Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Under Trump, deficits remain high while borrowing costs escalate

US government debt hit a milestone $40 trillion in August, triggering a potentially uncomfortable debate for President Donald Trump and ​Republicans contesting tight midterm elections next month: whether the world's No. 1 economy is also becoming a riskier credit in financial markets. So far, the ​answer seems to be no.

The midterm election outcomes that could shape Trump's final two years

Americans vote on ‌November ​3 in midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in both the US House of Representatives and US Senate to overturn Republicans' narrow 218-214 and 53-47 majorities.

Driver released after pickup truck kills 2, injures 10 at Kansas youth soccer game

The woman who was driving a pickup truck that entered a Kansas soccer field during a youth match, killing a man and 6-year-old ‌boy, was released without charges while the investigation continues, authorities said on Sunday. Investigators interviewed the 34-year-old woman, whom authorities have not publicly identified, and consulted with the Sedgwick County district attorney's office before releasing her, the Wichita Police Department said in a statement.

US resumes intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after pause, Zelenskiy says

The United States has resumed providing Ukraine critical intelligence to help it defend against Russian missile strikes, after a brief pause, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in comments published on Sunday. Ukraine has relied on US intelligence to spot the fast-moving ballistic missiles that Russia has fired in waves at its cities. US President Donald Trump had said earlier this week that Washington was ‌still sharing intelligence, although Ukrainian officials said some Russian strikes had occurred without warning.

Trump says Washington golf course project to start immediately, despite judge's order

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration would begin renovation work immediately on a historic Washington golf course that a federal judge had ordered could not ‌proceed without prior court notification. The renovation work, which Trump a day earlier said would start next month, has become the subject of a lawsuit over environmental and historic preservation concerns.

Trump geothermal lease sale collides with planned Nevada solar farms

The US Interior Department's sale of geothermal leases in Nevada this week will include thousands of acres overlapping major planned solar projects from NextEra Energy and other developers, according to federal documents. On Tuesday, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management is scheduled to auction 83 parcels totaling 265,691 acres to geothermal developers. NextEra, the world's largest owner of solar and wind generation, asked the agency earlier this year to "remove, defer or reconfigure" three proposed geothermal parcels.

Roy Cooper's North Carolina playbook is working. Can other Democrats copy it?

North Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat to the US Senate ⁠in nearly 20 years, but ​former Governor Roy Cooper has built a double-digit lead over Republican Michael Whatley by relentlessly ⁠focusing on affordability and a blunt promise to “make stuff cost less.” At campaign stops, Cooper, 69, points to his six-year fight to expand Medicaid through a Republican-controlled legislature as evidence he can work across party lines, while attacking Trump-backed healthcare cuts that he says are hitting North Carolinians hard.

Rubio says Trump to take up to 60 days to weigh Russia sanctions

The day after waiving sanctions ⁠and tariffs related to Russian exports, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he has yet to announce a final decision on the matter, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials want more time to evaluate the situation. Rubio said on Saturday that the president will use up to 60 days to assess the economic impact of Russia-related sanctions and tariffs that ​he waived a day earlier.

Trump faults aides as Republican midterm prospects dim

President Donald Trump is blaming senior aides and political operatives for a faltering midterm strategy, questioning campaign spending, faulting redistricting and second-guessing candidate choices as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress, said three people familiar with internal ⁠discussions.

Trump is not on the November 3 ballot but repeatedly tells supporters to pretend that he is, hoping to mobilize voters who might otherwise skip the election. He has embarked on a frenetic campaign schedule while largely avoiding acknowledging his own role in shaping the strategy and how his unpopularity is weighing on Republican candidates in competitive races.

Senator urges FCC to reject conservative group's bid to use political ⁠AI-generated ​robocalls

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Monday urged the Federal Communications Commission not to approve a petition to allow political AI-generated robocalls from conservative political group Club for Growth ahead of the November congressional elections. "Under this change, campaigns could use their opponents’ voice to send out a message that is, at best, disingenuous and, at worst, a blatant lie," Schumer said.

Gymnastics-Nassar judge says gymnastics still failing athletes despite reforms

Gymnastics is still failing athletes in "almost every way" despite reforms introduced in the decade since the Larry Nassar abuse scandal, the judge who sentenced the former USA Gymnastics doctor has told Reuters. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said changes made by governing bodies around ⁠the world amounted largely to "window dressing" and that athletes remained fearful that speaking out could cost them their place in the sport.

Rubio seeks to expand Central Asia ties with pomp-filled Uzbekistan visit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with counterparts from five Central Asian nations in Uzbekistan on Monday, a trip that has ⁠resulted in few public deliverables, but which US officials have presented as a key ⁠opportunity to expand American soft power. Rubio, who arrived in the historic Silk Road city of Samarkand on Sunday night, met in the morning with the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In the evening, he will dine with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and participate in a US-Uzbekistan business council event.

Two killed, including 6-year-old, when truck drives through Kansas youth soccer game, police say

A truck drove into a youth soccer game in Wichita, Kansas, leaving a six-year-old boy and ‌a 35-year-old man dead, and 10 others hospitalized with ‌traumatic injuries, police said on Saturday. The injuries ranged from minor to severe, but none appear to be life threatening, Wichita police Captain Aaron Moses said at a news ​conference. The two people killed were pronounced dead at the scene, he said.