US News Roundup: Bernie Sanders steps up for veterans; measles outbreak and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Militias, conservative activists rally in Washington

Militias and conservative activists rallied in Washington on Saturday to demand protection of gun ownership rights, term limits for lawmakers in Congress, and tighter U.S. borders against immigrants, among other things. Waving American flags, Confederate flags, and a Trump 2020 flag, the crowd of about 100 activists deposited their firearms at a park in northern Virginia before crossing a bridge into the District of Columbia, where guns cannot be openly carried.

Bernie Sanders vows to strengthen services for U.S. veterans if elected president

U.S. Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders promised on Monday to boost healthcare services for military veterans if he is elected, putting a priority on upgrading facilities and hiring more doctors and nurses for the Department of Veterans Affairs. To mark Monday's U.S. Veterans Day holiday honoring those who served in the military, Sanders vowed to fill nearly 50,000 slots for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals at facilities run by Veterans Affairs during his first year in office.

U.S. records one new case in measles outbreak

One new case of measles was reported this weekend in the United States, with the country suffering its worst outbreak of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease in close-to three decades. The measles case was confirmed on Saturday in an unvaccinated resident of the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia, according to the state's health department.

In trial of Trump adviser Stone, comedian says he did not take dog threat seriously

Comedian Randy Credico testified on Friday he did not believe that President Donald Trump's adviser Roger Stone truly intended to harm Credico's dog when he threatened to do so, which could undercut the government's witness-tampering case against Stone. "I don't think he was going to steal the dog," Credico said, during a cross-examination by Stone's defense attorney, Robert Buschel. "It was hyperbole by him."

As Trump fumes, public impeachment hearings set to grab spotlight

This week will mark a new and unparalleled chapter in Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency, as the Democratic-led impeachment probe goes public with televised hearings into allegations about Trump's dealings with Ukraine. Beginning on Wednesday, three witnesses will publicly detail their concerns, previously expressed behind closed doors, that the Trump administration sought to tie military aid to Ukraine to an investigation of the Republican president's potential Democratic rival for the presidency, Joe Biden.

Amazon's $1.5 million political gambit backfires in Seattle City Council election

Seattle voters, in a rebuke to heavy corporate campaign spending by Amazon.com, have kept progressives firmly in control of their city council, reviving chances for a tax on big businesses that the tech giant helped fend off last year. Amazon poured a record $1.5 million into a Super PAC run by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to back a slate of candidates in the Nov. 5 council elections viewed as pro-business, or at least more corporate friendly than the incumbent council majority.

Airbnb, Chobani among companies to oppose U.S. asylum work permit slowdown

Airbnb, Chobani, Western Union and a dozen other companies are urging the withdrawal of a Trump administration proposal to slow down the work permit approval process for asylum seekers. The companies - joined by Uniqlo, Ben & Jerry's, DoorDash and others - spoke out against a recently proposed regulation in a letter sent to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday.

U.S. women's team granted class action status in equal-pay lawsuit

The members of the U.S. women's national soccer team who sued the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) in March over allegations of gender discrimination can pursue their claims as a class action, a California court ruled on Friday. The decision comes two months after the group filed a motion for class certification seeking to include all women called up to the national team over the multi-year period specified in the lawsuit, in addition to those originally named.