Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The US cyclosporiasis outbreak has claimed its first known deaths in Michigan, with two individuals succumbing to the intestinal illness due to underlying health conditions.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Michigan reports first US deaths in cyclosporiasis outbreak

A cyclosporiasis outbreak that has grown into the largest on record in the United States has caused its first known deaths, two people in Michigan, the state's health department said on Monday. Cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, is generally not life-threatening. Michigan, citing medical records, said the two who died had significant underlying health conditions that may have ​been affected by the disease and related dehydration.

Texas governor orders pause on new data center approvals pending audit

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered a pause on approvals of new data center projects through the state's grid interconnection process, citing concerns that a surge in electricity demand could threaten reliability at a time ​when opposition to the projects is growing. The state is poised to become one of the world's largest data-center hubs, with industry forecasts suggesting it could surpass Virginia by 2030 thanks to abundant land, energy ‌supplies and a business-friendly environment.

Attorney Taylor ​wins Democratic nomination in competitive Virginia congressional district, US media projects

Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor won the Democratic nomination in a competitive Virginia congressional district on Tuesday, according to U.S. media.

Voters prefer Democrats over Republicans on economy for first time in a decade, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Americans picked Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in nearly a decade in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which also found their approval of President Donald Trump's performance falling to 35%. The finding, in a poll conducted Wednesday through Monday, showed how Trump's handling of the economy, including rising energy prices resulting from the Iran war, could weigh on his party's chances in the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years.

CDC expands largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, Washington Post reports

The U.S. CDC is adding six more states to the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce, widening the number of affected states to 15, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing ‌three individuals familiar with the investigation. An FDA investigation linked the outbreak that has expanded to nine states to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants and sourced from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico.

Arson suspect in court as wildfires rage around Spokane, Washington

A 37-year-old man appeared in court on Tuesday in Spokane, Washington after being charged with starting one of three fires that have destroyed over 700 houses and other buildings and forced 64,000 people to evacuate the city hit hardest by wildfires sweeping the drought-stricken Pacific Northwest United States. The suspect, Spokane resident Aaron Farinacci, previously imprisoned for killing his father, made his initial appearance in county court after being jailed on a $1 million bond on a count of first-degree arson, according to court records.

US jury says Medtronic owes $88 million in first case to go to trial over Covidien's hernia mesh

Medtronic must pay an Alabama man and his wife $88 million, a federal jury decided on Tuesday, in the first case to go to trial out of thousands facing the company from people claiming they were injured by hernia-repair mesh implants made by one of its units. Following a three-week trial in Boston, jurors found that Medtronic's Covidien unit failed to provide an adequate warning about the dangers posed by the mesh implanted in Larry Patterson in 2017, Medtronic and the man's lawyer said. The failure of Patterson's hernia mesh implant required significant reconstructive surgery, according to his complaint. The jury awarded ‌no punitive damages, and it did not find that Covidien engaged in fraud.

Wildfires near Spokane destroy more than 700 buildings, force 64,000 to flee

Wildfires raging on the outskirts of Spokane, Washington, for a third day have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in and around the state's second-most populous city, officials said on Monday.

The cluster of three blazes ranked as the top firefighting priority in the U.S. as a whole, including the drought-parched Pacific Northwest, where dozens of major wildfires have burned for weeks, degrading air quality across a wide region.

A single US measles outbreak can cost ‌millions of dollars, study estimates

The overall cost of containing a 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico was nearly $5.4 million, a new study estimates. The figure includes expenses for medical care, public health services and lost productivity, not just for the 57 adult patients and for caregivers of the 43 infected children but also for 205 exposed and quarantined contacts and 133 public health responders.

Michigan primary offers key test of Democratic voters' views on Israel

Michigan voters head to the polls on Tuesday in a high-stakes Democratic Senate primary that could shape the battle for control of Congress and the future of the Democratic Party amid a fierce internal debate over U.S. support for Israel. The contest pits Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official who wants to end unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel and accuses it of genocide, against U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate backed by pro-Israel groups and a longtime outspoken supporter of Israel.

Trump vowed to 'bring free speech back.' Judges in 75 cases ruled that he has stifled it

U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly campaigned for his second term as a champion of free expression, vowing in his January 2025 inaugural address to stop what he described as years of "government censorship." Since then, a wave of court rulings has concluded his administration has done the opposite. Reuters identified 75 federal-judge rulings finding Trump’s government infringed on First-Amendment rights including freedoms of speech, religion, and the press.

Exclusive-White House set to extend Jones Act waiver as Trump hunts for cheaper gasoline

The White House is expected to extend a waiver of the century-old Jones Act in the coming days to try and hold down gasoline prices, sources said, as President Donald Trump escalates his attacks on Exxon Mobil and Chevron for ⁠making "too much money." The Jones Act requires cargo moving ​between U.S. ports to be carried on ships built in the U.S., owned by U.S. companies and crewed by American workers, and the waiver aims to lower gas prices by increasing ⁠shipping flexibility and reducing transport bottlenecks.

US Senator Wyden urges regulators to probe Wall Street banks over Epstein accounts

U.S. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden called for federal regulators to probe big banks over their handling of Jeffrey Epstein's accounts after surfacing what Wyden said was potential evidence that the banks failed to report suspicious transactions linked to the late convicted sex offender. In a report released on Tuesday, Wyden alleged that Bank of America, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase may have violated federal anti-money laundering laws by failing to report Epstein's suspicious transactions in a timely manner.

