Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. As primaries near, Buttigieg struggles to make headway with black voters

Pete Buttigieg is betting big on Iowa and New Hampshire, hoping success in the largely white states will help him overcome dismal support from black voters by the time more diverse states weigh in on his bid for the presidency. Buttigieg's most recent swing through South Carolina, the first state with a large black population to hold a primary, underscored the depth of his challenge with the critical Democratic voting bloc. Trump administration resolves fentanyl dispute but congressional support needed for broader crackdown

The Trump administration has resolved an internal dispute over how to handle new variants of fentanyl that it believes can beef up the fight against the deadly synthetic painkiller without hindering research to ease the opioid crisis, according to a draft agreement seen by Reuters. The administration had hoped the deal, a copy of which was turned over to the Senate in the fall, would pave the way for Congress to pass their draft legislation into law, but so far it has failed to do so. Trump lawyers wrap up defense in Senate impeachment trial

Donald Trump's lawyers will wrap up their arguments on Tuesday in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of the Republican president after attacking Democrat Joe Biden but shrugging off disclosures from a former top White House adviser. In about seven hours of arguments before the Senate on Monday, Trump's lawyers largely ignored revelations in an unpublished manuscript by John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, that go to the heart of impeachment charges against Trump. Harvey Weinstein's New York rape trial moves on after explosive testimony

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's New York rape trial is expected to continue on Tuesday, following explosive testimony from two women who have accused him of sexual assault. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann. Haleyi has already testified against him, as has another woman, actress Annabella Sciorra. Investigators seek answers to chopper crash as NBA star, eight others mourned

Investigators will continue after sunrise Tuesday to sift through the wreckage of Kobe Bryant's ill-fated helicopter that crashed in California, killing the former NBA star, his daughter and seven others on board, as they try to answer both the why and how of the accident. An 18-member National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team, assisted by FBI forensic specialists, began mapping the wreckage site Monday with drone aircraft and examining debris scattered across the hillside where Bryant's chopper went down on Sunday. Biden's final Iowa drive sweeps through rival territory

When U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden went to an Iowa university to campaign this week, one thing was in short supply: students who support him. "What's an old guy like you going to do to get the young people to come out and vote," a person at a University of Northern Iowa (UNI) town hall asked Biden on Monday, noting "there's not very many here." Epstein probe gets 'zero cooperation' from Prince Andrew: U.S. prosecutor

Britain's Prince Andrew has provided "zero cooperation" to U.S. authorities probing sex trafficking allegedly carried out by deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirators, a prosecutor said on Monday. The FBI and U.S. federal prosecutors contacted Prince Andrew's lawyers and requested an interview with the prince, who socialized with Epstein, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said at a news conference in front of Epstein's mansion. U.S. Supreme Court lets hardline Trump immigration policy take effect

The U.S. Supreme Court gave the go-ahead on Monday for one of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies, allowing his administration to implement a rule denying legal permanent residency to certain immigrants deemed likely to require government assistance in the future. The justices, on a 5-4 vote, granted the administration's request to lift a lower court's injunction that had blocked the so-called public charge policy while litigation over its legality continues. The rule has been criticized by immigrant rights advocates as a "wealth test" that would disproportionately keep out non-white immigrants. As Trump touts gains in jobs, some Democrats push for economic overhaul

Republican Donald Trump is touting tax cuts and economic gains during his presidency as a reason why he should get re-elected in November. Democrats seeking to challenge him say Trump's economy has benefited the rich while leaving behind the working class. Their proposals range from a sweeping pledge of universal healthcare to comparatively modest tax breaks for the poor. 'Kind of pointless': In battleground Michigan, impeachment takes back seat to everyday issues

Ask Victor Burch about the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, and he will rattle off a string of issues of more pressing concern to him, starting with making a living as a barber in this northwestern suburb of Detroit. "You've got elderly who need help. You've got veterans who need help. You've got poor people who need help. Impeachment doesn't really help a person who is struggling," said Burch, 40, who took up cutting hair after he lost his job at a plastics factory in the 2007-2009 financial crisis.