US Domestic News Roundup: Trump election investigation in Georgia headed to grand jury next week; Hunter special counsel will cast shadow over Biden 2024 campaign and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump election investigation in Georgia headed to grand jury next week

A Georgia prosecutor probing whether Donald Trump and his allies illegally sought to overturn the state's 2020 election results is expected to seek an indictment from a grand jury next week. Two witnesses who previously received subpoenas confirmed on Saturday that they have been told to appear before a grand jury in Atlanta on Tuesday, the clearest indication yet that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will lay out her case to the jury after more than two years of investigating.

Hunter special counsel will cast shadow over Biden 2024 campaign

The appointment on Friday of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden ensures that the criminal probe of the president’s son will cast a long shadow over his father’s reelection campaign. Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss' new role as special counsel, announced on Friday, may force President Joe Biden to deal with unpleasant headlines and distract him and his campaign when he would prefer to talk about the economy or signature legislation as he campaigns for the 2024 presidential election, according to senior Democrats.

Maui wildfires deadliest in century as death toll hits 93

The death toll from the Maui wildfires in Hawaii reached 93 on Saturday, according to the Maui County website, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, with the total likely to rise as cadaver dogs sift through the ruins of Lahaina. The scale of the damage came into sharper focus four days after a fast-moving blaze leveled the historic resort town, obliterating buildings and melting cars.

Gun laws or second amendment is a 'false choice,' Harris says in Chicago

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris jumped into another divisive American issue ahead of the 2024 re-election campaign on Friday, vowing support for activists trying to end gun violence and accusing gun law opponents of "hypocrisy." Harris, who has embraced a more combative role as President Joe Biden's re-election campaign kicks into gear, took a swipe at Republicans who have blocked Democrats' proposed gun safety laws, saying such changes are no threat to Americans' constitutional gun rights.

Analysis-Trump heading for Republican 'coronation' as 2024 rivals struggle to stop him

As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flipped pork chops in front of the cameras at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, a plane appeared in the broiling blue sky. It was Donald Trump's Boeing 757 private jet. It circled the fairgrounds, and thousands in the crowd looked up and went wild, cheering for the Republican former president.

Hollywood writers to evaluate counterproposal from studios

The union representing striking Hollywood writers said on Friday it had received a counterproposal from the studios that it would consider, an apparent sign of progress in the more than 100-day-old strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) said it would respond next week "after deliberation" on the offer from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of companies including Walt Disney and Netflix.

Trump swoops into Iowa Fair to scramble DeSantis' effort to reboot campaign

Republican presidential rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis were holding competing events in the early nominating state of Iowa on Saturday, at a time when the former president overwhelmingly dominates opinion polls and the Florida governor is scrambling to reset his troubled campaign. DeSantis, who has had two staff shake-ups in the past three weeks and is sinking in the polls, had long planned to attend the Iowa State Fair, a political must for aspiring presidential candidates in the state that kicks off the Republican nominating contest in January.

Who is David Weiss, US special counsel in the Hunter Biden case?

Prosecutor David Weiss has spent years probing allegations involving President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. Now as a U.S. special counsel, he will have a chance to dig deeper while facing intense scrutiny from the president's opponents. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss, the Delaware U.S. attorney, to the special counsel job on Friday, two weeks after a federal judge held off accepting Weiss's deal to let Hunter Biden plead guilty to failing to pay taxes and unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs.

Exclusive-Biden taps Jackson for economic adviser, signals focus on education

U.S. President Joe Biden is tapping C. Kirabo Jackson, a labor economist whose research advocates robust public spending on schools, to fill out his three-member Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), according to a White House official. The selection suggests public education will be a key area of focus for Biden's brain-trust ahead of a 2024 re-election bid expected to turn on the strength of the economy. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

Exclusive-DeSantis and his backers paid $95,000 to Iowa religious leader’s group, documents show

As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scrambles to shore up his struggling run for the Republican presidential nomination, he has spent far more than any rival on courting an influential Christian conservative leader and his following in the key early voting state of Iowa. Trailing far behind former President Donald Trump in national polls and beset by turmoil in his campaign, DeSantis and his advisers are spending heavily in Iowa in hopes of stalling Trump’s momentum by beating him in the state’s caucuses on Jan. 15, where Republicans begin to choose their next presidential nominee. The state’s influential evangelical voting base is crucial to that strategy.