US News Roundup: Four killed, five wounded in shooting in Kansas bar; Trump orders 'substantial' cut in National Security Council staff

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Four killed, five wounded in shooting in Kansas bar

Four people were killed and five wounded in a Kansas City area bar early on Sunday when one or two suspects opened fire, and police were hunting for the shooters, local authorities said. Authorities believe the suspects had been involved in a dispute at Tequila KC Bar, a private club, earlier in the night and left before returning around 1:30 a.m. and opening fire with handguns, the Kansas City Police Department, Kansas, said in a statement.

Second whistleblower in Trump-Ukraine scandal comes forward: lawyer

A second whistleblower has come forward with first-hand knowledge of President Donald Trump's attempts to get the Ukrainian president to investigate a political rival, lawyers for the official said on Sunday. Lawyer Mark Zaid said the person, also an intelligence official, has direct knowledge of some of the allegations involving the initial whistleblower complaint, which triggered impeachment proceedings against the Republican president.

Gay, transgender rights in spotlight as U.S. Supreme Court returns

The U.S. Supreme Court kicks off its new term this week, with a major dispute on tap over whether a landmark decades-old federal anti-discrimination law that bars sex discrimination in the workplace protects gay and transgender employees. The nine-month term opens on Monday with three cases to be argued before the nine justices. On Tuesday, the court turns to one of the term's biggest legal battles, with two hours of arguments scheduled in three related cases on a major LGBT rights dispute.

Former U.S. President Carter falls, requires stitches

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, 95, fell at his home in Plains, Georgia, but "feels fine" and will attend a Habitat for Humanity event in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday night, his staff said. Carter's fall on Sunday required stitches above his brow, said spokeswoman Deanna Congileo in a statement emailed to reporters.

Sanders health scare involved a heart attack, his doctors say

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack earlier this week, his physicians said on Friday, describing his health scare in more specific terms than previously disclosed. Sanders, 78, abruptly canceled all campaign events on Tuesday after suffering chest pains. He underwent surgery to treat a blocked artery, having two stents inserted to prop open the artery.

University of Kansas sorry for Snoop Dogg show with stripper poles

The University of Kansas has apologized for a performance by rapper Snoop Dogg that featured drug references and dancers on stripper poles, saying the show fell short of creating a "family atmosphere." The California rapper, whose songs include "Murder Was the Case" and "Sexual Eruption," appeared in Lawrence, Kansas, on Friday night at an annual event dubbed Late Night in the Phog, which ushers in the school's basketball season.

Yovanovitch is latest casualty of Trump war on career diplomats

The treatment of U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch - disparaged by President Donald Trump and abruptly recalled from Ukraine - exemplifies what current and former U.S. officials describe as a campaign by Trump against career diplomats. A veteran diplomat who has led the U.S. embassies in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine, Yovanovitch's stint as ambassador in Kiev was cut short when she was recalled to Washington in May as Trump allies leveled unsubstantiated charges of disloyalty and other allegations against her.

Talks between UAW and GM take 'turn for the worse': union official

Talks for a new four-year labor contract between General Motors Co and its striking workers took a "turn for the worse" on Sunday after the United Auto Workers rejected the largest U.S. automaker's latest offer but the two sides were still talking. GM made an offer to the union that basically repeated one the UAW had previously rejected, Terry Dittes, the UAW vice president in charge of the GM department, said in a letter to members. The union provided a copy of the letter to Reuters.

Trump orders 'substantial' cut in National Security Council staff: Bloomberg

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked for a substantial cut in the National Security Council staff, Bloomberg reported late on Friday, citing five people familiar with the plans. The step was described by some sources cited in the report as part of an effort from the White House to make its foreign policy arm leaner.

New York man charged with killing four homeless men using metal pipe

New York police have charged a man with murder for using a metal pipe to beat four fellow homeless men to death as they slept in the city's Chinatown district, authorities said on Sunday. Randy Santos, 24, was charged with four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, said New York City Police Department spokesman Martin Brown.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)