US Domestic News Roundup: Machete attack suspect could face death penalty trial; Harvard professor sues NY Times and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

New York Hanukkah machete attack suspect could face potential death penalty trial

The man accused of stabbing at least five people in a machete rampage at the home of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration could face a death penalty trial if one of his alleged victims, still in a coma, dies, a judge said on Monday. Grafton Thomas, 37, appeared in a White Plains, New York, court where he pleaded not guilty to federal 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.

Harvard professor Lessig sues NY Times for 'clickbait defamation' over Jeffrey Epstein story

A prominent Harvard Law School professor sued The New York Times on Monday, claiming it engaged in "clickbait defamation" by falsely suggesting he once approved of accepting donations from the late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lawrence Lessig said the Times published an article headlined "A Harvard Professor Doubles Down: If You Take Epstein's Money, Do It In Secret" last Sept. 14 with reckless disregard for its truth.

Ex-U.S. Treasury employee pleads guilty to leaks linked to Russia probe

A former U.S. Treasury Department employee on Monday pleaded guilty to leaking confidential documents relating to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and others to a reporter from digital media company BuzzFeed. Natalie May Edwards, who was a senior adviser in the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), entered her plea to a single conspiracy charge before U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods in Manhattan.

New Jersey kosher market shooters planned another attack, possibly on Jews: prosecutor

The two people who carried out a fatal gun rampage at a kosher grocery store in northern New Jersey last month were planning another attack and may have targeted Jewish people, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office said on Monday. David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, fatally shot a police officer and then three civilians in a kosher market on Dec. 10 in Jersey City, across the Hudson River from New York City, in what authorities called an act of domestic terrorism.

Model Gigi Hadid shows up for New York jury duty in Weinstein rape trial

More than 100 potential jurors showed up on Monday in a Manhattan courtroom for the rape trial of former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, including model Gigi Hadid. The Weinstein trial entered its second week as the judge and lawyers in the case sought to select a panel of 12 impartial New Yorkers to decide his fate.

U.S. Supreme Court tosses ruling that revived suit against Iran central bank

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a lower court ruling that revived a $1.68 billion lawsuit against Iran's central bank by families of troops killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon in light of a new federal law that could help the plaintiffs recover damages. Though Bank Markazi, as well as banks in Luxembourg and Italy, were contesting the lower court ruling that the families could try to seize Iranian assets held outside the United States, the justices directed a lower court to consider the new law that could give the families access to the funds.

Eight people wounded in stabbing spree in Colorado Springs

A man was taken into custody after stabbing eight people at multiple locations in Colorado Springs on Monday morning in what police said appeared to be a random act of violence. The stabbing spree, which began about 1:30 a.m., took place near walking trails in the Colorado city of 460,000 people, the Colorado Springs Police Department said on its website.

Trump impeachment trial fight for Bolton testimony echoes Monica Lewinsky

John Bolton meets 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.

U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs Sudan bid to limit damages over embassy bombings

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear Sudan's bid to avoid paying $3.8 billion in damages to family members of people killed or injured in al Qaeda's 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania after a lower court found Sudan complicit. Those damages are only a portion of the $10.2 billion a federal judge awarded to the hundreds of plaintiffs who brought several lawsuits in the litigation that began in 2001. The justices declined to take up Sudan's appeal of a federal appeals court ruling allowing damages claims by family members - all non-U.S. citizens - who sought compensation for emotional distress they experienced due to the bombings.

After Florida killings, Saudis withdraw 21 cadets from United States

Saudi Arabia will withdraw 21 cadets receiving military training in the United States following a U.S. investigation into a Saudi officer's fatal shooting of three Americans at a Florida naval base that U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Monday branded an act of terrorism. The Dec. 6 attack further complicated U.S.-Saudi relations at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival. A deputy sheriff shot dead the gunman, Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, in the Pensacola, Florida, incident.