Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Yet they and others affected by the attack that killed three people and wounded 264 more disagree about whether convicted bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be executed - a question the U.S. Supreme Court will consider on Wednesday when the justices hear the U.S. government's bid to reinstate his death sentence. In hospital with COVID, conservative Texan running for governor condemns vaccine mandates Conservative firebrand and Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West was receiving care for COVID-19 in a hospital on Sunday, he said on Twitter, noting that his experience with the illness had strengthened his opposition to vaccine mandates.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Pelosi meets pope as abortion debate rages back home

Pope Francis met on Saturday with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who has come under criticism from some bishops in the United States for her support for abortion rights. Their meeting took place several weeks before Joe Biden is expected to meet the pope while the U.S. president is in Rome for talks between leaders of the Group of 20 major economies.

Boston Marathon bombing victims split on death penalty in U.S. Supreme Court case

Liz Norden and Mikey Borgard both suffered when two bombs exploded at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, sending shrapnel through a crowd of hundreds of people. Norden's two adult sons lost their right legs. Borgard sustained hearing loss and a brain injury. Yet they and others affected by the attack that killed three people and wounded 264 more disagree about whether convicted bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be executed - a question the U.S. Supreme Court will consider on Wednesday when the justices hear the U.S. government's bid to reinstate his death sentence.

In hospital with COVID, conservative Texan running for governor condemns vaccine mandates

Conservative firebrand and Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West was receiving care for COVID-19 in a hospital on Sunday, he said on Twitter, noting that his experience with the illness had strengthened his opposition to vaccine mandates. West, 60, served as chairman of the Republican Party of Texas for less than a year before stepping down in June https://www.reuters.com/world/us/conservative-firebrand-west-resigns-texas-republican-leader-2021-06-04. He has opposed vaccine mandates and is not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to his Twitter page.

Winds delay Blue Origin's space launch with Shatner

Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin said on Sunday it had pushed this week's launch target of its New Shepard vehicle to Wednesday, delaying "Star Trek" actor William Shatner's sojourn to the edge of space by a day. "Due to forecasted winds on Tuesday, October 12, Blue Origin's mission operations team has made the decision to delay the launch of NS-18 and is now targeting Wednesday, October 13," the company said in a statement.

U.S. will not pursue charges against police officer over Jacob Blake shooting

The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it will not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer for his involvement in the August 2020 shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake, who is Black, was shot by police several times in the back in front of his young children and was left paralyzed from the waist down. The incident sparked days of deadly protests against police brutality and racism in his hometown and across the United States.

U.S. Navy engineer, wife charged with selling submarine secrets

A U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been charged with selling secret information about nuclear submarines to an undercover FBI agent who posed as an operative for a foreign country, the Justice Department said on Sunday. Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana, were arrested on Saturday in West Virginia and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act, the Justice Department said in a statement. They are scheduled to appear in a West Virginia federal court on Tuesday.

Two wealthy dads convicted in first U.S. college admissions scandal trial

Two wealthy fathers who were the first to face trial in the U.S. college admissions scandal were convicted on Friday of charges that they corruptly tried to buy their children's way into elite universities as phony athletic recruits. A federal jury in Boston found former casino executive Gamal Aziz and private equity firm founder John Wilson guilty on all charges they faced in a case centered on a vast, nationwide fraud and bribery scheme that involved many other parents.

Earthquake of magnitude 6.2 strikes south of Hawaii Island –USGS

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck south of the island of Hawaii on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning afterward and no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake was at a depth of 22 miles (35 km) and was centered south of Naalehu, the USGS said in an updated report.