US Domestic News Roundup: Weinstein found guilty of sexual assault rape; Judge delays Arkema criminal trial and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Weinstein found guilty of sexual assault, rape, in victory for #MeToo movement

Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted of sexual assault and rape in a New York court on Monday and taken off to jail in handcuffs, a victory for the #MeToo movement that inspired women to publicly accuse powerful men of misconduct. Once one of Hollywood's most influential producers, Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a onetime aspiring actress, in 2013.

Judge delays Arkema criminal trial, citing withheld evidence

A district judge on Monday delayed opening arguments for a criminal trial accusing a U.S. arm of French chemicals company Arkema SA and its executives for their role in toxic fires following a 2017 hurricane after prosecution lawyers failed to disclose certain evidence. Arkema Inc, Chief Executive Richard Rowe, and the former manager of the Crosby, Texas, plant, Leslie Comardelle, face criminal charges for recklessly releasing toxic emissions as organic peroxides burned during flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

Ex-University of Texas tennis coach gets six months prison for admissions scam

The former men's tennis head coach of the University of Texas at Austin was sentenced on Monday to six months in prison after admitting he accepted $100,000 in bribes as part of a vast U.S. college admissions fraud scheme. Michael Center, 55, is the second coach to be sentenced for his role in a high-profile college admissions scandal in which wealthy parents sought to help their children gain admission to universities through bribery and entrance exam cheating.

With $1.5 trillion childcare plan, Sanders floats another big campaign pledge

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday proposed spending $1.5 trillion over 10 years to create universal child care and early education system, to be funded by taxing the wealthiest Americans. The proposal is the latest by the frontrunner Democratic candidate that would vastly expand America's social welfare system as he seeks the nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November election.

'D.C. Sniper' Malvo can seek parole after change in Virginia law

Lee Boyd Malvo, who was 17 when he took part in the deadly 2002 "D.C. Sniper" shooting spree in the Washington area, will get a chance to seek parole in Virginia following a change in state law enacted on Monday, preempting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the matter. The change, signed by Democratic Governor Ralph Northam, allows people like Malvo, now 35, who were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for offenses committed before age 18 to ask for release after 20 years.

Trump 'gag rule' on abortion referral can be enforced, U.S. appeals court rules

A sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday said the Trump administration may enforce a rule labeled by critics as a "gag rule" that could deprive abortion providers of federal funding for family planning. In a 7-4 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling last June by a unanimous three-judge panel to lift injunctions won by California, Oregon, and Washington against the rule, which deprives clinics that provide abortion referrals of Title X family planning funds.

New U.S. rules for airline pilots seek to reduce errors

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday issued new rules aimed at improving pilot performance and preventing errors in the cockpit that could lead to crashes. The new requirements are aimed at boosting pilot professional development and ensuring that pilots adhere to all standard operating procedures, including performing only essential duties during critical phases of flight, including all take-offs and landings.

Actor Smollett pleads not guilty to new Chicago hoax charges; seeks stay, dismissal

Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court on Monday to renewed felony charges that he made false reports to police about being attacked in a hate crime that he is accused of staging in a bid to advance his career. The new charges emerged after a five-month investigation by a court-appointed special prosecutor who overruled a decision by the state's attorney's office last year to dismiss the original case.

Trump administration weighs emergency funds to combat coronavirus

The Trump administration is considering asking lawmakers for emergency funding to ramp up its response to the fast-spreading coronavirus, a White House spokesman said on Monday without providing details. "We need some funding here to make sure that we ... protect all Americans, that we keep us safe," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox News Channel.

U.S. Supreme Court to hear religious fight over same-sex foster care

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a major religious rights dispute involving the city of Philadelphia's refusal to place children for foster care with a Catholic agency that bars same-sex couples from serving as foster parents. The justices will take up an appeal by Catholic Social Services, an arm of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that accused the city of violating the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion. A lower court ruled in 2018 that the religious views of the organization did not entitle it to an exemption from the city's anti-discrimination policies.

(With inputs from agencies.)