US Domestic News Roundup: Six more U.S. states find Omicron cases, Delta still top U.S. coronavirus threat; Parents of suspected Michigan school shooter, themselves wanted, taken into custody and more

The department's Civil Rights Division since President Joe Biden took office in January also has launched investigations into police practices in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Louisville, Kentucky, following protests in many U.S. cities last year against racism and police brutality. Manslaughter charges against Michigan shooter's parents break new legal ground There is little precedent for the criminal charges against the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan teenager who fatally shot four of his high school classmates with a handgun on Tuesday, but prosecutors may have a strong case, legal experts said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Six more U.S. states find Omicron cases, Delta still top U.S. coronavirus threat

Six more U.S. states confirmed infections of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Friday but the Delta strain likely remains a greater threat as winter sets in and Americans gather for the holidays, experts said. New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Utah each reported their first cases of the Omicron variant on Friday. Missouri was awaiting CDC confirmation of a case involving a St. Louis resident who had recently traveled within the United States.

Parents of suspected Michigan school shooter, themselves wanted, taken into custody

The parents of a Michigan teenager accused of murdering four fellow high school students were taken into custody on Saturday, a day after each was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the campus mass shooting. Authorities began searching for James and Jennifer Crumbley after Oakland County prosecutors announced the charges on Friday, saying the Crumbleys bought the gun for their son as a Christmas present and then ignored warning signs that may have presaged such a massacre.

U.S. government opens civil rights probe into police in New York suburb

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights inquiry into police practices in yet another city, investigating possible systemic abuses in the New York suburb of Mount Vernon and whether officers targeted Black residents, used excessive force, and conducted illegal searches, officials said on Friday. The department's Civil Rights Division since President Joe Biden took office in January also has launched investigations into police practices in Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Louisville, Kentucky, following protests in many U.S. cities last year against racism and police brutality.

Manslaughter charges against Michigan shooter's parents break new legal ground

There is little precedent for the criminal charges against the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan teenager who fatally shot four of his high school classmates with a handgun on Tuesday, but prosecutors may have a strong case, legal experts said. Detroit police said early on Saturday that the parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, had been taken into custody.

Extreme weather, project delays may challenge NY power grid in 2021-2030- operator

New York's power grid could face challenges in the 2021-2030 period, including higher demand spurred by extreme weather and delays in planned projects, the state's power grid operator said on Friday. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), in its comprehensive reliability plan (CRP), also said during normal weather conditions its power system is expected to meet all applicable reliability standards during that period.

Criminal charges possible in 'Rust' movie shooting, prosecutor says

Some of the people who handled guns on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie "Rust" may face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer, the New Mexico district attorney said on Friday. Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement that she had not made any decision yet on charges but that everyone involved "in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected."

Shooter in Colorado rampage that killed 10 deemed unfit to stand trial

A Colorado judge on Friday ruled that a man accused of killing 10 people in a supermarket shooting in March is incompetent to stand trial. Boulder County District Judge Ingrid Bakke made her ruling during a hearing for Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 22, where it was disclosed that two separate court-ordered psychological evaluations had both concluded that he is mentally unfit.

U.S. House panel postpones Trump official's deposition on medical grounds

The U.S. congressional committee probing the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol said the deposition of Jeffrey Clark, a senior Justice Department official under former President Donald Trump, has been postponed due to a medical condition. "Through his attorney, Mr. Clark has informed the Select Committee of a medical condition that precludes his participation in tomorrow's meeting and he has provided ample evidence of his claim," the House of Representatives Select Committee said on Friday, adding it had agreed to postpone the deposition until Dec. 16.

Jurors at Ghislaine Maxwell's trial shown Epstein's massage table, photo of sex toys

A green massage table seized from Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach estate was carried into a Manhattan federal courtroom on Friday, where British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is on trial for her alleged role in the sex abuse of underage girls. Prosecutors have said many of Epstein's encounters with teenagers began as massages before escalating, calling the term "massage" a "ruse" to get girls to touch Epstein.

U.S. State Department phones hacked with Israeli company spyware - sources

Apple Inc iPhones of at least nine U.S. State Department employees were hacked by an unknown assailant using sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, according to four people familiar with the matter. The hacks, which took place in the last several months, hit U.S. officials either based in Uganda or focused on matters concerning the East African country, two of the sources said.

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