Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US Army report cites systematic failures in 2025 helicopter and jet collision that killed 67

The collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year that killed 67 people was the result of several systemic failures, according to a US Army investigative report seen by Reuters. The previously undisclosed report completed in May made a series of safety recommendations and said the key factor was two ​broken radio transmissions resulting in the helicopter crew not receiving critical details from air traffic control.

Democrats in tight Midwest US races split on trans rights strategy

After being caught flat-footed on transgender issues in the last US election, Democrats in tight midterm races are pursuing different strategies, with some adopting more conservative stances and others trying to deflect, ​according to a Reuters review of campaign messaging and interviews with nine party strategists and insiders. Ahead of the November 3 election, vulnerable Republican candidates have renewed their attacks over transgender rights, a message that political strategists say helped Donald ‌Trump and his party win ​unified control of Washington in 2024.

Democrats sue Trump to halt taxpayer-funded TV ads that praised him

Democratic Party officials sued US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, seeking a court order blocking his administration from using taxpayer money to pay for election-related TV ads. The lawsuit, filed by the Democratic National Committee in federal court in Washington, accused Trump of a "blatant violation of the statutory ban on the use of appropriations for 'publicity or propaganda purposes.'"

What do US politicians agree on? Inflation is the other party’s fault: Marty Fridson

Cost of living concerns in the US are very real, but the debate about affordability involves statistics that often aren’t as straightforward as they seem. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) data released on Wednesday showed that inflation rose by 0.3% on a monthly basis in August, bringing the 12-month rate to 3.4%, well below consensus estimates.

US House Speaker Johnson weighs 'next chapter' if Republicans lose majority-Fox News

Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News he does not know if he will remain in politics if his party loses control of the chamber in next month's congressional election even as he insisted his ‌focus was on protecting the party's majority. "Heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don't know what my next chapter of life is,” the Louisiana lawmaker told Fox News.

Trump envoy kept financial ties to firm behind $15 billion Hormuz-bypass oil pipeline plan

Thomas Barrack, a top US diplomat in the Middle East, advocated for a firm run by his business partner to take part in the development of an oil pipeline from Iraq to Syria, three people said, activities which appear to violate federal ethics rules. In July, Iraq and Syria signed memorandums of understanding with a consortium made up of the company, Californian investment group TI Capital, along with Chevron and Qatar’s UCC Holding, to carry out technical and financial studies in preparation for rehabilitating the pipeline, which would skirt the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.

US will rescind policy targeting oil and gas industry methane leaks

The US Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it would soon propose scrapping a Biden-era rule aimed at curbing large leaks of methane from oil and gas operations. The move is part of a broad Trump administration effort to slash regulations that it says burden US businesses as it seeks to boost fossil fuel production.

US sued over plan to blast Utah canyon inscribed by 19th century 'Buffalo Soldiers,' European pioneers

Conservation groups sued the US government this week over plans to blast the cliff walls of an eastern Utah canyon and build an oil truck highway through an area covered in historic inscriptions and near world-renowned Native rock art. The project to replace a winding dirt track with a paved road through Gate Canyon would ‌destroy 100-foot (30-meter) cliffs with at least 47 historic sites, including 19th century inscriptions by Black American "Buffalo Soldiers" in the US Army and European pioneers, according to the lawsuit against the US Bureau of Land Management. The cliffs are also a habitat for threatened species such as the Mexican spotted owl, the suit claims.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico press judge to keep Trump White House ban blocked

A lawyer for CNN, MS NOW and Politico urged a federal judge on Thursday to extend their protection against being barred from the White House by US President Donald Trump, while the Justice Department defended the bans as fair and justified. US District Judge Timothy Kelly promised a ruling by Tuesday, when a temporary block he placed ‌on the ban expires, after holding a hearing in Washington. The three news outlets are seeking a court order halting the ban while their lawsuit challenging Trump's action as unconstitutional plays out.

