US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. appeals court will not restore Trump asylum order; Winter storm knocks out power to 380,000 in U.S. Southeast

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Many U.S.-bound caravan migrants disperse as asylum process stalls

Thousands of Central American migrants spent weeks traveling north through Mexico in caravans, walking and hitching rides when possible, only for many to give up hope and turn back when they met resistance at the U.S. border. Others hopped the border fence, often directly into the hands of immigration authorities on the U.S. side, while still others dug in at temporary lodgings in Tijuana for the long process of seeking asylum from a reluctant U.S. government.

U.S. appeals court will not restore Trump asylum order

A U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a defeat on Friday when it refused to allow his order barring asylum for immigrants who enter the country illegally to take effect, while a court challenge proceeds. Trump cited an overwhelmed immigration system for his recent proclamation that officials will only process asylum claims for migrants who present themselves at an official entry point. Civil rights groups sued, arguing that Trump's Nov. 9 order violated administrative and immigration law.

Jury to deliberate Virginia murder trial of white nationalist

A jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, will begin deliberations on Friday in the murder trial of a man who rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protestors at a far right rally last year, killing one activist. Hundreds of white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis gathered in Charlottesville in August 2017 to demonstrate against a plan to remove a statue of a Confederate general. The night before the car-ramming, they staged a torch-lit march, chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans.

U.S. Jesuits release names of clergy accused of sexual abuse

Two U.S. chapters of the Roman Catholic Church's Jesuit order of clergyman on Friday released a list of 153 names of its clerics who have faced credible accusations of sexual misconduct spanning almost half the country. The disclosures come from Jesuits on the West Coast and in the central United States and identify offenders dating back to the 1950s.

Winter storm knocks out power to 380,000 in U.S. Southeast

A powerful winter storm that hit the U.S. Southeast over the weekend knocked out power for more than 380,000 customers and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Sunday. Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads as snow, sleet, and freezing rain were expected to continue through Sunday night and into Monday morning, the National Weather Service said.

(With inputs from Reuters)