US Domestic News Roundup: Three fell to deaths in apparent murder-suicide; U.S. aviation regulator proposes tracking most drones and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Boston mother, her two young children fell to their deaths in apparent murder-suicide

A mother found dead with her two young children on a Boston sidewalk outside a high-rise parking garage apparently pushed or threw the youngsters from the roof of the structure before leaping to her own death, authorities said on Thursday. The Christmas Day deaths of Erin Pascal, aged 40, her 4-year-old daughter, Allison, and her 16-month-old son, Andrew, are under investigation as a double-murder and suicide, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins told reporters.

U.S. aviation regulator proposes tracking most drones

The top U.S. aviation regulator on Thursday proposed a rule that would allow for remote tracking of most drones in U.S airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, said the proposed rule would require all drones operating in the United States to be compliant within three years.

Prosecutors claim Avenatti was over $15 million in debt during alleged Nike extortion

California attorney Michael Avenatti, known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump, was more than $15 million in debt when he allegedly tried to extort as much as $25 million from Nike Inc, U.S. prosecutors claimed. "Specifically, the Government presently estimates that the defendant's debts at that time were, conservatively, in excess of $15 million," prosecutors said in a filing late on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Falling redwood kills hiker in California park on Christmas Eve

A Minnesota man visiting Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco was killed by a falling redwood tree during a Christmas Eve hike with his sister and her boyfriend, the sheriff's department and local media reported on Thursday. The victim, identified as Subharadeep Dutta, 28, from the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, was pronounced dead by emergency personnel arriving at the scene early Tuesday evening, about a half-hour after the tree collapsed, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Explosion at Kansas aircraft plant injures 15 people

At least 15 people were injured on Friday after a liquid nitrogen line exploded at a Textron Aviation plant near Wichita, Kansas, potentially setting back the launch of a new aircraft under development, county and company officials said. Emergency medical services took 11 people to the hospital, one of them suffering potentially serious injuries, Dr. John Gallagher, director of Sedgwick County EMS, told a news conference.

U.S. appeals court voids 'shockingly low' 17-year sentence in NY terrorism case

A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ordered the resentencing of a Staten Island, New York man for attempting to provide material support to Islamic State and kill an FBI agent, saying his 17-year prison term was "shockingly low." The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Fareed Mumuni's trial judge abused her discretion in imposing a term that was 80% below the 85 years recommended by federal guidelines, and even below the 18-year term for co-defendant Munther Omar Saleh, who was not accused of attempted murder.

Veteran U.S. political and economics journalist William Greider dies

Veteran journalist William Greider, who wrote and reported on politics and economics for The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and The Nation, among several other prestigious names in U.S. media, has died at the age of 83, his former editor said. The Nation's editorial director Katrina Vanden Heuvel said on Twitter http://bit.ly/37baQdy that Greider died on Christmas Day. His son said his death was caused by complications of congestive heart failure.

Exclusive: FBI investigating British socialite and others who 'facilitated' Epstein

The FBI is investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and several other people linked to U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation. They said a principal focus of the FBI's investigation is Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, and other "people who facilitated" Epstein's allegedly illegal behavior.

Record online sales give U.S. holiday shopping season a boost: report

U.S. shoppers spent more online during this year's holiday shopping season, a report by Mastercard Inc showed on Wednesday, with e-commerce sales hitting a record high. The holiday shopping season is a crucial period for retailers and can account for up to 40% of annual sales. But this year, Thanksgiving, which traditionally starts the U.S. holiday shopping period, was on Nov. 28, nearly a week later than last year's Nov. 22, leaving retailers with six fewer days to drive sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wreckage found of Hawaii tour helicopter reported missing with seven aboard

The wreckage of a Hawaii sightseeing helicopter that went missing with seven people aboard was located on Friday on the island of Kauai, a day after contact with the chopper was lost during its tour of the famed Na Pali Coast, police said. The crash site of the aircraft, flown by Kauai-based tour operator Safari Helicopters, was confirmed in the area of Koke's State Park, near Waimea Canyon, in the northwestern corner of the island, the Kauai police department said on Facebook.