Protesters stage 'I Am Jane Doe' rally in New York City against sexual violence

Protesters calling for tougher action against sexual violence rallied on Thursday outside the New York City courthouse where a Cornell University student stirred a national uproar by suing several campus fraternity members she accused of gang rape. The demonstration, drawing a crowd of hundreds to the New York State Supreme Court building in Manhattan, was one of dozens of protests organized on campuses and in communities across the country under the social media banner "#StopSexualViolence: From the Frat House to the White House."

North Carolina reports first flu death of 2026-27 season

North Carolina has reported its first flu death of the 2026-2027 season, state health officials said on Thursday, urging residents to get vaccinated against seasonal respiratory illnesses. An adult living in the central part of the state died from flu complications during the first week of October, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said.

Trump online: A burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric

In a burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric, President Donald Trump cast the Somali American community as a threat to Minnesota on Thursday, hours after he labeled Muslim US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a radical extremist. "The once Great State of Minnesota is being taken over by Somali Immigrants. There is Violence, Murder, and Mayhem all over the State. The people of Minnesota must fight back," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

US to livestream Army firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter, Pentagon says

The US will livestream the Army's upcoming firing squad execution of a gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, the Pentagon said, in what would be an unprecedented broadcast of a US ⁠execution. Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, is set ​to become the first person to be executed by firing squad by the US military since 1945.

Exclusive-Trump AI task force leaders to meet on Thursday, vice chair says

The four leaders of US President Donald ⁠Trump's AI task force are slated to meet on Thursday, task force vice chair Scott Kupor told Reuters, adding that he expects the full committee to convene next week as pressure builds on Washington to take action on AI. The task force is expected to help shape the administration's approach to AI at a pivotal moment for the technology.

Hurricane Isaias strengthens as US Gulf Coast prepares for landfall

Hurricane Isaias strengthened on Thursday as it barreled toward the US Gulf Coast, prompting mandatory evacuations in parts of Florida and emergency declarations in Alabama as forecasters warned of life-threatening storm surges, tornadoes and flooding. Isaias has already severely disrupted oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, forcing energy companies to evacuate offshore platforms and shut down operations.

US states label abortion drugs a 'public nuisance' in bid to curb access

Three Republican-led US states are testing a novel legal argument as they seek to stem the flow of abortion ⁠pills to residents who can still obtain them from out-of-state providers despite their abortion bans. Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas filed two lawsuits last week claiming that medical providers are creating a "public nuisance" by mailing abortion drugs over state lines and that New York, California and Massachusetts have aided that conduct by adopting shield laws protecting abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution and civil liability.

Trump's moves to boost diesel supplies have not yet lowered prices

US diesel prices remain at near record highs, up 70% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began despite two high-profile recent moves by President Donald Trump to boost supplies of the fuel: pressuring allies to release emergency reserves and expanding access to tax-exempt red-dyed diesel. The wars in Iran and Ukraine have triggered an unprecedented global fuel supply crunch, pushing average US diesel prices to $6.28 a gallon on Thursday according to AAA.

Exclusive-US farm debt is at a ​record. Official data might be undercounting it

American farmers are borrowing more money than ever before to operate — but the rise in non-traditional and vendor credit has created some gaps in the federal government's current ability to measure and track farm debt, US Department of Agriculture officials told Reuters. Financial pressure is mounting across farm country, where growers have already faced years of tight margins due to slumping prices and high input costs. More recently, farmers have struggled with disruptions to export markets from Washington's trade fights with top buyers including China, while the US-Israeli war with Iran has driven up the cost of fertilizer and fuel.

Trump voters are not pumped about voting in the ⁠midterms, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Voters who backed Democratic former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 are far more enthusiastic about casting ballots this November than those who supported President Donald Trump, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found, in a potential warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. The six-day poll, completed Monday, also found that men were more enthusiastic about voting and more certain to cast ballots than women, and that male voters showed signs of shifting toward Democrats. That could signal erosion in Republican support among a demographic that was a pillar of Trump's 2024 victory.

