US Domestic News Roundup: Amid historic drought, California expected to approve $140 million desalination plant; 'Stop the steal' supporters train thousands of U.S. poll observers and more

"He really wants to return to his homeland, he yearns for his family, for his mother," Antonov said in a short video posted by the Russian embassy on the Telegram messaging app. With time running out, U.S. Capitol riot panel keeps focus on Trump The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters promised to present new evidence on Thursday during what could be its last chance to convince Americans the former president played a central role in the attempt to overturn his election defeat.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Amid historic drought, California expected to approve $140 million desalination plant

A $140 million desalination plant is expected to be approved by California regulators on Thursday as the U.S. state contends with how to convert ocean water into drinking water amid the worst drought in 1,200 years. Just five months ago, the Coastal Commission by an 11-0 vote rejected a privately owned plant that would have been 10 times the size of the proposed South Coast Water District's Doheny Ocean Desalination Project in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles.

'Stop the steal' supporters train thousands of U.S. poll observers

Inside the El Paso County clerk's office in Colorado, where officials had gathered in July to recount votes in a Republican nominating contest for this year's midterms, dozens of angry election watchers pounded on the windows, at times yelling at workers and recording them with cell phones. In the hallway a group prayed for "evil to descend" on the "election team," said the county's Republican clerk Chuck Broerman. "It's astonishing to me to hear something like that." The election watchers had showed up to observe a five-day recount of votes for four Republican candidates who claimed the primary was fraudulent in a contest where they faced other Republicans.

Former Trump employee tells FBI Trump ordered Mar-a-Lago boxes to be moved -report

A former employee of Donald Trump has told federal agents the former president asked for boxes of records to be moved within his Florida residence after receiving a government subpoena demanding their return, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The testimony of the key witness, coupled with surveillance footage the Justice Department also obtained, represent some of the strongest known evidence to date of possible obstruction of justice by the former Republican president.

Two officers dead, one injured in shooting, Connecticut police say

Two police officers were killed and another wounded in a shooting overnight in Bristol, Connecticut, state police said. Connecticut State Police did not provide details of the shooting in a series of Twitter posts, only to say that it would hold a press conference later on Thursday about the incident.

Russian envoy to U.S. says he visited convicted arms dealer Bout in prison

Russia's ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said early on Thursday he had visited Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States and linked to a possible swap for two U.S. citizens imprisoned by Moscow. "He really wants to return to his homeland, he yearns for his family, for his mother," Antonov said in a short video posted by the Russian embassy on the Telegram messaging app.

With time running out, U.S. Capitol riot panel keeps focus on Trump

The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters promised to present new evidence on Thursday during what could be its last chance to convince Americans the former president played a central role in the attempt to overturn his election defeat. There will be no live witness testimony at the panel's ninth public hearing this year, but the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee plans to present video evidence from witnesses who have not been seen at its prior hearings, and information from thousands of documents obtained from the Secret Service.

Biden's national security plan takes aim at China, Russia

The White House rolled out a long-delayed national security strategy on Wednesday that seeks to contain China's rise while reemphasizing the importance of working with allies to tackle challenges confronting democratic nations. The 48-page document, which was delayed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, includes no major shifts in thinking and introduces no major new foreign policy doctrines. Instead, it highlights the view that U.S. leadership is the key to overcoming global threats like climate change and the rise of authoritarianism.

Alex Jones must pay Sandy Hook families nearly $1 billion for hoax claims, jury says

Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay at least $965 million in damages to numerous families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting for falsely claiming they were actors who faked the tragedy, a Connecticut jury said on Wednesday. The verdict, which came after three weeks of testimony in a state court in Waterbury, Connecticut, far outstripped the $49 million Jones was ordered to pay in August by a Texas jury in a similar case brought by two other Sandy Hook parents.

Google approves Trump's Truth Social for Play Store

Alphabet Inc's Google has approved former U.S. President Donald Trump's social media app Truth Social for distribution in the Google Play Store, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which operates Truth Social, is expected to make the app available in the Play Store shortly, Google said.

Firearms were stashed in hotel room before U.S. Capitol riot, Oath Keeper trial hears

A recruit of the far-right Oath Keepers group displayed for a jury on Wednesday the AR-15 assault-style rifle he said was among a large stash of firearms cases he saw in a hotel room the day before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Terry Cummings, a Florida resident and former member of the U.S. military, was testifying in the trial of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four others. The defendants are accused of plotting to use force to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory in a failed bid to keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

(With inputs from agencies.)