Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Omitted from debate stage, 2020 Democratic hopefuls seek limelight elsewhere

Miles from where seven Democratic presidential hopefuls will take the debate stage on Thursday night in Los Angeles, Julian Castro on Wednesday walked the city's Skid Row, the largest encampment of homeless people in the United States Castro, a former U.S. housing secretary, is among a handful of presidential candidates trying to find ways to stay in the conversation, after failing to meet the polling and donor requirements needed to qualify for Thursday night's televised event. White House says it is sticking with 2020 biofuel plan, despite farmer objections

The Trump administration plans to stick with its proposed 2020 biofuel blending requirements, the White House said on Wednesday, despite anger among farmers that the plan does too little for corn growers. The decision could undermine President Donald Trump's support among farmers, an important constituency in the November 2020 election. Some U.S. farmers have already been hurt by the United States' prolonged trade war with China. Chinese national arrested for allegedly trespassing at Trump's Mar-a-Lago

A Chinese national trespassed at U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Wednesday and was arrested upon refusing to leave, police said. It was the second time this year that a Chinese national was arrested at the property. U.S. appeals court sidesteps major Obamacare ruling

A U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a component of the Obamacare law is unconstitutional, but dodged a major ruling by stopping short of declaring that the rest of the landmark 2010 healthcare statute must also be struck down. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on a 2-1 vote that the law's individual mandate that directed Americans to obtain health insurance - a provision already gutted by Republican-backed legislation passed in Congress - was unlawful. Special Report: FDA targets e-cigs that hook teens but don't help smokers quit

E-cigarette makers face an existential threat. By May, they must submit applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proving that their products provide a net benefit to public health. If a company fails to make its case, the FDA has the power to order its products off the market. The agency will judge that benefit with a two-part test: Are e-cigarettes effective in getting smokers to quit? And, if so, does that benefit outweigh the health damage to new e-cigarette users - including teenagers - who never smoked in the first place? Trump proposes rule for importing drugs from Canada; industry says it won't cut costs

The Trump administration on Wednesday said it is proposing a rule to allow states to import prescription drugs from Canada, advancing a plan announced in July that the president has said will bring cheaper prescription drugs to Americans. Importation of drugs from Canada to lower costs for U.S. consumers has been considered for years. Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), called the move "a historic step forward in efforts to bring down drug prices and out-of-pocket costs." Split-screen America: Alternate realities on display as House votes to impeach Trump

Americans got a striking split-screen view on Wednesday of just how divided their politics have become. As the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on a charge of abusing his power over his dealings with Ukraine, the president strode fist-pumping onto the stage of a campaign rally in Michigan and declared he had done nothing wrong. "It doesn't really feel like we're being impeached," he said. U.S. House impeachment of Trump sets stage for trial in Senate

The impeachment of President Donald Trump in the U.S. House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress sets the stage for a historic trial next month in the Republican-controlled Senate on whether he should be removed from office. The mostly party-line votes on Wednesday in the Democratic-led House came after long hours of bitter debate that reflected the partisan tensions in a divided America, and made Trump the third U.S. president to be impeached. Seeking fresh momentum, Democrat Warren recalibrates 'Medicare for All' rhetoric

Elizabeth Warren has recalibrated her rhetoric on Medicare for All, as concerns about her support for replacing private insurance with a government-run plan continue to buffet her once-surging Democratic presidential campaign. During a three-day, seven-stop tour of Iowa last weekend, the U.S. senator from Massachusetts repeatedly emphasized the word "choice" and focused on the transition plan she unveiled last month that would delay full implementation of the sweeping healthcare overhaul for three years. Warrant not always needed for 'inadvertent' NSA surveillance of Americans: U.S. court

The U.S. government may collect information about U.S. citizens without obtaining a warrant if the information is gathered inadvertently while legally carrying out surveillance of non-nationals abroad, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled in an appeal by Agron Hasbajrami, a U.S. resident arrested in 2011 and who later pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.