US News Roundup: Trump halts support for Yucca Mountain; Five killed in Alaska and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Blue-collar boom? College grads, baby boomers big winners in Trump's economy

U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out an eye-catching statistic in his State of the Union address Tuesday: the wealth held by the poorest half of American households increased three times as fast as the wealth held by the "1%" since he became president. That's true, according to Federal Reserve data.

Trump halts support for Yucca Mountain, Nevada nuclear waste dump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he opposes the long-delayed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada, reversing his policy on a project on which the United States has spent billions of dollars over decades but never opened. Republican Trump's past three budgets have called for the licensing process of Yucca to restart with $116 million proposed last year in the 2020 budget, and $120 million in each of the previous years.

Accused El Paso mass shooter charged with 90 counts of federal hate crimes

A Texas man accused of deliberately targeting people of Mexican heritage in a shooting rampage that killed 22 people at an El Paso Walmart store last year was charged on Thursday on 90 counts of federal hate crimes. The charges against Patrick Crusius, 21, included 22 counts under the U.S. classification of hate crimes - violence with an added element of bias - resulting in death, for which he could face the death penalty.

The U.S. moves ahead on development plans for Utah monuments Trump shrank

The U.S. Interior Department on Thursday finalized land use plans for two Utah national monuments that President Donald Trump shrank soon after taking office, a move environmental groups said would leave cultural sites vulnerable to destruction and boost development in pristine wilderness. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proceeded with the plans despite pending litigation challenging the 2017 proclamation by Trump that slashed the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.

New Hampshire living rooms essential stop on the campaign trail

The road to victory in New Hampshire’s critical Democratic primary on Tuesday may run through the living rooms of people like Gerri and Ron King. On a recent weekend, the couple baked berry souffle and roasted a ham as they welcomed friends and strangers to their Concord home to hear from Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick.

Trump administration limits New Yorkers' access to travel passes

The Trump administration has restricted New Yorkers' access to several programs that allow faster security checks when they enter the United States, widening a dispute over a New York state law limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) outraged New York residents who utilize the programs - or hoped to - and raised concerns in the travel industry and trucking sector that rely on expedited checks on the U.S.-Canada border and at airports.

Five killed in Alaska commuter air crash

Five people were killed on Thursday when a commuter aircraft crashed in rural southwestern Alaska, killing all aboard, officials said. The plane, a Piper PA32, crashed "under unknown circumstances," Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an email.

Pimco ex-CEO faces prison in U.S. college admissions bribery scheme

The former head of asset management firm Pimco faces two years in prison if prosecutors get their way when he is sentenced on Friday for his part in a scheme in which privileged parents paid bribes to get their children into U.S. colleges. Douglas Hodge, who prosecutors called among "the most culpable" of 35 parents charged, would become the 15th person to be sentenced since the nationwide cheating scandal came to light last March.

Coach tells U.S. jury he never wanted Michael Avenatti to hold Nike press conference

The youth basketball coach who hired Michael Avenatti to represent him in negotiations with Nike Inc said at the celebrity lawyer's extortion trial on Thursday he became "very, very upset" upon learning that Avenatti planned to publicize his corruption accusations against the sports apparel company. Testifying for the prosecution in Manhattan federal court, Gary Franklin also said he did not realize Avenatti had been angling to run an internal probe at Nike, in the course of representing him. The coach said his hope was Nike itself would expose its corrupt employees.

Texas executes man accused of killing five family members

Texas on Thursday executed a man who was convicted for shooting and killing his 29-year-old wife and his two daughters, as well as his father-in-law and sister-in-law, shortly after a smoking crack in 2002. Abel Ochoa, 47, was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead at the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6:48 p.m. CST, 17 years after a jury found him guilty of capital murder, according to a statement by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

(With inputs from agencies.)