US News Roundup: Healthcare in Trump's campaign; Pompeo slams release of 'American Taliban'

Trump campaign views healthcare as a 2020 campaign weapon

U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign believes he can turn Republicans' biggest liability from last year's congressional elections - the debate about the future of healthcare in America - into a winning issue for his reelection. That would have appeared highly unlikely just months ago, when Democrats seized upon the issue of coverage for pre-existing medical conditions to capture control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Harvey Weinstein and accusers reach tentative compensation deal: WSJ

Harvey Weinstein, women who accused him of sexual misconduct, his former film studio's board members and the New York attorney general's office have reached a tentative $44 million deal to resolve lawsuits and compensate alleged victims of the Hollywood producer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people it said were familiar with the matter. The deal, if finalized, would resolve a civil rights lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general's office last year that accuses Weinstein Co's executives and board of failing to protect employees from a hostile work environment and Weinstein's sexual misconduct, the Journal reported.

Pompeo slams release of "American Taliban" as unconscionable: Fox

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the pending release on Thursday of John Walker Lindh, the American captured in 2001 fighting for the Taliban, and said he believed the decision needed to be reviewed. "Unexplainable and unconscionable," Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News. Pompeo said Lindh "still is threatening the United states of America, still committed to the very jihad that he engaged in that killed a great American and a great CIA officer. There's something deeply troubling and wrong about it."

National Spelling Bee drops perfection as a prerequisite to entry

The field of competitors in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee has nearly doubled in recent years, thanks to a program that gives young prodigies an alternative route into an event that has captivated many spell-check-dependent Americans. The bee, which begins on Tuesday in an auditorium outside Washington and ends on Thursday with a live telecast on ESPN, will test the spelling mettle of a record 565 young people, age 7 to 15. It is the second year in a row that the field has topped 500.

Wisconsin man could face life in prison for kidnapping girl, 13, murdering parents

The Wisconsin man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs after murdering her parents and terrifying a rural community will learn on Friday whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Jake Patterson, 21, in March admitted to committing the October killings and abduction in Barron County, Wisconsin. He said he randomly chose Closs after seeing her get on a school bus. His motivations remain a mystery.

Sanders, other U.S. Democratic 2020 candidates back workers in dispute with McDonald's

As a part of a push to increase the minimum wage for American workers, Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator and Democratic presidential candidate, on Thursday waded into a dispute between McDonald's Corp and its employees. Sanders, one of the two dozen Democrats running for the Democratic presidential nomination, held a virtual town hall, taking questions from McDonald's workers in Dallas who protested the company's annual shareholders' meeting.

Pentagon eyes expanding DARPA future warfare research office

The U.S. Department of Defense is close to expanding its legendary future warfare and technology agency DARPA by combining it with the Pentagon office in charge of adapting existing weapons to new uses, people familiar with the plans said. The Defense Applied Research Projects Agency would absorb the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) and centralize more research units under the Pentagon's Chief Technology Officer Michael Griffin.

Death toll from storms lashing central U.S. rises to seven

The latest in a line of destructive storms pounding the central United States killed at least three people as tornadoes raked across Missouri while heavy rain flooded rivers in Oklahoma, authorities said on Thursday. The three deaths and several injuries were recorded in and around Golden City, Missouri, some 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Joplin where a tornado touched down on Wednesday evening, the Missouri Department of Public Safety said on Twitter.

U.S. Senate committee proposes $301 million for military housing reform plan

The Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed $301 million in new funding to enhance housing safety and oversight on U.S. military bases, following Reuters reports documenting squalid conditions in privately run military homes, senior committee staff said Thursday. The funding recommendations, along with dozens of new provisions aimed at improving base housing for thousands of service families, are included in the bipartisan committee markup of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the military budget proposal, which will now be sent to the full U.S. Senate.

Democrats grapple with 'electability' question as white men lead diverse field

Democrats seeking to unseat Republican U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020 will choose from the largest and most diverse set of candidates in history - yet, so far, two older white men are leading the pack. The early dominance of former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, 77, is raising uncomfortable questions about whether Democratic voters think a woman or minority candidate has what it takes to defeat Trump, the likely Republican nominee.