US Domestic News Roundup: US military aircraft crashes in sea off Japan, at least one dead; Senior aide to Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy quits to join Trump and more

The square-off with Newsom, a prominent Biden ally who is widely expected to pursue a future White House bid, will give DeSantis a chance to contrast his conservative vision for the country with the Democrats' more liberal agenda in a preview of 2024 general election debates. Henry Kissinger, American diplomat and Nobel winner, dead at 100 Henry Kissinger, a diplomatic powerhouse whose roles as a national security adviser and secretary of state under two presidents left an indelible mark on U.S. foreign policy and earned him a controversial Nobel Peace Prize, died on Wednesday at age 100.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US military aircraft crashes in sea off Japan, at least one dead

A U.S. military aircraft carrying eight people crashed into the sea in Japan on Wednesday, killing at least one crew member. The U.S. military said the mishap occurred during a routine training mission off the shores of Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km (650 miles) southwest of the capital Tokyo.

Senior aide to Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy quits to join Trump

A senior aide to Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has resigned and joined former President Donald Trump's White House campaign, a Ramaswamy spokesperson said on Wednesday. Brian Swensen, a national political director for Ramaswamy who had been focusing much of his time on the crucial early nominating state of New Hampshire, left the former biotech executive's presidential campaign as it has struggled to gain traction.

Key facts about Henry Kissinger, US diplomat and presidential adviser

Here are some facts on American diplomat Henry Kissinger, who died at age 100 on Wednesday: * He was born Heinz Alfred Kissinger in Furth, a city in Germany's Bavarian region, on May 27, 1923. As an Orthodox Jew, he was bullied by anti-Semites and in 1938 his family joined the exodus from Nazi Germany by moving to New York. He became a naturalized American in 1943.

US Supreme Court is again asked to block Illinois assault weapons ban

An Illinois firearms retailer and a national gun rights group on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a second time to block a Democratic-backed state ban on assault-style rifles and large capacity magazines enacted after a deadly mass shooting in Chicago's Highland Park suburb in 2022. The National Association for Gun Rights, Robert Bevis and his firearms store, Law Weapons & Supply, made the request after a lower court denied their bid for a preliminary injunction against the ban, as well as a similar ban enacted by another Chicago suburb, Naperville.

Indicted Republican George Santos to face US House expulsion vote Friday

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Friday on whether to expel scandal-plagued Republican George Santos, who faces criminal corruption charges and new accusations that he misspent campaign money, according to Republican aides. Several lawmakers have introduced motions targeting the first-term lawmaker after a report by his House colleagues suggested that federal prosecutors should bring additional charges against Santos, 35, who fabricated large aspects of his life story in his election campaign.

US Senate Democrats expected to vote on Supreme Court ethics subpoenas

Senate Democrats are expected on Thursday to vote on authorizing subpoenas to a pair of influential conservatives with ties to the U.S. Supreme Court as part of an ethics inquiry spurred by reports of undisclosed largesse directed to some conservative justices. The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing to consider subpoenas for billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow, a benefactor of conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, and conservative legal activist Leonard Leo, who was instrumental in compiling Republican former President Donald Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

Reaction to the death of US diplomat Henry Kissinger

Here are reactions to the death of Henry Kissinger, a controversial Nobel Peace Prize winner who left an indelible mark on U.S. foreign policy: WINSTON LORD, FORMER U.S. Ambassador to China and Kissinger's former Special assistant at the National SECURITY COUNCIL:

Republican DeSantis faces risks in debate against Democrat Newsom amid struggling US presidential bid

U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis will use a televised debate against California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday night to try to prove he's the best Republican to take on President Joe Biden in next year's election. The square-off with Newsom, a prominent Biden ally who is widely expected to pursue a future White House bid, will give DeSantis a chance to contrast his conservative vision for the country with the Democrats' more liberal agenda in a preview of 2024 general election debates.

Henry Kissinger, American diplomat and Nobel winner, dead at 100

Henry Kissinger, a diplomatic powerhouse whose roles as a national security adviser and secretary of state under two presidents left an indelible mark on U.S. foreign policy and earned him a controversial Nobel Peace Prize, died on Wednesday at age 100. Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut, according to a statement from his geopolitical consulting firm, Kissinger Associates Inc. No mention was made of the circumstances.

Democrats have no Biden backup plan for 2024, despite age concerns

The Democratic Party has no Plan B if President Joe Biden decided for any reason to halt his 2024 re-election campaign, and a sudden need to replace him as its standard-bearer would spark a messy intraparty battle. Despite weak poll numbers and questions, including from some Democrats, about his age, Biden has stuck to his plan to seek a second term after clearing the field of serious Democratic primary challengers when he announced in April that he was running again.