US Domestic News Roundup: Travis King case highlights North Korea's history of citing US racism; Maui's displaced grow anxious as wildfire recovery drags on and more

It was made possible by a surge in solar investment fueled by U.S. President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which helped spark some $110 billion in new clean energy projects since it passed a year ago. Georgia criminal charges: Trump's chances and challenges Donald Trump is likely to claim that his right to free speech and genuine concerns about voter fraud protect him from charges that he pressured Georgia officials to change the results of the 2020 election in his favor.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Travis King case highlights North Korea's history of citing US racism

North Korea's claim on Wednesday that U.S. soldier Travis King fled racism and abuse in America comes as Pyongyang pushes back on Washington's criticism of the North's human rights record. North Korea broke nearly a month of silence on King, who is Black, issuing a state media report that he had confessed to illegally and deliberately entering the North, driven by "ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army" and disillusionment with inequality in U.S. society.

Maui's displaced grow anxious as wildfire recovery drags on

A week after wildfire ravaged the resort town of Lahaina, traumatized Maui residents have grown weary from living off relief supplies while many are kept from inspecting their homes and still left awaiting news about their missing loved one. The inferno killed at least 106 people after racing from grasslands outside town into Lahaina last Tuesday.

Yellen's Las Vegas stop shows Bidenomics can be a tough sell

Daemein Hargrove, 21, recently dropped plans for a four-year college degree to sign up for an apprenticeship program in Las Vegas that he says has given him higher pay, good medical benefits and a pension. It was made possible by a surge in solar investment fueled by U.S. President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which helped spark some $110 billion in new clean energy projects since it passed a year ago.

Georgia criminal charges: Trump's chances and challenges

Donald Trump is likely to claim that his right to free speech and genuine concerns about voter fraud protect him from charges that he pressured Georgia officials to change the results of the 2020 election in his favor. But legal experts say the case appears to be a straightforward fraud prosecution that will turn on whether Trump knowingly broke the law, regardless of whether he believed his actions were justified.

Schumer: Government funding resolution agreement with McCarthy is 'good sign'

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday said he met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy a few weeks ago and agreed to a resolution that could extend current federal government spending for a few months. "We agreed we should do a CR ... where you just extend the existing funding for a few months so we could work this out, and I thought that was a good sign," the chamber's top Democrat told MSNBC, referring to a temporary spending measure known as a continuing resolution.

Trump Georgia indictment: RICO charges could be a double-edged sword

A Georgia state law against racketeering could be a powerful tool in prosecuting Donald Trump, but applying charges traditionally used to take down organized crime risks miring the case in legal and logistical complications. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday charged the Republican former president and 18 associates in a wide-ranging scheme to reverse his 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden.

Highly trained dogs take on mission of finding Hawaii fire victims

A year of intense training to discern the difference between human and animal remains is a must for the specialized search dogs deployed to work on Maui following last week's deadly wildfires. But it also takes a dog born with the particular personality needed for the job to find remains of the missing and help bring closure for anguished families, said Mary Cablk, an expert in detection and systems at the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, who has trained hundreds of canines, designed training programs for handlers and still goes out on dozens of searches a year with her own dogs.

Maui tourism, an economic mainstay, sparks anger amid fire ruin

The incongruous sight of tourists enjoying Maui's tropical beaches while search-and-rescue teams trawl building ruins and waters for victims of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century has outraged some residents. They have vented on social media, posting video of tourists enjoying holiday activities like snorkeling while the death toll in the historic resort town of Lahaina passes 100 and is rising every day.

One year on, Biden still needs to explain his signature clean energy legislation

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday marks the first anniversary of signing his signature clean energy legislation called the Inflation Reduction Act by leading a campaign to better explain to Americans what, exactly, it does. The climate-focused bill provides billions of dollars in tax credits to help consumers buy electric vehicles and companies produce renewable energy, as Biden aims to decarbonize the mighty U.S. power sector. It also helps seniors pay for prescription drugs, expands some elements of Obamacare and asks wealthy Americans and corporations to pick up the tab.

Factbox-Travis King: What happened to other U.S. soldiers who defected to North Korea?

North Korea on Wednesday confirmed it is holding U.S. Army Private Travis King after he crossed the border from South Korea last month while on a tour, but did not elaborate on what his future might hold. State news agency KCNA said during an initial investigation that King confessed to illegally and deliberately crossing the border to escape mistreatment and racism in the army, and wants to stay in North Korea or another country.