US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. government executes third man this week after 17-year hiatus; In wake of Floyd killing, screening of U.S. police recruits is under focus and more

Trump expected to exclude undocumented migrants from U.S. census President Donald Trump is expected to soon issue an executive order that would ban undocumented immigrants from being included in the 2020 census count of every person living in the United States, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. government executes third man this week after 17-year hiatus

A week that marked the return of capital punishment by the U.S. government after a 17-year hiatus ended on Friday with the third execution of a federal prisoner. Dustin Lee Honken, a convicted murderer, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. EDT (2036 GMT) after an executioner injected him with a powerful barbiturate at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

In wake of Floyd killing, screening of U.S. police recruits is under focus

Amid the national conversation after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May, U.S. police departments will need to take a fresh look at the screening of aspiring officers as an early method for preventing police racism and brutality, law enforcement officials and experts say. To improve the screening process, one former FBI agent is developing a polygraph test specifically aimed at detecting prospective hires who have racist tendencies. Others stress the need to revamp the entire hiring process to weed out those who might use excessive force, especially against Black males.

Trump expected to exclude undocumented migrants from U.S. census

President Donald Trump is expected to soon issue an executive order that would ban undocumented immigrants from being included in the 2020 census count of every person living in the United States, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, had no details of the order.

Three white men charged in killing of an unarmed Black jogger in Georgia plead not guilty

The three white men charged with the murder of a Black jogger in south Georgia pleaded not guilty Friday morning in Chatham County Superior Court, in a case that spurred a national outcry after cellphone video of the shooting appeared on the internet. Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was killed on Feb. 23 just outside the coastal town of Brunswick, became a touchstone in cross-country protests over racial and social justice in the United States.

Georgia governor urges people to wear masks but won't support mandate

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Friday urged all people in his state to wear a mask for four weeks to combat COVID-19 but declined to support mandates to wear masks, saying mandates were unenforceable. "I'm confident Georgians don't need a mask mandate to do the right thing," Kemp, who sued the city of Atlanta on Thursday to stop it from issuing a mask mandate, told a news conference.

U.S. swoops down on Portland protesters after Trump order to protect monuments

Federal law enforcement officers are cracking down on protesters in Portland, Oregon, under the Trump administration’s new executive order to protect U.S. monuments in what the state's Democratic governor has called "political theater." Multiple videos posted online show camouflage-clad officers without clear identification badges using force and unmarked vehicles to transport arrested protesters.

U.S. court rules that California work with Quebec on CO2 market is constitutional

A U.S. federal district court has ruled that California's coordination with Canada's Quebec province in a cap and trade carbon emissions market is constitutional, a blow to the Trump administration made public in a filing late on Friday. In October, the Trump administration sued California for entering a climate agreement with Quebec, saying the state had veered out of its lane in linking with a market in another country and had no right to conduct foreign policy.

U.S. Supreme Court's Ginsburg discloses cancer recurrence at age 87

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at 87 the U.S. Supreme Court's oldest member, said on Friday she is receiving chemotherapy treatment for a recurrence of cancer - the latest in a series of health issues - but indicated no intention to retire. In a statement released by the court, Ginsburg said a periodic scan in February, followed by a biopsy, revealed lesions on her liver and she began chemotherapy on May 19. Oncologists said the information Ginsburg made public about her condition indicates she is experiencing a spread of pancreatic cancer, a serious development.

Biden says more money, planning needed to reopen U.S. schools

Democrat Joe Biden on Friday hammered President Donald Trump's approach to reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting billions more in funding may be needed to educate children safely. A five-part plan released by Biden's campaign argued that children can only return to the classroom after summer recess once more measures are taken to stop the novel coronavirus and prepare schools for the risks.

California governor lays out framework for re-opening schools

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday that schools can start in-person instruction if they are in counties that have not been on the state's monitoring list for 14 days as cases continue to mount in the most populous U.S. state. Newsom also said during a news conference that schools in counties where the 14-day threshold has not been met must remain closed, but can offer remote learning. All schools will require masking, social distancing and regular testing, he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)