US Domestic News Roundup: Trump attacks on congresswomen; Illinois jury to hear arguments of Chinese student

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

No federal charges for New York policeman in 2014 'I can't breathe' death

The New York police officer who put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold during an attempted 2014 arrest, fueling the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, will not face federal criminal charges, Brooklyn's top federal prosecutor said on Tuesday. Garner's death on a sidewalk during an arrest for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes, and his gasped final words "I can't breathe" caught on bystander video, played a key role in the rise of the movement decrying excessive use of force by police officers against black men and teenagers in the United States.

Trump tells Republicans not show 'weakness' over his attacks on congresswomen

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pressured fellow Republicans not to back House Democrats' resolution to condemn his repeated attacks on four minority congresswomen, saying he was not a racist and tying the issue to his 2020 re-election bid. "Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show 'weakness' and fall into their trap," Trump tweeted.

U.S. judge expected to put Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' behind bars for life

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Mexican drug lord found guilty of running a murderous criminal enterprise that smuggled tons of drugs into the United States, is scheduled to be sentenced by a U.S. judge on Wednesday in what is likely one of the last chapters in a decades-long career. The sentencing hearing in a federal court in Brooklyn is expected to feature a statement from someone who survived a murder plot led by Guzman, prosecutors have said. The person's name has not been made public.

Former tenant charged in killing of Louisiana civil rights activist

A former tenant of a Baton Rouge civil rights activist has been arrested and charged with her murder, police in the Louisiana capital said on Tuesday. Baton Rouge detectives arrested Ron Jermaine Bell in the killing of Sadie Roberts-Joseph, 75, whose body was found stuffed in the trunk of her car on Friday afternoon, Police Chief Murphy Paul told a news conference.

Illinois jury to hear sentencing arguments in gruesome slaying of Chinese student

A jury that convicted an Illinois man in the kidnapping and gruesome murder of a Chinese graduate student will soon begin deliberations about whether Brendt Christensen will spend the rest of his life in prison or be put to death. Closing arguments in the sentencing phase of Christensen's trial will begin on Wednesday.

Man who threatened to bomb Harvard ceremony for black students faces sentencing

An Arizona man faces sentencing on Wednesday after admitting he made online threats to bomb Harvard University and shoot students at its first commencement ceremony for African-Americans, saying he wanted to "end their pro-black agenda." Federal prosecutors in Boston plan to seek an 18-month prison term for Nicholas Zuckerman, 25, who pleaded guilty in February to charges related to comments he posted on Harvard's Instagram account in May 2017.

Retired U.S. Justice John Paul Stevens dies, leaving liberal legacy

Former Justice John Paul Stevens, a Republican appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court who later became an outspoken leader of the liberal wing as the court moved to the right, died on Tuesday at age 99. Stevens, who retired from the court in 2010 at the age of 90, died at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, of complications from a stroke he suffered on Monday, a statement issued by the Supreme Court said.

Republican support for Trump rises after racially charged tweets: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Support for U.S. President Donald Trump increased slightly among Republicans after he lashed out on Twitter over the weekend in a racially charged attack on four minority Democratic congresswomen, a Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll shows. The national survey, conducted on Monday and Tuesday after Trump told the lawmakers they should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," showed his net approval among members of his Republican Party rose by 5 percentage points to 72%, compared with a similar poll that ran last week.

Jeffrey Epstein's treatment is 'worse' because of his wealth, his lawyers say

Prosecutors have singled out Jeffrey Epstein for harsher treatment than other defendants because he is rich, lawyers for the American financier claimed on Tuesday in arguing that Epstein should be freed while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors say Epstein, 66, should be denied bail because there are no conditions under which a man with his money and international connections could be prevented from fleeing the country if he was released.

Head of Planned Parenthood groups departs, cites differences over abortion

The leader of reproductive services provider Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its political arm said on Tuesday that she was leaving both organizations over philosophical differences in their approaches to abortion rights. Dr. Leana Wen, the first physician in nearly 50 years to lead the federation and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said she took the job last September intending to advocate for a broad range of public health policies, not just abortion.

Also Read: UPDATE 6-U.S. won't charge NY police officers in 2014 'I can't breathe' death

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