US News Summary: U.S. arrests religious leaders and more

U.S. expected to propose weakening Obama-era wetland protections

The Trump administration is expected to propose weakening protections for U.S. wetlands on Tuesday, in a move sought by ranching and mining interests but one that will likely be held up in the courts amid opposition from environmentalists. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will make a water policy announcement at 11:25 Eastern Time (1625 GMT), the agency said without elaborating.

Los Angeles Fire Dept. reports natgas pipeline rupture at Woodland Hills

An underground natural gas pipeline ruptured due to an overturned vehicle causing a leak in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, the city's fire department reported on its website on Monday. Southern California Gas Co was expected to secure the leak, the department said, adding the incident did not cause a fire and evacuation.

U.S. top court, Kavanaugh spurn Planned Parenthood defunding case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals by Louisiana and Kansas seeking to end their public funding to women's healthcare and abortion provider Planned Parenthood through the Medicaid program, with President Donald Trump's appointee Brett Kavanaugh among the justices who rebuffed the states. The justices left intact lower court rulings that prevented Louisiana and Kansas from stripping government healthcare funding from local Planned Parenthood affiliates. The case was one of a number of disputes working their way up to the Supreme Court over the legality of state-imposed restrictions involving abortion.

U.S. arrests religious leaders, activists at border protest

Kneeling in front of riot police, 32 religious leaders and activists were arrested at the U.S. border fence in San Diego on Monday during a protest to support the Central American migrant caravan. More than 400 demonstrators, many leaders of churches, mosques, synagogues and indigenous communities, sought a halt to detention and deportation of migrants and for the United States to welcome the caravan that arrived in Tijuana, Mexico in November.

Dylann Roof admirer charged with Ohio bomb plot

An Ohio woman who corresponded with Charleston, South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof was charged on Monday with planning to bomb a Toledo, Ohio, bar, prosecutors said. Elizabeth Lecron, 23, was accused of purchasing gunpowder and screws that the FBI said she intended to use in an "upscale mass murder" at the bar, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement.

Thousands without power in U.S. southeast after a snow storm

At least three people had died and thousands of homes were left without power in the Carolinas and Virginia early on Tuesday after a storm dumped up to two feet of snow in parts of the southeastern United States. One person died from a heart condition while en route to a shelter and a terminally ill woman died when her oxygen device stopped working, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's office said in a statement. A motorist also died in southwestern North Carolina on Sunday when a tree fell on the vehicle, police said.

Accused Russian agent Butina poised to plead guilty: U.S. court papers

Accused Russian agent Maria Butina, suspected of trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and influence U.S. policy toward Russia, is expected to plead guilty this week following a deal between her lawyers and U.S. prosecutors, according to court filings on Monday. Exactly how the deal will be structured for Butina was not immediately clear. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.

Texas ready to execute a man convicted of 1993 murder, assault

Texas is scheduled on Tuesday to execute a man convicted of murdering a man and sexually assaulting his wife at a Dallas-area community college more than two decades ago. Alvin Braziel, 43, is scheduled to die by lethal injection in the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. CST (0000 GMT), the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

Number of people believed missing in California wildfire drops to three

The number of people unaccounted for in California's deadliest wildfire dropped to just three, down from a high of more than 1,200, officials said late on Monday. The death toll from the so-called Camp Fire, remains at 85, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said.

U.S. lawmakers agree on Farm Bill, aiming for a vote this week

U.S. lawmakers have reached an agreement on the Farm Bill that drops a proposal to tighten food stamps restrictions backed by President Donald Trump, and are looking to vote on it this week, according to congressional staffers. The agreement between Republicans and Democrats on the crucial piece of legislation caps a months-long bitter debate, and offers a spot of financial certainty to farmers suffering from the impact of the U.S. trade war with China. Programs covered by the bill include crop subsidies and support to growers seeking access to export markets.