US News Roundup: California governor signs new horse racing rules; Supreme Court strikes down Tennessee liquor retail regulations

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Bank of America to stop financing operators of private prisons, detention centers

Bank of America Corp said on Wednesday it will no longer finance operators of private prisons and detention centers, joining peers in distancing itself from a sector that has triggered protests over the Trump administration's immigration policies. The bank gave no further comment. JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co. made similar commitments to stop financing private prison companies earlier this year.

Skirling U.S. Attorney General Barr cameos on bagpipes

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, displaying a little-known talent, played "Scotland the Brave" on his bagpipes on Wednesday, joining in with the New York City Police Department's famed Pipes and Drums of the Emerald Society. The performance by the band, set up by U.S. attorneys in Maryland and Virginia as a surprise for Barr, occurred at a Justice Department conference in Washington.

Supreme Court strikes down Tennessee liquor retail regulations

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in a case concerning alcohol regulations enacted following the Prohibition era that Tennessee residency requirements for liquor retailers violate the U.S. Constitution's interstate commerce provision. The 7-2 ruling held that Tennessee's regulations unlawfully discriminated against out-of-state businesses in violation of the Constitution's so-called Commerce Clause.

Chicago waitress placed on leave after Eric Trump said she spit on him

A Chicago bar has placed one of its waitresses on leave after Eric Trump, the younger son of President Donald Trump, said the woman spit on him, the business said on Wednesday. Eric Trump was at a business dinner on Tuesday night at the Aviary, a high-end bar on the West Side of Chicago, when a waitress spit in his face, a representative from the Trump Organization told the Chicago Tribune.

Ex-USC gynecologist arrested in Los Angeles on sexual assault charges

Los Angeles police arrested a former University of Southern California gynecologist on Wednesday on charges of sexually assaulting 16 patients, authorities said, in a case that has already resulted in a $215 million civil settlement. George Tyndall, 72, was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court with 18 criminal counts of sexual penetration and 11 counts of sexual battery by fraud, the L.A. District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Boston Wayfair workers threaten walkout over sale to U.S. immigrant camp

Hundreds of employees of Wayfair Inc are expected to walk off the job on Wednesday in protest of what they said was the retailer's sale of more than $200,000 in bedroom furniture for a Texas detention facility for migrant children. The protest, in the online furniture retailer's home city of Boston, marks the latest outpouring of anger over Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to crack down on illegal and legal immigration. It has drawn the support of high-profile Democrats including U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Massachusetts U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.

Conservative U.S. Justice Gorsuch again sides with liberals in criminal case

For the second time in three days, conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on Wednesday sided with his four liberal colleagues in a 5-4 ruling in favor of a criminal defendant, on this occasion an Oklahoma man convicted of possessing child pornography. The court ruled that the right of Andre Haymond to face a jury trial under the U.S. Constitution's Sixth Amendment was violated when a judge unilaterally imposed an additional prison sentence after Haymond violated the terms of his supervised release.

California governor signs new horse racing rules after latest death

California's governor on Wednesday signed legislation allowing state officials to suspend or shut down horse races with little notice, responding to a furor over the death of 30 horses since December at the famed Santa Anita track near Los Angeles. In signing into law the legislation known as SB 469, passed unanimously by state lawmakers earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom gave the California Horse Racing Board greater leeway to step in when concerns are raised over track or animal safety.

Trump criticizes Rapinoe for spurning potential White House invite

United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to criticize U.S women's soccer team co-captain Megan Rapinoe for saying she would not visit the White House if the team won the World Cup. Defending champions the United States face hosts France in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Americans demand climate action (as long as it doesn't cost much): Reuters poll

Nearly 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want the United States to take "aggressive" action to combat climate change - but only a third would support an extra tax of $100 a year to help, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday. The results underscore a crucial challenge for Democrats seeking to unseat President Donald Trump in next year's election. Many will have to balance their calls for strict environmental regulation with a convincing argument for why the changes are good for taxpayers and the economy.