US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. Senator Warren's liberal plans fuel rise in Democratic presidential field; Seeking favors, Trump asked Ukraine president to investigate Biden

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Texas man executed for stabbing wife and two stepsons to death in 2007

The state of Texas on Wednesday executed a man convicted of stabbing his wife and two stepsons to death, then sexually assaulting his two stepdaughters in their home in 2007, later telling police his wife was poisoning him. Robert Sparks, 45, was put to death by lethal injection. He was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m. at the state's death chamber in Huntsville, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a statement.

Senate votes again to end Trump's border emergency declaration

The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday for a second time to end the national emergency on the southern border the president declared in February, a move Donald Trump would almost certainly veto if it reached his desk. Trump, with his very first veto, struck down a similar measure that had cleared both the House and Senate in March. Congress was unable to muster the votes to override that veto.

Seeking favors, Trump asked Ukraine president to investigate Biden

President Donald Trump pressed Ukraine's leader to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner, Joe Biden, in coordination with the U.S. attorney general and Trump's personal lawyer, according to a summary of a telephone call released by the Trump administration on Wednesday. The official account of the half-hour July call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy laid bare an astonishing exchange of requests, pledges, and ingratiation, including some unrelated to Biden.

States sue Trump administration over weakened endangered species protections

California and 16 other U.S. states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over its efforts to weaken protections for endangered species. The suit was filed in federal court in northern California and announced by Attorney General Xavier Becerra at a wildlife area in Davis, California.

Selling impeachment: Democrats search for common message against Trump

Facing the tough task of selling voters on an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, Democrats struggled on Wednesday to craft a unified message explaining why he might deserve to be removed from office. In the halls of Congress, on the campaign trail and on social media, many Democrats said Trump's pressure on Ukraine's president to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden was a clear-cut argument for an impeachment inquiry.

U.S. Senator Warren's liberal plans fuel rise in Democratic presidential field

When U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren jogged onstage at the University of Iowa last week for her largest rally yet in the state that hosts the first presidential nominating contest, college students cheered, wearing "Warren has a plan for that" t-shirts and waving "Persist!" signs. The crowd of roughly 2,000 people also included young professionals, parents rocking infants, public school teachers, and elderly climate activists, reflecting the diverse coalition that has fueled the Massachusetts senator's steady rise in opinion polls since she launched her campaign this year.

GM and UAW union making progress in talks for new labor deal: sources

General Motors Co and the union that represents its 48,000 striking hourly workers in the United States have made progress in talks toward a new labor deal but are grappling with issues over the pay and job security of newer and temporary workers, two people familiar with the talks said on Wednesday. United Auto Workers (UAW) Vice President Terry Dittes told union members in a statement issued late in the day that "all unsettled proposals are now at the Main Table and have been presented to General Motors.

Frequent flyer Pelosi leaves impeachment speech on the plane

On Monday evening, Nancy Pelosi set about writing one of the most important speeches of her long political career, about her decision to open an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Then she left it on a plane.

Accused Colorado school shooter ordered to stand trial for murder

One of two teenagers accused of opening fire at a Colorado charter school in May, killing one classmate and wounding seven others in a cocaine-fueled rampage, was ordered on Wednesday to stand trial on murder and attempted murder charges. Devon Erickson, 19, has been held without bond since his arrest following the May 7 shooting at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, south of Denver.

Minnesota, New Mexico to adopt California vehicle emissions rules

Minnesota and New Mexico, in a rebuke to the Trump administration, plan to join 10 other states in adopting both of California's tough rules on tailpipe emissions and zero-emission vehicles. The announcements came a week after President Donald Trump said his administration would strip California of the legal ability to regulate vehicle emissions.

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