US Domestic News Roundup: New York Mayor Eric Adams accused of sexual assault in 1993; Biden administration defends West Point's race-conscious admissions policy and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden's clean energy agenda faces mounting headwinds

Canceled offshore wind projects, imperiled solar factories, fading demand for electric vehicles. A year after passage of the largest climate change legislation in U.S. history, meant to touch off a boom in American clean energy development, economic realities are fraying President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Train derailment, chemical spill disrupt Thanksgiving for Kentucky town

A train derailment that spilled molten sulfur in a remote area of eastern Kentucky on the eve of Thanksgiving disrupted holiday plans for local residents on Thursday, some of whom were forced to evacuate after the incident. The derailment occurred north of Livingston, a town of about 200 people, and involved 16 cars, including two carrying molten sulfur that spilled some of their load.

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on edge over war in Gaza

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday with heightened security measures in place and tensions running high over the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, potentially casting a shadow over a normally joyous holiday. War in the Middle East has prompted officials to take extra precautions at airports and shopping malls across the United States and along the route of New York's signature Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Biden administration defends West Point's race-conscious admissions policy

The Biden administration on Wednesday urged a federal judge to reject a legal challenge to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's consideration of race in admissions, saying that Army diversity was "integral to ensuring national security." The U.S. Department of Justice in a brief argued the military academy's affirmative-action policies remain valid even after the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision striking down race-conscious admissions policies long used by colleges to boost enrollment of Black, Hispanic and other minority students.

New York Mayor Eric Adams accused of sexual assault in 1993

A woman on Wednesday accused New York Mayor Eric Adams of sexual assault and other offenses in a court filing, alleging they occurred in 1993 while both of them worked for the city of New York. A spokesperson for Adams denied the claim and said the mayor does not know the accuser and does not recall meeting her.

Police still probing cause of fiery car crash at US-Canada border

U.S. police said on Thursday they were still investigating a fiery crash on the bridge linking New York state and Ontario, Canada that sparked a security scare prompting closure of four U.S.-Canadian border crossings on Wednesday. The Niagara Falls Police Department's Crash Management Unit has taken over investigation of the incident, which was determined by U.S. federal agencies, including the FBI, not to have been a terrorist event.

US thwarted plot to kill Sikh separatist in America

United States authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved, a senior Biden administration official said. The U.S. is treating the plot with utmost seriousness and has raised the issue with the Indian government "at the senior-most levels," the White House said on Wednesday.

Biden shares pies for Thanksgiving, expresses hope about hostage release

President Joe Biden delivered pumpkin pies to firefighters on Thursday to celebrate the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and expressed hope about a pending hostage release in the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Biden, who is vacationing with his family on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, has spent part of his time here speaking to foreign leaders about the war.

Actor Jamie Foxx accused of sexual abuse in New York lawsuit

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in New York City on Wednesday that alleges he groped a woman at a rooftop bar and restaurant in Manhattan in August 2015. The plaintiff, identified in the complaint only as Jane Doe, said the assault occurred in a secluded corner of the Catch NYC rooftop lounge after she and a friend had approached the film star and had their pictures taken with him.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of 1991 sexual assault in second suit

Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a university student in 1991 in a lawsuit filed in a New York court on Thursday, the second suit of its kind filed against the hip hop mogul in the past week. The complaint against Combs was among a flurry of lawsuits filed this week against public figures under New York state's Adult Survivors Act, ahead of the expiry of a special one-year window for such complaints. The law allows such lawsuits to be filed in court even if the statute of limitations have run out.

(With inputs from agencies.)