Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump says Canada tariff deal coming 'soon' at Michigan border rally

President Donald Trump at a Sunday political rally predicted a trade dispute with Canada would be resolved "soon," without providing specifics. At an event in Port Huron, Michigan, to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterms, Trump and other speakers reiterated his oft-expressed position that higher tariffs on Canadian goods are needed because Canada "has been ripping off" the US in trade.

Trump, ignoring polls, ​predicts economy to help Republicans in midterms

US President Donald Trump campaigned on Monday in deeply Republican Mississippi, predicting victory for a Republican Senate candidate based on what he deemed to be a booming US economy, while also repeating his claim that oil prices would soon plummet. Trump, a Republican, has been on a campaign blitz through ​normally safe Republican states ahead of the November 3 vote, with party strategists telling Reuters they are on edge about races from Alaska to South Carolina, in part because of voter discontent over how Trump's tariffs ‌and the Iran war have fueled ​inflation.

Actor Walter Koenig, 'Star Trek's' plucky Chekov, dies at 90

Walter Koenig, who brought humor and grit to the role of starship navigator Pavel Chekov on the classic 1960s sci-fi TV series "Star Trek" and seven subsequent feature films, has died at the age of 90. "My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today," George Takei, who starred alongside Koenig in the show and was a long-time friend, wrote on Facebook on Monday. Koenig died at his home in Los Angeles, the AP reported, citing his talent agent.

Japan indicts US Marine over Okinawa killing, media say

Japanese prosecutors have indicted a US Marine on charges of robbery and murder of a Japanese woman in the country's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, Japanese media reported. Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the prefectural capital, earlier this month. Ballard has denied the allegations.

Pennsylvania measles cases rise to 1,360, state health department says

The Pennsylvania Health Department on Monday reported 1,360 measles cases in ‌the state, up 22 cases from its previous update. Here are key details:

Illinois man charged with sending threatening letters to US lawmakers

An Illinois man was charged on Monday with sending threatening letters to at least four US lawmakers, with the mailings containing a white granular powder that did not have any hazardous substances. The FBI said in a court filing the man, Matthew G. Unglesbee, admitted to sending the letters, telling agents he sent them after reading stories about other suspicious mailings sent to state election officials and lawmakers' offices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Unglesbee told the FBI he did not send the earlier letters.

The races that will decide control of the US Senate

Democrats need a net gain of at least four seats in November's midterm elections to wrest control of the US Senate from Republicans, with voter discontent over President Donald Trump, the Iran war and rising prices putting races in once-solidly Republican states into play. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, and a Democratic takeover looked unlikely at the start of the year. But Democrats are now competitive in states Trump won handily in 2024, even as Republicans seek to capture Democratic-held seats of their own.

Audi defends decision to stand by Trump on $4 billion US factory in Georgia

The head of German automaker Audi defended on Sunday the company's planned $4 billion investment in a new US plant, announced by President Donald Trump as he campaigns for the November midterm elections. Audi Chief Executive Gernot Doellner stood alongside Trump at a rally in Perry, near Macon in ‌central Georgia on Saturday, as the US president said Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group, planned to build an assembly plant in Georgia that will produce 200,000 SUVs annually.

Trump administration's firing of prosecutor Maurene Comey was unlawful, judge rules

The abrupt firing of Maurene Comey as a federal prosecutor by President Donald Trump's administration was unlawful, a US judge ruled on Monday in a victory for the eldest daughter of former FBI director and longtime Trump adversary James Comey. Maurene Comey, who brought criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs during a tenure at the Manhattan US Attorney's office that began in 2015, was fired by Trump's Justice Department in July 2025. ‌Her dismissal came a few months after the Republican president began his second term in office.

Judge extends block on Trump plans to renovate Washington golf course

A US judge extended on Monday a court order blocking President Donald Trump's plans to renovate a historic Washington golf course where she had deemed a removal of trees "inexcusable". The renovation, at the center of a lawsuit over environmental and historic preservation concerns, is one of the projects Trump is pursuing to reshape landmarks in the US capital.

Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Peltola asks judge to toss US lawsuit over certification

Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for US Senate in a pivotal Alaska race that could determine control of the chamber, asked a federal judge to dismiss the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking to block the state from certifying results if the Republican incumbent candidate loses narrowly. The Department of Justice's lawsuit, filed in federal court in Alaska last week, signals the willingness of President Donald Trump's administration to contest the results of the November 3 midterm elections, with his fellow Republicans battling to retain narrow majorities in both chambers of the US Congress.

US appeals court appears skeptical of Trump DOJ's lawsuit over California voter rolls

A federal appeals court appeared skeptical on Sunday of a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump's administration that seeks to force California officials to set aside thousands of mail-in ballots the administration says were sent to noncitizens ahead of midterm elections. During a rare weekend oral argument, two judges on a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals sharply questioned a Justice Department lawyer about the lawsuit, a high-profile effort by the Trump administration to boost the federal government's role in elections ahead of the November 3 midterms.

Last Republican incumbent senator in a Democratic-leaning state fights for survival

If Republican Senator Susan Collins wins this nail-biter of an election, it ⁠may well be because voters in Maine ​decide she is not Republican enough. Since her first victory in 1996, Collins’ reputation as an independent-minded moderate has helped her win reelection even as Maine backed Democrats for president. Now the only Republican incumbent ⁠running in a Democratic-leaning state, she is deadlocked in opinion polls with Democrat Troy Jackson in a race that could help determine control of the US Senate.

