US Domestic News Roundup: Kevin Spacey denies Anthony Rapp abuse claim, regrets apology; Biden to highlight choice facing voters on abortion as midterms near and more

In his lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Clark argues that the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the local bodies of the D.C. Bar responsible for filing and adjudicating disciplinary proceedings against attorneys do not have the jurisdiction to bring ethics charges against him. U.S. security officials worry about homegrown election threats Domestic disinformation campaigns and homegrown threats to poll workers are emerging as bigger concerns ahead of the Nov. 8 U.S. congressional elections than foreign interference, according to U.S. cybersecurity and law enforcement officials.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Kevin Spacey denies Anthony Rapp abuse claim, regrets apology

Kevin Spacey said in court on Monday that he regretted apologizing to actor Anthony Rapp over claims that the Oscar winner made an unwanted sexual advance in 1986 when Rapp was 14.

Rapp, now 50, sued Spacey in 2020 for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and testified earlier this month that an intoxicated Spacey - then 26 and acting on Broadway - climbed on top of him at a party at his Manhattan apartment. Rapp, at the start of his own Broadway career at the time, said he was able to "swerve my way out" but that the experience scarred him.

Biden to highlight choice facing voters on abortion as midterms near

U.S. President Joe Biden, under renewed pressure over high inflation with key elections coming up fast, will seek to turn attention back to the issue of abortion rights in a speech on Tuesday. Biden's Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate too, in November midterm elections.

U.S. nears record poultry deaths from bird flu; virus type complicates fight

A near-record number of U.S. chickens and turkeys have died in this year's outbreak of avian flu, as a different form of the virus than farmers battled before has infected more wild birds that then transmit the disease, officials said. More than 47 million birds have died due to infections and cullings. This has spurred export bans, lowered egg and turkey production, and contributed to record prices of the staples ahead of the U.S. holiday season. The outbreak exacerbates economic pain for consumers grappling with soaring inflation.

Semafor news platform launches

Semafor, a global news platform founded by former Bloomberg Media Chief Executive Officer Justin Smith and New York Times media columnist Ben Smith, launched on Tuesday, betting on a new article format and newsletters from well-known journalists to compete in a crowded industry that is fighting for readers' attention. Most of Semafor's content will be presented in structure executives describe as a 'Semaform': articles broken up into separate sections that include the news, the reporter's view on the news, and the counter-argument to that view.

Trump ally Clark asks U.S. court to block disciplinary charges against him

Former Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Bossert Clark asked a federal court on Monday to intervene in a legal disciplinary case pending against him over his efforts to help former President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 election loss. In his lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Clark argues that the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the local bodies of the D.C. Bar responsible for filing and adjudicating disciplinary proceedings against attorneys do not have the jurisdiction to bring ethics charges against him.

U.S. security officials worry about homegrown election threats

Domestic disinformation campaigns and homegrown threats to poll workers are emerging as bigger concerns ahead of the Nov. 8 U.S. congressional elections than foreign interference, according to U.S. cybersecurity and law enforcement officials. Russia and Iran, accused of meddling in past U.S. elections using disinformation campaigns, are enmeshed in their own crises - the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Iranian mass protests - and have not yet been found to have targeted this election, said two senior U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. According to information disclosed as part of criminal cases, Russian and Iranian intelligence units deployed hackers and fake social media accounts in recent U.S. elections to try to influence the vote and sow discord. Election integrity has been a contentious issue in the United States, particularly in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Republican former President Donald Trump continues to make false claims that the election was stolen from him by Democrat Joe Biden through widespread voting fraud. "At this time, we are not aware of any specific or credible threats to compromise or disrupt election infrastructure," top U.S. cybersecurity official Jen Easterly told reporters last week during a video conference on election security. "That said, the current election threat environment is more complex than it has ever been," added Easterly, who heads the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Republicans are aiming to win back control of the Senate and House of Representatives from Biden's fellow Democrats in the midterm elections, a development that would imperil major parts of his legislative agenda. Since 2020, there have been numerous reported incidents of poll workers being threatened, harassed or assaulted by Trump supporters, as detailed by Reuters. Opinion polls have shown that a large majority of Republican voters believe Trump won that election. "There is a lot of rhetoric about violence against poll workers," said one of the U.S. officials, who is involved in efforts to prevent the spread of election-related disinformation. "So we have made it a point ... to aggressively investigate all of those threats." The official noted that the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment safeguard for free speech would protect certain types of comments. "First Amendment-protected is, 'Oh, I wish so-and-so can die.' However, if you say, 'I'm going to come to his house and kill so-and-so,' then we can open an investigation. Even though it's a small minority of people who are putting out all of this type of language, it gets amplified on social media. So I would say that is kind of my biggest concern," the official added.

Planned Parenthood asks North Carolina court to let more health workers provide abortions

North Carolina abortion providers on Monday asked a state court to allow health professionals other than physicians to provide medication abortions, as clinics struggle to accommodate an influx of abortion patients from across the U.S. South. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective filed a motion seeking temporary relief from a state law that bans "advanced practice clinicians," including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, from providing abortions.

Kentucky abortion vote will test support for post-Roe state bans

An abortion rights vote in Kentucky on Nov. 8 will determine if the conservative state becomes Kansas 2.0. Kentucky voters are being asked to amend the state's constitution to say residents do not have a right to abortions, three months after voters in Kansas soundly rejected a similar ballot question.

U.S. urges 6-month sentence for ex-Trump adviser Bannon over contempt conviction

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday asked a federal judge to sentence former President Donald Trump's adviser Steve Bannon to six months behind bars, saying he pursued a "bad faith strategy of defiance and contempt" against the congressional committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Bannon, 68, an influential far-right political figure, was convicted in July on two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena.

Starbucks sued for accusing unionized workers of assault, kidnapping

Starbucks Corp was sued on Monday by eight employees at a unionized South Carolina store who said the company falsely accused them of criminal conduct after they demanded a raise from their manager. The workers filed a lawsuit in South Carolina state court against Starbucks and the manager at the store in Anderson, a few miles from Clemson University. They claimed the manager urged police to charge them with assault and kidnapping after the workers pressed her for a raise in August.