US News Roundup: Annabella Sciorra expected to testify in Weinstein rape trial; Seattle shooting leaves one dead and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump environmental agency to scale back U.S. water protections

The Trump administration on Thursday will announce a plan to pare back the types of waterways protected from pollution under federal law, in a move intended to ease burdens on industries like agriculture and mining. The plan could deliver a political win for Republican President Donald Trump in the Farm Belt, a key political constituency ahead of the November election, but will deepen anger among conservationists worried he is cutting regulatory red tape at the expense of the environment.

New U.S. law requires the government to report risks of overseas activities by ex-spies

Troubled that former American spies are plying their trade for foreign governments, Congress has passed new legislation requiring U.S. spy agencies to provide an annual assessment detailing the risks such conduct poses for national security. The new measure was driven by a Reuters investigation revealing how former National Security Agency employees clandestinely assisted a foreign cyberespionage operation in the United Arab Emirates, helping the monarchy target rivals, dissidents and journalists.

California governor seeks free surplus federal land to help house homeless

California Governor Gavin Newsom, stepping up his bid to enlist U.S. government help to combat homelessness, has urged the Trump administration to open up surplus federal property for construction of more low-cost housing across the state. Newsom's request came in a letter on Tuesday to U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, who rejected pleas from California in September for more money to fight homelessness but has since adopted a more cooperative stance on the issue.

Actress Annabella Sciorra expected to testify in Weinstein rape trial

Actress Annabella Sciorra is likely to take the stand in Harvey Weinstein's New York rape trial on Thursday as prosecutors try to prove that the former Hollywood producer was a serial predator who sexually assaulted young women. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women, Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann. Sciorra's allegation is too old to be charged as a separate crime, but prosecutors hope it will show that Weinstein was a repeat sexual predator, a charge that could put him in prison for life.

Seattle shooting leaves one dead, seven wounded; suspects at large

A violent altercation that escalated into gunfire in downtown Seattle left one woman dead and six other bystanders wounded outside a fast-food restaurant on Wednesday, and police said they were searching for at least two suspects. The precise circumstances of the shooting, which precipitated the bloodshed and the number of people involved remained murky hours after the incident, which unfolded in a busy shopping district during the evening rush-hour.

Pope appoints Latino as the new archbishop of Philadelphia

Pope Francis on Thursday appointed Nelson Perez, the current Roman Catholic bishop of Cleveland, Ohio, to be the new archbishop of Philadelphia, the latest Latino to head a major U.S. archdiocese. The 58-year-old Perez succeeds the recently retired Archbishop Charles Chaput, a conservative who was one of the U.S. Church's so-called "culture warriors" on issues such as homosexuality and abortion, making him a hero with the Church's more traditionalist wing.

Let them speak: Most Americans want witnesses in Trump impeachment trial - Reuters/Ipsos poll

A bipartisan majority of Americans want to see new witnesses testify in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, and the public appears to be largely following the proceedings even after a bruising congressional inquiry that lasted several months, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling released Wednesday. The poll, which ran from Jan. 17-22, also showed that U.S. public opinion has moved little since the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Trump in mid-December.

At Florida base, a mix of relief, anxiety in the Saudi shooting aftermath

With an FBI investigation underway, Navy security officer David Link still is not allowed to talk about what he saw when a Saudi gunman killed three U.S. sailors at this sprawling Florida naval base last month. But Link, one of the first responders at the scene, makes clear he appreciates just how badly things could have gone for him on Dec. 6 at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Earthquake of magnitude 6.2 strikes off Alaska island, no tsunami threat

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck 81 km (50 miles) west of the city of Adak in Alaska at a depth of 10 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Thursday. There was no danger of a tsunami, the National Tsunami Warning Center based in Palmer, Alaska, said.

Democrats accuse Trump at the impeachment trial of a corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine

Democrats accused President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial on Wednesday of a corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine to help him get re-elected and warned that America's global prestige would suffer if the U.S. Senate acquits him. The Republican Trump, who has denied wrongdoing, sounded a defiant note, telling reporters in Switzerland the Democrats did not have enough evidence to find him guilty and remove him from office.

(With inputs from agencies.)