Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Texas' halt on powering data centers reflects US reckoning over 'ghost' demand

Data centers have requested roughly as much electricity across the middle swath of the United States as it takes to power every home in the country, but much of that demand may be an illusion. In an attempt to find out what is real, Texas recently became the first major data center hub to freeze new grid connections for the facilities https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/hundreds-millions-grid-deposits-linger-uncertainty-following-texas-data-center-2026-08-07/ and investigate their plans. Other U.S. ​states are taking similar steps to fix the intensifying problem that is vexing regulators and politicians nationwide.

Musk super PAC wades into US midterms with $800,000 for Republicans in close races

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has spent more than $800,000 in recent days on over a dozen key congressional races through his super PAC, funding direct-mail and other campaign materials for Republican ​candidates who face close races in the midterm elections. Musk’s political action committee America PAC, which has been sitting on a $50 million war chest funded by the world's richest man, reported its first spending for the 2026 election in a ‌filing late on Wednesday, with a ​focus on races in Texas and other battleground states.

Missouri statehouse candidate accused of trying to plant drugs on opponent

The Republican nominee for a Missouri statehouse seat has been charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, accused of plotting to plant drugs on his primary election rival in the final months of the race. Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, who won the Republican primary for the 161st district of the Missouri House of Representatives by a mere 33 votes in August, was charged in a single-count criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors on Wednesday.

Cyclosporiasis outbreak exposes a weakened US public health system

During the height of the summer outbreak of cyclosporiasis, Dea Lancaster set aside her usual duties as nurse coordinator at Michigan's Washtenaw County Health Department to call patients, asking about their symptoms and tracing the contaminated food they ate. The stress of handling one of the largest U.S. foodborne illness outbreaks in decades gave her an eye twitch as she called dozens of patients a day while commiserating with overwhelmed colleagues and cracking dark jokes to cope.

Strong August jobs report sends yields higher

U.S. job growth accelerated sharply in August while the unemployment rate held ‌steady at 4.1%, pointing to a stable labor market and keeping an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve this month on the table. Nonfarm payrolls surged by 162,000 jobs last month after an upwardly revised rise of 21,000 in July, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls would increase by 56,000 after a previously reported drop of 23,000 in July.

US private payroll growth slows in August; factory orders rebound in July

U.S. private payrolls increased less than expected in August as strength in the education and health services sector was offset by job losses in manufacturing and a few other industries. Private employment rose by 38,000 jobs last month after an upwardly revised 46,000 in July, the ADP National Employment Report showed on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment would advance by 48,000 after a previously reported rise of 44,000 in July.

Lindsay Clancy's lawyer says one juror preventing murder trial verdict, deliberations resume Friday

A judge at Lindsay Clancy's murder trial declined on Thursday to remove a juror her lawyer said was blocking a verdict, as the jury ended a sixth day of deliberations over whether the Massachusetts woman murdered her three young children. The 12 jurors were dismissed and told to return on Friday less than an hour after Judge William Sullivan in Plymouth, Massachusetts, received a note from the jury and re-instructed them on what would constitute "reasonable doubt."

Explainer-Will Trump's restrictions on mail-in ballots be in place for the midterms?

President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a new U.S. Postal Service rule tightening the ‌use of mail-in ballots, leaving states in limbo as to whether they will be required to implement it for the November 3 midterm elections. The uncertainty has taken on new urgency as deadlines approach for U.S. states to send out mail ballots ahead of the midterms, with Trump's Republicans defending narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. North Carolina was expected to send out its ballots on Friday, the first state to do so.

Feminist activist Gloria Steinem dies at age 92

Gloria Steinem, the American writer, lecturer, activist and organizer who fought for gender equality and women's civil and reproductive rights for more than five decades, has died, her foundation said. She was 92 years old. The co-founder and consulting editor of Ms. Magazine championed the ‌feminist movement from the late 1960s onwards and inspired generations of women.

ICE agent re-arrested after being charged with lying over Minnesota shooting

An immigration officer was back in custody in Texas on Thursday night after he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minnesota during a deportation surge there last winter, officials said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro was indicted on six counts of lying to investigators, according to a person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

US labor market remains stable; services input price rises point to elevated inflation

The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits rose marginally last week amid low layoffs, pointing to stable labor market conditions that give the Federal Reserve room to focus on inflation stemming from the Middle East conflict. The inflation headache was underscored by an Institute for Supply Management survey on Thursday showing a measure of prices paid by services businesses for inputs jumped to a three-year high in August, which economists said suggested that recent inflation was not confined to the goods sector. Rising price pressures have led economists to expect an interest rate hike from the U.S. central bank by year end.

Exclusive-Trump's bid to shield chip supply chain could backfire in Tennessee

A Tennessee factory that Washington had hoped to protect as part of a push to safeguard the U.S. semiconductor supply chain is at risk of closure after the Trump administration's new trade measures drove away its two remaining customers, according to sources familiar with the matter. Germany's Wacker Chemie, which produces polysilicon that goes into chips and solar panels, will make a decision in the coming weeks on whether to close its Charleston, Tennessee, facility, which employs about 600 workers, the sources said.

Trump plans to break ground on Washington arch without final approval

The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans to break ground ⁠on a 250-foot (76-meter) arch in Washington, despite legal ​challenges and the lack of final approval from a government planning authority. The arch is part of Trump's broader effort to leave his architectural mark on America's capital city, with projects including a new White House ballroom, renovation ⁠of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and redevelopment of a golf course in East Potomac Park.

