Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US midterm campaign enters final weekend as Alaska, California ballot fights heat up

President Donald Trump's administration pressed a criminal investigation into Alaska’s pivotal US Senate race and said on Saturday it would likely take its fight over thousands of California mail-in ballots to the Supreme Court, as the ​midterm campaign for control of Congress entered its final weekend. In Alaska, federal prosecutors are investigating whether aides to Democratic challenger Mary Peltola helped to recruit a retired schoolteacher, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., to run because his name is similar ​to the Republican incumbent, Senator Dan S. Sullivan. The closely contested race is seen as crucial to Democrats’ hopes of taking the Senate in Tuesday’s ‌vote.

Democratic Senator Murphy ​hospitalized after stroke, chief of staff says

Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy was hospitalized after suffering a stroke, the senator's chief of staff said on Sunday.

Murphy began experienceing numbness in his arm while attending his son's hockey game on Saturday afternoon, said Allison Herwitt, chief of staff to the Connecticut senator.

Judge orders Trump administration to cease threats to prosecute election officials

A US judge ordered the Justice Department on Friday to stop threatening to prosecute state and local election officials who do not comply with the Trump administration's demands related to voting by alleged non-citizens. The ruling comes days before next week's US midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, where Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. Although several key races appear closely contested, polls ‌favor Democrats to take control of the House and give them a plausible chance of a Senate majority.

Trump White House maps path to govern without Congress if Democrats win

President Donald Trump's White House has spent months preparing for a possible Democratic takeover of Congress, developing plans to keep advancing major parts of his agenda through executive power while bracing for investigations of his administration, according to a White House official and two people familiar with the plans. Senior officials, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought, have been working with the White House Counsel's Office since April to identify executive actions on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending that Trump could pursue without congressional approval, said the three people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Explainer-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls

On Tuesday night, newsrooms across the US will call winners in one of the country's most closely contested midterm election cycles in recent years, long before all the votes are counted. Most television networks and digital outlets rely on two providers for vote counts: ‌the Associated Press or election-data firm Decision Desk HQ.

Trump administration plans to deport some Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan

President Donald Trump's administration plans to deport some Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, a US official and a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups said on Friday. Many facing removal fled Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover and US withdrawal, said Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac.

Trump administration accelerates criminal probe into Alaska Senate race

President Donald Trump's administration stepped up criminal and civil investigations into allegations that Democrats conspired ‌to recruit a spoiler candidate in a critical Senate race in Alaska, officials said on Friday, injecting fresh uncertainty into Tuesday's midterm elections. The top federal prosecutor in Alaska, US Attorney Michael Heyman, said at a press conference that a Wednesday New York Times article about the effort had driven a "surge" of FBI resources, adding that he had assigned several prosecutors to the case and that investigative steps were taking place "intensely and swiftly."

Nine people dead in Learjet crash in south Florida, officials say

A Learjet 60 with nine people on board crashed on Sunday in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, the US Federal Aviation Administration said. Everyone on board died when the aircraft crashed about 12:50 pm ET (1750 GMT), according to a social media post from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who called the incident a "horrific tragedy."

US judge dismisses Trump election lawsuit in Alaska

A federal judge on Sunday threw out a lawsuit by President Donald Trump's administration seeking to block Alaska from certifying a loss by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in Tuesday's midterm elections if votes for a rival who shares his name could have changed the outcome. The ruling by US District Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage was the latest blow to Trump's efforts to assert a greater federal role in elections, which under the US Constitution are administered ⁠by the states.

Republicans get boost from ​Michigan Democrat's endorsement, face legal setback in Alaska

Two days before Tuesday's midterm elections, President Donald Trump's Republicans got an unexpected boost in Michigan from ⁠a prominent Democratic endorsement but suffered a setback in Alaska where a federal judge dismissed a legal challenge. US Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Michigan Democrats' Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in a bitterly contested race, on Sunday publicly backed Republican candidate Mike Rogers, threatening to worsen divisions in a state viewed as crucial to Democratic hopes of retaking the US Senate.

