US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. aviation regulator proposes tracking most drones and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

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.

Federal judge denies bid to restore 98,000 voters in U.S. state of Georgia

A federal judge on Friday denied an attempt to restore about 98,000 voters in Georgia to the U.S. state's electoral rolls after they were removed earlier this month upon being classified as "inactive". Lead plaintiff Fair Fight Action, a voting rights nonprofit, did not establish that the Georgia secretary of state's decision to cancel the voter registrations had violated the constitution, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones said in the ruling.

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.

Democrat Warren's U.S. presidential campaign issues fundraising plea

Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign told supporters on Friday its fundraising haul stands at just over $17 million and made a plea for more donations with just days left in the fourth quarter. The figure was a sharp drop from the previous quarter and accompanied the progressive Democrats' slight slide in opinion polls in recent weeks in the Democratic contest to face Republican Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.

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.

Remains of 6 recovered from Hawaii helicopter crash, no sign of survivors

Teams combing the wreckage of a Hawaii sightseeing helicopter that crashed on Kauai island found no sign of survivors on Friday and recovered six sets of human remains before suspending the search due to bad weather, police and fire officials said. The grim announcement came in a news conference almost 24 hours after the aircraft, first reported missing on Thursday evening, went down in a remote area of rugged terrain near the end of a tour flight over the island's famed Na Pali Coast.