Five things to watch in Tuesday's US primaries

The Democratic Party's ideological divide faces its biggest test of the 2026 primary season on Tuesday, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed looking to win Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate nomination over center-left U.S. Representative Haley Stevens. Michigan is one of five states ⁠holding primaries along with Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state. Democrats need to net four seats to retake the Senate, making Michigan — a state Donald Trump won in 2024 — central to those hopes.

Trump's EPA was wrong to terminate billions in climate grants, US appeals court rules

A federal appeals court on Tuesday said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot claw back about $20 billion of clean energy grants from several nonprofit groups, handing a defeat to the Trump administration. The decision by a divided U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. restored an April 2025 injunction against EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's decision to terminate the grants, which had been awarded during the Biden administration with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Former US Rep. Luria wins Democratic nomination in Virginia battleground district, US media projects

Former ​U.S. Representative Elaine Luria won the Democratic nomination in a Virginia battleground district, according to U.S. media.

US consumer watchdog supervisor warned staff of 'unpleasant' fallout if they go too hard on firms

A top supervision examiner at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned staff they would face "most unpleasant" consequences if they were too aggressive in their oversight of financial firms, according to an internal email reviewed by Reuters. The threat, which Reuters is reporting for the first time, was emailed on May 13 by Chief Examiner Fatima Batie to many of the agency's mid-level supervision staff as they were preparing to resume inspections of ⁠financial firms following a long hiatus, according to the email and two people familiar with the matter.

Chipotle pulls jalapenos from some restaurants amid salmonella probe

Chipotle Mexican Grill said on Tuesday it had removed jalapenos from all its restaurants in Minnesota and other locations that received the product after identifying the peppers as a potential common ingredient in a salmonella outbreak under investigation by public health authorities. Shares of Chipotle fell as much as 8.5% to $35.20, as investors weighed the impact of another food-safety investigation on the burrito chain that has faced more than a few foodborne disease outbreaks in the past.

Family of man who died in ICE detention in New Jersey alleges medical negligence in custody

The family of a man from El Salvador, who died in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in New Jersey, alleged medical negligence during his custody and demanded an independent investigation into ⁠his death. ICE said ​on Monday that Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, who was being held at the Delaney Hall detention facility, was pronounced dead on Saturday by medical personnel at University Hospital, in Newark, New Jersey, after suffering what the agency described as a medical emergency.

New Jersey sues Amazon alleging poor pay and conditions for drivers

New Jersey sued Amazon.com on Tuesday, accusing the online retailer of abusing its market power over independent delivery drivers in the state. Amazon used its dominance to impose low pay and poor conditions on thousands of New Jersey workers who deliver for the company via its Delivery Service Partner program, the state alleged in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Newark, New Jersey.

US judge grants DOJ request to dismiss January 6 cases against Oath Keepers

A U.S. judge on Tuesday granted the U.S. Justice Department's request to dismiss cases against members of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia who took part in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a court filing. The ruling from Washington-based U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta tosses out convictions of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other members of the group who were convicted of seditious conspiracy for plotting to stop the transfer of power after President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Southern California Edison tower sparked devastating LA County's Eaton fire, report finds

Electrical sparks from an out-of-service transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison caused ⁠the devastating 2025 wildfire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes near Los Angeles, fire investigators concluded on Tuesday. The findings, made public in a 55-page Los Angeles County Fire Department report, could pose major legal ramifications for the utility giant, owned by Edison International, which faces billions of dollars in potential liability claims stemming from the blaze, dubbed the Eaton fire.

Shifting left, Democrats see universal health care, taxing the rich as 'essential,' Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Liberal Democrats now make up a clear majority of their party and view universal healthcare, greater abortion access and higher taxes on the rich as essential political positions, underscoring how Democrats ⁠have moved leftward in recent years, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The finding comes ahead of a Tuesday Democratic primary in which left-wing doctor Abdul El-Sayed is vying against moderate U.S. Representative Haley Stevens ⁠for the party's nomination to run for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat. The seat is seen as critical for Democrats' hopes of winning a majority in that chamber in the November midterm elections.

Embattled US Representative Max Miller requests ethics probe of abuse claims against him

A U.S. congressional ethics panel opened a probe on Tuesday into Republican Representative Max Miller, who requested the investigation saying he wanted to clear his name after his ex-wife accused him of abuse. Miller, who has denied the allegations, is running for reelection in Ohio's 7th Congressional District. If he drops out of the race, Republicans would need to name a new candidate under state law by August 10.

Cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan climb to 11,508 in ongoing outbreak

Michigan health officials on Tuesday reported 11,508 cases linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak, up by more than 200 from the previous day's update. The state also reported the first two deaths associated with the outbreak, noting that both individuals had significant underlying health conditions.

Blanche clears key nomination hurdle after ‌deal wins senators' vote

Todd Blanche cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday on his path to nomination for U.S. attorney general, as ‌Republicans voted to advance him out of committee on a party-line vote. But questions persist about a deal he said would end President Donald Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund and narrow an agreement giving Trump immunity from audits of past tax returns. Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer and the current acting attorney general, agreed on Sunday to amend the terms of the ​fund and the tax immunity deal in order to win the backing of two holdout Republican senators, although critics say the amendments do not go far enough.