Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Here are the Democrats emerging as potential 2028 White House contenders

With the midterm campaigns over, the race to succeed President Donald Trump is set to intensify, with a potentially sprawling field of Democrats already positioning for 2028 but no clear standard-bearer emerging. Potential contenders, including governors, senators and former candidates, spent the final weeks of the midterm campaign fanning out across states with early nominating contests after months of courting donors, raising their profiles and publishing books, familiar steps toward ​a White House run.

Lyft to expand Waymo robotaxi fleet in Nashville by year-end

Lyft plans to "significantly grow" its Waymo robotaxi fleet in Nashville by year-end, the company said on Thursday, stepping up efforts to earn more from self-driving cars by both managing fleets and matching riders to them. The company is paid in two ways in Nashville: through ​Waymo rides booked on its app, and through a fee for each available vehicle it maintains, charges and cleans, CFO Michael Brous told Reuters.

Google faces claims student used AI chat on US school laptop to plan suicide ‌attempt

The parents of a girl in ​the US who used Google’s Gemini AI chatbot on her school-provided Chromebook to make a plan to die by suicide have sued the company, claiming it pushed its AI products on students and failed to warn of their dangers. The girl, identified as “Emma,” began using Gemini on her Chromebook when she was 13

Democrats won big. But what is their mandate?

Democrats are framing their sweeping midterm victory as a mandate for change, but already disagree over how far voters want them to go. Beyond broad agreement on tackling "affordability," Democrats disagree over whether voters also gave them license to aggressively investigate President Donald Trump and his family, pursue impeachment or embrace progressive priorities such as government-run "Medicare for All" healthcare.

Wisconsin reports infant death linked to measles outbreak

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said on Thursday that an infant had died in connection with the ongoing measles outbreak in the state. The coroner listed measles as the immediate cause of death, the department said, declining to release further details to protect the family's privacy.

Latinos, motivated by immigration and economic woes, drive Democratic gains in Republican strongholds

When Geronimo Perez pulled up to vote at the Worth ‌Heights Community Center in South Fort Worth, Texas, one thing was on his mind: a friend who had been deported just a week earlier. Perez, 56, cast his ballot for the entire Democratic ticket in this year's midterm elections. He lamented the high cost of living, but said President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda drove him to support Democratic state representatives Gina Hinojosa for governor and James Talarico for US Senate.

Audi may boost size of new US auto plant by $3 billion, add 3,000 jobs

Volkswagen luxury unit Audi will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax incentives and grants to build a $4 billion assembly plant in the state of Georgia and is considering a second phase, documents released on Thursday showed. Audi announced plans on October 25 to build its first US assembly plant near Macon, Georgia to open in the early 2030s that will produce 200,000 SUVs annually and employ 4,500 workers. The automaker is considering a second phase that would cost another $3 billion and add 3,000 workers by 2033, according to documents released by the Mid-Georgia Gateway Development Authority.

Analysis-Midterms upended Congress but Trump still commands foreign policy

The Republican Party's staggering losses at the ballot box this week have left President Donald Trump diminished in Washington and facing tougher legislative oversight and scrutiny of his agenda. But on foreign policy, he could remain unbowed.

US FAA says it will phase out floppy disks from air traffic control by 2028

The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it will replace by the end of 2028 the outdated floppy disks used for weather and other critical information at more than 400 air traffic control ‌facilities across the country. The Enterprise Information Display System will replace four systems dating back to the 1980s and will put important operational information in one place so controllers can quickly see air traffic updates.

US weekly jobless claims at 57-year lows; worker productivity surges in third quarter

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits slipped to a 57-year low last week, pointing to labor market resilience, though uncertainty over the drawn-out conflict in the Middle East is constraining hiring. Other data from the Labor Department on Thursday showed stronger-than-expected growth in worker productivity in the third quarter. The surge in productivity depressed labor costs for the first time in more than a year and reinforced views of policymakers and economists that the labor market ‌was not a source of inflation.

