US News Roundup: Trump's son gets permit allowing him to hunt; Sanders puts Democratic front-runner status on the line and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Sanders' 'Trump-like rhetoric' encouraged vandals, Bloomberg camp says

Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign on Friday alleged that rival Bernie Sanders’ “Trump-like rhetoric” encouraged supporters to vandalize a Bloomberg campaign office in Tennessee and others across the country. Vandals spray-painted an expletive and the word “oligarch” on the doors of Bloomberg’s office in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Thursday evening, the campaign said.

Sanders puts Democratic front-runner status on the line in Nevada's caucuses

Bernie Sanders faces a test of his front-runner status in the Democratic White House race on Saturday in Nevada, where voters will consider an unsettled field of candidates as they search for a challenger to take on President Donald Trump. Sanders, a self-identified democratic socialist senator from Vermont, has surged to the top of opinion polls nationally and in Nevada after strong performances in the first two nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this month.

Trump's son gets permit allowing him to hunt Alaska grizzly bear

Donald Trump Jr. has been granted the right to hunt a grizzly bear in northwestern Alaska near the Bering Sea town of Nome, a state official said on Friday. The son of U.S. President Donald Trump was one of three people who applied for 27 spots for non-resident hunters targeting grizzlies in a designated region of northwestern Alaska's Seward Peninsula, said Eddie Grasser, the wildlife conservation director for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Despite horror stories, California cruise passengers won't let coronavirus spoil their fun

With a white captain's hat perched on his head, Calvin Ballard seemed relaxed as he waited to depart on his first-ever cruise to Mexico, unfazed by the possibility of being trapped on a ship under siege by an outbreak of coronavirus. Like many fellow vacationers streaming onto an ocean liner docked near Los Angeles, Ballard said he was well aware that passengers aboard other cruises had ended up stranded for weeks, far from home, and he vowed to take special care to stay healthy. Nonetheless, he was determined to have a good time.

Weinstein jury suggests hung on predatory sexual assault counts

Jurors weighing rape and sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein asked the judge presiding over the case whether they could be hung on two counts of predatory sexual assault. Conviction on those counts could put the former movie producer behind bars for life.

'Not good enough,' Warren says of Bloomberg's non-disclosure agreement pledge

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said on Friday that his company has identified three women bound by non-disclosure agreements regarding his past conduct and that they would be released from their accords if they choose. In a statement, Bloomberg, who runs media conglomerate Bloomberg LP, said the agreements concern "comments they said I had made," and that the women should contact his company for a release.

U.S. officials tell Democrat Sanders Russia is trying to help his campaign: Washington Post

U.S. officials have told Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders that Russia is trying to help his campaign, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Republican President Donald Trump and U.S. lawmakers have also been informed about the Russian assistance to Senator Sanders, said the Post, which cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.

George Washington sought honest British workers over 'slovenly' Americans

George Washington, the first president of the United States, praised the honesty of British farmers and sought to entice some to his estates because local tenants were so "slovenly", according to a handwritten letter he wrote in 1796. In a three-page letter to the Earl of Buchan, Washington asks the Scottish nobleman if he knew of any "honest and orderly" farmers who would like to emigrate to the United States to work on his land.

Nevada caucuses present new test to Democrats after chaotic Iowa contest

Nevada Democrats will host hundreds of caucuses on Saturday, the third contest in the state-by-state presidential nominating process, almost three weeks after the Iowa caucuses caused mayhem when a technical meltdown delayed results. The Democratic race has narrowed to eight candidates vying for their party's nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election.

Sanders blasts Russia for reportedly trying to boost his presidential campaign

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders warned Russia on Friday to stay out of 2020 White House elections after U.S. officials had told him Moscow was trying to aid his campaign. "The intelligence community is telling us they are interfering in this campaign, right now, in 2020. And what I say to Mr. Putin, if elected president, trust me you are not going to be interfering in American elections," Sanders told reporters in Bakersfield, California.

(With inputs from agencies.)