US Domestic News Roundup: Brittney Griner's return reignites debate about prisoner swaps; U.S. sportswriter Wahl dies suddenly while covering World Cup and more

Bout, who spent 14 years in U.S. jail for arms trafficking, money laundering and conspiring to kill Americans, was swapped on Thursday for the basketball star, jailed this year for bringing cannabis vape oil when arriving to play for a Russian team. Buffalo supermarket shooter seeks plea deal to avoid death penalty The white man who admitted to shooting dead 10 Black people at a western New York grocery store in May would consider pleading guilty to federal charges if prosecutors do not pursue a death sentence, media outlets reported on Friday citing his attorneys.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Brittney Griner's return reignites debate about prisoner swaps

Thursday's release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for a convicted Russian arms dealer has resurfaced an old question: Do prisoner swaps do more harm than good? Amid the celebrations following Griner's return some critics, including members of Congress and federal law enforcement, argued such trades only encourage foreign states to target Americans to gain leverage over the United States.

U.S. sportswriter Wahl dies suddenly while covering World Cup

Well-known U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl died suddenly on Friday after collapsing while covering a match at the World Cup in Qatar, his agent said. U.S. Soccer said it was "heartbroken to learn" of Wahl's death. His wife responded to the U.S. Soccer statement on Twitter, saying she was "in complete shock".

Hawaii volcano alert level lowered to watch - USGS

Lava and volcanic gas emissions at Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, declined on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. As a result, the Observatory downgraded the alert level for the volcano to a watch from the previous level of warning, with lava confined to a small area.

Russian arms dealer says he wished Griner good luck at prisoner exchange

Viktor Bout, the arms dealer freed in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, said he wished her good luck on the tarmac in Abu Dhabi where they were exchanged. Bout, who spent 14 years in U.S. jail for arms trafficking, money laundering and conspiring to kill Americans, was swapped on Thursday for the basketball star, jailed this year for bringing cannabis vape oil when arriving to play for a Russian team.

Buffalo supermarket shooter seeks plea deal to avoid death penalty

The white man who admitted to shooting dead 10 Black people at a western New York grocery store in May would consider pleading guilty to federal charges if prosecutors do not pursue a death sentence, media outlets reported on Friday citing his attorneys. Lawyers for Payton Gendron, 19, moved to seek a plea agreement at a court hearing on Friday, less than two weeks after he pleaded guilty to state charges of murder and domestic terrorism.

Election denier Kari Lake sues Arizona elections officials

Defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake sued Arizona elections officials on Friday to challenge the counting and certification of the November electoral contest and ask to be declared the winner despite a lack of evidence of voter fraud. The suit targets Lake's Democratic opponent, Governor-elect Katie Hobbs, currently Arizona's secretary of state, along with top officials in Maricopa County, according to the filing on Friday with the Maricopa County Superior Court.

NASA's Orion capsule heads for splashdown after Artemis I flight around moon

NASA's uncrewed Orion capsule hurtled through space on Sunday on the final return leg of its voyage around the moon and back, winding up the inaugural mission of the Artemis lunar program 50 years to the day after Apollo's final moon landing. The gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, carrying a simulated crew of three mannequins wired with sensors, was due to parachute into the Pacific at 9:39 a.m. PST (1739 GMT) near Guadalupe Island, off Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

Former Minnesota police officer gets 3-1/2 years in George Floyd case

A former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced on Friday to 3-1/2 years in prison for his involvement in the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died under the knee of another officer in May 2020, triggering nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. The officer, J. Alexander Kueng, pleaded guilty in October to a single state count of aiding and abetting manslaughter.

Kansas residents hold their nose as crews mop up massive U.S. oil spill

Residents near the site of the worst U.S. oil pipeline leak in a decade took the commotion and smell in stride as cleanup crews labored in near-freezing temperatures, and investigators searched for clues to what caused the spill. A heavy odor of oil hung in the air as tractor trailers ferried generators, lighting and ground mats to a muddy site on the outskirts of this farming community, where a breach in the Keystone pipeline discovered on Wednesday spewed 14,000 barrels of oil.

Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, adding drama to tight U.S. Senate margin

U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent, she said on Friday, just days after Democrats won a Senate race in Georgia and secured 51 seats in the 100-member chamber riven by deep political divisions. "Like a lot of Arizonans, I have never fit perfectly in either national party," Sinema said in an article for the Arizona Republic newspaper.