US News Roundup: Kelly pleads not guilty to sexual assault counts; Biden reverses position on abortion

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

R&B Singer R. Kelly pleads not guilty to new felony sexual assault counts

Singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 new felony counts of sexual assault and abuse at a Chicago court hearing on Thursday after prosecutors expanded an indictment against the Grammy Award winner dogged by abuse allegations for decades. The new counts, unveiled last week in an indictment by a Cook County grand jury, involve alleged abuse of a victim between the ages of 13-16, according to documents posted on the Chicago Sun-Times' website.

Man arrested in alleged Times Square grenade plot to appear in court: media

A man who was arrested in an alleged plot to buy grenades for an attack on Times Square is expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday, local media reported, citing unidentified law enforcement sources. The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested on Thursday after police and federal authorities learned he was inquiring about buying grenades and using them in Times Square, one of the most visited destinations in the United States, the New York Daily News reported.

Colorado school officials consider razing site of Columbine massacre

Public education officials in Colorado are considering a plan to tear down and rebuild Columbine High School, saying the site remains a "source of inspiration" for potential gun violence 20 years after a mass shooting there left 15 people dead. The idea was floated on Thursday in an open letter from the superintendent of Jefferson County public schools, Jason Glass, to Columbine staff, students, parents and members of the surrounding Denver suburb of Littleton, Colorado.

Missouri secretary of state blocks 'heartbeat' abortion law referendum

A move to authorize a referendum over Missouri's recently enacted ban on abortions after the eighth week of pregnancy hit a roadblock on Thursday when the secretary of state rejected petitions filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and others to get the issue to the ballot. The rejection of the petitions by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was immediately challenged by abortion rights advocates, who sued Ashcroft on Thursday for "trying to deprive Missourians of their right to weigh in on the abortion question with a vote," said Tony Rothert, executive director of the ACLU.

Democrats to pour into Iowa for the biggest event yet in 2020 White House race

Nineteen Democratic presidential candidates will swarm Iowa this weekend for the biggest political gathering of the 2020 election cycle so far, as the White House race picks up steam ahead of debates and a key fundraising deadline at the end of the month. The state party's Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday will give voters in Iowa, where the nominating contest kicks off in February, an early chance to compare the contenders and test the organizational power of still-forming campaign teams.

Biden reverses position on federal funding for abortion

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said on Thursday he no longer supported a ban on the use of federal funds for most abortions, reversing course after sharp criticism from abortion-rights proponents. Biden, the front-runner in the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination and a former vice president, said he had changed his long-held position on the Hyde Amendment because the right to an abortion was now under assault in many states and increasingly inaccessible for low-income women.

Unit of drugmaker Insys to plead guilty to U.S. opioid bribe scheme

A unit of Insys Therapeutics Inc is set to plead guilty on Friday to fraud charges as part of a $225 million deal with the U.S. Justice Department resolving claims that the drugmaker bribed doctors to prescribe an addictive opioid medication. The expected plea in federal court in Boston by the Chandler, Arizona-based Insys' operating subsidiary is coming in one of the few criminal prosecutions to date of a corporation accused of helping fuel the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.

Ex-Minnesota policeman faces prison for fatal shooting of Australian woman

A former Minneapolis police officer faces the possibility of stiff prison time when he is sentenced on Friday for the fatal shooting of an Australian woman nearly two years ago after she had called the police to report a possible sexual assault. In April, 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.

House Democrats move towards court action versus Barr, McGahn

The U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee, advancing House Democrats' wide-ranging probes of President Donald Trump, on Thursday unveiled a measure authorizing federal court action to enforce subpoenas issued to Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn over the Mueller report. In a step that would throw another aspect of the widening confrontation between Trump and House Democrats into the courts, the Rules Committee also set the terms for possible court action by other House committees investigating the president.

Beto O'Rourke, a Democratic darling in 2018, struggling on the national stage

Beto O'Rourke, the former Texas congressman who nearly won a U.S. Senate seat last year in the reliably conservative state, is struggling in his White House bid and has lost support from young voters and minorities, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos national poll. The public opinion poll released on Thursday shows support for O'Rourke among registered Democratic and independent voters slipped by 3 percentage points since a May survey to 3% overall.