The skilled foreign tech workers' green card program under attack from Trump

The US government said on Thursday it is suspending some of the world's biggest tech and IT firms including Microsoft, Cognizant and Capgemini from a key green card program that allows skilled foreign workers to gain permanent residency through their employment. Senior US officials cited alleged fraud as the reason behind the move, saying companies have been using the program to ⁠replace American workers ​with cheaper foreign workers, and comes as the latest step in the Trump administration's crackdown on skilled foreign labor.

Virginia county board sues to block proposed Trump triumphal arch

Local authorities in Arlington, Virginia, sued the US Department of Interior and National Park Service late on Thursday, seeking to block President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch. The 250-foot (76-meter) arch project modeled on Paris' Arc de Triomphe and sited near Arlington National Cemetery, just across the Potomac River from Washington, could win approval as early as next month.

New York governor plans to seek federal help to tackle measles outbreak

New York Governor Kathy Hochul will seek federal assistance to tackle the measles outbreak in the state, including support from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, her spokesperson said. Hochul will make a "detailed and specific request for assistance from the federal government," spokesperson Nicolette Simmonds told Reuters late on Wednesday.

Isaias intensifies into first Atlantic hurricane of 2026

Hurricane Isaias became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, triggering production shut-ins and evacuations at energy facilities in the US Gulf. Isaias was located about 445 miles (715 Km) south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi river, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), the US National Hurricane Center said on Thursday.

US Supreme Court won't speed up Democratic challenge to FCC political ad policy, for now

Siding with Republicans, the US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Federal Communications Commission to avoid for now a judicially imposed deadline in a Democratic challenge to the agency's new political ⁠advertising policy. With November midterm elections looming, Chief Justice John Roberts agreed to lift a lower court's order that gave the FCC until Friday to rule on a challenge by Democratic candidates to its revamped rule that lets party committees pay lower TV and radio ad rates long available to political candidates.

US judge orders return of Egyptian deported to Equatorial Guinea

A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the release and return of an Egyptian man who was deported to Equatorial Guinea this year and has since been jailed there. Ahmed Soliman is one of hundreds of migrants sent from the US to African countries under so-called third-country deportation deals that the US government has used to accelerate ⁠removals.

Abortion drug safety review will be completed by March, US FDA says

The Trump administration plans to complete a review of the abortion drug mifepristone by March 2027, according to a court filing, paving the way for ⁠potential changes that could limit access to the pills. The US Food and Drug Administration in a filing in Louisiana federal court late on Wednesday said it expects to receive the results of a study on the drug's safety risks in December and will issue a report after interpreting them.

New York City man shot in car with child present by ICE agents, mayor says

US immigration agents shot and wounded a man on Thursday in his car with a child present in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City, according to the mayor, city police and eyewitnesses. Federal immigration agents have shot at least 21 people since Republican President Donald Trump returned to office, 7 fatally, sparking protests across the US. Critics contend that Trump's push to ramp up deportations has led to an increasing number of violent confrontations, and accuse the administration of resisting accountability for the agents involved.

Trump says comment that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles was misinterpreted

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said comments he made that Iran could "take out" California cities had been misinterpreted and that he was instead referring to the need for people to ‌tolerate higher gas prices. Trump made the remarks at a political rally in Nebraska on Monday as he spoke about Americans' wartime economic sacrifices.

New ‌Trump rules will make it harder for farmers to access US funds for energy projects

President Donald Trump's looming changes to a rural energy program that has distributed billions of dollars in recent years will make it harder for many farmers to access funds for such things as solar arrays and energy efficiency projects, farmers, energy companies and analysts said. It is Trump's latest move to ​slash government support for renewable energy. While working on the changes, the administration had halted applications this year for the Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP.