Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

SpaceX to build $100 billion Starship rocket complex in Louisiana

SpaceX unveiled plans on Tuesday to build its largest rocket launch complex yet in southern Louisiana, a $100 billion effort to transform coastal wetlands into a critical base for the company's Starship and AI satellite launch ambitions. The 125,000-acre (50,585-hectare) site on Pecan Island, which SpaceX named Starbase Louisiana, will expand the company's Starship launch operations beyond South Texas and those planned for Florida. It will eventually launch thousands ​of Starship flights a year, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said.

Darline Graham vies for South Carolina Senate seat with Trump's clout on the line

Voters in South Carolina will decide whether they want to establish a Graham family dynasty as they go to the polls on Tuesday in a Republican primary pitting Darline Graham ​against U.S. Representative Ralph Norman. Graham, 62, is the sister of Lindsey Graham, who died at the age of 71 on July 11, having served in Congress for 31 years -- 23 of those in the U.S. Senate. ‌She subsequently was appointed to fill ​out his Senate term that expires at the beginning of January.

Lake America? Trump mulls renaming Lake Ontario, expresses love for French Canadians amid trade war

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" and denied that a rift over French language requirements contributed to a breakdown in trade talks between the U.S. and Canada. "The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump administration defends Kennedy Center renaming plan, warns of demolition risk

President Donald Trump's administration argued in a court filing that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could eventually face demolition if major repairs are not undertaken, as it defended a renewed effort to restore Trump's name to the landmark's facade. In the filing late on Monday, lawyers for the administration urged U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to reject a new legal challenge to Trump's renaming efforts by a ‌Democratic Kennedy Center board member.

Cyclosporiasis cases in US climb to 17,180, CDC says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday reported 17,180 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the United States, an increase of 1,464 cases from a week ago. Here are some details:

US lawmakers question Health Secretary Kennedy on vaccine settlement disclosures

A group of U.S. senators said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent explanation for how he disposed of a financial stake in litigation involving Merck's Gardasil vaccine conflicts with earlier answers he gave in written testimony and federal ethics filings, a letter reviewed by Reuters shows. The letter, sent on Monday by four Democratic senators, notes that Merck earlier this year agreed to pay $50 million to settle litigation over Gardasil, which prevents cancers caused by the human papillomavirus.

California AG says no settlement talks scheduled with Paramount

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Tuesday there are no settlement talks scheduled with Paramount Skydance to resolve the antitrust suit seeking to block the studio's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. Bonta said he canceled a scheduled Monday meeting after details of confidential settlement discussions leaked to the press, which he said was "unacceptable."

US Supreme Court hands a win to Trump over mail-in ballot restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted one court order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from implementing an executive order restricting the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. But the fate of Trump's order remains uncertain, as a separate injunction blocking a key part of the plan remains in place.

Explainer-Trump's ‌mail-in ballot order gets Supreme Court boost but legal fights persist

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing to implement his executive order restricting the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections, but a federal judge blocked it. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed him a win, lifting that judicial order, but other challenges remain.

Explainer-What are H-1B visas for skilled workers and what changes loom?

U.S. employers seeking to hire skilled foreign workers can use the federal government's H-1B visa program for a fee, allowing tech and other professionals from abroad to work in the United States for a few years. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pursued a broad immigration crackdown since taking office ‌last year, has lambasted the program and wants to permanently raise the fee from between $2,000 and $5,000 to more than $100,000.

US voters favor Democratic Party on cost of living, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

The Democratic Party has gained a significant edge over Republicans in voter perceptions on which party has a better approach to the cost of living, a troubling sign for President Donald Trump's party heading into the midterm elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, completed on Monday, asked 951 registered voters which party had a better plan or approach for handling the cost of living. Thirty-six percent picked Democrats and 28% picked Republicans. The rest weren't sure or said neither party was good on the matter.

US FAA says antenna relocated after Marine One safety incident

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday that an antenna was relocated and a procedure changed after a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump came too close to a passenger jet departing Reagan Washington National Airport. The Aug. 4 incident raised serious questions about why the passenger airplane was allowed to depart while Marine One was nearby, a time when commercial traffic is typically halted. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters after an aviation event he was confident the communication issue had been resolved.

US plans to appoint two new FDA deputy commissioners for tech and drugs, CNBC reports

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to appoint two new deputy commissioners at the Food and Drug Administration, CNBC reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. One role would focus on technology, including healthcare and AI, while the other would oversee drugs, according to two people familiar with the plans.

US appeals court blocks FCC plan to expand discounted political advertising rates

The U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday blocked a move to extend discounted broadcast television advertising rates to political party ⁠and joint fundraising committees ahead of midterm elections ​in November. The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission said it would allow the committees to get the same heavily discounted rate as political candidates, in a move Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez had warned would unleash ⁠a flood of coordinated campaign money into broadcast advertising.

What to know about US measles cases on the rise

Two Pennsylvania residents have died due to measles, health officials said on Tuesday, the first U.S. deaths from the disease reported in 2026 and the first in the state in 35 years.

