US Domestic News Roundup: Biden and Putin set to talk about Ukraine in video call on Tuesday; Parents of Michigan school shooting suspect plead not guilty to manslaughter charges and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden and Putin set to talk about Ukraine in video call on Tuesday

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a video call on Tuesday, with the two leaders set to discuss the tense situation in Ukraine. "Biden will underscore U.S. concerns with Russian military activities on the border with Ukraine and reaffirm the United States' support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.

Parents of Michigan school shooting suspect plead not guilty to manslaughter charges

A Michigan judge set bail at $500,000 each for the parents of a teenager accused of murdering four fellow high school students with a weapon the couple bought him as a Christmas gift, after authorities arrested them on Saturday following a manhunt. Appearing by videolink from jail for their arraignment, James and Jennifer Crumbley both pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter.

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.

Trump's social media venture says it has raised $1 billion

Donald Trump's new social media venture said on Saturday it had entered into agreements to raise about $1 billion from a group of unidentified investors as it prepares to float in the U.S. stock market. The capital raise, details of which were first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, underscored the former U.S. president's ability to attract strong financial backing thanks to his personal and political brand. He is working to launch a social media app called TRUTH Social that is at least several weeks away.

U.S. congressman posts family Christmas picture with guns, days after school shooting

(Note language in penultimate paragraph) A U.S. congressman on Saturday posted a Christmas picture of himself and what appeared to be his family, smiling and posing with an assortment of guns, just days after four teenagers were killed in a shooting at a Michigan high school.

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.

CNN fires anchor Chris Cuomo over role in brother ex-governor's sex scandal

CNN fired news anchor Chris Cuomo, the network announced on Saturday, after "additional information" came to light during an investigation into his efforts to help his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, deal with allegations of sexual misconduct. Cuomo, who hosted CNN's most-watched prime-time news show, had been suspended on Tuesday. He had admitted in May that he had broken some of the cable news network's rules in advising his brother how to handle the allegations from a public relations perspective.

COVID cases found on Norwegian Cruise ship returning to New Orleans

A cruise ship set to dock in New Orleans with over 3,000 passengers has detected 10 cases of COVID-19 among its crew and guests, the Louisiana Department of Health said late on Saturday. The cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway, owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, departed New Orleans on a weeklong cruise on Nov. 28 and had stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico, the health agency said.

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.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)