans died in World War One, after the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, driving the nation into a global conflict. Although the United States entered the war in the later stage, many Americans had disagreed with the decision to join allies Britain, France and Russia, some viewing it as an endless fight between old European rivals.

Trump to award freedom medals to Elvis, Babe Ruth

U.S. President Donald Trump will award the 2018 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Elvis Presley, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr. and five other individuals, the White House said in a statement on Saturday. The medal is the highest civilian honour in the United States and is given annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours.

Florida Republican Scott asks that ballots be guarded in Senate race recount

Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott, whose lead has narrowed in the state's U.S. Senate race, filed more lawsuits against local election officials on Sunday, asking a judge to order police to impound voting machines and ballots when they are not in use. On Saturday, a machine recount began in the race between Scott and incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson in one of the most closely watched swing-state contests in last Tuesday's congressional elections.

U.S. movie theatre chains fear Justice Department review may hit profits

U.S. movie theatre chains fear that a Justice Department review of little-known mid-century rules may result in studios getting free rein to force them to show unpopular movies in exchange for getting blockbuster releases, threatening their profits. Before the rules went into effect, studios commonly sold multiple films to theatres as a package. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1948 ruled against the practice, called "block booking," and others that favoured studios, leading the plaintiff, Paramount Pictures, Inc, and its peers to sign consent decrees over the next few years with the Justice Department that banned such deals.