Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Foreign hackers targeted Colorado water systems in August, governor's office says

Foreign hackers targeted and manipulated equipment in two local ​Colorado water systems last month, a spokesperson for Colorado Governor Jared Polis said on Friday. The incidents occurred at two privately ​owned utilities, each serving less than 200 people, and there was "no impact to ‌public ​safety or water services," the spokesperson, Ally Sullivan, said in a statement.

White House turns away CNN, MS NOW, Politico reporters after Trump's ban

The White House on Saturday denied access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, following through with US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would ban them from the building's grounds. All three news outlets separately said their teams' press passes were confiscated ‌on Saturday morning when their journalists went to the White House. They have signaled that they may contest the ban on the grounds that it conflicts with the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.

Democrats try to ride data center backlash to election victory in rural US Midwest

No company has announced plans for a data center in Defiance, a city of 17,000 people surrounded by soybean fields in northwestern Ohio. But people in the aptly named community are not taking any chances.

Trump says he will appoint ‌a new AI adviser, without providing details

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that he plans to appoint a new artificial intelligence adviser, known as an "AI czar," and create an "AI force," though he did not provide ‌details about either initiative or how they would be implemented. Fears are growing in Washington among lawmakers about the risks posed by AI technology on humans and property. Earlier this month, former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said that "people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." Trump has repeatedly downplayed concerns about AI and argued that additional regulation is unnecessary.

Trump wants to use Washington arch as military complex for drones and snipers

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday the triumphal arch he plans to build near Washington would double as a "military complex" housing drones and snipers, making it the second ⁠major construction project ​he has sought to justify on national security grounds. The move, which Trump ⁠said came at the military's request, echoed the national security rationale he has used to defend the roughly $400 million ballroom complex being built on the site of the White House's former East Wing. He did not identify any specific threats.

Fed's Kashkari says inflation is still too high in 'all aspects' of US economy, ⁠in Fox News interview

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on Sunday that inflation is too high across all sectors of the US economy, not just in rising oil prices. "So even if we strip out energy, which is really volatile, and strip out food — they matter a lot — but ​in terms of where the economy is going, inflation is still too high," Kashkari told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."

US judge signals rejection of part of TikTok privacy settlement

TikTok and ByteDance's proposed $400 million settlement with the US Justice Department hit ⁠a hurdle on Friday after a federal judge indicated he would reject part of the agreement. TikTok and its Chinese parent company agreed in August to settle allegations that the short-video app violated US children's online privacy laws.

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.

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.

Lingering feuds threaten Democrats' bid to reclaim US Congress

Democrats are seeking to reclaim Congress, but lingering divisions from a bruising run-up to the November election threaten to imperil the party's attempt to claw back power from President Donald Trump's Republicans. With control of both chambers ‌at stake, Democrats have sought to move ‌past the bad blood of the primaries, but in several competitive states, influential party figures have withheld endorsements or so far declined to ​campaign with nominees for the November 3 US midterm elections.