Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Houston Ship Channel reopens to vessel traffic following tanker collision

The Houston Ship Channel was reopened with restrictions to shipping on Sunday as emergency officials worked to clear the channel following a collision between a tanker and two barges containing gasoline. About 9,000 gallons of gasoline spilled into the Houston Ship Channel near Bayport, Texas, following a collision on Friday between Genesis River, a 755-foot (230-m) tanker, and a Kirby Inland Marine tug boat towing two barges, each containing about 25,000 gallons of gasoline. Actress Felicity Huffman to plead guilty to U.S. college cheating scam

Actress Felicity Huffman is due to plead guilty on Monday to paying to have someone cheat on her daughter's behalf on a college entrance exam, part of a wide-ranging scandal in which wealthy parents used bribery and fraud to secure their children spots at prominent U.S. universities. The onetime star of the television series "Desperate Housewives" is set to plead guilty in Boston federal court to a conspiracy charge for paying $15,000 to have someone secretly correct her daughter's SAT college entrance exam answers. Man arrested in deadly attacks on Appalachian trail hikers in Virginia

A man accused of attacking hikers with a machete on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, killing one person and severely injuring another, has been arrested on murder and assault charges, federal and state authorities said on Sunday. The suspect, James Jordan, 30, from the Cape Cod town of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, was taken into custody early on Saturday on a portion of the trail that runs through Wythe County, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, officials said. Pentagon eyes longer-term support on U.S.-Mexico border

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Shanahan traveled to McAllen, Texas, to meet with officials and visit a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station, two days after the White House announced Trump's intention to nominate the former Boeing Co executive as defense secretary. Defective fuel tube caused September F-35 crash in South Carolina: report

A failed fuel tube caused the first crash of an F-35 jet in September of last year, U.S. government investigators said in a report issued this week. "An investigation determined a manufacturing defect caused an engine fuel tube to rupture during flight, resulting in a loss of power to the engine," the Government Accountability Office said in a report issued this week. Exclusive: Philip Morris suspends social media campaign after Reuters exposes young 'influencers'

Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc has suspended a global social media marketing campaign in response to Reuters inquiries into the company’s use of young online personalities to sell its new "heated tobacco" device, including a 21-year-old woman in Russia. The company's internal "marketing standards" prohibit it from promoting tobacco products with youth-oriented celebrities or "models who are or appear to be under the age of 25." Connecticut man faces up to 140 years in prison for threatening to kill Trump, others

A Connecticut man has been indicted after prosecutors say he threatened to kill U.S. President Donald Trump and sent others bomb threats and mail containing suspicious white powder, according to court documents. Gary Gravelle, 51, was indicted on 16 counts, including that he threatened the president in September 2018 by sending an envelope containing white powder and the handwritten message "You Die." Alleged New York sex cult portrayed leader as 'some kind of god' -witness

An alleged New York sex cult shielded its founder from new recruits, building the man up as a genius of unparalleled insight whose followers came to view him as "some kind of god," according to a 12-year veteran of the group. The longtime member, filmmaker Mark Vicente, is due to resume testifying on Monday at the criminal trial of Keith Raniere, whom federal prosecutors have accused of using his organization Nxivm to facilitate sex trafficking and child pornography. U.S. states accuse Teva, other drugmakers, of price-fixing: lawsuit

U.S. states filed a lawsuit accusing Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc of orchestrating a sweeping scheme with 19 other drug companies to inflate drug prices - sometimes by more than 1,000% - and stifle competition for generic drugs, state prosecutors said on Saturday. Soaring drug prices from both branded and generic manufacturers have sparked outrage and investigations in the United States. The criticism has come from across the political spectrum, from President Donald Trump, a Republican, to progressive Democrats including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for president. Years after chokehold death, New York police officer's disciplinary trial to begin

The disciplinary trial of the New York City police officer who put Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, in a fatal chokehold will begin on Monday, nearly five years after widely seen video of the death sparked a national outcry about policing tactics. Daniel Pantaleo, who is white, could be fired after the conclusion of what is expected to be a 10-day trial at the New York Police Department's headquarters in Manhattan. The ultimate decision will rest with New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill.