US News Roundup: Pelosi says she ripped up Trump speech; Texas to execute man convicted of killing five family and more

Following is a summary of current US news briefs.

About 350 U.S. evacuees from China en route to California: Pentagon

About 350 Americans evacuated from China's virus-hit Wuhan province are expected to arrive at two U.S. military bases in California on Wednesday, the Pentagon said in a statement. The U.S. travelers on two U.S. Department of State-chartered flights will land at Travis Air Force Base before one of the planes continues to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Passengers will be quarantined for 14 days as part of U.S. officials' plan to protect against the coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Defense said.

New York charges NRA over illegal insurance sales, deceiving members

New York's financial regulator on Wednesday filed civil charges accusing the National Rifle Association of offering insurance to its members without a license and concealing how it routinely kept some of their premiums for itself. The state Department of Financial Services plans to seek civil fines and other remedies from the gun-rights group at an April 6 hearing.

Ten U.S. refineries emitted excessive cancer-causing benzene in 2019: report

Ten U.S. oil refineries, including six in Texas, released the cancer-causing chemical benzene in concentrations that exceeded federal limits last year, according to government data published by the green group Environmental Integrity Project on Thursday. The study is based on the first full year of data reported by U.S. refineries since a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule was implemented in 2018. The rule requires continuous monitoring of air pollutants around plants to protect nearby communities, many of which are disproportionately poor, black and Hispanic.

Biden says he is 'not going anywhere' after a poor showing in Iowa

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden vowed on Wednesday to go on fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination despite what he called the "gut punch" he took in Iowa, where he lagged in fourth place. With 97% of precincts reporting from Monday's caucuses, Biden was behind former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the first nominating contest of the 2020 campaign.

New Hampshire living rooms essential stop on the campaign trail

The road to victory in New Hampshire's critical Democratic primary on Tuesday may run through the living rooms of people like Gerri and Ron King. On a recent weekend, the couple baked berry souffle and roasted a ham as they welcomed friends and strangers to their Concord home to hear from Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick.

DHS suspends New York state access to travel programs over 'sanctuary' law: Fox

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will block New York state residents from most of its "trusted traveler" programs in response to a state law that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Wednesday. DHS will suspend the ability of the state's residents to enroll or re-enroll in programs such as Global Entry, which allows faster processing for pre-approved travelers entering the United States, Wolf said in a related letter to New York State officials.

Bernard Madoff is dying, seeks early release from prison: lawyer

Bernard Madoff is dying of kidney failure and has fewer than 18 months to live, and is seeking to end his 150-year prison sentence for masterminding what prosecutors have called the largest Ponzi scheme ever. In a court filing on Wednesday, Madoff's lawyer said the 81-year-old is confined to a wheelchair, often requires oxygen, and suffers from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, insomnia, and other chronic and serious medical conditions.

Texas to execute man convicted of killing five family members in 2002

Texas plans on Thursday to execute a man who was convicted for shooting and killing his 29-year-old wife and his two daughters, as well as his father-in-law and sister-in-law shortly after a smoking crack in 2002. Abel Ochoa, 47, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. CST (0000 GMT), 17 years after a jury found him guilty of capital murder.

Trump seeks to delay rape accuser's defamation lawsuit pending 'Apprentice' appeal

U.S. President Donald Trump asked a New York state trial judge to put on hold a defamation lawsuit by Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape, saying a successful appeal in a separate defamation case could shield him from both lawsuits. The president has been asking the New York State Court of Appeals to block Summer Zervos, a 2005 contestant on his reality television show "The Apprentice," from suing him for defamation while he is president, for calling her a liar after she accused him of kissing and groping her. The U.S.

Speaker Pelosi says she ripped up Trump speech because it 'shredded the truth'

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had not planned to tear up President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech but decided to do so after she could not find a page "that didn't have a lie on it," she told fellow Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday. Pelosi ripped a copy of Trump's speech on Tuesday night seconds after the Republican president finished delivering it. She got a standing ovation from Democratic lawmakers at their caucus meeting on Wednesday, Democratic aides said.