US Domestic News Roundup: Trump's New York criminal case, likely first for trial, faces crucial test; Eagle Pass tires of spotlight as Texas immigration fight intensifies and more

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is scheduled to go on trial in state court in Manhattan starting March 25 on charges of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election. Michigan school shooter's mother convicted of manslaughter A Michigan jury on Tuesday convicted the mother of a teenager who fatally shot four classmates at a high school near Detroit of manslaughter after prosecutors argued she bore responsibility because she and her husband gave their son a gun and ignored warning signs of violence.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Lingering atmospheric river soaks California, threatening more flooding, mudslides

A deadly atmospheric river storm lingered over Southern California for a third day on Tuesday, soaking the region with rains that threatened to trigger more flooding and mudslides as the weather system crept toward the Desert Southwest. After a day of record-breaking rainfall across the region, a flood watch for Los Angeles County was extended until early Wednesday. A flash-flood warning was posted for the Orange County coast, and flood advisories were issued as far south as San Diego and the U.S.-Mexico border.

Eagle Pass tires of spotlight as Texas immigration fight intensifies

Main Street in downtown Eagle Pass, Texas, is quiet as Laurel Cadena pushes a stroller with her 3-week-old daughter nestled inside, a stark contrast from hours before when dueling protests over U.S.-Mexico border policy filled the air with shouts and chants. Cadena, a 22-year-old college student and U.S. citizen, has visited the shopping strip since she was a child. Many customers cross the border legally from Piedras Negras, the Mexican city on the other side of the Rio Grande, to buy everything from clothes and flowers to a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Trump's New York criminal case, likely first for trial, faces crucial test

The first of four criminal cases against Donald Trump expected to go to trial faces a major test next week, when a New York judge is set to rule on the Republican former U.S. president's bid that the case be tossed because it is partisan and not covered by state law. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is scheduled to go on trial in state court in Manhattan starting March 25 on charges of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election.

Michigan school shooter's mother convicted of manslaughter

A Michigan jury on Tuesday convicted the mother of a teenager who fatally shot four classmates at a high school near Detroit of manslaughter after prosecutors argued she bore responsibility because she and her husband gave their son a gun and ignored warning signs of violence. Jennifer Crumbley, 45, was found guilty after a trial believed to be the first time that a parent faced a manslaughter charge in the United States stemming from a school shooting by a child. She faced four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each student killed at Oxford High School in the 2021 shootings, and was convicted on all four.

Haley loses Republican Nevada primary to 'none of these candidates'

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley suffered an embarrassing defeat in Nevada's primary on Tuesday, finishing behind ballots marked "none of these candidates" by supporters of Donald Trump, according to Edison Research. Haley, the last remaining rival to frontrunner Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, was the only major Republican candidate contesting the party's Nevada primary on Tuesday. Trump was not on the ballot.

US farm spending bill must include climate and hunger money, say key Democrats

The U.S. farm spending bill being negotiated by Congress must preserve funding for climate-friendly farming and federal food benefits to get Democrats' votes, according to Democratic leaders on the House farm committee. The farm bill, passed every five years, funds federal agriculture, nutrition, and conservation programs. The last bill expired in September and was extended for one year in November's spending deal.

Explainer-What's at stake in Trump's US Supreme Court bid to stay on Colorado ballot

The U.S. Supreme Court is set on Thursday to weigh Donald Trump's fight to stay on the ballot in Colorado in a case that carries high stakes not only for the former president, but also for the justices. The justices are scheduled to hear arguments in Trump's appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court's Dec. 19 decision disqualifying him from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot based on language in the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment for engaging in insurrection, involving the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol.

Kremlin confirms Putin gave interview to ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson

President Vladimir Putin granted an interview to U.S. television host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, his first to an American journalist since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had agreed to the Carlson interview because the approach of the former Fox News host differed from the "one-sided" reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many Western news outlets.

Republican bid to impeach Biden border official fails in US House

The U.S. House of Representatives delivered a blow to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson when it voted on Tuesday against impeaching Democratic President Joe Biden's top border official.

In a 214-216 vote, the Republican-controlled House blocked a committee's impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Bipartisan border, Ukraine deal looks set to fail in US Senate

A bipartisan $118 billion U.S. Senate bill to tighten border security and provide aid to allies Ukraine and Israel appeared headed to the scrap heap on Wednesday, after Republicans egged on by Donald Trump turned against the idea. The measure was the product of months of negotiation led by senators Chris Murphy, a Democrat, James Lankford, a Republican and Kyrsten Sinema, an independent. If passed, it would have represented the biggest shift in U.S. immigration policy in decades.