US Domestic News Roundup: Some Republicans criticize Trump for meeting with white supremacist; Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano begins eruption, alert level raised - USGS and more

"Both patients have been transported to local area trauma centers with serious injuries," Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said in a press briefing, adding that the two people had suffered hypothermia and orthopedic and trauma-related injuries. U.S. screened 2.56 million air passengers Sunday, highest since 2019 The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.56 million air passengers on Sunday, the highest number since December 2019 and the busiest day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Some Republicans criticize Trump for meeting with white supremacist

Some Republicans on Sunday criticized Donald Trump for dining with white supremacist Nick Fuentes at the former president's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, even as Trump said the encounter was inadvertent. Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson accused Trump of empowering extremism.

Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano begins eruption, alert level raised - USGS

An eruption began in the summit caldera of Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, on Sunday night, the U.S. Geological Service's (USGS) volcanic activity service said. "At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities," the notification said.

China poses increasing threat in military space race, top U.S. general says

Rapid advancements in China's military capabilities pose increasing risks to American supremacy in outer space, the head of the United States military's space wing said on Monday. Nina Armagno, director of staff of the U.S. Space Force, said Beijing had made significant progress in developing military space technology, including in areas such as satellite communications and re-useable spacecraft, which allow countries to rapidly scale up their space programs.

U.S. still talking to Russia about Griner and Whelan release - diplomat

The United States is still talking to Russia about a deal to free jailed Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan but Moscow has not provided a "serious response" to any of its proposals, a senior U.S. diplomat said in comments published on Monday. Elizabeth Rood, the U.S. chargée d'affaires in Moscow, told Russia's state-owned RIA news agency that talks were continuing through the "designated channel".

Cyber Monday set for record sales of $11.2 billion as shoppers wait for discounts

Spending on Cyber Monday, the biggest U.S. online shopping day, is set to hit a record $11.2 billion, according to a report, as discounts on everything from clothes to TVs drive shoppers to click "add to cart" even as stubbornly high inflation persists. The Adobe Analytics report predicts spending on Cyber Monday to rise 5.2% as inflation-weary consumers have been putting off holiday shopping for weeks in the hopes of deep post-Thanksgiving markdowns.

Two rescued from small plane crash near Washington, authorities say

Two seriously injured people trapped inside a small plane that crashed into high-voltage power lines near Washington, D.C. and caused mass outages have been rescued, authorities said early on Monday. "Both patients have been transported to local area trauma centers with serious injuries," Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said in a press briefing, adding that the two people had suffered hypothermia and orthopedic and trauma-related injuries.

U.S. screened 2.56 million air passengers Sunday, highest since 2019

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.56 million air passengers on Sunday, the highest number since December 2019 and the busiest day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number was, however, below the 2.88 million screened on the same day in 2019 at the end of the busy U.S. Thanksgiving travel period.

Cuomo-era New York corruption cases go before U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday is set to consider bids by an ex-aide to Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and a businessman to overturn their bribery and fraud convictions in a pair of cases that could make it harder to pursue public corruption prosecutions. The justices are scheduled to hear arguments in appeals by Joseph Percoco and Louis Ciminelli, who were charged in related cases in 2016 in a corruption crackdown by federal prosecutors in Manhattan centered on the halls of the state capital of Albany.

In Arizona, election deniers refuse to back down

As Arizona counties face a Monday deadline to certify their midterm election results, Republican candidates and activists promoting false theories of voter fraud are refusing to back down. State Senator-elect Jake Hoffman, head of Arizona's Freedom Caucus, a group of largely pro-Trump Republican state lawmakers, told Reuters he will lead an investigation into the state's election when the legislature reconvenes in January.