Elon Musk and Donald Trump: dynamic antigraft duo

Due diligence typically comes before the deal, but Washington is getting around to it after the fact. As Democrats reclaim control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the slew of unsavory business affairs conducted over the past two years will finally be subjected to greater scrutiny. Credit to President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for any punishments or policy changes that follow. Corporate boardrooms have been bracing for a backlash. Many are drafting plans to handle anticipated congressional probes into their funding of the commander-in-chief's $400 million White House ballroom. Apple, Lockheed Martin and dozens of others that committed $100,000 to $25 million apiece to the vanity project are likely targets. Others, including Meta Platforms, Coinbase and Palantir Technologies, gave to separate presidential pet projects. Document requests and public hearings will involve uncomfortable "pay to play" questions about the possibility of bribery and graft.

Key Republicans seek briefing from Nvidia CEO over Chinese spy allegations-document

Top Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives are calling on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to brief Congress this month about a news report alleging he had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to Beijing, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The New York Times reported last month that US authorities were investigating Alice Huang, a former executive of Singpore-based company Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia. US authorities have scrutinized Megaspeed over suspicions it helped Beijing gain access to advanced AI chips that are barred from shipment to China.

Trump to nominate Texas Supreme Court justice who lost election to federal bench

US President Donald Trump is moving to nominate a Republican member of the Texas Supreme Court who voters ousted from office in Tuesday's election to become a life-tenured federal judge, according to US Senate records made public on Thursday. Trump has not announced any such nomination. But the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee has received paperwork to ⁠begin considering outgoing Texas Supreme Court Justice ​James Sullivan to serve as a federal judge in Austin.

Hegseth vows to keep fighting from Pentagon, defends Iran war

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a video message on Thursday vowing to fight efforts in Congress ⁠to impeach him and defending the Iran war as “courageous and historic” after voters punished Republicans over it in this week’s midterm elections. Hegseth's remarks, posted on social media, came as taunts from his foes in Congress intensified and President Donald Trump swatted away questions about whether he might fire Hegseth. Trump has commended his Pentagon chief.

Trump’s Washington arch poised for approval as judge weighs bid to block construction

President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch in Washington could win approval as soon as Thursday, clearing the way for construction on the latest major project in his drive to reshape the US capital. A judge considering several legal challenges could still block the start of construction. But if it gets the go-ahead, the Justice Department has said an initial six to eight months of construction focused on excavation and foundation work could begin this week. Above-ground construction would start in May 2027 at the earliest, with the job expected to take ⁠33 to 39 months total.

Trump says Oval Office to become national monument

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a document to make the White House's Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument. Since returning to office, Trump has transformed the historic Oval Office with gold accents and statuettes, portraits of famous Americans pulled from storage and a copy of the Declaration of Independence that hangs on the wall.

California governor to grant clemency to all 548 death row inmates in state

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates currently condemned to execution in his state, the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere, declaring he believes capital punishment to be morally wrong. The announcement, in a three-page letter addressed to "all Californians," came as Newsom, a Democrat who is expected to seek his party's presidential nomination in 2028, neared the end ​of his second and final four-year term as governor.

Trump ally Dhillon, who remade DOJ civil rights unit, resigns

US Justice Department official Harmeet Dhillon, who reshaped the agency's civil rights unit to pursue Trump administration priorities including voter data requests and gun rights cases, has resigned, Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday. Dhillon is among the first senior officials to leave the administration after Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats retook both chambers of Congress.

Democratic senator demands tech firms, FCC chair turn over documents

The top Democrat on the Senate investigative panel demanded on Thursday the head of the Federal Communications Commission and tech companies that donated to President Donald Trump's ballroom voluntarily turn over documents or ⁠face possible subpoenas in January. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is set to take over as chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, called on Apple, Meta, Google, Nvidia, Amazon.com, Microsoft and others who donated to the ballroom project to turn over records, as he sent warnings to targets of a number of different probes.

US infant bleeding episodes jump as vitamin K refusals rise, two studies find

Rates of life-threatening bleeding in US infants have risen sharply since 2017 as parents increasingly refuse protective newborn doses of vitamin K, a trend that coincides with a growing wave of mistrust toward vaccines and other newborn interventions, two studies published on Thursday found. The studies are the first to show that bleeding rates in US infants have increased along with rising refusals of vitamin K shots.

