US Domestic News Roundup: Alaska Air pilot in aborted flight said he used 'magic' mushrooms, documents show; Biden won't appear on New Hampshire primary ballot and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Alaska Air pilot in aborted flight said he used 'magic' mushrooms, documents show

An off-duty pilot charged with trying to disable the engines of an Alaska Airlines jet in flight told police afterward he was suffering a nervous breakdown, had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier and had not slept in 40 hours, court documents showed on Tuesday. Joseph David Emerson, 44, an Alaska Airlines pilot, was riding as a standby employee passenger in the cockpit "jump seat" of Sunday's flight, en route from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, when the airborne altercation occurred, authorities said.

Biden won't appear on New Hampshire primary ballot

President Joe Biden will not have his name on the New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot after the state refused to abide by new Democratic Party rules that South Carolina hold its primary contest first, the Biden re-election campaign said on Tuesday. The Democratic Party had moved to eliminate Iowa and New Hampshire as the states holding the first two election nominating contests in favor of South Carolina.

Donald Trump, Michael Cohen to face off again at New York fraud trial

Donald Trump and his onetime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will square off once again on Wednesday in a Manhattan courtroom, where the former U.S. president faces a civil fraud trial over his family real estate company's business practices.

Cohen, who cut ties with Trump five years ago, will undergo more cross-examination by Trump's lawyers determined to undermine his credibility.

'We're wiser': US Republican women candidates steer clear of speaker fight

As the fractious U.S. House of Representatives' Republican caucus has squabbled for three weeks over who should lead it, the group's women members have stayed on the sidelines.

Some of the holdouts say that is a deliberate choice, to avoid what has been a brutal fight that has taken a political toll on many of the group's top leaders.

US House Republicans hope Johnson will fill long leadership vacancy

The U.S. House of Representatives Republicans' leadership fight dragged into a 23rd day on Wednesday, with the narrow majority trying to unite around Representative Mike Johnson after ousting their leader and blocking three potential replacements. The long standoff, started by a handful of party hardliners angry about a bipartisan deal that averted a partial government shutdown, has left the chamber unable to respond to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, or to take action to keep federal agencies funded past Nov. 17.

Trump valued holdings at 'whatever number' he picked, Michael Cohen testifies

Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified on Tuesday that he manipulated the values of the former U.S. president's real estate properties to match "whatever number Mr. Trump told us." Testifying as a key witness in New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil fraud case against Trump, Cohen said Trump tasked him and other former Trump Organization executives with doctoring financial statements to boost the value of the company's holdings and secure better real estate premiums.

Biden's Israel stance angers Arab, Muslim Americans; could jeopardize 2024 votes

Arab and Muslim Americans and their allies are criticizing President Joe Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war, asking him to do more to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza or risk losing their support in the 2024 election. Many Arab Americans are upset Biden has not pushed for any humanitarian ceasefire even as Palestinians are killed fleeing Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, more than a dozen academics, activists, community members and administration officials said.

Florida's DeSantis bans pro-Palestinian student group

Florida’s university system, working with Governor Ron DeSantis, ordered colleges on Tuesday to shut down a pro-Palestinian student organization, marking the first U.S. state to outlaw the group whose national leadership backed Hamas' attack on Israel. The State University System of Florida said chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) had to be dismantled as part of a "crack down" in the Republican-led state on campus demonstrations that provide "harmful support for terrorist groups."

US antisemitic incidents up about 400% since Israel-Hamas war began, report says

Antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by about 400% in slightly over two weeks since war broke out in the Middle East after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Wednesday. THE TAKE

US zoo saving endangered red wolf, one dental checkup at a time

The endangered red wolf, the lone wolf species native only to the United States, is slowly coming back thanks to a breeding and reintroduction program that also takes special care of the wolves' teeth. The Tacoma-based Point Defiance Zoo is conducting dental exams and teeth-cleaning in its managed care program. Broken teeth "would prevent them from eating meat very well," said Karen Wolf, the zoo's head veterinarian.