Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. New Illinois governor eyes larger fiscal year 2020 budget hole

Illinois faces a $3.2 billion deficit in its upcoming fiscal 2020 budget that is nearly 16 percent higher than previously projected, Governor J.B. Pritzker's administration said on Friday. A five-year fiscal forecast released by former Republican Governor Bruce Rauner's administration in November showed a $2.76 billion hole in the general funds budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Shoplifter extortion case against Walmart, other retailers is dismissed

A federal judge dismissed a racketeering lawsuit accusing Walmart Inc and six other retailers of extortion by forcing accused shoplifters to take costly "restorative justice" classes or else be reported to the police. In a decision late on Friday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, found no proof of a nationwide conspiracy to steer accused shoplifters into paying $400 up front or $500 in installments for the classes from Utah-based Corrective Education Co, and admitting guilt, to avoid prosecution. Virginia governor appears at funeral as pressure grows on his No. 2

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made his first public appearance on Saturday since defying calls a week ago to step down over a racist yearbook photograph, as his potential successor, a fellow Democrat, faced growing pressure over sexual assault allegations. Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, the state's second-highest elected official, faces the prospect of impeachment proceedings at the hands of another Democrat next week after two women separately accused him of sexual crimes, including rape. Border Patrol overwhelmed by large groups of migrant families

U.S. Border Patrol said on Friday its resources were being stretched thin by larger and larger groups of Central American families left by smugglers in remote locations along the U.S. Mexico border. So far in fiscal year 2019, which began last October, the Border Patrol has apprehended 60 groups of 100 or more migrants, compared with 13 during the entire 2018 fiscal year and just two large groups caught in the 2017 fiscal year, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official said on a call with reporters. American Media says it acted lawfully in reporting on Amazon's Bezos

American Media Inc, the owner of the National Enquirer, said on Friday it acted lawfully in its reporting on Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.com Inc, and that it would thoroughly investigate his claims of blackmail and take whatever action was necessary. Bezos on Thursday accused AMI of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the supermarket tabloid's reporting on him was not politically motivated. U.S. appeals court to revisit open carrying of guns

A federal appeals court has decided to reconsider its recent decision that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to openly carry guns in self-defense. In an order on Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will revisit whether Hawaii acted lawfully in denying the plaintiff George Young a permit to openly carry a loaded gun in public. U.S. Steel wins tax breaks from one of America's poorest cities

United States Steel Corporation founded Gary, Indiana in 1906 - naming it after co-founder Elbert Henry Gary - and the city's fortunes have been closely tied to the company ever since. When the firm started losing business to cheap Asian imports in the 1970s, waves of layoffs followed as Gary became a haven of blight, crime and lost population. U.S. must prevent air accidents involving drones, lawmaker warns

The commercial drone industry could be torpedoed if there were a serious accident involving a drone and a commercial aircraft, the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee warned on Friday. Representative Peter DeFazio, a Democrat, said at a speech in Washington that regulators had to take the threat seriously. Seven mumps cases confirmed at Houston ICE detention facility

Seven adult detainees at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Houston have been diagnosed with mumps, but the contagious disease is contained, the city's health department said on Saturday. "Since these individuals were isolated inside the facility during the period they were infectious, we do not anticipate these cases posing a threat to the community," Dr. David Persse, Houston's local health authority and emergency medical services medical director, said in a statement. ICE's Houston Contract Detention Facility houses approximately 950-1,000 adults. U.S. sues Lockheed, others for alleged kickbacks on nuclear site cleanup

The United States has sued Lockheed Martin Corp, Lockheed Martin Services Inc, and Mission Support Alliance LLC, as well as a Lockheed executive for alleged false claims and kickbacks on a multibillion-dollar contract to clean up a nuclear site, the Justice Department said on Friday. The complaint alleges Lockheed paid more than $1 million to Mission Support Alliance executives in order to win a $232 million subcontract for providing management and technology support at the Hanford, Washington site from 2010 through the middle of 2016 at inflated rates.

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