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.

Actor Selma Blair arrested and accused of abusing flight attendants

Actor Selma Blair has been arrested after flight attendants reported a "physically abusive passenger" on a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's police department said on Monday. Police identified Blair, known for roles in the movies "Cruel Intentions" and "Hellboy," as the suspect in an incident on Sunday evening.

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.

Musk has spent $276 million on midterms to help Republicans retain control of Congress

Elon Musk has spent roughly $366 million in the 2026 US midterm election cycle so far, $276 million of it since July to help Republicans retain control of Congress, even as Democrats' chances of retaking the US House and Senate have improved. Musk's largess, which was reported earlier by the New York Times, makes the world's richest person likely the single-biggest political donor in this year's races, according to campaign finance records.

'Breaking Bad' actor and disability ‌rights activist RJ Mitte dead at 34

Actor RJ Mitte, whose personal experience living with cerebral palsy informed his role as Walter White Jr, the physically disabled son of a methamphetamine kingpin in the landmark television show "Breaking Bad," died on Monday at age 34. News of Mitte's death in Brownsville, Texas, was confirmed in a statement released through the talent management agency that represented the actor. No other details about the circumstances of his death were given.

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.

US AI testing agency officials to move to White House, ⁠The Information reports

President Donald Trump's administration ​is planning to move three senior officials from the Center for Advancing Innovation and Standards for Super Intelligence (CAISSI) to the White House, news website The Information reported on ⁠Monday, citing a White House official. The White House and Commerce Department could not be immediately reached for comment.

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:

Judge blasts Trump's DOJ over 'inexcusable' tree removal at DC golf course

A US judge said on Monday that she was "furious" with Justice Department lawyers for their conduct in a lawsuit seeking to halt the Trump administration’s takeover of a historic golf course in Washington, saying it was "inexcusable" that hundreds of trees were removed from the course over the weekend. "More than being upset and furious right now, I am just deeply disappointed in the government," US District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington told government lawyers during a court hearing. "On what universe did anyone in your office think this was acceptable?"

Trump defends Russia diesel deal as lawmakers from both parties complain

President Donald Trump ⁠on Monday ​defended a diesel oil deal he made with Russia as lawmakers from both parties complained the agreement appears to violate US law barring imports of Russian energy until Moscow ends its aggression against Ukraine.

Trump has said the deal to lift sanctions on Russian oil exports would help bring down high fuel prices. However some analysts doubted the amount of diesel Trump has said Russia would provide over the next three months would do much to bring down prices, since it is equal to about 12 hours of global consumption of the fuel.

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.

Pennsylvania coroner reports measles death, toll rises to six

Pennsylvania's Franklin County coroner on Monday reported a measles-associated death in a 39-year-old woman with several health conditions, the state's sixth death linked to the disease. In a statement posted on Facebook, the coroner said the death, investigated on ⁠Saturday, met the Pennsylvania Department of Health's definition of a measles-associated death.

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 immigration authorities raid home of Democratic Trump critic Ilhan Omar

US authorities conducted a predawn raid on Monday on the Washington, DC, home of Democratic US Representative ⁠Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who has been the target of political insults by the Republican president, as part of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said. A person familiar with the investigation said it is related to alleged immigration fraud, and part of the probe concerns the Somali-born lawmaker's immigration paperwork filled out by her late father when she was a child.

Catholics in US Army must not participate in firing squad, prominent archbishop says

Catholics serving in the US Army should not participate in the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan that the Pentagon is planning to livestream in December, a prominent US archbishop said on Monday. In an unusually strongly worded statement, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees the spiritual care of Catholic members of the US armed forces, raised a series of objections to the unprecedented plan ‌to broadcast the execution of Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in a 2009 shooting spree.

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.