US News Roundup: Rapper Pop Smoke shot dead; Weinstein's legal problems extend beyond New York criminal trial and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Tennessee to execute man convicted of killing a fellow inmate in 1985

A death row inmate convicted more than three decades ago of stabbing a fellow prisoner to death over a drug deal gone bad is scheduled for execution on Thursday by electric chair in Tennessee. The execution of Nicholas Todd Sutton, 58, is set to take place at 7 p.m. CST (0100 GMT) at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, 34 years after he was convicted of killing Carl Estep.

Trump adviser Stone to be sentenced in a case that has roiled Washington

President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone is set to be sentenced on Thursday after being convicted on charges including lying to a congressional panel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election in a case that has roiled the Justice Department and drawn Trump's ire. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson is scheduled to sentence Stone, whose career as a Republican operative has stretched from the Watergate scandal era of the early 1970s to Trump's campaign four years ago, at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) in Washington.

'Hit with a truck' - How Iran's missiles inflicted brain injury on U.S. troops

In the wee hours of Jan. 8, Tehran retaliated over the U.S. killing of Iran’s most powerful general by bombarding the al-Asad airbase in Iraq. Among the 2,000 troops stationed there was U.S. Army Specialist Kimo Keltz, who recalls hearing a missile whistling through the sky as he lay on the deck of a guard tower. The explosion lifted his body - in full armor - an inch or two off the floor.

Illinois governor looks to income tax change to boost Fiscal Year 2021 revenue

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proposed a $42 billion fiscal 2021 general funds budget on Wednesday that includes $1.4 billion in new revenue from a change in the state's income tax rate structure that may or may not be approved by voters in November. The Democratic governor's second budget since taking office in January 2019 would put that revenue in reserve pending the outcome of the vote on a constitutional amendment to replace the state's current flat income tax rate with graduated rates starting Jan. 1.

Rapper Pop Smoke shot dead in Hollywood Hills home; masked gunman sought

Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed on Wednesday in a rented multi-million-dollar home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills, and police said they were searching for several suspects, at least one who was armed and wearing a mask during the incident. The Los Angeles Police Department and county coroner's office declined to identify the 20-year-old Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, as the victim in the fatal shooting, but his record label confirmed his passing.

Jurors in Weinstein rape trial ask to review Rosie Perez testimony

Jurors in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial appeared to take a methodical approach in their deliberations on Wednesday, asking to review testimony from a former production assistant who says Weinstein raped her as well as from actress Rosie Perez. The jury also asked to see texts to Weinstein from defense witness Paul Feldsher before ending their second day of deliberations. Jurors are expected to continue their discussions on Thursday.

Exclusive: SmileDirectClub’s top dentist risks losing license in California crackdown

The top dentist and public face of SmileDirectClub are at risk of losing his California license following a two-year state dental board investigation, records reviewed by Reuters show. The California disciplinary process underway against dentist Jeffrey A. Sulitzer, SmileDirectClub’s chief clinical officer, is the latest threat facing the high-flying tele-dentistry firm, which promises to straighten Americans’ teeth without a visit to an orthodontist’s office for costly treatment.

Former Illinois governor Blagojevich thanks Trump for commuting sentence

Rod Blagojevich, a former Illinois governor forced out of the office for trying to peddle Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat, thanked President Donald Trump on Wednesday for commuting his prison sentence and again proclaimed his innocence. The 63-year-old Democrat was impeached and removed from office in 2009 and convicted two years later of wire fraud, extortion and soliciting bribes while serving as governor.

California to make state buildings available to house homeless

California will provide nearly 300 state properties for use as homeless shelters and should change its laws to make it easier for local officials to get the mentally ill off the streets, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday. Newsom, a Democrat, devoted most of his annual State of the State address to the legislature to the homeless crisis.

Weinstein's legal problems extend beyond New York criminal trial

A New York jury began deliberations on Tuesday in the rape trial of former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Regardless of the verdict, Weinstein's legal problems are far from over. The producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and "The English Patient" has pleaded not guilty to raping Jessica Mann, a one-time aspiring actress, and sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi. He faces life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault.

(With inputs from agencies.)