Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Official cites 'unlawful' balloting in U.S. congressional vote

A Republican operative directed an unlawful absentee ballot scheme in North Carolina's 9th congressional district and tried to hide the evidence, an election official said on Monday at a hearing that could lead to a new vote in the disputed contest. Republican candidate Mark Harris leads Democratic rival Dan McCready by 905 votes out of 282,717 ballots cast in the November 2018 congressional election. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to step down in March: official

Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. deputy attorney general who appointed a special counsel to investigate possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign, is expected to step down by mid March, a Justice Department official said on Monday. Rosenstein had been expected to depart shortly after new Attorney General William Barr assumed office. Barr was confirmed for the role by the U.S. Senate last week. Exclusive: Air Force to push Congress for military housing tenant bill of rights

Aiming to grant military families far greater say to challenge hazardous housing, the U.S. Air Force told Reuters Monday it will push Congress to enact a tenant bill of rights allowing families the power to withhold rent or break leases to escape unsafe conditions. The proposed measure, outlined in an interview at the Pentagon by Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff David L. Goldfein, follows complaints from military families who say they are often powerless to challenge private industry landlords when they encounter dangerous mold, lead paint and vermin infestations. Sixteen rescued from SeaWorld ride hanging over a California bay

Sixteen people were trapped for about four hours in gondolas hanging over a California bay on a chilly Monday night at SeaWorld San Diego after wind gusts tripped an electric circuit breaker, officials said. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFR) crews lowered the park guests one-at-a-time with ropes and harnesses into boats in Mission Bay and they were assessed by emergency medical workers waiting on the dock, the SDFR said on twitter. Trump's 'relentless attack' on FBI prompted memoir by former official: NPR

Former top FBI official Andrew McCabe decried the "relentless attack" he said U.S. President Donald Trump has launched against the agency, according to released excerpts of an interview with NPR's Morning Edition, to be aired early Monday. "I think the FBI has been under a relentless attack in the last two years," said McCabe, who is promoting his new memoir, "The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terrorism and Trump." U.S. states sue Trump administration in showdown over border wall funds

A coalition of 16 U.S. states led by California sued President Donald Trump and top members of his administration on Monday to block his decision to declare a national emergency to obtain funds for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California came after Trump invoked emergency powers on Friday to help build the wall that was his signature 2016 campaign promise. Leader of U.S. anti-harassment group Time's Up resigns

The president and chief executive of Time's Up, a group dedicated to fighting sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace, has resigned in order to focus on undisclosed family concerns, Time's Up said on Monday. "It is with deep regret that I must resign from Time's Up to address family concerns that require my singular focus," Lisa Borders said in a statement. Presidents Day protests decry Trump's emergency declaration

Activists in Washington, Chicago and dozens of other U.S. cities protested on Monday's Presidents Day holiday against President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency to secure funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Calling Trump's declaration an abuse of power and usurpation of Congress, organizers with the nonprofit advocacy group MoveOn.org and other participants said it was important to let the outrage over the move be heard. U.S. FAA investigates Southwest over baggage weight discrepancies: WSJ

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Southwest Airlines Co for widespread failure to accurately track the combined weight of checked bags loaded onto its jets, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The U.S. aviation safety agency's year-long civil probe found systemic and significant mistakes with employee calculations and luggage-loading practices, resulting in potential discrepancies when pilots compute takeoff weights, the Journal reported, citing government officials and internal agency documents Former Trump adviser Stone apologizes to judge after photo post

President Donald Trump's former adviser Roger Stone apologized on Monday after posting on Instagram a photo of the judge overseeing his trial for allegedly making false statements to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering. The photo of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, which included a symbol that appeared to represent crosshairs, was later taken down.