US Domestic News Roundup: 'Hollywood Ripper' sentenced to death for murdering two women in California; New York Governor Cuomo to be deposed in sexual harassment probe -NYT and more

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen on Friday sided with a group of states suing to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, arguing that it was illegally created by former President Barack Obama in 2012. 'Not backed by science:' LA County sheriff will not enforce new mask mandate A new mask mandate in Los Angeles County, set to go into effect at a minute before midnight Saturday and designed to combat the spread of COVID-19, will not be enforced by the county's top lawman or his deputies.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

'Hollywood Ripper' sentenced to death for murdering two women in California

A California judge on Friday sentenced a man nicknamed the "Hollywood Ripper" to death for the home-invasion murders of two women in the early 2000s, one of whom was preparing to go on a date with actor Ashton Kutcher. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler handed down the sentence to Michael Thomas Gargiulo, a 45-year-old former handyman, air conditioner repairman and aspiring actor, who was also dubbed the "Boy Next Door Killer" and the "Chiller Killer" by the media.

New York Governor Cuomo to be deposed in sexual harassment probe -NYT

Investigators for the New York state attorney general's office are expected to take a deposition from Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday as part of a sexual harassment probe, the New York Times reported. Cuomo, 63, had been riding high last year after public praise of his daily news conferences during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. But he then suddenly faced calls to resign following a flurry of accusations of sexual harassment or misconduct and revelations that his administration under-reported nursing home deaths from COVID-19.

Facebook says it should not be blamed for U.S. failing to meet vaccine goals

Facebook on Saturday defended itself against U.S. President Joe Biden's assertion that the social media platform is "killing people" by allowing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines to proliferate, saying the facts tell a different story. "The data shows that 85% of Facebook users in the US have been or want to be vaccinated against COVID-19," Facebook said in a corporate blog post by Guy Rosen, a company vice president. "President Biden’s goal was for 70% of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4. Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed."

Three Texas state Democrats who fled to Washington test positive for COVID

Three members of a delegation of Democratic Texas state lawmakers who fled to Washington D.C. to block passage of a restrictive new Republican-sponsored voting law tested positive for COVID-19, the Texas State House Democratic Caucus said on Saturday. The three Texas House Democratic lawmakers had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but tested positive over the last 24 hours, according to a caucus statement.

Baseball fans scramble after shooting outside Washington Nationals stadium

Some fans and players scrambled for cover at a professional baseball game in Washington on Saturday night as the sound of gunfire filled the stadium, and police later said several people had been shot outside. It was not clear to fans initially if the shooting was inside the complex. Videos of the incident shared on social media showed some fans crowding into the third-base dugout.

Oregon wildfire blazes ahead against army of firefighters

Fed by bone dry timbers, a massive wildfire dubbed the Bootleg blaze raged across an Oregon forest, advancing five miles (8 km) a day against an army of firefighters as it scorched another 39,000 acres (15,783 hectares) on Saturday. Driven by 30-mph wind gusts, by midafternoon it had burned more than 280,000 acres since starting on July 6 - consuming a forested area larger than New York City.

Biden promises to appeal immigration ruling, urges Congress to act

President Joe Biden on Saturday vowed to preserve a program that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children, promising to appeal a judge's "deeply disappointing" ruling invalidating it and urging Congress to provide them a path to citizenship. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen on Friday ruled in favor of a group of states led by Republican-governed Texas that sued to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Hanen concluded that Democratic former President Barack Obama exceeded his powers when he created DACA in 2012 by executive action, bypassing Congress.

U.S. tech companies disappointed with DACA ruling, urge Congress to act

Some U.S. tech companies expressed disappointment with a ruling by a federal judge that blocked new applications to a program that protects immigrants who were brought to the United States as children from deportation. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen on Friday sided with a group of states suing to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, arguing that it was illegally created by former President Barack Obama in 2012.

'Not backed by science:' LA County sheriff will not enforce new mask mandate

A new mask mandate in Los Angeles County, set to go into effect at a minute before midnight Saturday and designed to combat the spread of COVID-19, will not be enforced by the county's top lawman or his deputies. The new mandate from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health requires people to wear masks indoors, even if they are already vaccinated against the disease.

Alaska Supreme Court says recall campaign to oust governor can proceed

Political foes of Alaska's Republican governor have legally sufficient grounds to pursue their campaign to oust him from office through a recall election, the state’s highest court ruled on Friday. The campaign to recall Governor Mike Dunleavy, who has about 17 months left in his term, is legal and may proceed, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled.

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