Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

In the US, a wealth boom and a price shock collide

The US is in the middle of a historic and costly technological revolution, with the artificial intelligence buildout driving a level of investment set to eclipse the previous telecommunications boom, as ​well as national projects like the construction of rail and highway networks. The transformation has spurred immense stock market gains that have boosted household wealth across the economy, which arguably has helped to keep consumer spending ​on track. But with investment gains concentrated among the already rich, some Americans are benefiting more than others.

Six reasons Democrats may fall short ‌of a midterm ​landslide in November

Republican President Donald Trump's low approval ratings, voter concern over high prices and dissatisfaction with the Iran war have led many analysts and opinion polls to predict significant Democratic gains in the November 3 midterm elections. But six analysts and party strategists told Reuters several factors could prevent Democrats from turning those favorable political conditions into a landslide, even if the party ultimately makes gains in Congress.

Factbox-The races that will decide control of the US Senate

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the US Senate, where Democrats would need to flip at least two seats in states that President Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024 to win a majority in November's midterm elections. ‌But as Election Day nears, Democrats have a real chance at flipping the chamber, something that was considered a long shot at the beginning of this political cycle. Here are the races that will determine control of the Senate:

ICC urges members to make sure it can continue despite US sanctions

The International Criminal Court on Friday strongly rejected the sanctions imposed on it by the US government and called on its member states to make sure it can continue to function. "It is an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent the Court from doing what it was created to do. It is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order," the court said in a statement.

US judge orders halt to taxpayer-funded ads featuring Trump

A US judge on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from using taxpayer money to pay for political advertisements, after publicly funded television ads glorifying ‌US President Donald Trump began airing in late September and sparked a bipartisan backlash. Manhattan-based US District Judge Jennifer Rochon temporarily barred the advertisements after plaintiffs including watchdog group Common Cause brought a lawsuit alleging the ads were political propaganda designed to help Republican candidates in the November 3 midterm elections, not public service announcements.

Tennessee execution survivor Christa Pike released from hospital, returned to prison

Death row inmate Christa Pike was released from a US hospital on Saturday ‌and sent back to prison where she will continue receiving medical care following her botched execution attempt in Tennessee, her attorneys said. Pike was discharged from a local hospital and is now at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been housed for more than 30 years, said attorneys Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, and Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason from the Tennessee Office of the Post Conviction Defender in a joint release.

Isaias kills four, about 670,000 without power after landfall

Four people died after Hurricane Isaias made landfall early on Saturday, and about 670,000 residents in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi were still without power as the storm weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, according to local authorities and electricity monitoring services. Two of the deaths resulted from trees falling on homes, according to local media and authorities.

Trump to campaign in Ohio, Alaska with Republicans facing tight races

With little more than three weeks to go until Election Day, President Donald Trump will make a new campaign swing this week through normally friendly territory where some Republican candidates are facing tough fights. Trump's latest foray will take him to Ohio, Alaska, ⁠Arizona and Montana, all states he ​won in 2024, as polls show Republicans at risk as they try to hang on to control of the US ⁠Congress for the president's last two years in office.

The midterm strategy driving Democrats deep into Trump country

On paper, Democrat Justin Pearson, a 31-year-old Tennessee state legislator, has little chance of winning the state's 9th Congressional District, which Republican lawmakers redrew months ago from a Democratic stronghold to a deeply Republican seat. Yet this week the national Democratic Party added the rural district to its list of midterm targets in November, part of a broader strategy to compete in President Donald Trump's conservative heartland despite long odds of flipping it.

Exclusive-Most Americans oppose betting on elections, government ⁠events, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Most Americans oppose using prediction markets to bet on US elections and other government actions, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that suggests the booming markets may lack broad public support as policymakers debate how to regulate them. The rapidly growing prediction market industry led by Polymarket and Kalshi allows people to bet on a raft of events, including US elections, government policy moves and sports games, raising concerns among policymakers that the platforms are opening up new avenues for insider trading and manipulation.

Factbox-US House ​races to watch in the 2026 elections

Republicans in the US House of Representatives are defending a narrow majority in November's midterm elections. History suggests Democrats will gain seats - they would need to net four to win control of the chamber. But Republicans kickstarted a national redistricting battle that could make Democrats' path to a majority slightly more difficult. Here are some races to watch:

Amelia Earhart expedition heads to Pacific ⁠atoll hoping to find her plane

A US-based team of marine archaeologists has set sail for a tiny island in the far western Pacific seeking to examine the latest tantalizing clue to one of the 20th century's great unsolved mysteries: the 1937 disappearance of famed aviator Amelia Earhart. Backed by Purdue University, an institution long affiliated with Earhart and her legacy, the group aims to learn whether a submerged object detected by satellite imagery in the island's lagoon six years ago is the wreckage of Earhart's twin-engine Lockheed Electra 10-E airplane.

Justice Department probes TV networks over Trump pool boycott

The US Justice Department ⁠said on ​Saturday it is investigating whether television networks violated federal antitrust laws over their decision to boycott covering the White House following its decision to pull the credentials of reporters from three news organizations, including CNN. The networks under investigation are ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News, the Justice Department said.

Pope Leo condemns death penalty as Trump mulls livestreamed execution

Pope Leo renewed his condemnation of the death penalty on Saturday, saying it violates the sanctity of human life and deprives people of the chance of redemption, days after the Pentagon said it planned to livestream an execution. The US military will livestream the upcoming firing squad execution of a gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, in what would be an unprecedented broadcast of a US execution.

US Republicans, Democrats want Trump to reverse course on Russia diesel

Republican and Democratic US senators called on President Donald ⁠Trump on Sunday to "reverse course" on his diesel supply deal with Russia, saying it runs counter to US law barring imports of energy until Russia ends its aggression against Ukraine. "Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine," the seven senators - four of Trump's fellow Republicans and three Democrats - said in a statement.

US launches immigration raid of Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar's home, ⁠Fox News reports

US authorities conducted a predawn raid Monday on the Washington-area home of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar in a probe ⁠of the Somali-born lawmaker's immigration paperwork, Fox News Digital reported, citing a source familiar with the move. "Today in the Washington, D.C. area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation," a Department of Justice spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Erie, Pennsylvania shooter killed 8 people, then himself, police say

A 45-year-old man shot and killed eight people in Erie, Pennsylvania, including a pregnant woman and two children, then apparently shot himself to death, authorities said on Saturday at a press conference where they revealed details of the previous evening's shooting. The shooter, who has yet to be identified, died of ‌an apparent self-inflicted wound before officers arrived on the scene, said Erie Police Chief ‌Rick Lorah.

Trump selects Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has appointed Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his Truth Social platform, to serve as White House press secretary following Karoline ​Leavitt's departure in August. He said Zacharia has an "unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter."