Reuters US Domestic News Summary

08/12/2016 8:57

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Sandusky to take stand in his bid for new child-sex trial

Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State coach convicted of child sexual abuse in 2012, will take the stand on Friday at a hearing in which he will proclaim his innocence and seek to show that his lawyer at his trial was incompetent. The appearance will mark the first time that Sandusky, an assistant football coach for three decades at Pennsylvania State University under legendary head coach Joe Paterno, will testify in his own defense. He is serving 30-60 years in protective custody in the state's "supermax" prison at Greene for molesting 10 boys. More accusers have come forward since his conviction.

N.Y. man admits planning Islamic State-inspired New Year's Eve attack

A New York man pleaded guilty on Thursday to planning a New Year's Eve attack last year inspired by Islamic State, the U.S. Department of Justice said, and faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in November. Emanuel Lutchman, 25, of Rochester, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State.

Colorado clinic shooter still mentally incompetent to stand trial: hospital

A man accused of killing three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado last year who was ruled incompetent to stand trial remains mentally unfit, according to a report from a mental hospital, a court official said on Thursday. At a brief hearing in El Paso County District Court, the judge presiding over the murder case read from the report that said Robert Lewis Dear, 58, has not been restored to competency, said Rob McCallum, spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Branch.The report cited by El Paso County District Court Judge Gilbert Martinez from the state hospital where Dear is being held means that criminal proceedings against him remain on hold.

JetBlue says 24 injured as flight hits heavy turbulence

JetBlue Airways Corp said 22 passengers and two crew members were injured when its flight from Boston to Sacramento, California ran into heavy turbulence on Thursday. Flight 0429 landed safely on Thursday night in Rapid City, South Dakota, where the injured were taken to the hospital, the U.S. budget carrier said in a statement on Friday.

Ex-Colorado University student spared prison for sexual assault

A former University of Colorado student has been spared a prison sentence for his sexual assault conviction, drawing angry comparisons from victim advocates to the lenient punishment a Stanford University swimmer received in a similar case. Austin James Wilkerson, 22, was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in Boulder County jail, making him eligible for a work-release program where he can go to a regular job or attend school during the day but spend his nights in the county lockup.

U.S. aims to restore water, return fish to diverted California river

California's San Joaquin River flows out of the mountains above Yosemite, clear and bubbling until it abruptly stops just north of Fresno, its water diverted to irrigate farms. Environmentalists have cheered a plan to reconnect the river this fall. But it is over budget, overdue and vehemently opposed by local farmers and some Republican lawmakers. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, once joked about eating its protected fish with crackers.

Exclusive: Congressional leaders were briefed a year ago on hacking of Democrats - sources

U.S. intelligence officials told top congressional leaders a year ago that Russian hackers were attacking the Democratic Party, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, but the lawmakers were unable to tell the targets about the hacking because the information was so secret. The disclosure of the Top Secret information would have revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies were continuing to monitor the hacking, as well as the sensitive intelligence sources and the methods they were using to do it.

Florida officer who killed retiree accused of prior excessive force

A Florida police officer who mistakenly killed a 73-year-old woman during a role-play exercise this week has been the subject of excessive force complaints in the past, according to a police official and media reports. Punta Gorda Police Officer Lee Coel is on administrative leave after firing a live round that struck and killed Mary Knowlton on Tuesday night at an event hosted by the police department for about 35 members of the community.

Texas, other states to ask judge to halt Obama transgender policy

Texas and a dozen other states plan to ask a U.S. judge in Fort Worth on Friday to halt Obama administration recommendations regarding bathroom access for transgender students, arguing they are unlawful "radical changes" being foisted on the nation. The U.S. Justice Department in legal filings said the policies are recommendations that do not have the force of law, and the plaintiffs, including 13 states led by Texas, have no standing to request an injunction to suspend them.

Family lawyer calls black man's accused shooter 'George Zimmerman 2.0'

A lawyer for the family of a man shot and killed in North Carolina called his accused killer "George Zimmerman 2.0" as the dead man's mother pleaded on Thursday for an end to gun violence in the United States. Chad Copley, who is white, is accused of firing a shotgun from inside his garage into a crowd of people in front of a nearby home on Sunday and killing 20-year-old Kouren Thomas, who was black. Raleigh police arrested Copley, 39, on a murder charge.

08/12/2016 8:57