US Domestic News Roundup: Hurricane Michael, elections, Harvard bias, Trump-Mattis

Minnesota's attorney general on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing drug manufacturers Sanofi SA, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co of deceptively raising prices for insulin

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

'Treason' remark stirs hotly contested Senate race in Arizona

Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally accused her opponent in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Arizona, Democratic U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema, of "being OK with treason" as the two faced off in their only debate. McSally has increasingly focused on Sinema's past as an antiwar protester and progressive activist to get an edge ahead of the Nov. 6 elections.

Nevada brothel owner, dubbed 'Trump from Pahrump,' dies: sheriff

The brothel-owning, evangelical Christian-backed Republican Nevada state legislature candidate who nicknamed himself the "Trump from Pahrump," died on Tuesday, a local sheriff's office said. Dennis Hof, 72, styled himself as America's best-known pimp, a strip-club owner who ran multiple brothels. His political rise reflected fundamental changes in electoral norms that have roiled the Republican Party and upended American politics during the era of President Donald Trump.

Harvard accused of bias against Asian-Americans at trial

Harvard University discriminates against Asian-American applicants in order to limit how many it admits, a lawyer for a group suing the school said on Monday at the start of a trial that could have wider implications for the role of race in U.S. college admissions. The trial in federal court in Boston pits the Ivy League school against Students for Fair Admissions, which was founded by an anti-affirmative action activist and whose case is backed by the Trump administration.

Trump tells Mattis he is 100 per cent behind him after 'Democrat' jab

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said President Donald Trump has reassured him of his full support after the Republican president described his Pentagon chief as "sort of a Democrat" who could leave the administration. Mattis, speaking to reporters before landing in Vietnam on Tuesday, said he received the reassurance from Trump in a phone call during his nearly 20-hour flight from Washington.

Record $667 million U.S. Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs

Six little-numbered balls on Tuesday night could yield someone a fortune, as a record $667 million U.S. Mega Millions jackpot goes up for grabs. The new jackpot, which eclipses the previous high of $656 million, follows an 11-week winless streak for the top prize of the Mega Millions lottery. Tickets for the lottery are sold for $2 each in kiosks, supermarkets and gas stations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

Senior FBI official improperly accepted gifts from reporter: report

An unnamed senior official at the FBI improperly accepted tickets to professional sporting events from a reporter and later misled investigators when confronted about it, the Justice Department's internal watchdog said on Tuesday. The FBI official, who resigned from the agency during the probe, initially told the inspector general's office under oath that the official had paid for the tickets, but later admitted that was not so.

Judge dismisses Stormy Daniels defamation lawsuit against Trump

A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed adult film actress Stormy Daniels's defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump and ordered her to pay his attorney's fees, saying a tweet the president had written referring to her was protected by free-speech laws. Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said they would appeal the decision.

Minnesota accuses insulin makers of deceptive drug pricing

Minnesota's attorney general on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing drug manufacturers Sanofi SA, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co of deceptively raising prices for insulin. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson took aim at the companies after the list price for some insulin products more than tripled since 2002.

Heated U.S. congressional races on pace to break fundraising records

This year's U.S. congressional campaign season is on pace to break fundraising records, driven in part by unprecedented hauls by at least five candidates from both major parties, according to a Reuters analysis of campaign finance disclosures. Candidates for the House of Representatives have collectively raised $1.2 billion from January 2017 through the end of September, more than the inflation-adjusted $1 billion records set at this point in the 2010 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Rescuers in Florida Panhandle search for missing people, bodies after hurricane

Rescue workers and volunteers searched for more than 1,000 people still missing in the Florida Panhandle and tens of thousands of residents remained without power on Tuesday after the area was devastated by Hurricane Michael last week. At least 19 deaths in four states have been blamed on Michael which made landfall on Wednesday and is one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the continental United States.

(With inputs from Reuters)