Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Judge acquits Chicago policemen in conspiracy trial

A judge on Thursday found three Chicago policemen not guilty of conspiring to protect white fellow police officer Jason Van Dyke after he fatally shot a black teenager in 2014 in an incident that helped fuel the "Black Lives Matter" movement. A jury convicted Van Dyke in October of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the shooting of Laquan McDonald, 17.

U.S. separated 'thousands' more immigrant children than known: watchdog

The U.S. government may have separated "thousands" more immigrant children from their parents than previously known but inadequate record-keeping means the exact number is still unclear, an internal watchdog said on Thursday. The Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the agency had identified many more children in addition to the 2,737 included as part of a class action lawsuit challenging family separations brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last year.

Sixteen coal ash pits contaminating Texas groundwater: report

Sixteen coal ash pits in Texas are leaking contaminants into groundwater, including arsenic, boron, cobalt and lithium, according to a report released on Thursday by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP). Coal ash is the residue left after coal has been burned to generate power, and can include sludge from plant exhaust stacks. Coal ash is placed in pits or ponds next to coal power plants.

Ex-mistress of 'El Chapo' says she was 'traumatized' by tunnel escape

A former mistress of accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told jurors in his U.S. trial on Thursday she was "traumatized" after a harrowing 2014 escape from one of his safehouses with Mexican marines in hot pursuit. Testifying for the prosecution in federal court in Brooklyn, Lucero Sanchez Lopez, a onetime local lawmaker in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa, also gave an emotional account of her relationship with Guzman, saying she at times feared for her safety.

Judge blocks Republican-backed Wisconsin early-voting law

A U.S. federal judge in Wisconsin on Thursday blocked a Republican-backed law that would limit early voting across the state to two weeks, finding the new legislation was essentially the same as a previous statute he stopped 2-1/2 years ago. The early-voting bill was part of a package of laws that the Republican-controlled legislature passed during a rare all-night lame-duck session in December, which included measures aimed at curbing the powers of incoming Democratic Governor Tony Evers.

U.S. Army vows to fix 'broken' housing at Fort Meade in wake of Reuters report

The commander of one of the largest Army bases in the United States promised residents to fix a "broken" housing system in which maintenance lapses by a private landlord left military families in homes with health and safety hazards. The garrison commander at Maryland's Fort Meade made the remarks in meetings with residents this month in response to a Reuters report https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-military-developer in December that detailed the problems, which ranged from mold and rodent infestations to flooding, crumbling roofs and ceiling collapses. Many tenants accused the closely held civilian company that runs most housing at Fort Meade, Rhode Island's Corvias Group, of routinely failing to make repairs.

UCLA's perfect 10 gymnast targets domestic violence, body shaming

The UCLA gymnast whose flawless floor routine became a viral video with more than 40 million views by Thursday said she wants to work with domestic violence victims and publish poetry she's written about body shaming and other issues she faced. Katelyn Ohashi, 21, of Seattle, a senior who nailed a perfect 10 at the 2019 Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, California on Saturday, said she hoped her epic gymnastics routine - shared on social media by UCLA Gymnastics on Sunday - conveyed a message of "joy throughout gymnastics."

Teachers' strike tests Los Angeles mayor's White House hopes

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's White House hopes could hang on how he quickly he is able to resolve the city's first teachers' strike in three decades, which disrupted classes for nearly half a million students for a fourth day on Thursday. Although the 47-year-old Democrat does not have direct control over the nation's second-largest school system, he will mediate talks between union and district leaders after days of protests that grabbed nationwide headlines.

Los Angeles teachers strike enters 4th day with talks set to resume

Some 30,000 striking Los Angeles teachers braced for a fourth day of picketing in the rain on Thursday as their union and America's second-largest school district headed for their first bargaining session since talks collapsed last week. In the first teachers strike to hit the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in 30 years, union members are calling for higher pay, smaller classes and the hiring of more support staff. But LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner has said the demands, if fully met, would place too great a strain on the district's budget.

Amtrak canceling trains, cutting service ahead of winter storm

Amtrak, the U.S. national passenger railroad, said on Thursday it will cancel at least 15 trains in the northeast and midwest this weekend because of an impending major winter storm, and reduce operations on other trains. At least five people have died in severe rain and snowstorms that blanketed parts of California and forecasters expect the bitter weather to push eastward into the Rockies and U.S. Midwest through the weekend.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)