US News Roundup: Sanders edges Buttigieg in New Hampshire; Actor Jussie Smollett charged and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Plant a trillion trees: Republicans offer fossil-friendly climate fix

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday will propose legislation setting a goal for the United States to plant a trillion trees by 2050 to fight global warming, a plan intended to address climate change by sucking carbon out of the air instead of by cutting emissions. The proposed legislation reflects an acknowledgment in the Republican party of rising voter demand for action on climate change, even as it seeks to preserve the economic benefits of a historic drilling boom that has made the United States the world's biggest oil and gas producer.

Sanders edges Buttigieg in New Hampshire Democratic primary, Biden finishes fifth

Bernie Sanders strengthened his front-runner status in the race for the Democratic nomination with a narrow win in New Hampshire, dealing a setback to moderate Joe Biden as attention shifts to the next contests in the state-by-state process. Pete Buttigieg, the moderate former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, built on his momentum with a close second-place finish after splitting much of the centrist vote with Senator Amy Klobuchar, who placed third after surging over the past few days.

What's next for Democratic presidential candidates after New Hampshire

If there's one thing Tuesday's New Hampshire primary made clear, it's that Democrats are no closer to agreeing on the right candidate to beat Republican President Donald Trump in November. The two leading candidates from Iowa's caucus, Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, stayed at the top of the field. But Senator Amy Klobuchar surged to third, throwing the viability of both Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden into question.

U.S. judge drops some charges against Theranos's Holmes, leaves wire fraud

A federal judge late on Tuesday dismissed some charges against Theranos Inc founder Elizabeth Holmes, but let stand wire fraud charges accusing her and an associate of misleading patients about the abilities of her company's blood tests. The court ruled that since the tests were paid by their medical insurance companies the patients were not deprived of any money or property in taking Theranos blood testing services.

Actor Jussie Smollett charged again related to the alleged staging of hate crime

Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was charged on Tuesday in a six-count felony indictment accusing him of staging a phony hate crime in Chicago, nearly a year after similar charges were abruptly dismissed by local prosecutors. The indictment, capping a five-month special prosecutor's probe, accuses Smollett, who is black and openly gay, of making four separate false reports to Chicago police related to his account of being the victim of a violent hate crime.

Trump praises Barr for taking over Stone case as Democrats threaten probe

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Attorney General William Barr for "taking charge" of the case against longtime Trump adviser and friend Roger Stone, as Democrats threatened to investigate the Justice Department's actions. The Justice Department on Tuesday reversed course and sought a lighter sentence for Stone after prosecutors a day earlier recommended that the veteran Republican operative face sentencing within federal guidelines of seven to nine years.

The U.S. says Michael Avenatti shook down Nike, defense disagrees as extortion trial nears an end

Michael Avenatti's extortion trial neared its end on Tuesday as a federal prosecutor said the celebrity lawyer had an "agenda" to shake down Nike Inc by threatening to tar it with corruption allegations, while the defense said Avenatti was simply representing his client aggressively. Prosecutors have charged Avenatti with threatening to hold a press conference to discuss Nike's alleged payments to families of college basketball recruits unless the apparel company paid him and another lawyer $15 million to $25 million for an internal probe and his whistleblowing client $1.5 million.

Report questions effectiveness of active shooter drills in schools

Active shooter drills, a routine in American schools for the last two decades, tend to traumatize students and have not been proven to save lives, according to a report released on Tuesday. The report by gun safety group Everytown and several parents, students, and teacher organizations recommended that schools move away from conducting unannounced drills and drills that mimic gun violence.

Harvey Weinstein will not testify at his New York rape trial, the defense rests case

Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein will not testify in his own defense at his rape trial, his lawyers said on Tuesday as they rested their case. Outside the presence of the jury, one of Weinstein's lawyers told Justice James Burke that Weinstein would not be taking the stand in the trial that began in New York on Jan. 6 and is a milestone in the #MeToo movement.

New Hampshire result clogs up a moderate lane for Democrats

Bernie Sanders may have established himself as the standard-bearer for the Democratic Party's leftist wing with his strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, but for moderates looking to rally around a candidate to fend him off, the picture just got even murkier. Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, seemed well-positioned to be the early favorite of the party's moderates after his narrow win in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses - until a surge by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar largely split the moderate vote between them in New Hampshire.