Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump's favorite 2026 campaign target is Biden: nearly 900 mentions and counting

US President Donald Trump has invoked Joe Biden's name almost 900 times this year, a Reuters review shows, keeping his predecessor at the center of debate as Republicans fight to hold their fragile grip on Congress in November's midterm elections. Trump has made Biden, a Democrat, his political target on average three times a day across speeches, comments and Truth Social postings, blaming him for problems ranging from inflation and immigration to ​munitions shortages, even as the former president, 83 and battling Stage 4 cancer, has largely withdrawn from public life.

US awards $99 million for geothermal drilling, technology projects

The US Department of Energy on Monday said it selected 21 projects for up to $99 million in funding to advance geothermal energy development, a source of around-the-clock power that has attracted growing interest from investors and ​energy companies. The projects will receive up to $99 million to conduct field-scale tests of next-generation geothermal technologies and exploration drilling designed to identify promising geothermal resources across the United States.

Pennsylvania measles cases near 800 as outbreak grows

The Pennsylvania Department of ‌Health reported 792 measles cases on Monday, 25 ​more than on Friday, as the state's outbreak grew further, remaining at the center of the nation's worst measles resurgence in decades. Here are some more details:

Trump administration sued over withheld federal grants for US community lenders

A business advocacy group representing government-backed community lenders sued the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday, seeking to prevent nearly $300 million in federal grants from expiring at the end of the month. The Washington-based Freedom Economy Business Association filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing the Treasury unlawfully failed to distribute fiscal year 2025 funding approved by Congress for Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs. Because Congress appropriated the funds and CDFIs lawfully applied for them, they should be distributed, it said.

Texas Governor Abbott halts all state-issued permits for data centers until grid audit is complete

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday barred the state's environmental agency from issuing new permits for data centers until regulators complete a massive audit of the energy-hungry facilities seeking to connect to the Texas electrical grid. The Republican governor's directive to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality effectively freezes all state-issued permits to data center developers, which had flocked to the region for its abundant electricity, land and pro-business reputation.

CNN, MS ‌NOW and Politico sue Trump, challenging White House ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued President Donald Trump and other members of his administration on Monday for banning them from White House grounds, saying the action violated their rights to free speech and a free press under the US Constitution's First Amendment. The news outlets are seeking a temporary restraining order to block Trump's action in federal court in Washington, D.C., with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

As resistance mounts, Trump reaches for a familiar shield: national security

As President Donald Trump's agenda has increasingly encountered resistance, he has turned to a familiar strategy: invoking national security. Just this weekend, Trump declared that his planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Washington would also serve as a "military complex" to ensure national security, outfitted with snipers, drones and ammunition.

Man shot by ICE agents in Texas says he is in detention with bullet in back

A man identified as the Venezuelan who was shot and wounded by a federal immigration agent in Texas said on Monday that he was in pain and being held at an ICE detention center with a bullet lodged in his back. Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch introduced the man who phoned into a news conference she was holding in Austin as her client, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. He said he was bleeding and was not receiving adequate medical care in a Texas detention facility.

Three out of four Americans say AI firms not doing enough to prevent disaster, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Three-quarters of Americans, some 73%, worry that AI companies haven't gone far enough to prevent AI from causing serious harm to society, as concerns grow about where the technology may lead, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The four-day poll, which concluded on Sunday, found that ‌39% of respondents think that artificial intelligence is having a negative impact on society, up from 36% last month and the highest share since Reuters/Ipsos began asking the question in March. Only 11% said the new technology was a positive thing. The rest weren't sure or didn't answer the question.

Thousands of US flights snarled before FAA resolves telecom problem

Thousands of flights across the US were snarled on Monday, with incoming flights halted for hours at major East Coast airports, before the Federal Aviation Administration resolved a telecommunications problem late in the afternoon. The issue started around 9:45 a.m. when workers accidentally cut a telecom line in New Jersey used by the FAA. This forced a halt to incoming flights at major airports on the day that 130 world leaders and dozens of ‌ministers were arriving in New York for the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Converse pulls ad, apologizes after backlash over alleged KKK imagery, ABC News reports

Nike-owned Converse has pulled an advertisement that sparked a public backlash last week, ABC News reported on Monday, as critics said it evoked imagery of Black lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group. The ad, which is no longer available in any of Converse's social media accounts, showed the lower half of a person wearing a white, calf-length skirt-like garment, which looked like a KKK robe. The person was holding black sneakers.

