US Domestic News Roundup: Congress approves criminal justice bill backed by Trump; Musk, GM weigh fate of Ohio plant Trump wants saved

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump demands wall funding as threat of U.S. government shutdown looms

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said border security must be part of legislation to fund the U.S. government, a position that raises the threat of a partial federal shutdown on Saturday. Republicans in the House of Representatives scrambled to amend a Senate-passed bill to appease Trump after he said he would not sign the legislation, clearing the measure for debate. A subsequent vote was possible later on Thursday but it was unclear whether Republicans would be able to pass what Trump wants.

Musk, GM weigh fate of Ohio plant Trump wants saved

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk raised hopes again on Thursday that he could ride to the rescue of a threatened General Motors Co car plant at the center of a political storm about auto jobs, and GM replied, saying the Ohio factory's fate depends on union talks next year. Musk suggested in a Twitter exchange with outgoing Ohio Governor John Kasich that he would consider acquiring GM's Lordstown small-car factory in Warren, Ohio, which GM has signaled it could close next year. The decision has prompted bipartisan anger in Washington, led by U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. to send migrants back to Mexico to wait out asylum requests

The United States will soon send non-Mexican migrants who cross the U.S. southern border back to wait in Mexico while their U.S. asylum requests are processed, a major change in immigration policy, the Trump administration announced on Thursday. Immigrant advocates and human rights experts quickly denounced the policy change as illegal and violating the rights of refugees.

U.S. judge rejects claim lawyer arranged contact between 'El Chapo,' wife

The judge presiding over the U.S. trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Thursday rejected an accusation by prosecutors that one of Guzman's lawyers had facilitated unauthorized contact between the accused Mexican drug lord and his wife, Emma Coronel. Prosecutors made the claim in a filing late last month after a court security officer saw Coronel using a cell phone in the Brooklyn courtroom where her husband is on trial. Only lawyers are allowed cell phones in the courtroom.

U.S. to send some migrants back to Mexico as immigration cases proceed: Nielsen

The United States will soon begin returning individuals who illegally cross the U.S. southern border back to Mexico to wait there while their immigration cases proceed, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Thursday. The policy change is part of the Trump administration's efforts to tighten U.S. immigration laws to let in fewer immigrants seeking to enter both legally and illegally.

Nine U.S. states seek to stop Trump administration's Atlantic oil testing

Attorneys general from nine U.S. states sued the Trump administration on Thursday to stop future seismic tests for oil and gas deposits off the East Coast, joining a lawsuit from environmentalists concerned the tests harm whales and dolphins. Seismic testing uses air gun blasts to map out what resources lie beneath the ocean. Conservationists say the testing, a precursor to oil drilling, can disorient marine animals that rely on fine-tuned hearing to navigate and find food. The tests lead to beachings of an endangered species, the North Atlantic right whale, they say.

USOC prized winning over athlete safety: congressional report

The U.S. Olympic community prioritized "medals and money" over the safety of its athletes, creating a culture that contributed to widespread instances of sexual abuse, according to a congressional report released on Thursday. The report comes after more than 350 women testified that former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar abused them during his tenure, crimes for which he is now serving an effective life sentence.

Spurned by Congress, Trump administration seeks food stamp curbs via rule change

The Trump administration said on Thursday it aims to tighten food stamp restrictions for some able-bodied Americans through a proposed rule change it says would save billions of dollars, after efforts to do so through Congress failed. The proposal drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers who argue food stamps provide a crucial safety net to the poor. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides free food to some 40 million Americans, or about 12 percent of the total U.S. population.

North Carolina NAACP sues to stop Republican-backed voter ID law

North Carolina's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against a voter identification law enacted a day earlier by the state's lame-duck Republican-dominated legislature. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in North Carolina under the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which govern the conditions under which people are defined as citizens and allowed to vote, according to the civil rights organization.

Congress approves criminal justice bill backed by Trump

The U.S. Congress on Thursday gave final approval to bipartisan legislation supported by President Donald Trump that would bring sweeping changes to prison sentencing and the treatment of inmates during incarceration and following their release. By a vote of 358-36, the House of Representatives passed the bill that was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Tuesday. It now goes to the White House for enacting into law.

(With inputs from Reuters)