Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Former Minnesota policeman convicted in fatal shooting of Australian woman

A former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty on Tuesday of murder for fatally shooting Australian woman from his patrol car while responding to her 2017 report of a possible sex assault near her home. Mohamed Noor, 33, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond outside her home near Minneapolis, in an incident that drew international criticism including from Australia's prime minister, who called the incident "shocking." Florida man imprisoned for trafficking girl, 14, via Backpage.com

A former middle school teacher who admitted paying for sex with a 14-year-old girl who was trafficked on Backpage.com has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said on Tuesday, in the latest criminal case stemming from the now-shuttered site. Backpage.com was the dominant Internet marketplace for buying and selling sex in the United States before federal authorities seized it in April 2018 as part of an investigation into human trafficking and child prostitution. New Mexico opens state migrant shelter, criticizes federal inaction

New Mexico's state fairgrounds will begin to house migrant families to take pressure off border cities facing a surge in asylum seekers with no help from the federal government, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said on Tuesday. Dormitories at state-run Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque will provide temporary accommodation to several dozen migrants, becoming one of the largest migrant shelters in the state, said a joint statement from the governor and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, both Democrats. Rights groups challenge warrantless cellphone searches at U.S. border

U.S. officials at ports of entry improperly contend they are entitled to confiscate and search travelers' cellphones and other devices without warrants to enforce laws that cover more than customs and immigration, according to a court filing by civil rights groups on Tuesday. According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, top immigration and customs officials take the position that they have broad investigative authority. Massachusetts says Wynn Resorts can retain gaming license with fine, other conditions

Massachusetts gaming regulators said on Tuesday that Wynn Resorts Ltd can retain its gaming license needed to run a $2.6 billion casino built outside of Boston with a fine and license conditions. The watchdog said it would impose a $35 million fine on Wynn and a $500,000 fine on Chief Executive Officer Matthew Maddox, in addition to a series of license conditions, including an independent monitor to oversee the company's adherence to policies. Charges filed in deadly California synagogue shooting

The 19-year-old accused gunman in a deadly California synagogue shooting is due in a San Diego court on Tuesday for arraignment in Saturday's attack, with officials adding a hate crime to his offenses. John Earnest faces one count of murder, with a hate crime added as a special circumstance, as well as three counts of attempted murder and one count of arson, the San Diego District Attorney's Office said on Monday. Two dead, four injured in shooting at University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Two people were killed and four others wounded - two with life-threatening injuries - in a shooting on Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, according to the Mecklenburg Emergency Management Services Agency. Local media reported that a suspect believed to be a student at the school was taken into custody. Five ways Trump's moves to stem asylum seekers have hit hurdles

Grappling with a ballooning number of mostly Central American families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump has suggested increasingly bold steps to limit protections for this group and stem their entry into the United States. Yet many of his administration's ideas have been hindered by legal, practical and political obstacles. Trade war and sagging prices push U.S. family farmers to leave the field

Shuffling across his frozen fields, farmer Jim Taphorn hunched his shoulders against the wind and squinted at the auctioneer standing next to his tractors.After a fifth harvest with low grain prices, made worse last fall by the U.S.-China trade war, the 68-year-old and his family were calling it quits. Farming also was taking a physical toll on him, he said; he'd suffered a heart attack 15 months before. It took less than four hours to sell off all the tractors, combines and other farm equipment at the Taphorn retirement sale, ending a family tradition that had survived nearly a century. Trump directs officials to toughen asylum rules

U.S. President Donald Trump directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers on Monday, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved. The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States. Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will likely take months.