Power bills and data centers cast rare spotlight on utilities in US midterms

US electricity prices had flown under the radar in past national elections, but they have become a major political issue in this year's midterms as Americans grow angry over rising utility ⁠bills and deals for power-hungry data centers. Nationwide, according to Energy Information Administration data, electricity prices for homes have risen more than 10% since 2024 when President Donald Trump was elected along with Republican majorities in both houses of the US Congress. Higher electricity prices have outpaced the rise in costs for other goods and services.

California governor asks US judges to resist Trump attempts to seize ballots

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday warned federal courts to be ready for potential attempts by President Donald Trump's administration to seize ballots during the upcoming midterm elections. Newsom, a Democrat, sent the warning letter to ​federal judges as the state's legal fight with the administration, which demanded records from California as part of a criminal investigation into noncitizen voting. On Friday, a US appeals court rejected the administration's bid, potentially setting up a showdown at the US Supreme Court.

Trump calls $50 million contract for ex-lawyer Habba Mildon 'not acceptable'

President Donald Trump said on Saturday it was "unacceptable" for one of his former lawyers, Alina Habba Mildon, to secure a $50 million contract for ⁠herself while working at the US Department of Justice. "I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it's not acceptable," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. "Not acceptable at all."

Democratic wins would shift Congress' trade debate but fall short of US tariff rollbacks

President Donald Trump's trade agenda will face a new source of friction if Democrats win control of Congress on Tuesday, with a cascade of oversight hearings and symbolic tariff rollback votes likely next year, but Trump will remain undeterred in his zeal for more tariff actions, trade experts and congressional aides say. Democrats are eager to pass legislation to negate many of Trump's tariffs and the more archaic ⁠statutes backing ​them, but any gains by the party will run into the reality of Trump's veto power.

Hanwha signs $269 million shipbuilding contract for US Navy

Hanwha Defense USA said on Sunday it had signed a $269 million contract with Tote Services to build a medium landing ship for US Navy. The 2,687-ton, 100-metre vessel is to be used for operations in disputed waters including the Indo-Pacific region, Hanwha said in a statement.

Trump says Flavio Bolsonaro can stay in US 'as long as he wants'

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost his country's presidential election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, can stay in the United States "as long as he wants." Trump, speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, said he has no plans to meet with Bolsonaro, who fled to the US after his election loss.

Exclusive-Trump appointee Bill Pulte’s housing agency obstructed watchdog, report says

A top US housing regulator led by Trump appointee Bill Pulte refused to provide records to its internal watchdog, obstructing congressionally mandated ⁠reviews of its oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other housing lenders, according to a report reviewed by Reuters on Friday. The assertions escalate the Federal Housing Finance Agency's confrontation with the watchdog, and come amid broader efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to weaken government inspectors general whose mission is to root out waste, fraud, and mismanagement across federal agencies and departments.

Preschool case tests religious conservatives' US Supreme Court win streak

A challenge at the US Supreme Court by Catholic groups ⁠to a Colorado law barring anti-LGBT discrimination at publicly funded preschools is testing whether conservative religious interests can extend their winning streak in major cases ⁠at the nation's top judicial body. The court, whose 6-3 conservative majority has taken a broad view of religious liberty, will hear arguments on Tuesday over a bid by the Archdiocese of Denver and other Catholic entities for an exemption from a Colorado preschool funding program's nondiscrimination requirement. Republican President Donald Trump's administration is backing the Catholic groups.

Explainer-How Trump’s noncitizen voter lists could affect the midterms

As Americans head to the polls on Tuesday for midterm elections, lists the Trump administration has compiled of possible noncitizen voters could be used to contest the validity of the results. With US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party fighting to maintain control of Congress, here’s how the lists could affect the midterms.

ICE raids in a California toss-up district spark accusations of voter intimidation

Federal immigration agents have fanned ‌out across California’s Central Valley in recent weeks, stirring fear in Latino communities and allegations of ‌voter intimidation in a toss-up race that could help decide control of the US House of Representatives. The planned surge in California was announced to agents in early October, an internal email seen by Reuters shows. And it was directed by the White House, ​according to a US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.