Latinos, motivated by immigration and economic woes, drive Democratic gains in Republican strongholds

When Geronimo Perez pulled up to vote at the Worth Heights Community Center in South Fort Worth, Texas, one thing was on his mind: a friend ⁠who had been ​deported just a week earlier. Perez, 56, cast his ballot for the entire Democratic ticket in this year's midterm elections. He lamented the high cost of living, but said President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda drove him to support Democratic state representatives Gina Hinojosa for governor and James Talarico for US Senate.

Democrats' election wins spooks AI investors, hammering stocks

Democrats' sweeping midterm election victory unleashed a rout of tech stocks on Thursday, with investors worried the party will use its gains in state capitols and the US Congress to impose new regulations that will slow the AI infrastructure buildout that has fueled this year's market gains. Two days after Democrats flipped seven seats in the Senate, gained at least 39 in the House of Representatives and picked up five governorships, stocks sold off across the board, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite notching a 5.56% drop, its most dramatic fall in 19 months.

US warns of 'ongoing cyber threat' to industrial refrigeration systems

The United States is warning of an "ongoing cyber threat" to industrial refrigeration systems, saying in a statement issued on Thursday that every organization that depends on cold storage should assume it could fall into the hackers' crosshairs. The statement, which follows a spate of hacks against commercial freezers in the United States and Europe, said that unidentified "malicious cyber actors" were targeting vulnerabilities in internet-accessible electronic temperature and commercial refrigeration controllers in retail grocery and cold storage facilities.

Fed's Hammack, Barkin favor gradual rate-hike path to lower inflation

Two Federal Reserve officials on Thursday made a case for modest and steady interest rate increases to tackle above-target inflation, ⁠in the first round of comments from central bankers after Democrats won control of Congress and made gains at the state level in elections that could change the path of price pressures in the economy. The officials spoke as stock markets suffered notable losses from investors worried about the outlook for the tech sector in the wake of the midterm elections, which could lead to less growth in investment for things like artificial intelligence, a major source of voter ire.

Democrats to investigate Trump deals, with eye on 2028 race

After sweeping both chambers of the US Congress, Democrats will turn their new investigative powers on the Trump family's business deals as they make what they call corruption a central part of ⁠a 2028 campaign for the White House. Democrats seized control of both the Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections, in which tens of millions of voters delivered a rebuke to President Donald Trump.

Analysis-Democrats swept the ⁠midterms. Millions watched on livestreams with their favorite influencers

The Democratic midterm sweep cemented a new front in the battle for media audiences: livestreaming, where left-leaning creators such as Hasan Piker are attracting viewers large enough to challenge established news outlets for attention. Television networks have long dominated live election coverage, but as audiences increasingly turn to online creators to make sense of major news developments, media companies are trying to turn their broadcast talent into digital personalities.

Rubio tells NYT serving Trump to end of term 'has always been my plan'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday rejected reports he will leave Donald Trump's administration to run for president, telling the New York Times in an interview that working for Trump until the end of Trump's term has "always been my plan." “I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore,” Rubio was quoted as saying by the Times. “I just won’t do it.”

Republicans call for Trump to change course after midterm drubbing

President Donald Trump faced pressure from Republicans on Wednesday to change course after a midterm election rout handed Democrats control of Congress and voters rejected his handpicked candidates in key races. Republican allies ‌and strategists called for Trump to shake up his White House personnel, restore discipline and scrap policies they blamed for the losses, including the Iran ‌war and tariffs, as his presidency enters its final years.

Fed's Cook lawyer seeks clarity ahead of any White House hearing

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's lawyer has asked the White House to address concerns about fairness and process before she will attend a hearing that President Donald Trump wants held to assess whether he should fire her, according to a representative of Cook's legal team. Trump has ​for more than a year been trying to remove Cook over mortgage fraud allegations that she denies and maintains are a pretense to oust her over her monetary policy decisions.