US Domestic News Roundup: Rod Stweart, son face charges over New Year's fracas; Senate Republican to launch Trump impeachment trial and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Rod Stewart, son face charges over New Year's Eve fracas in Florida

The British rock singer Rod Stewart and his eldest son, Sean, are facing battery charges for an altercation with a hotel security guard at a New Year's Eve party in Palm Beach, Florida, local media reported. The two men are due to appear in court on Sunday to each face a single charge of simple battery, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Senate Republican eyes rule change to kick start Trump impeachment trial

The head of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Sunday he wants the Senate to launch an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump within days and wrap it up this month, even if it means changing Senate rules. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives last month voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power in pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival and for obstructing the House impeachment probe.

Hanukkah machete suspect indicted in New York on six counts of attempted murder

The man accused of going on a machete rampage at the New York-area home of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration was indicted on Friday on six counts of attempted murder, up from five counts the suspect was charged with previously. The indictment also charges Grafton Thomas, 37, with three counts of assault, three counts of attempted assault and two counts of burglary stemming from the Dec. 28 attack, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh announced at a brief news conference.

Rumbling Alaska volcano sends ash plume 5 miles into the air

One of Alaska's most active volcanoes, a towering ice-covered cone in the Aleutian Islands, shot a cloud of ash more than 5 miles high on Friday, triggering a warning to aviators and putting on a show that was captured in satellite imagery. The ash burst from Shishaldin Volcano, about 670 miles southwest of Anchorage, was part of an on-and-off, mostly low-level series of eruptions that began in July with a stream of lava from the crater at the peak of the 9,373-foot-tall mountain.

Three swing-district Democrats back Joe Biden's presidential bid

U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden on Sunday won the support of three politicians who helped Democrats seize control of the House of Representatives in 2018, endorsements that could help bolster arguments he is best positioned to fend off Republicans this year. The backing by Democratic U.S. Representatives Elaine Luria of Virginia and Chrissy Houlahan and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania is evidence of support for Biden among Democrats in "swing" districts that were held by Republicans before the 2018 vote.

Chain-reaction crash kills five, injures 60 on Pennsylvania Turnpike

A chain-reaction crash involving a tour bus, three tractor-trailers, and a passenger car killed five people and injured about 60 others on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early on Sunday, state police said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it dispatched a crash investigation team to Mount Pleasant Township, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Pittsburgh, to investigate the cause of the predawn pileup.

Trump tells evangelical rally he will put prayer in schools

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said his Democratic opponents would tear down crosses and pledged to bring prayer to public schools at a re-election rally to shore up evangelical support. Trump spoke on the outskirts of Miami at the King Jesus International Ministry, a "prosperity gospel" church that teaches that the faithful will be rewarded with health and wealth on earth.