Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US judge strikes down Education Department's anti-DEI grant policy

A federal judge on Thursday struck down a policy that was adopted early in US President Donald Trump's administration that required the US Department of Education to terminate millions of dollars in grants funding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. US District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston ruled in favor of eight Democratic-led states that had continued to challenge the Education Department policy even after ​the US Supreme Court in April 2025 allowed the administration to proceed with terminating the teacher training grants.

Analysis-Russia sanctions bill gives Trump sweeping new tariff powers

The Russia sanctions bill signed into law by US President Donald Trump on Friday gives him new powers to impose tariffs that could last well beyond his ​presidency, injecting more uncertainty into the global economy after nearly two years of trade wars. The immediate impact may be limited, given Trump's reluctance to take actions that could push consumer prices higher ahead of the November ‌midterm elections, when control of Congress ​is at stake, analysts said.

Pentagon revives testosterone testing after pause, excludes women

The Pentagon is reinstituting a mandatory testing program for testosterone deficiency among US service members age 30 and older, a spokesperson said on Thursday, bringing back a program that medical experts have described as unnecessary and potentially harmful. The latest clinical guidance applies only to male service members, establishing uniform screening and treatment pathways for testosterone deficiency. The Pentagon said it will issue separate guidance for female service members at a later date.

US CDC works on standard definition for measles deaths as cases rise

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a standardized case definition for measles deaths, the agency said Friday, as the outbreak grows across the country. Here are the details:

Explainer-What's next for Trump's aluminum smelter project in Oklahoma?

US President Donald Trump's goal of building a large aluminum smelter in Oklahoma passed a major hurdle in late August when Republican voters nominated a candidate for governor who supports its construction after an unusually tough ‌primary battle. The project must now overcome significant opposition in the small rural community of Inola, where many residents are working to block plans by Emirates Global Aluminium and Century Aluminum to build the $4 billion smelter.

Virginia tightens data center restrictions amid political backlash

The US state of Virginia is tightening permitting, commercial and environmental controls on data centers as political backlash grows against the server warehouses and the technology developed within them, Governor Abigail Spanberger said on Friday. Virginia, which has the largest concentration of data centers in the world, unveiled plans that include banning non-disclosure agreements and imposing clean energy mandates on the projects.

Democratic senator calls for US diplomats to help guide Europe troop review

A key Senate Democrat has asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure that U.S. diplomats are involved in a Pentagon-led review of America's military presence in Europe that has alarmed NATO allies. In a letter addressed to Rubio, who is also the national security advisor, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote that diplomats, including U.S. ambassadors in potentially affected countries, are being kept out of the loop. The letter was first shared with Reuters.

Exclusive-US weighs allowing most pharma licensing deals with China, sources say

The US is working on rules for pharmaceutical companies investing in China that would likely preserve their ability to strike most licensing deals for Chinese drugs, according to three people who have been briefed on the process. That would mark a departure from the Trump administration's tightening of business with China ‌for other industries under new national security legislation, and would be looser than restrictions sought by some lawmakers.

As Canadian tariffs bite, Republicans search for a winning message

High gas prices and the rising cost of living had already made affordability a defining issue in this year’s midterm elections. Then President Donald Trump escalated his trade war with Canada. Now, Republican candidates in northern border states most affected by the tariffs are trying to strike a balance between appealing to Trump’s loyal base and reaching independent voters that polls show have soured on his handling of the economy and his fight with Canada.

ICE agent pleads not guilty to lying about Minneapolis shooting

A US immigration agent pleaded ‌not guilty on Friday to federal charges of lying to the FBI that he was attacked before shooting a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis at the height of President Donald Trump's deportation sweeps in January. Christian Castro, who has been suspended without pay from his job as a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, is the first federal law enforcement officer to be charged by the US Justice Department with wrongdoing in Operation Metro Surge, which saw thousands of armed, masked agents deployed to Minnesota's cities last winter.

Trump says he might ban other media outlets from White House

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he might bar other media outlets from the White House, hours after saying CNN, MSNOW and Politico were banned. "I don't want them in my office," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I don't want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can."

US appeals court rejects Trump policy allowing swift deportations to third countries

A US federal appeals court rejected on Friday a policy adopted by President Donald Trump's administration that allows authorities to rapidly deport migrants to countries other than their own without giving them a chance to raise safety concerns. Ruling in a case that is likely headed to the Supreme Court, a three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld a February decision by a lower-court judge that declared the Department of Homeland Security's policy unlawful.

Trump says he might ban other media outlets from White House

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he might bar other media outlets from the White House, hours after saying CNN, MSNOW and Politico were banned. "I don't want them in my office," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I don't want them here. I ⁠would say the ban would go ​as far as you can."

Trump is talking with Senate's Thune about bill to cut data-center electricity costs

President Donald Trump said on Friday he is engaging with Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune ⁠about bringing to the floor a bill aimed at protecting households from electricity cost increases tied to the expansion of data centers. "Well, I'm talking to him about it. We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters on Friday.

Auto industry urges Trump to keep Chinese automakers out ahead of Xi meeting

Major automakers, suppliers and dealers on Friday urged President Donald Trump to keep Chinese automakers out of the US market, ahead of his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping next week. Last week, Trump told Fox News he would accept Chinese car companies building cars in the United States.