Grand jury declines to indict anyone in death of Black teen Nolan Wells in Mississippi

A grand jury has unanimously declined to indict anyone in the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black man whose body was found on a Mississippi barrier island after a Fourth of July trip with friends, Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said late on Monday. "The grand jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4, 2026 on the Triton, the Palm Beach, or the Tideline engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr. Wells," said the grand jury report released late on Monday by McIlrath's office.

Analysis-Trump's White House media ban faces long odds in court, legal experts say

US President Donald Trump’s move to ban several news outlets from the White House over his dislike of their coverage likely runs afoul of US legal prohibitions against viewpoint discrimination by the government, four legal experts told Reuters. Trump’s announcement on Friday that he would ban CNN, MSNOW and Politico for reporting what he deemed “FAKE NEWS” was the latest move by his administration to curtail press access, part of the Republican president’s wider pressure campaign against news coverage he dislikes. Trump said on Saturday that he might ban other outlets as well.

California governor signs broad data center oversight bill package

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday signed seven bills aimed at regulating the fast-growing ⁠data center industry, imposing new requirements on electricity costs, ​water use and local oversight as communities push back against a surge in AI-linked development. The legislation requires data centers to disclose information about electricity use, water consumption, land use and workforce needs, while giving local communities more information ⁠to assess proposed projects.

Brazil's Lula meets Mamdani in New York ahead of major elections

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday for a first chat between two of the biggest names of the political left in the Americas ahead of key elections in both Brazil and the United States. Lula is in the US for the United Nations General Assembly and received Mamdani in an Upper East Side house that serves as the residence and office of the Brazilian representation to the UN.

Two Republican Senate candidates call for swift end to Iran war, diverging from Trump

Two Republicans in tight US Senate races called on Monday for a swift end to the war in Iran, the latest sign that vulnerable candidates are trying to put some distance between themselves and President Donald Trump over a conflict that has pushed up fuel prices, including a surge in diesel to record highs. Both Mike Rogers, locked in a competitive race against Democrat ⁠Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Ashley Hinson, who is facing Democrat Josh Turek in a close contest in Iowa, struck a more dovish tone on Iran on Monday, after previously backing Trump's authority to strike Tehran.

Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber dies aged 27

Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, died on Sunday aged 27. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner in its report indicated that he died in a rehabilitation facility. It did not provide a cause of death.

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.

DoorDash reaches $131.5 million settlement with NYC over delivery workers' pay

DoorDash said on Tuesday it reached a $131.5 million settlement of a New York City government probe that found the food delivery company underpaid or waited too long to pay workers. The settlement with the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection helps address the city's longstanding concern that food delivery companies shortchange workers.

Two pilots die in helicopter crash fighting California wildfire

Two pilots died when their helicopter crashed on Sunday afternoon while dropping water on a wildfire in California's Yosemite National Park, authorities said on Monday. Greg King, with contract firm Precision, was one of the pilots who died, according ⁠to a statement from the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. The second pilot was not named as family members were still being notified, the agency said.

US appeals court backs Missouri’s Republican-drawn congressional map, sets up return to Supreme Court

A US appeals court ruled on Monday in favor of a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri that aimed to help the party maintain its slim majority in the House of Representatives, although the map will not be used in November’s midterm elections without further intervention from the US Supreme Court. The ruling by the St. Louis, Missouri-based 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals risked injecting further confusion about the boundaries of the state's congressional districts with the midterms less than two months away. President Donald Trump’s Republicans are fighting to keep control of both chambers of Congress.

Billionaires abound in California. Why not tax their wealth?

