US Domestic News Roundup: Suspect in Buffalo grocery shooting that killed 10 expected to plead guilty; Biden to meet with CEOs, union leaders Friday on economy and more

Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in October 2018 by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an operation which U.S. intelligence believed was ordered by Prince Mohammed, who has been the kingdom's de facto ruler for several years. Hakeem Jeffries favored to lead U.S. House Democrats after Pelosi exit U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to step down from her leadership role after her fellow Democrats lost their majority in last week's midterm elections positions Hakeem Jeffries - a liberal congressman from New York - as a likely top contender to lead the party for the next two years.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Suspect in Buffalo grocery shooting that killed 10 expected to plead guilty

The white man accused of killing 10 Black people in a racially motivated shooting spree at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket intends to plead guilty to murder and other charges next week, a lawyer for families of some of the victims said on Thursday. Payton Gendron plans to accept responsibility for all 25 counts contained in a state criminal indictment at a 2 p.m. hearing on Monday in Erie County Court in Buffalo, according to Terrence Connors, an attorney for relatives of seven of the dead and two surviving victims.

Biden to meet with CEOs, union leaders Friday on economy

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with business and labor leaders Friday, including the chief executives of Ford Motor, Kaiser Permanente and Carrier Group and the United Auto Workers union president, a White House official said. The meeting at the White House that will include in-person and virtual attendees includes the presidents of the Service Employees International Union and United Food and Commercial Workers union and will discuss the economy and meeting participants perspectives on the economy "and ideas they have to continue bringing inflation down," the official said.

Biden administration says Saudi prince has immunity in Khashoggi killing lawsuit

The Biden administration ruled on Thursday that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, drawing immediate condemnation from the slain journalist's former fiancee. Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in October 2018 by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an operation which U.S. intelligence believed was ordered by Prince Mohammed, who has been the kingdom's de facto ruler for several years.

Hakeem Jeffries favored to lead U.S. House Democrats after Pelosi exit

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to step down from her leadership role after her fellow Democrats lost their majority in last week's midterm elections positions Hakeem Jeffries - a liberal congressman from New York - as a likely top contender to lead the party for the next two years. Jeffries, 52, would be the first Black House Democratic leader, representing both the party's diverse voter base and bringing a new generation of leadership. Pelosi, the first woman to hold the job of speaker, is 82, and two other members of the party's leadership are in their 80s. House Democrats are scheduled to vote on their leaders on Nov. 30.

Ticketmaster cancels Taylor Swift ticket sales; Congress wants answers

Ticketmaster canceled Friday's planned ticket sales to the general public for Taylor Swift's 2023 U.S. concert tour as 3.5 billion ticket requests from fans, bots and scalpers overwhelmed the website with record demand. Meanwhile, customer complaints mounted over high prices and poor service, and prominent members of the U.S. Congress backed public pleas for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Ticketmaster on antitrust grounds.

Analysis-U.S. House Republican farm bill approach may test Biden hunger, climate goals

U.S. President Joe Biden's pledges to slash emissions from farming and to end American hunger by 2030 may be harder to realize now that Republicans flipped the House of Representatives with a thin majority. Biden's Democrats, who retain control of the Senate, will start negotiating in the coming months with Republican House leaders over a massive farm spending bill passed every five years that funds U.S. public food benefits and farm commodity programs.

Elizabeth Holmes faces sentencing Friday for defrauding Theranos investors

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, whose spectacular rise and fall made her an object of fascination in Silicon Valley and beyond, is expected to be sentenced on Friday in a California federal court for defrauding investors in her now-defunct blood testing startup. A jury in San Jose convicted Holmes, 38, on three counts of investor fraud and one count of conspiracy in January.

U.S. House Speaker Pelosi wraps up long and historic leadership career

Nancy Pelosi is wrapping up a long career of congressional leadership in which she became the only woman to serve in the powerful post of U.S. House of Representatives speaker, showed an ability to pass major legislation, united fractious fellow Democrats and challenged some of the world's most powerful men. Pelosi, an 82-year-old liberal from California, on Thursday announced during a speech on the House floor that she would give up her House leadership role but remain in Congress, representing San Francisco as she has done since 1987.

White House announces $13 billion in funding to modernize power grids

The White House announced through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday $13 billion in new financing for the expansion and modernization of the country's electric grid. President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $10.5 billion to improve power systems against growing threats like extreme weather and climate change, the DOE said, and a further $2.5 billion to help build new transmission lines.

After midterms, relieved U.S. election officials look to 2024 race

Elections officials who had braced for death threats and unrest ahead of the midterms said extensive preparations assured a mostly peaceful and orderly vote even in fiercely contested battlegrounds – inspiring some confidence about conducting a smooth 2024 presidential contest. In Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, officials took a variety of measures to secure the voting process. Some said they moved ballot-processing operations to safer locations; some deployed additional police; others adopted measures to speed counting and to respond to election misinformation in real time to defuse potential threats.

(With inputs from agencies.)