Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
U.S. officials arrest man who wanted to take ship to join Islamic State
A Connecticut man was arrested as he tried to reach a ship to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside the Islamic State, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Federal prosecutors in Connecticut said they arrested Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, 22, on Sunday on charges of attempting to provide material support to Islamic State, which U.S. authorities have designated a foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Giuliani associate denies hiding Russian payment, asks to stay free on bail
An associate of U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Monday urged a judge to let him stay free on bail while he awaits trial, denying prosecutors' accusations that he lied about receiving a $1 million payment from Russia shortly before he was arrested. A lawyer for Lev Parnas, who is charged with campaign finance crimes, said the payment was a loan to Parnas' wife, and that it had been disclosed to authorities before his bail was set.
Democrats release tips for election campaigns to fight online disinformation
U.S. political campaigns should make someone in their teams responsible for monitoring online disinformation about their candidate ahead of the 2020 elections, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said on Monday. The recommendation was part of a slew of tips https://democrats.org/who-we-are/what-we-do/disinfo published by the DNC on how campaigns, state parties, the general public and social media companies can combat disinformation.
U.S. proposes to require disabled-accessible toilets on single-aisle airplanes
The U.S. Transportation Department on Monday proposed to require airlines ensure that toilets on single-aisle aircraft are accessible to the disabled but is not requiring larger lavatories. In a proposed rule, the agency said airlines that operate new single-aisle aircraft with seating capacity of 125 or more seats would need to ensure the accessibility of features like toilet seats, assist handles, faucets, attendant call buttons, and door locks.
At noisy town hall, a vulnerable U.S. Democrat says 'yes' to impeaching Trump
Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin, co-author of a column that helped launch the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, ended months of uncertainty on Monday by telling voters at a noisy town hall meeting that she will vote for impeachment. The cheers - along with chants of "Impeach Slotkin, keep Trump!" - that greeted her decision underlined the wrenching partisan pressures that vulnerable Democrats in swing districts have faced ahead of this week's planned House vote on impeaching the Republican president.
California 'Tool-Box Killer' Lawrence Bittaker dies in prison at 79
Lawrence Bittaker, one of two men who became known as the "Tool-Box Killers" for the torture, rape and murder of five teenage girls in 1979, has died of natural causes in a California prison, state officials said on Monday. Bittaker, who was sentenced to death in 1981, died at the age of 79 at San Quentin State Prison on Friday, the California Department of Corrections said. An autopsy was pending.
Vaping increases the risk of lung disease by a third: U.S. study
Using e-cigarettes significantly increases the risk of developing chronic lung conditions such as asthma or emphysema, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is among the first to show the potential long-term harms of using e-cigarettes, which are often promoted as a safer alternative to tobacco and a means of helping smokers quit.
U.S. spending deal would raise tobacco age, deny some Trump border wall money
Congress would raise the U.S. tobacco purchasing age to 21 and permanently repeal several of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) taxes under a massive government spending bill unveiled on Monday. Republican and Democratic lawmakers hope to pass the $1.4 trillion spending bill before current government funding runs out on Saturday, to avoid a partial government shutdown and head off the kind of messy budget battle that resulted in a record 35-day interruption of government services late last year and early this year.
U.S. Supreme Court leaves in place ruling barring prosecution of homeless
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear Boise's defense of its policy of sometimes prosecuting homeless people for sleeping in public after a lower court found ordinances in Idaho's capital violated the U.S. Constitution's bar on cruel and unusual punishment. The justices left in place a 2018 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that fining or jailing homeless people for staying outside or in unauthorized places if a bed at an emergency shelter is not available is unconstitutional. The city had appealed that ruling, arguing that the decision threatened public health and safety.
Judge rejects claims by Trump ex-adviser Flynn of FBI misconduct
A U.S. judge on Monday flatly rejected a last-ditch bid by President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn to get the criminal charge to which he already pleaded guilty dropped, brushing aside his claims of misconduct by prosecutors and the FBI. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered Flynn to appear for sentencing on Jan. 28, concluding that the retired Army lieutenant general had failed to prove a "single" violation by the prosecution or FBI officials for withholding evidence that could exonerate him.