A decline in vaccination among U.S. children in recent years, fueled by unscientific claims that the shots are unsafe, has triggered larger outbreaks. Here is what you need to know about measles:

Pennsylvania reports first US measles deaths this year as outbreak grows

Two Pennsylvania residents died after contracting measles, health officials said on Tuesday, the first such deaths this year in the United States, which is contending with the highest number of cases of the highly infectious disease in more than three decades as vaccination rates drop. Both people were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, according to the Pennsylvania Department ⁠of Health, which did not release additional details, citing privacy concerns.

Instagram head Mosseri, at children's addiction trial, says few teenagers knew of safety feature

The top executive at Instagram said few teenagers used a key safety feature to limit their use before it was turned on by default, at a trial over whether Meta Platforms designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram since 2018, denied any suggestion by U.S. states suing Meta that Instagram stalled by not making the "Take a Break" feature the default setting for teenagers until September 2024, nearly three years after its launch.

U.S. military officer who called for Trump impeachment faces three charges

A U.S. military service member who called for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to be impeached is facing charges under the military justice system, his ​lawyer and the Air Force said on Tuesday. The active-duty officer, Major Jason Watson, denounced Trump and Vance last month for actions including going to war with Iran without congressional authorization, according to a video of the protest event posted online.

US lawmakers urge Trump to ban Americans from aiding Chinese security agencies

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to bar American citizens and businesses from supporting Chinese and Russian civilian intelligence and security agencies. Congress approved a law in 2018 banning Americans from providing support to foreign military intelligence agencies but leaving the door open to such aid for similar civilian-led organizations. In 2019, Reuters revealed the United ⁠Arab Emirates had hired over a dozen former U.S. intelligence operatives to hack dissidents, journalists, and Americans, shining a spotlight on the issue.

Dolly Parton, queen of country music, dies at 80

Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: "Little Tiny Tasseltop," an ode to her corncob doll with corn-silk hair. Her mother stored it preciously in a shoebox. "I loved that little doll," Parton wrote decades later. "I expressed myself and my feelings through writing - I’m sure what I was thinking was, 'Well, Tasseltop has to have a song about her.'"

More US employers to drop weight-loss drugs in 2027, as healthcare costs increase

About 14% of employers in the United States have already or plan to drop GLP-1 drugs in 2027, as companies see rising healthcare costs, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the Business Group on Health. Healthcare costs are set to increase 9.2% if employers do not make changes to manage costs in 2027, ⁠up from ​8.5% in 2026, the group said. Two-thirds of employers surveyed said they saw rising utilization of the drugs.

US judge blocks Ohio law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration

A U.S. judge on Tuesday blocked an Ohio law requiring residents to present documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote at the battleground state's motor vehicles offices, in the latest setback for allies of President Donald Trump pushing to tighten voter registration rules. The decision by Cleveland-based U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. marked a defeat for Ohio's Republican government ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. A competitive race for a Senate seat in the state is considered critical for Democrats' hopes of winning control of the Senate.

Alabama launches probe into OpenAI after Hugging Face breach

Alabama's attorney general said on Monday the state had opened an investigation into OpenAI after its models hacked technology company Hugging Face last month, raising concerns about how artificial intelligence firms control their powerful systems. Here are a few details:

U.S. Secret Service aware of Iranian video threat against Barron Trump

The U.S. Secret Service is aware of a video broadcast by Iranian state television discussing a potential plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. "The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees. Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence," Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring said in an ⁠email.

New US single-family home sales slide in July, confidence dips in August

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes tumbled in July as high mortgage rates weighed on the market and continued to sideline potential home buyers, while consumer confidence slid to a seven-month low on darkening outlooks for the job market and inflation. New home sales dropped 10.5% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 607,000 units last month - the lowest since January - from June's upwardly revised pace, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Tuesday. New home sales, which are counted at the closing of a contract, account for a small share of U.S. home sales and tend to be volatile on a month-to-month ⁠basis. They fell 6.3% on a year-over-year basis in June.

Wife of active-duty US Army sergeant is deported

The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant was deported to Honduras on Monday, marking the latest example ⁠of the impact of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown on relatives of members of the U.S. military. Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo "was removed from the United States" on Monday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email. Army Sergeant Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez told ABC News his wife, the mother of a 6-year-old, was deported to Honduras.

Judge chides US Postal Service over mail-in voting rule but will not block it

A federal judge on Tuesday declined for now to block a final rule that the U.S. Postal Service adopted at the direction of President Donald Trump that would tighten requirements for mail-in voting, even as she concluded the agency had violated a court order by issuing it. Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled a day after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted one of two court orders she had issued that had prevented USPS from implementing an executive order Trump signed targeting mail-in ballots.

Ghislaine Maxwell loses bid to throw out conviction for aiding Jeffrey Epstein

A U.S. judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to throw out her conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping ‌the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. In a decision made public on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan said ‌Maxwell's claims were all meritless, and all or almost all were frivolous.

Fire crews gain ground on destructive blaze raging near Reno, Nevada

Firefighters logged major gains on Monday against a wind-driven blaze that threatened the city of Reno, Nevada, over the weekend, destroying dozens of houses and chasing tens of thousands of people from their homes. As of Monday, fire crews had managed ​to carve containment lines around 27% of the Hawk Fire, which erupted on Saturday near Nevada's third-most-populous city and raced through tinder-dry grass, brush and forest into residential areas.