No state may be a more natural fit for a tax on billionaires than California. The state leans left politically, needs funds for healthcare and is home to as many as 250 billionaires collectively ⁠worth upwards ​of $2 trillion. But the November 3 ballot initiative Proposition 40, which asks Californians whether to impose a one-time 5% tax on the state's billionaires, is far from certain to pass, political analysts say, amid a debate that has raised questions about income inequality and the state's future business prospects.

Trump eyes busy week of meetings as UN General Assembly gathers

US President Donald Trump's two days attending the United Nations General Assembly will include a series of bilateral meetings and events with notable political figures such as the leaders of Ukraine and the United Kingdom, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Nearly 130 heads of state are meeting in New York as the post-World War Two order comes under strain and with the UN itself struggling to remain relevant while weathering attacks from Trump, who has long expressed disdain for the institution and has slashed US funding for many of its agencies.

ICE agent wounds man in Austin, Texas, shooting, city officials say

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, city officials said, adding that the man was in serious but stable condition. The man was shot in the torso and taken to a local hospital, officials told reporters at a press conference. The ICE agent shot him during a brief pursuit on foot shortly before 1 p.m. (1800 GMT), Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.

Charges against pro-Palestinian Stanford protesters to be dismissed

Charges against five former and current Stanford University students will be dismissed in relation to a 2024 pro-Palestinian demonstration in which protesters barricaded themselves inside the school president's office. California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said on Monday it would dismiss the charges if the ⁠five defendants completed 100 hours of community service each and paid about $52,000 combined in restitution to the university.

Man convicted of attempted murder in shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont

A man was convicted by a jury of attempted murder in the late 2023 shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont, two of whom were wounded and one was left paralyzed from the waist down, prosecutors said on Monday. Jason Eaton was found guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for the shootings of Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid on November 25, 2023, in Burlington, Vermont, prosecutor Sarah George, the Chittenden County state's attorney, said in a statement.

Two Republican Senate candidates call for swift end to Iran war, diverging from Trump

Two Republicans in tight US ⁠Senate races called on Monday for a swift end to the war in Iran https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/, the latest sign that vulnerable candidates are trying to put some distance between themselves and President Donald Trump over a conflict that has pushed up ⁠fuel prices, including a surge in diesel to record highs https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-diesel-prices-hit-record-highs-further-rises-possible-2026-09-21/.

Both Mike Rogers, locked in a competitive race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Ashley Hinson, who is facing Democrat Josh Turek https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prairie-populist-turek-wins-democratic-nomination-us-senate-iowa-2026-06-03/ in a close contest in Iowa, struck a more dovish tone on Iran on Monday, after previously backing Trump's authority to strike Tehran.

A timeline of Trump administration moves to weaken endangered species protections

US President Donald Trump has scaled back regulations meant to protect endangered wildlife as part of a broader push to reduce permitting obstacles for energy, mining, agriculture and other development. The 50-year-old Endangered Species Act is credited with helping to save the bald eagle, the US national bird, along with the California condor and numerous other animals and plants from extinction.

Exclusive-Fed's Musalem says more rate hikes likely needed to quell inflation

The Federal Reserve will likely need to hike interest rates further to lower inflation resulting from strong demand as well as a commodity price shock that has moved beyond oil, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem said on Monday, adding that it would be better for the US central bank to act sooner than wait.

"Both persistent demand and recurring supply forces are continuing to contribute to ‌keeping inflation risks elevated, and I judge that without further policy restraint on inflation it is more likely to be substantially above our 2% ‌target in 18 months than at target," Musalem said in an interview with Reuters.

Critics say California got too little in deal to let Paramount buy Warner Bros

Critics swiftly decried a California-driven settlement with Paramount Skydance that cleared the way for its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, saying it will hurt competition in Hollywood, failed to protect jobs and lacks substantial concessions from the media conglomerate. Opponents of the merger accused ​California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom of caving to wealthy interests, particularly Paramount CEO David Ellison, after Paramount threatened to leave the state if the lawsuit was not dropped.