US Domestic News Roundup: Border patrol chief defends agents in child deaths; Lion kills young worker at North Carolina wildlife sanctuary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Cyber attack hits U.S. newspaper distribution

A cyber attack caused major printing and delivery disruptions on Saturday at the Los Angeles Times and other major U.S. newspapers, including ones owned by Tribune Publishing Co such as the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun. The cyber attack appeared to originate outside the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.

New Year's Eve party in Times Square to cheer for press freedom

Reporters will be the guests of honor at the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square on Monday, in what organizers said was a celebration of press freedom after an unusually deadly year for journalists at U.S. news outlets. Two attacks in particular weighed on organizers as they discussed in autumn whom to give the honor of initiating the ceremonial ball drop just before midnight, according to Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.

Border patrol chief defends agents in child deaths

The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Sunday defended his agents' handling of two sick children who died in their custody, saying they did everything they could to get medical help for them in difficult circumstances. The deaths have intensified the debate over U.S. immigration policy as President Donald Trump holds onto his demand that lawmakers give him $5 billion to fund a wall along the border with Mexico.

Lion kills young worker at North Carolina wildlife sanctuary

A lion at a North Carolina private wildlife sanctuary fatally mauled a 22-year-old worker on Sunday before being shot and killed by local law enforcement, officials said. The sheriff's office in Caswell County, North Carolina, said Alexandra Black, who started her job as an intern at the facility two weeks ago, was part of a team doing routine cleaning of an enclosure when she was attacked, local media reported.

Republican Senator Graham says Trump receptive to shutdown deal idea

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday he was optimistic that Republicans, Democrats and President Donald Trump could reach a deal to end a government shutdown that includes border wall funding and legal status for some illegal immigrants. Graham, a Republican, told reporters after meeting Trump for lunch at the White House that Trump was receptive to Graham's idea of a deal that might provide work permits to so-called Dreamers, people brought illegally to the United States as children, in exchange for money for physical border barriers.

Colorado man charged with murder in missing mother case

A Colorado man was charged on Monday with the murder of his fiance, who was reported missing in November and is now presumed dead. Patrick Frazee, 32, was charged in Teller County District Court with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder stemming from the disappearance and presumed killing of Kelsey Berreth, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Dan May said in a text message.

Oregon hotel fires two employees who called police on black guest

A Hilton hotel in Portland, Oregon fired a security guard and a manager after a black guest captured them on video calling the police to report him for trespassing after he had been speaking to his mother by phone in the lobby, the hotel said on Saturday. Police responded to the call and escorted Jermaine Massey out of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, where he was staying, on Dec. 22, a law firm representing Massey said in a statement. His attorneys said Massey was doing nothing more than "calling his mother while black."

New Jersey clinic sued after HIV infection warning

A former patient has filed the first lawsuit against a New Jersey surgery center that may have exposed nearly 3,800 patients to HIV and hepatitis due to poor sterilization and medication practices. The HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook recently told the patients that a state probe of its facilities found "lapses in infection control" and "the injection of medications" could have exposed them to the diseases.

New York's Times Square gears up for soggy New Year's Eve

Hundreds of tourists, some wrapped in raincoats, clustered in a rainy Times Square on Monday afternoon to await the midnight descent of the illuminated ball that has marked the arrival of the new year in New York City for more than a century. Christina Aguilera, New Kids on the Block and Sting were among the musical performers slated to entertain throngs filling the streets ahead of the ball drop, the focal point of New Year's Eve celebrations across the United States. Steady rain was forecast in New York City into the new year.