US Domestic News Roundup: Slipping over Mexico border, migrants get the jump on U.S. court ruling; As thaw from Buffalo's deadly blizzard begins, troops check for more victims and more

This latest policy under consideration comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that pandemic-era restrictions, known as Title 42, must stay in place for what could be months as a legal battle over their future plays out. New York officials probe George Santos, congressman-elect with fabricated resume A New York prosecutor's office on Wednesday said it was investigating the conduct of George Santos, a Republican who fabricated much of his resume and life story ahead of his November election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Slipping over Mexico border, migrants get the jump on U.S. court ruling

Even before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday opted to keep in place a measure aimed at deterring border crossings, hundreds of migrants in northern Mexico were taking matters into their own hands to slip into the United States. The contentious pandemic-era measure known as Title 42 had been due to expire on Dec. 21, but last-minute legal stays pitched border policy into limbo and made many migrants decide they had little to lose by crossing anyway.

As thaw from Buffalo's deadly blizzard begins, troops check for more victims

National Guard troops trudged door-to-door on Wednesday looking for winter storm victims who may be unaccounted for in parts of Buffalo hit by prolonged power outages, after a deadly Christmas blizzard that buried New York's second-largest city in blinding snow. The fiercest blizzard to strike western New York in 45 years was part of a wider winter storm front and arctic blast that drove freezing temperatures as far south as the Mexican border for days, leaving scores dead nationwide, including at least 38 in the Buffalo area.

As thaw from Buffalo's deadly blizzard begins, troops check for more victims

National Guard troops trudged door-to-door on Wednesday looking for winter storm victims who may be unaccounted for in parts of Buffalo hit by prolonged power outages, after a deadly Christmas blizzard that buried New York's second-largest city in blinding snow. The fiercest blizzard to strike western New York in 45 years was part of a wider winter storm front and arctic blast that drove freezing temperatures as far south as the Mexican border for days, leaving scores dead nationwide, including at least 38 in the Buffalo area.

Accused Paul Pelosi attacker pleads not guilty to state charges

The Canadian man accused of breaking into the San Francisco home of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and striking her 82-year-old husband, Paul, in the head with a hammer pleaded not guilty to state criminal charges on Wednesday. David Wayne DePape, 42, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and threatening a family member of a public official.

Jamie Raskin, prominent Trump foe in U.S. House, diagnosed with cancer

Jamie Raskin, a Democratic U.S. lawmaker who rose to prominence as he oversaw former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial in the House of Representatives, has been diagnosed with cancer, he said on Wednesday. "After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer," Raskin, 60, said in a statement released by his office.

U.S. plans to expand border expulsions for Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians - sources

The Biden administration is planning to use pandemic-era restrictions to expel many Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants caught at the southwest border back to Mexico, while simultaneously allowing some to enter the United States by air on humanitarian grounds, according to three U.S. officials familiar on the matter. This latest policy under consideration comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that pandemic-era restrictions, known as Title 42, must stay in place for what could be months as a legal battle over their future plays out.

New York officials probe George Santos, congressman-elect with fabricated resume

A New York prosecutor's office on Wednesday said it was investigating the conduct of George Santos, a Republican who fabricated much of his resume and life story ahead of his November election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Anne Donnelly, the district attorney for Nassau County, said the allegations that have surfaced in recent days regarding Santos were serious.

Southwest flight upheaval a 'system failure,' U.S. says

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday ratcheted up pressure on Southwest Airlines, saying thousands more canceled flights indicated a system failure at the low-cost carrier. "We are past the point where they could say this is a weather-driven issue," Buttigieg said in an interview posted by ABC News on its website. "Don't get me wrong, all of this began with that severe storm. We saw winter weather affecting the country and severely disrupting all airlines."

Key architect of Michigan governor kidnapping plot sentenced to over 19 years in prison

A right-wing militia member convicted in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to over 19 years in prison in a U.S. District Court a day after another ringleader had been sentenced to 16 years, prosecutors said. The two sentences were the biggest handed so far in the foiled plot but fell short of the life sentences sought by prosecutors.

U.S. seeks 6 years in prison for college admissions fraud mastermind

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to sentence the mastermind of the largest U.S. college admissions fraud scheme ever uncovered to six years in prison after he helped them secure the convictions of dozens of wealthy parents including Hollywood celebrities. Prosecutors made the recommendation a week before William "Rick" Singer, the college admissions consultant at the center of the "Operation Varsity Blues" investigation, goes before a judge for sentencing after pleading guilty in 2019.

Factbox-Four highlights from testimony released by the Jan. 6 committee

The U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol wrapped up its work with a recommendation that former President Donald Trump be charged with insurrection and conspiracy to commit fraud against the United States. Since the release of its report last week, the committee has made public transcripts of testimony from various witnesses. Here are four key highlights of those transcripts.