Man who assaulted US lawmaker Ilhan Omar sentenced to 14 months in prison

A Minnesota man who squirted vinegar on Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar was sentenced to one year and two months in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal official. Anthony James Kazmierczak pleaded guilty in ⁠May and admitted to attacking Omar because he disagreed with her progressive political views. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen at a hearing in Minneapolis federal court on Thursday.

Trump-linked 'pop-up' PACs blitz Ohio with ads against Brown in costly Senate race

Republican groups have poured $14 million into advertising in Ohio over the past week to bolster Senator Jon Husted, as recent polls show the Republican trailing Democrat Sherrod Brown in a race that could help determine control of the US Senate. The spending surge is driven by super PACs linked to President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, the Koch political network and Senate Republican leadership ahead of the November 3 special election. The winner will serve out the remaining two years of the term vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president in 2025.

Trump ​says he will demand some childhood vaccines be split into five shots

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration plans to demand vaccine makers split certain childhood shots into five separate doses, which he believes will result in a massive reduction in autism, an idea repeatedly debunked by scientists. Trump did not provide any scientific evidence linking vaccines and autism. Nor did he say which vaccines the administration plans to split into smaller doses.

Trump extends restrictions on H-1B non-immigrant visa program by another year

US President Donald Trump has extended restrictions imposed in September 2025 on the H-1B non-immigrant visa program by another year, the White ⁠House said in a proclamation released on Friday.

All 50 states sign up for Trump's Medicaid most-favored-nation plan

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will participate in his most-favored-nation drug pricing scheme for the Medicaid program for low-income Americans. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the drug pricing push could save state governments $27.6 billion and the federal government $36.6 billion over the next decade.

Trump signs Russia sanctions bill into law

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed the sweeping Russia sanctions bill into law, the White House said in a statement, paving the way for increased economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The legislation targets Russia's energy and defense industries, as well as its "shadow fleet" of tankers that evade existing sanctions, in order to deprive Moscow of funds used to pay for its war with Ukraine.

Duncan Sheik, Tony-winning composer of 'Spring Awakening,' dies ⁠at 56

Duncan ​Sheik, the Tony-winning Broadway composer who transitioned from chart-topping singer-songwriter to the creative force behind the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening", died on Thursday at age 56, according to a post on his Instagram account on Friday. Sheik died in New York due to cardiac arrest, his mother, Suzanne Sheik, told the New York Times. Sheik's team did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Trump says his son told him he will repay Russian oligarch for wedding parties

US President Donald Trump said on Friday his son, Donald Trump Jr., has told him he would pay back a Russian oligarch who bankrolled wedding celebrations for him in the Bahamas in May. Democrats in the US Congress launched an investigation this week into reports that Umar Kremlev, a wealthy Russian businessman and president of the International Boxing Association, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the wedding festivities.

Republican China committee chair urges tough Trump line with Xi

The Republican chair of the US congressional committee on China on Friday urged President Donald Trump to take a tough line in his summit with Xi Jinping next week, warning against concessions and calling for tighter technology restrictions and consequences for China's alleged support for Iran. The outreach reflects concerns among China hawks in Washington that Trump could offer too many concessions in his summit with Xi, aimed at stabilizing US-China relations.

US factory production falls in August; outlook clouded by rising costs

US factory production unexpectedly fell in August ⁠and higher oil prices and rising interest rates could offset some of the support from an artificial intelligence buildout, likely keeping activity moderate for the rest of the year. The decline in output, reported by the Federal Reserve on Friday, followed seven straight months of increases. The US central bank on Wednesday raised interest rates for the first time in three years and flagged further increases in borrowing costs in the months ahead. Oil prices are hovering above $100 a barrel with no end in sight to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

FAA clears proposed Trump arch, requires 'eternal flame' to alert pilots

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday a proposed triumphal arch President Donald ⁠Trump wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington would not pose a hazard to aircraft but would be required to have an "eternal flame" on top. The FAA determination requires it to be marked with ⁠a light on top of the structure and floodlight projectors pointed at the arch to make it noticeable for pilots. Some aviation experts have raised safety concerns given its proximity to Reagan Washington National Airport.

Record US diesel prices squeeze farmers; food prices may rise

In northeast Missouri, Addie Yoder, a corn, soybean and cattle farmer, runs two combines, three semi-trucks and several tractors from mid-September to late October to harvest and transport her crops. With diesel prices at record highs and just one combine requiring 300 gallons of the fuel, the best she can do is try to curb other expenses, she said.

Trump declines to say whether he will tear down Kennedy Center

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday refused to say whether he would attempt to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the iconic facility on Washington's Potomac River. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump repeated his belief that the center should append his name to the building in exchange for his work to raise money to renovate the facility. He falsely claimed ‌the center faced long-term financial strains that required dramatic action, although the facility posted profits in seven of the past nine ‌years, according to its tax filings.

Exclusive-Kennedy names new chair for US autism advisory panel

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named an ally, Dr. John Gaitanis, to lead a key federal advisory panel on autism on Friday, replacing a chair who had just steered through a new strategic plan, a health department spokesperson told Reuters. Gaitanis, a pediatric neurologist appointed last ​month as director of the National Institutes of Health's child health institute, takes over from Dr. Sylvia Fogel, who has chaired the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee since January.