Exclusive-US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports

U.S. military officials say they have disabled advertising trackers on a range of phones and computers, according to letters released on Friday by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and statements given to Reuters, a development that follows reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in the Middle East. The Air Force told Wyden it disabled the advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago. U.S. Special Operations Command said in a separate letter that it had "recently" disabled them on its Windows devices. The Army told Reuters that advertising IDs tied to mobile devices had been disabled since earlier this year.

Former US pardon attorney Liz Oyer sues DOJ for unlawful firing

The former U.S. pardon attorney has sued the Justice Department over what she calls an unlawful ⁠firing after she said she declined to recommend restoring gun rights to actor Mel Gibson, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump. The suit is the latest by a senior government official against the Trump administration over alleged wrongful termination.

Will Trump's restrictions on mail-in ballots be in place for the midterms?

President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ 's administration on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to enforce https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-administration-takes-mail-in-ballot-fight-us-supreme-court-2026-09-03/ a new U.S. Postal Service rule tightening the use of mail-in ballots, leaving states in limbo as to whether they will be required to implement it for the November 3 midterm elections. The uncertainty has taken on new urgency as deadlines approach for U.S. states to send out mail ballots ahead of the midterms https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elections/, with Trump's Republicans defending narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. North Carolina was expected to send out its ballots on Friday, the first state to do ​so.

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

U.S. President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/topic/person/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.

Trump appoints Adam Telle as acting US Army Secretary

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that he was appointing Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, as the acting U.S. Army Secretary.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll ⁠had submitted his resignation to the White House following months of tension with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.

US convenience stores say looming healthy food rule puts food stamps use at risk

Thousands of U.S. convenience stores could stop accepting food stamps unless the U.S. Department of Agriculture delays enforcement of a rule requiring those stores to stock more fresh produce and protein, according to a letter sent this week from nearly 250 stores to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The USDA in May issued a final rule that requires retailers accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also called food stamps, to meet the expanded stocking standards by November 4.

In blow to Trump, Missouri top court blocks Republican-drawn congressional map

The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Republican-drawn new congressional map from being used in November's midterm elections, a blow to the party's odds for maintaining its narrow U.S. House majority. The ruling could save the House seat of longtime Democratic U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver. His Kansas City-based district had been dismantled under the redrawn map.

Billionaire ⁠Leon Black ​sues US House committee over Epstein investigation

Wall Street billionaire Leon Black on Thursday sued a congressional committee that had ordered him to provide lawmakers with copies of non-disclosure agreements as part of a probe into the activities of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In June, Black refused to answer questions from lawmakers about victims of Epstein's abuse and the agreements. He declined to appear at a deposition the committee had scheduled for Thursday. He accused lawmakers of exceeding their constitutional authority when they subpoenaed him to provide the agreements.

Trump moves to strip tax-exempt status from schools that consider race

President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday proposed new regulations that would strip schools of tax-exempt status if they offer targeted support to specific racial groups. The rules proposed by the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are the latest salvo in the administration’s campaign to eradicate diversity programs and end what officials say is discrimination against white students in favor of students of color.

Big Oil’s new playbook: How BP's US refinery lockout signals a shift in corporate labor battles

Don Skalka spent two decades as an operations specialist at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest, a well-paid job he enjoyed so much he brought his own children into the work. But in March, BP locked out its workers at the Whiting, Indiana, refinery in a dispute with the union over its next contract. Skalka has gone without a paycheck ever since, and his son and daughter have taken lower-paying jobs at a nearby steel mill. He now collects donated groceries and union-fund checks to ⁠get by.

Deadlocked jury in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial to deliberate for seventh day

Jurors in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial will begin a seventh day of deliberations on Friday after repeatedly hitting an impasse over whether to convict the Massachusetts woman of killing her three young children, a tragedy her lawyer says was driven by postpartum psychosis. The 12 jurors are expected to reconvene in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a day after Judge William Sullivan rejected a request by Clancy's lawyer to remove a lone juror who he said refused to listen to the judge's instructions on what constitutes "reasonable doubt."

US diesel prices hit record high as conflicts intensify supply crunch

Average U.S. diesel prices jumped to record highs on Thursday, as a global supply crunch intensified after ⁠renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran and on disruptions caused by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, a major source of diesel exports. The national average price of diesel hit $5.820 a gallon, according to fuel price tracking service GasBuddy. ⁠This beat the previous high of $5.819 a gallon recorded on June 17, 2022, in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US FCC asks court to reject Disney lawsuit over ABC TV station licenses

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission asked a federal judge on Thursday to toss out Disney's lawsuit seeking to block the agency's early review of licenses for the entertainment giant’s eight company-owned ABC stations. The FCC said if Disney were successful, it would prevent the commission from analyzing evidence in its ongoing investigation and hobble the agency's "efforts to investigate and resolve serious allegations that Disney has engaged in unlawful discrimination."

Exclusive-Kennedy asked to remove Pennsylvania measles death from CDC tally, sources say

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new CDC director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online measles tally after he questioned whether the disease contributed to the fatalities, three sources familiar with the situation said. Kennedy’s request came after CDC staffers had already accepted the state’s characterization of the deaths as linked to measles, a Pennsylvania official said.

Florida bans highway license-plate readers as backlash over surveillance spreads

Florida has banned local police from placing cameras that read ‌license plates on its state highways in response to growing divisions over law enforcement's use of technology supplied by Flock Safety and others to ‌track vehicles in many parts of the U.S. Florida's Department of Transportation said it would revoke previous permits for the cameras and no longer issue new permits within its jurisdiction.

Pentagon temporarily rescinds guidance on testosterone screening for US troops

The Pentagon is temporarily rescinding recently published clinical guidance for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for service members aged 30 and older, a U.S. official told Reuters ​on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Pentagon posted the "Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimization" on its website. By Thursday, the memo and an accompanying statement from spokesperson Sean Parnell had been removed.