US Domestic News Roundup: Former U.S. President Trump to make statement on Friday evening; Anti-abortion groups ask U.S. court to pull approval for abortion drugs and more

In Nov. 18 letters to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and other top administration officials, 19 Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee said they need testimony on issues including border security, school board threats and claims of bias within the FBI and Justice Department. Two deaths reported as 'lake-effect' snowstorm paralyzes western New York An early winter "lake effect" storm dumped heavy snows on parts of western New York state on Friday, with at least two deaths reported, travel disrupted and icy powder expected to pile higher through the weekend.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 19-11-2022 18:37 IST | Created: 19-11-2022 18:34 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: Former U.S. President Trump to make statement on Friday evening; Anti-abortion groups ask U.S. court to pull approval for abortion drugs and more
Former US President Donald J Trump (File Image) Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Republicans identify 42 Biden administration officials they want to testify

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday identified 42 employees from Democratic President Joe Biden's White House and administration, who they expect to testify next year after their party takes control of the chamber. In Nov. 18 letters to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and other top administration officials, 19 Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee said they need testimony on issues including border security, school board threats and claims of bias within the FBI and Justice Department.

Two deaths reported as 'lake-effect' snowstorm paralyzes western New York

An early winter "lake effect" storm dumped heavy snows on parts of western New York state on Friday, with at least two deaths reported, travel disrupted and icy powder expected to pile higher through the weekend. The squalls blowing in from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario had dumped 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 meters) or more of snow. Authorities said the deaths appeared to be from heart attacks due to overexertion while clearing snow in hard-hit Erie County.

Former U.S. President Trump to make statement on Friday evening

Donald Trump said he will make a statement at 2030 ET on Friday (0130GMT) after the U.S. Justice Department named a special counsel to oversee its investigations into the former president's handling of sensitive documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Anti-abortion groups ask U.S. court to pull approval for abortion drugs

Anti-abortion groups on Friday filed a lawsuit asking a court to overturn U.S. regulators' approval of the drug mifepristone for medication abortion, which could hobble access to medication abortion nationwide. The lawsuit, filed in Amarillo, Texas, federal court by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lacked authority to approve the drug for abortion when it did so in 2000 and that it failed to study its risks for minors adequately.

Analysis-Taylor Swift ticket snafu turns up regulatory heat on Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster's botched sale of tickets to Taylor Swift's 2023 tour, the megastar's first in five years, has led to calls for the company to be broken up - a proposal that antitrust experts say could find a far more receptive audience than in the past. The U.S. Justice Department, which approved Ticketmaster's much-criticized purchase of Live Nation in 2010, is different than it was 12 years ago. It has proven much more willing to file antitrust lawsuits against giant companies - including the ongoing December 2020 lawsuit against Google - and fight mergers, not all of which it wins.

Rising star Hakeem Jeffries announces bid to lead U.S. House Democrats

U.S. congressman Hakeem Jeffries on Friday formally launched a bid to become the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she was giving up her leadership role. If he wins the Nov. 30 House Democratic leadership election, Jeffries would become the first Black lawmaker to head a party caucus in Congress. Jeffries, at age 52 three decades younger than Pelosi, would embody not only the party's diverse voter base but also a new generation of leadership in the House.

U.S. Justice Dept. names war crimes expert as special counsel for Trump probes

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday named Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor, to serve as special counsel to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Donald Trump including the former president's handling of sensitive documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Garland's announcement came three days after Trump, a Republican, announced he would run for president again in 2024. Garland said Trump's candidacy, as well as Democratic President Biden's stated intention to run for re-election, made the appointment of a special counsel necessary.

How the Biden White House scrambled after Poland missile blast

President Joe Biden has been adamant that the United States will back Ukraine in its nine-month fight to repel a Russian invasion. But he has insisted, "we will not fight the Third World War in Ukraine." So when a missile struck a village in Poland near the Ukraine border on Nov. 15 and there were early claims it was launched by Russia, he and his top team of advisers were jolted into crisis mode. The United States and other NATO nations would be obliged to defend fellow NATO member Poland militarily if it were a Russia attack - a situation that could escalate into the global war most wanted to avoid.

Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for Theranos fraud

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to 11 years and three months in prison for defrauding investors in her now-defunct blood-testing startup that was once valued at $9 billion. In San Jose, California, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentenced Holmes, 38, on three counts of investor fraud and one count of conspiracy after a jury convicted her last January following a trial spanning three months. The prosecution had recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison, while the defense had urged the judge to impose no prison time.

Republican firebrand Boebert wins House re-election after Democrat concedes

U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert, the polarizing Republican who gained national notoriety during her first term with her combative brand of politics, won re-election in a surprisingly close race after her Democratic opponent conceded on Friday. Adam Frisch, a businessman and former city councilman in Aspen, Colorado, said he had called Boebert and conceded the contest, which appears destined for an automatic recount with Boebert leading by fewer than 600 votes out of more than 325,000 cast in the Nov. 8 midterm election.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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