US News Roundup: Bound Brook fire; Trump to halt civilian drone program and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

New York Hanukkah machete attack suspect to face federal hate crime charges

The man accused of stabbing at least five people in a machete rampage at the home of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration is due to face federal hate crime charges in White Plains, New York, on Monday. A federal grand jury indicted Grafton Thomas, 37, late last week with additional counts of hate crimes for the Dec. 28 stabbing of members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Monsey, New York, bringing the number of federal charges he faces to 10.

Massive fire in New Jersey leaves thousands without power: U.S. media

A massive fire engulfed many buildings in Bound Brook, New Jersey, late on Sunday, causing more than 100 residents to be evacuated and leaving around 3,000 people without power, local authorities and U.S. media said. There were no reported deaths or casualties in the fire, which started in a building and then spread to a residential complex under construction, a store and at least two houses, according to the New York Times.

Trump to halt civilian drone program over China tech concerns: FT

The U.S. government is planning to permanently halt its civilian drone program due to the devices being made at least partly in China, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The U.S. Department of the Interior is considering halting about 1,000 drones after deciding that the risk of the drones being used by Beijing for spying was too high, the FT report said, citing two people briefed on the plans. https://on.ft.com/3a4NuZe

Jury selection in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial enters second week

Jury selection in the high-profile rape trial of Harvey Weinstein is expected to enter its second week Monday, as the judge and lawyers in the case choose a panel of 12 impartial New Yorkers to decide the former movie producer's fate. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women, and faces life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault. His trial began Jan. 6 and could last up to two months.

Democrat Klobuchar on diversity and taking on Trump in the 2020 presidential race

Democratic presidential contender Amy Klobuchar is banking on a strong showing in Iowa's first-in-the-nation nominating contest on Feb. 3 to jump-start her path to the party's nomination. The moderate U.S. senator from Minnesota, who is polling in fifth place with Iowa voters, squeezed three town halls and a 10-hour side trip to early voting state Nevada into 32 hours over the weekend as she raced to raise her profile.

Desperate to defeat Trump, Democrats grapple with 'electability'

Kristen Marttila braved sub-freezing temperatures on Saturday to knock on doors in Mason City, Iowa, trying to convince voters to cast their lot with Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren in the state's nominating contest on Feb. 3. Time after time, Marttila said, she heard the same message: People loved the senator from Massachusetts but were concerned her liberal stances would not draw enough broad support to defeat U.S. President Donald Trump in November.

Four dead, flights canceled, power knocked out as winter storms hit the U.S.

At least four people died, more than 1,000 flights were canceled in Chicago, hundreds more across the Central Plains and Northeast, and thousands were without power in parts of seven states, as a massive winter storm dumped snow, freezing rain and hail from Texas to Michigan on Saturday. Hurricane-force wind gusts, golf-ball-sized hail and between 2-to-5 inches (5-13 cm)of snow fell on Friday night and early Saturday as the storms pushed from Texas, the Southeast and up to Great Lakes and into Maine, forecasters with the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Relatives of massacre victims torn over future in Mexico as most flee

Two months after tragedy struck, beefed-up security has helped calm the holdout residents of a tight-knit community of U.S.-Mexican families of Mormon origin. But with only a few families staying put, at least one village is being hollowed out. The gangland ambush by cartel gunmen in November on a dusty road in northern Mexico left three mothers and six children dead, their charred vehicles riddled with bullets, and a once-strong faith deeply shaken in the picturesque hamlets the families have called home for generations.

Trump impeachment trial fight for Bolton testimony echoes Monica Lewinsky

John Bolton meet Monica Lewinsky. Twenty-one years ago former White House intern Lewinsky was at the center of a tug-of-war over whether she would testify in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.

Warren, Sanders campaigns spar in rare show of discord between progressive Democratic contenders

A rare sign of discord emerged on Sunday between progressive Democratic presidential contenders Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders over a report that Sanders' campaign volunteers had called her a candidate of the elite in conversations with voters. "I was disappointed to hear that Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me," Warren told reporters after a campaign event in Marshalltown, Iowa, which will hold the nation's first nominating contest on Feb. 3.