US Domestic News Summary: U.S. House passes massive defense bill, which now heads to Senate

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. House passes massive defense bill, which now heads to Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Wednesday a $738 billion bill setting policy for the U.S. Department of Defense on everything from family leave to fighter jets and the creation of a Space Force that has been a priority for President Donald Trump. The count in the Democratic-controlled chamber was 377-48, enough to send the conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, to the Senate, where a vote is expected by the end of next week. Trump has promised to sign the legislation as soon as it passes Congress. Harvey Weinstein reaches tentative $25 million settlement with accusers: NY Times

Harvey Weinstein and the board of his bankrupt film studio have reached a tentative $25 million settlement with dozens of women who accused the former Hollywood producer of sexual misconduct, The New York Times said https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/us/harvey-weinstein-settlement.html on Wednesday, citing lawyers involved in the negotiations. The accord would end nearly all civil lawsuits by actresses and former Weinstein employees who accused him of offenses ranging from sexual harassment to rape, the newspaper said. Prosecutors ask judge to jail Giuliani associate

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to jail Lev Parnas, an associate of U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, while he awaits trial on campaign finance charges. In a motion filed in federal court in Manhattan, the prosecutors said Parnas had lied about his assets and posed an "extreme risk of flight." Democratic presidential hopeful Klobuchar sets out tough stance on China, Russia

Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar on Wednesday said she would rebuild U.S. foreign alliances and take tougher stances on U.S. relations with China and Russia than President Donald Trump if she is elected. "We don't seek conflict with China or Russia, but we are also not going to allow them to break up the international system that has enabled peace, stability, and prosperity," she said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. U.S. non-border immigration arrests fell despite Trump push

Non-border immigration arrests in the United States fell by 10 percent in the year to September from a year earlier, the latest U.S. data shows, a drop that the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said was partly due to the diversion of the agency's resources to the border. The figures were included in an annual ICE enforcement report reviewed by Reuters prior to publication and released on Wednesday. U.S. poised to give federal workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave

More than 2 million federal workers will get paid parental leave for the first time, for 12 weeks, following a birth or adoption, under U.S. legislation poised to pass the House of Representatives on Wednesday. President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday he was eager to sign the bill which contains the provision that has had strong support from his adviser and daughter Ivanka. Motive unclear in deadly New Jersey kosher grocery rampage: officials

Investigators are not sure why two people launched a deadly attack at a New Jersey kosher grocery store, federal and state officials said on Wednesday, but a federal law enforcement source said it did not appear to be an act of terrorism. Six people, including the two shooters, three civilians and a police officer, died in a series of events that ended in a police shootout on Tuesday in Jersey City, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. Biden immigration plan includes more foreign aid, no border wall

Former vice president and Democratic candidate Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled proposals that include new protections for immigrants and increased foreign aid that he would pursue as president, drawing a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump. The policy plans distributed by Biden's campaign do not include funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border championed by Trump. Exclusive: U.S. Army will fund rare earths plant for weapons development

The U.S. Army plans to fund construction of rare earths processing facilities, part of an urgent push by Washington to secure domestic supply of the minerals used to make military weapons and electronics, according to a government document seen by Reuters. The move would mark the first financial investment by the U.S. military into commercial-scale rare earths production since World War Two's Manhattan Project built the first atomic bomb. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen seeks reduction in U.S. prison term

Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Donald Trump who became a key witness against the president for House Democrats, is seeking a reduction in his current three-year prison sentence, an attorney for Cohen said on Wednesday. Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis said that Cohen had filed a court motion seeking a reduction in his sentence as credit for his cooperation with investigators looking into various issues related to Trump.