US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. to evacuate Americans from cruise ship; Trump takes a limousine lap before Daytona and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 17-02-2020 05:51 IST | Created: 17-02-2020 05:25 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. to evacuate Americans from cruise ship; Trump takes a limousine lap before Daytona and more
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Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. to evacuate Americans from cruise ship quarantined at Japan port

The United States said on Saturday it will send aircraft to Japan to bring back American passengers on the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess, where the most coronavirus infections outside China have occurred. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said in a letter on Saturday to passengers that chartered aircraft would arrive in Japan on Sunday evening and that it recommended "out of an abundance of caution" that U.S. citizens disembark and return home for further monitoring.

Trump takes a limousine lap before Daytona 500 auto race

President Donald Trump took a loop around the Daytona 500 racetrack on Sunday in the presidential limousine known as "The Beast," drawing cheers from fans at NASCAR'S most prestigious race. Ramping up his nationwide re-election effort after his acquittal in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial, Trump served as the grand marshal at the annual National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing event, which takes place in the electoral swing state of Florida.

'Disown them:' Biden criticizes Sanders for supporters' online attacks

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday criticized the conduct of online supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders, saying his rival for the Democratic nomination for president has "some accountability." Biden, in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," waded into a spat between Sanders supporters and leaders of The Culinary Union, a powerful labor group in Nevada that has been critical of the senator's healthcare proposals. Nevada holds the next nominating contest in the Democratic presidential primary.

New York police charge 14-year-old with murder of college student

New York police announced the arrest of a 14-year-old boy on Saturday who they said fatally stabbed a teenage woman during a brutal Manhattan robbery two months ago that stunned the city where crime rates have been in a decades-long decline. The boy, Rashaun Weaver, was taken into custody without incident on Friday night, police said, following the arrest in December of a 13-year-old boy in connection with the murder of Tessa Majors, 18, a student at Barnard College.

Former DOJ officials call on Attorney General Barr to resign

More than 1,000 former U.S. Justice Department officials on Sunday called for Attorney General William Barr to resign over his handling of the trial of a longtime adviser of President Donald Trump. The former officials, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, criticized Barr, the country's top law enforcement officer, for overruling his own prosecutors in a case that has prompted accusations that the Trump administration is weakening the rule of law.

Mississippi braces for floods as Pearl River hits 37-year high water mark

Mississippi urged thousands of people in the Pearl River flood plain to evacuate as the river reached its highest level in 37 years near the state capital on Sunday and was not expected to recede for days. Governor Tate Reeves had declared a state of emergency on Saturday as managers of the Ross Barnett Reservoir just upstream from the state capital of Jackson warned they had to start releasing more water into the Pearl River because it had reached capacity.

Democratic rivals tell billionaire Bloomberg: Let's debate

U.S. Democratic presidential candidates said on Sunday billionaire Michael Bloomberg should face the same rigorous scrutiny as his rivals and they would welcome the chance to square off with him in a 2020 presidential debate. Bloomberg, a media mogul, and former New York City mayor have vastly outspent other Democratic candidates in campaign advertisements. He was a late entry into the 2020 race for the nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in November and has not qualified for any presidential debates.

U.S. Border Patrol to send Tactical Unit officers to 'sanctuary cities'

The Trump administration is deploying highly trained officers to boost arrests of unauthorized immigrants in a number of cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, the latest move in a battle against localities that adopt "sanctuary" policies to protect them from deportation. Members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol Tactical Unit will be among the officers deployed to cities to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. They will also be sent to San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, CBP spokesman Lawrence Payne said in a statement on Friday.

New York drops fight against T-Mobile-Sprint merger

New York on Sunday dropped its fight against the $40 billion mergers of U.S. wireless carriers T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp, saying the state would not appeal a judge's approval of the deal. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office would end the court challenge to the 2018 merger agreement between the third- and fourth-largest U.S. wireless carriers.

All-Star MVP Award named in honor of Kobe Bryant

The National Basketball Association All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, league Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday. Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. He was 41.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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