US News Roundup: Bernie Sanders proposes canceling $81 billion U.S. medical debt; Some Florida boat residents to ride out Dorian, hoping for the best

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Bernie Sanders proposes canceling $81 billion U.S. medical debt

U.S. presidential contender Bernie Sanders proposed a plan on Saturday to cancel $81 billion in existing past-due medical debt for Americans, but offered no details on how it would be financed. Sanders, an independent U.S. senator from Vermont, said in a statement that under his plan, the government would negotiate and pay off past-due medical bills that have been reported to credit agencies. The proposal, he said, would also repeal some elements of the 2005 Bankruptcy reform bill and allow other existing and future medical debt to be discharged.

After Dorian takes a turn, central Florida city breathes sigh of relief

After a frantic week in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, residents of Fort Pierce, Florida breathed a bit easier on Saturday when forecasters said the state's central Atlantic Coast may dodge a direct hit from the monster storm. The city, about 60 miles (96 km) north of West Palm Beach, has retained a small-town charm from its roots as a pioneer settlement in the 1800s. Locals shudder to remember the devastation of recent hurricanes that ripped the roofs of residences and flooded the downtown district.

Toddler hit in Texas shooting still wants to 'run around and play,' mother tells governor

A 17-month old toddler shot during a deadly gun rampage in West Texas suffered serious injuries to her mouth, lips and tongue, but still wants to "run around and play," the girl's mother told Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a text message on Sunday. Anderson Davis was among the 22 people wounded in a shooting on Saturday that claimed seven victims' lives, as well as that of the gunman.

Hurricane Dorian hammers Bahamas, forecast to move dangerously close to Florida

Hurricane Dorian crashed into the Bahamas on Sunday as the second strongest Atlantic storm on record and was forecast to move dangerously close to Florida in the next two days, U.S. forecasters said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Dorian made landfall on Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands as a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kph) and gusts of more than 220 mph (354 kph). It made a second landfall on Great Abaco Island near Marsh Harbor and was about 175 miles (280 km) from the Florida coast.

Charleston mass shooting victims can sue U.S. over gun purchase: court

Survivors of a 2015 mass shooting at a South Carolina church can sue the U.S. government over its alleged negligence in allowing Dylann Roof to buy the gun he used to kill nine African-Americans, a federal appeals court said on Friday. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the government was not immune from liability under either the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) or the Brady Act to prevent handgun violence.

U.S. Justice Ginsburg says she is on her way to 'being very well'

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is on the court's liberal wing, told a packed audience Saturday that she was on her way to "being very well" after cancer treatment, and will be prepared when the court's next term begins in October. Ginsburg, 86, who was recently treated for pancreatic cancer, seemed sharp but accepted assistance coming on to the stage and spoke from a sitting position.

Trump says background checks would not have prevented recent gun violence

As the United States grappled with yet another mass shooting event on Sunday, President Donald Trump said that background checks on gun purchasers would not have prevented recent gun violence in the country. A gunman near Odessa, Texas, killed seven and wounded 21 more after fleeing a traffic stop on Saturday. His motives remain unclear.

Some Florida boat residents to ride out Dorian, hoping for the best

Ned and Lisa Keahey were well aware that the second-most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record was heading for them, having watched the weather radar on Sunday at a Florida marina from the boat they have called home for the past 20 years. Even so, the couple had no intention of evacuating their sailboat as the monster Category 5 storm churned westward with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kph).

West Texas gunman killed seven and wounded 22, including toddler

A gunman who went on the rampage with an AR-type rifle in West Texas killed seven people and wounded 22 others, including a toddler who was shot in the face, before he was killed by police, authorities said on Sunday. Police said the second mass shooting in Texas in four weeks began on Saturday afternoon with a routine traffic stop and ended when the suspect, a white male in his 30s, was cornered by officers in the parking lot of a cinema complex.

Also Read: Bernie Sanders proposes $16.3 trillion Green New Deal plan

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