US Domestic News Roundup: Pittsburgh considers stricter gun laws after synagogue attack; Trump bans 'bump stocks' used in Las Vegas mass shooting

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. judicial council tosses misconduct claims against Kavanaugh

Scores of complaints accusing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of improperly conducting himself during his contentious Senate confirmation process have been thrown out by a panel of eight federal judges. The judges said the complaints of misconduct, including accusations that Kavanaugh made false, unduly partisan and disrespectful statements to senators, must be dismissed because he has been confirmed to the Supreme Court and the federal law governing judicial conduct applies only to lower court judges.

Sue, the world-famous T. rex, gets a new lair in Chicago

Sue, the largest, most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever unearthed, gets to show off its new lair this week at the Field Museum in Chicago. The museum on Friday will unveil the 40-1/2-foot-long (12.3-meter) Sue, one of the world's best-known dinosaur fossils, in the giant meat-eater's new permanent exhibition space after 10 months of work moving and remounting the huge bones. Sue's bones were mounted in a way that reflects new understanding about the species acquired over the past two decades.

Statue of Liberty climber guilty of trespassing for immigration protest

A woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty's stone pedestal to protest U.S. immigration policy declared in federal court on Monday she would do it again to call attention to the plight of families separated at the border and was found guilty of trespassing. Therese Patricia Okoumou, 44, was also convicted of interfering with governmental administration and disorderly conduct before a U.S. magistrate judge in New York City.

Trump charity to dissolve under deal with N.Y. attorney general

U.S. President Donald Trump's namesake charitable foundation has agreed to dissolve under court supervision, partially resolving a New York state lawsuit claiming he misused it to advance his 2016 presidential campaign and his businesses, the state attorney general said on Tuesday. The lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation also seeks to recoup $2.8 million and ban Trump and his three eldest children from leadership roles in any other New York charity.

Paging Bruce Lee: Judge knocks down New York's nunchuck ban

A federal judge knocked down a New York state law banning nunchucks that dated to the 1970s, when martial arts star Bruce Lee popularized them in his movies by whipping around the twin sticks linked by a chain. U.S. District Court Judge Pamela Chen sided with an amateur martial artist who opposed the ban, reasoning that the right to bear arms protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution applies not just to firearms but also to nunchucks.

New York Governor Cuomo aims to legalize recreational marijuana use

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday said legalizing marijuana for recreational use would be one of his top legislative priorities next year. The move, which would add New York to the list of 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that have legalized cannabis, could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue, according to a report commissioned by the governor and released last summer.

Pittsburgh considers stricter gun laws after synagogue attack

The Pittsburgh City Council began considering a package of gun-control laws on Tuesday, including a ban on assault-style rifles, nearly two months after a gunman shouting anti-Semitic messages killed 11 people in a synagogue. The measure would also ban certain types of ammunition and allow courts to ban gun ownership by people deemed to pose a significant threat of violence.

U.S. Surgeon General wants tougher action to tackle teen vaping epidemic

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Tuesday issued a rare advisory https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/surgeon-generals-advisory-on-e-cigarette-use-among-youth-2018.pdf, calling for aggressive steps against e-cigarette use among teens, which he said has become an "epidemic". The detailed advisory listed various strategies that states, communities, health professionals and parents can apply to restrict the use of e-cigarettes.

Trump bans 'bump stocks' used in Las Vegas mass shooting

The Trump administration on Tuesday banned the high-power gun attachments of the type used in last year's Las Vegas shooting massacre of 58 people, giving the owners of "bump stocks" 90 days to turn in or destroy the devices and blocking owners from being able to register them. President Donald Trump's Republican Party typically supports gun ownership, and its members have fiercely fought off perceived threats to the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment guaranteeing Americans the right to bear arms.

New Hampshire physician assistant guilty of Insys opioid kickback scheme

A former physician assistant in New Hampshire was convicted on Tuesday of charges that he accepted nearly $50,000 in kickbacks from Insys Therapeutics Inc in exchange for prescribing its addictive fentanyl spray. A federal jury in Concord, New Hampshire, found Christopher Clough, 45, guilty of all charges he faced in a case that stemmed from a years-long investigation into the Arizona company's efforts to promote its opioid medication Subsys.

(With inputs from Reuters)

(With inputs from agencies.)