Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

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.

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.

Sectors bracing for a pivot as US midterm elections loom

As the US midterm elections approach, Corporate America is bracing for a potential shift in the balance of power in Washington. In case of a strong Democratic showing, analysts and strategists say clean energy, housing and healthcare stocks could benefit, while AI, data center and defense names may draw greater scrutiny from lawmakers.

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.

Lindsay Clancy returns to Massachusetts court for hearing that could shape potential murder retrial

Lindsay Clancy is due back in court on Monday for a hearing that could determine whether she will be retried for killing her three young children at her Massachusetts home in 2023 after a jury deadlocked at her first trial. Judge William Sullivan is scheduled to hear arguments in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Clancy's bid to dismiss the murder charges and to discuss a timetable for a potential new trial if he allows the case to proceed.

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

A Learjet crashed on Sunday afternoon in a residential area in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board, US transportation officials said. The private jet had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International ‌Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

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.

Factbox-Six things to watch as US voters decide control of Congress

Americans head to the polls on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. The results will serve as the first nationwide verdict on Trump's presidency, revealing whether voters want to check the Republican president's power by giving Democrats control of one or both chambers of Congress or are willing to accept the status quo despite frustrations over the cost of living and the US-led war with Iran.

Michigan Democrat's endorsement of Republican ruffles critical Senate race

A prominent Michigan Democrat endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday, giving President Donald Trump's Republicans an unexpected boost in a critical US Senate race two days before midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. US Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Michigan Democrats' Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in a bitterly contested race, publicly backed Rogers and appeared with him at a Detroit church, threatening to worsen divisions in a state viewed as crucial to Democratic hopes of retaking the US Senate.

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.

US voters in a sour economic mood heading into midterm elections

On the eve of elections that will decide ⁠whether President Donald Trump's Republican Party keeps control of Congress, voters' minds are on the economy, with high and rising prices a key issue and many blaming his policies, specifically tariffs and the Iran war, for the nagging inflation. In short, Americans are in a sour mood.

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.

US Senate candidate El-Sayed wants Democratic rival to stay away, source says

US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed wants to keep his distance from US Representative Haley Stevens, who he defeated in the Michigan Democratic primary in ​early August, amid criticism over a political ad. Stevens may not attend an event in Detroit with El-Sayed on Sunday after his campaign asked her to stay away from future appearances, the latest escalation in a public dispute over an advertisement she has condemned as antisemitic.

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.

The mid-term races Wall Street and other financial firms are watching

Wall Street and financial market players are watching this year's US midterm elections for more than which party controls Congress. A handful of unusually competitive races could determine the fortunes of some of the financial industry's biggest political allies and adversaries, and help ⁠shape policy on ​cryptocurrency, credit cards, financial regulation and the artificial-intelligence investment boom.

Trump floats 'concept' of US-Canada deal that includes pipeline talking to Carney

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration has the "concept" of a new trade deal with Canada while Prime Minister Mark Carney said the two leaders had a good conversation on the future of trade between their countries. "I spoke to him again yesterday, and we have the concept of a deal that's going to be great for our farmers, great for our country, and we'll be fine for that," Trump told reporters in Dubuque, Iowa.

Trump Justice Dept breaks with tradition to intervene in midterms

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has shown a willingness to intervene directly in Tuesday's midterm elections, breaking with decades of practice meant to avoid the appearance that its law enforcement powers are being used to benefit a political party or candidate. In California, the Justice Department sought to set aside mail-in ballots from about 20,000 voters it alleges are likely non-US citizens ineligible to vote.

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.

Factbox-The mid-term races Wall Street and other financial firms are watching

Wall Street and financial market players are watching this year's US midterm elections for more than which party controls Congress. A handful of unusually competitive races could determine the fortunes of some of the financial industry's biggest political allies and adversaries, and help shape policy on cryptocurrency, credit cards, financial regulation and the artificial-intelligence investment boom.

Accused arsonist in Los Angeles' deadly Palisades fire returns for federal retrial

Jury selection was due to ⁠begin on Monday in the federal retrial of a man prosecutors say deliberately set a blaze that grew into one of the deadliest, most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles ⁠history. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, whose initial three-week trial ended in a hung jury in late June, was slated to return to US District Court in downtown Los Angeles to face a scaled-down version of the charges previously leveled against him.

Inside the US Postal Service sprint to deliver millions of ballots by Tuesday

From longer hours and extra staffing to special lines in its branches, the US Postal Service is taking an array of special actions to make sure mail-in ballots for the midterm elections are counted on Tuesday. This year more than ever, the pressure is on the Postal Service to deliver. President Donald Trump ordered the agency to write rules that would bar it from delivering ballots if the states did not agree to turn over lists of eligible voters and some voters have expressed concern about voting by mail. The Supreme Court blocked Trump and USPS from enforcing those rules in September.

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.