Factbox-The ultra-wealthy crypto executives who are spending big on the midterms

A clutch of ultra-wealthy executives who made fortunes in and around the cryptocurrency business have become influential players in US politics, collectively spending more than $56 million during the current election cycle so far, according to a Reuters analysis of federal filings. They have spent on crypto-friendly candidates and crypto super political action committees, or PACs, that can raise and spend unlimited sums, contributing towards the industry's $175 million blitz this cycle, according to federal filings.

In US swing districts, high prices dominate minds but not always ballots

American consumers say the rising cost of living is a top concern — one that's changed how they shop. But that won't necessarily affect their votes in next week's congressional elections. More than two ⁠dozen voters in three East Coast swing districts overwhelmingly reported that high gas and grocery bills were top of mind. Reuters interviewed the voters, who largely self-described as working- or middle-class, during routine shopping trips.

Obama unloads on Trump while stumping for Democrats ahead of midterms

US President Donald Trump has been telling voters to view the midterm elections as if he were on the ballot, and on Saturday one of his Democratic predecessors did just that. Ten days out from the elections that will determine control of the closely divided Congress, Barack Obama took to the campaign trail to accuse the Republican president of corruption, deride his strategy for Iran and skewer the gilded aesthetic he has applied to White House renovations.

Average price of gasoline during Trump's term now exceeds Biden's, as midterms loom

Americans have paid more for their gasoline and ​diesel at the pump on average during President Donald Trump's second term than they did under his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, according to the AAA. Surging fuel prices are a major thorn in Trump's side as midterm elections loom and the Republican Party looks to defend narrow majorities in both legislative chambers on November 3.

Ex-FBI chief Comey faces third prosecution attempt by Trump Justice Department

The US Justice Department is attempting to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey for a third time, the latest case accusing him of sharing sensitive national security information in 2016, according to court documents made public on Monday. The case was revealed in a court document ⁠known as a "criminal information" that the Justice Department said it filed to stop the 10-year statute of limitations on the offense from expiring earlier this month.

Trump approval rises from record low to 32% ahead of midterm election, Reuters Ipsos poll finds

US President Donald Trump's public approval rating inched higher to 32%, up a percentage point from last week's record low, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday. Trump's fellow Republicans are fighting to retain the party's majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Crypto blitzes midterms with $176 million to support allies as it prepares for post-Trump era

The crypto industry has spent roughly $176 million across more than 100 midterm races this election cycle, as part of a years-long plan to build a bipartisan coalition of allies in Congress that can advance its interests long after US President Donald Trump leaves office. The $2.75 trillion industry, and the billionaires ⁠who built ​it, are aggressively spending to elect friendly candidates while targeting politicians they see as a threat, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen crypto political strategists and a Reuters review of the spending.

US consumers paying the most for fuel price spikes from Iran war, study says

US consumers are paying more than anyone in the world for the jump in fuel prices caused by supply disruptions resulting from the US war on Iran, including the virtual shutting and then blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a study said on Monday. US consumers have paid an average of $471 more for higher fuel prices since the Iran war started on February 28, said the study by Finland-based nonprofit group Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which supports efforts to move off fossil fuels. That compares to an average of about $60 more for people around the world.

Exclusive-US, Canada working on deal to ease steel, auto tariffs, sources say

The United States and Canada are working on a deal to ease US tariffs on Canadian steel and autos, two US and four Canadian sources said, as the two governments try to repair relations that soured after trade talks broke down in August. The talks focus on tariffs imposed under Section 232 of US trade law, including up to 50% tariff on Canadian steel and a 25% tariff on autos, with negotiators discussing potential relief from those duties.

Trump administration loses push to block California votes from alleged noncitizens

A US appeals court on Monday ruled ⁠against President Donald Trump's administration in a major voting dispute ahead of the midterm elections, denying a request to block California from counting mail ballots from people on a list of more than 20,000 registered voters the federal government alleges are likely noncitizens. The 2-1 decision by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals marked the latest setback in Trump's efforts to assert a greater federal role in overseeing elections in the run-up to the November 3 midterms in which his fellow Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress.

CDC deputy director to leave Trump administration, paper says

Jennifer Shuford, the deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will leave ⁠the Trump administration after next week's midterm elections, the Washington Post said on Monday, citing sources. The departure follows changes in the government's vaccine policy, with President Donald Trump unveiling plans to demand that vaccine makers split certain ⁠childhood shots into five separate doses.

US CFTC, NBA agree to cooperate over basketball and prediction markets

A US regulator and the National Basketball Association entered into a cooperative agreement over prediction markets, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Monday, amid concerns about insider trading and market oversight. The two entities agreed to share related information that could have a direct impact on the "integrity" of professional basketball, according to a copy of the memorandum of understanding signed by CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Trump invokes 9/11 in urging Michigan voters to oppose Muslim Senate candidate El-Sayed

President Donald Trump at a Sunday campaign rally ratcheted up his push to link US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to Muslim extremists, comparing him to the 9/11 attackers while saying Democrats would let violent anti-American terrorists into the United States. "I'm here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator," the president told a receptive audience in Port Huron, which is in a Michigan area where 66% of the vote went to Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Trump offers $1 million for ‌tipoffs that lead to voter fraud convictions

President Donald Trump said on Monday the US would give $1 million to anyone who reported voter ‌fraud that leads to an arrest and conviction, a week before midterm elections that polls show could prove difficult for his Republican Party. BACKGROUND AND QUOTE:

Anthropic's Claude accessed Georgia state vote count data behind paywall

AI model Claude bypassed a paywall and accessed publicly available US state of Georgia aggregate voter counts without human authorization, Anthropic said in a statement on Sunday. "Claude didn't ​access the state's voter registration system or change or pull any voting records," Anthropic said, adding that it has since taken steps to block these kinds of actions.