US Domestic News Roundup: California cruise passengers won't let coronavirus spoil their fun; U.S. national security denies Trump reelection and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

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.

U.S. national security adviser denies Russia boosting Trump reelection

U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser denied that U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Russia has been interfering in the U.S. presidential campaign to boost Trump's re-election chances. "I haven't seen any intelligence that Russia is doing anything to attempt to get President Trump reelected," Robert O'Brien, who was appointed by Trump to the post in September, said in an ABC News interview to be broadcast on Sunday.

Daredevil 'Mad Mike' Hughes dies in crash of his homemade rocket in California

"Mad Mike" Hughes, a self-styled explorer and daredevil bent on proving that the earth is flat was killed over the weekend when his homemade rocket crashed in the California desert over the weekend. "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket," the Science Channel, which was planning to feature him on an upcoming series called "Homemade Astronauts," said on Twitter.

Sanders' big Nevada win narrows rivals' path to Democratic nomination

Bernie Sanders' convincing win in the Nevada caucuses signaled his campaign is gathering strength and reaching voters who had previously eluded him, putting him on a path – for now – toward the Democratic presidential nomination. The self-described democratic socialist's triumph on Saturday left all of his rivals contending they were best positioned to curb his momentum. With the South Carolina primary a week away and the big Super Tuesday nominating contests days later, here is what the Nevada results mean for the top candidates.

Trump calls for probe into leak of intelligence on Russian election interference

President Donald Trump on Sunday called for an investigation into an apparent leak of classified intelligence from a briefing for lawmakers on Russian interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, setting his sights on a leading Democrat. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a trip to India, Trump said he had not been briefed on intelligence that Russia was aiming to boost the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Twitter suspends group of pro-Bloomberg accounts over 'platform manipulation'

Twitter Inc on Friday said it had started suspending and restricting dozens of accounts posting content promoting U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg. "We took enforcement action on about 70 accounts, which includes a combination of permanent suspensions and account challenges to verify ownership," a Twitter spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters.

Democratic rivals aim to slow Sanders' momentum after his big win in Nevada

Democratic presidential contenders fanned out across the United States on Sunday to try to blunt Bernie Sanders' momentum after his dominant victory in Nevada solidified his front-runner status ahead of 15 key nominating contests in the next 10 days. Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont and self-avowed democratic socialist, rode a wave of support across age, race, and ideology to capture 47% of the county convention delegates in Nevada, with 50% of precincts reporting.

'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.

As Grenell moves to spy post, Trump looks for new ambassador to Germany

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is looking for a new ambassador to Germany after tapping current diplomat Richard Grenell to serve as acting U.S. intelligence chief. "I'll be appointing an ambassador to Germany," Trump told reporters at the White House before departing on a trip to India.

Despite attacks, Sanders' Medicare for All boosts early-state triumphs

In the days leading up to Saturday's Democratic presidential caucuses in Nevada, Bernie Sanders withstood one attack after another over his Medicare for All plan – both from his rivals and the state's powerful hotel and casino workers' union. But entrance polls from Edison Research showed more than 60% of caucus-goers favored replacing private insurance with a government-run plan, suggesting Sanders' sweeping proposal helped deliver his decisive win in Nevada rather than damaging his bid.

(With inputs from agencies.)