US Domestic News Roundup: Mississippi ban on abortions put on hold; American killed on remote Indian island

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Ex-Panama president's sons detained in Miami on corruption charges

The two sons of jailed former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli have been arrested in Miami and face extradition back home on money-laundering charges, Panama's attorney general said on Wednesday. Attorney General Kenia Porcell told local television that Martinelli's sons, Luis Enrique Martinelli and Ricardo Martinelli, had been arrested, but said he was awaiting further details.

U.S. Border Patrol agent acquitted in Mexican teen's killing

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in the shooting death of a Mexican teenager through a border fence, marking another defeat for federal prosecutors in the second trial over the 2012 killing. Lonnie Swartz, 43, was acquitted by a federal jury in Tucson after two days of deliberations in the death of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez.

White House gives Mattis expanded powers for U.S. troops on border

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that he had been granted authority to allow troops on the Mexican border greater powers to help protect border officials, and would await direction from the Department of Homeland Security. Reuters reported on Monday that the White House was likely to give troops authority to protect Customs and Border Protection agents stationed along the U.S. border with Mexico if they come under threat from migrants seeking to cross into the United States.

Romaine is on the menu at some New York delis despite E.coli warning

Romaine lettuce still had a place at the salad bars of some cafes and delicatessens in New York City on Wednesday despite a blanket warning to Americans from U.S. public health officials that none of the lettuce was safe to eat because it might be contaminated by E.coli. The warning, precipitated by an E.coli outbreak in 11 states and Canada, was issued on Tuesday. Some shops said that romaine was still being sold because officials had not specified the source of potentially contaminated romaine, such as a farm or company.

Democrats see rural gains bolstering fight for White House in 2020

Democrats made dramatic gains in this month's U.S. congressional elections despite getting little love from white, rural, working-class voters who two years ago backed President Donald Trump. But the party is convinced it made important inroads in rural America - an argument supported by a Reuters analysis of election results.

California wildfire evacuees prepare their tents for rains

Heavy rains due on Wednesday in northern California are expected to hinder search teams sifting through ash and rubble for the remains of victims of the deadliest wildfire in the state's history, while inflicting misery on evacuees camped out in tents. Up to nearly eight inches (20 cm) of rain is forecast to fall by Friday in areas around the town of Paradise, the community of nearly 27,000 people 175 miles (280 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco that was largely incinerated by the Camp Fire. The blaze killed at least 81 people and hundreds are still missing.

CDC says U.S. abortion rate plunged in decade ending 2015

A U.S. government agency said on Wednesday that abortion rates among American women of all ages fell to a decade low in 2015, which both opponents and supporters of abortion rights attributed in part to individual states' efforts to restrict women's access to the procedure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that statistics for 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, show the abortion rate was 11.8 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. That is down 26 percent from 2006, when the study began and the rate was 15.9 abortions per 1,000 women.

Judge strikes down Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks

A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, ruling that it "unequivocally" violates women's constitutional rights. The law, considered one of the most restrictive in the country, was passed in March. It had already been put on hold by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves after the state's lone abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, immediately sued.

Trump clashes with conservative U.S. chief justice over judiciary

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts defended the independence of the federal judiciary on Wednesday a day after President Donald Trump called a judge who ruled against his policy barring asylum for certain immigrants an "Obama judge," but Trump rejected the rebuke, chided Roberts and launched a new round of attacks. The remarks by Roberts represented his first public response to Trump over the Republican president's persistent criticism of the federal courts. Opponents of Trump have called his criticism of judges an attack on the rule of law in the United States.

American missionary killed by tribe on remote Indian island

An American self-styled adventurer and Christian missionary has been killed and buried by a tribe of hunter-gatherers on a remote island in the Indian Ocean where he had gone to proselytize, local law enforcement officials said on Wednesday. John Allen Chau, 26, was slain on North Sentinel Island, which is home to what is considered the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world and typically out of bounds to visitors, said Dependra Pathak, the director general of police in Andaman and Nicobar.

(With inputs from Reuters)