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.

Democrats planning flood of AI bills when they take control of Congress

Democrats are planning to unleash a flood of new legislation targeting artificial intelligence systems and data-center development when they take control of the US Congress in January, lawmakers, congressional ​aides and advocates said. The plans would mark a sharp shift from the Republican-led Congress, where lawmakers largely focused on promoting AI development and declined to pass legislation restricting aspects of the technology at a time ‌when voters turned against the ​rapid development of data centers and their extensive power needs.

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.

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.

Wall Street critic Elizabeth Warren could be at the height of her power in new Congress

Democratic progressive and one-time presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has long been a vocal Wall Street critic, but next year the US senator from Massachusetts will likely have more power over the industry than ever before. As the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, Warren is widely expected to become its chair when Democrats take over Congress in January, handing her more staff and the power to issue subpoenas, demand testimony and advance legislation.

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.

Democratic socialist Raman elected Los Angeles mayor in upset over Bass

Democratic socialist-backed candidate Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Karen Bass in a closely fought race for Los Angeles mayor. Bass conceded on Thursday to one of the latest among a new wave of fast-rising democratic socialists and progressives who have dethroned centrist politicians in recent elections across the country.

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.

US judge temporarily blocks Trump’s Washington arch

A judge temporarily blocked construction from beginning on President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch in Washington late on Thursday, shortly after it won a key approval. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day restraining order following the National Capital Planning Commission 8-4 vote to approve the project after it heard from about 100 opponents, including Democratic lawmakers.

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.

Trump says he met Putin envoy, sees Ukraine deal soon

US President Donald Trump said he met privately on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy after the Russian official appeared with representatives from Ukraine at a White House event organized by US first lady Melania Trump. Trump would not disclose what he discussed with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev but predicted a deal could emerge soon aimed at resolving the Russian war in Ukraine.

US inflation too high; essential to get back to 2%: Fed's Williams

US economic growth has remained resilient and the labour market is remarkably stable despite successive shocks, but inflation is too high and must be brought back to 2%, New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said on Friday. Inflation has soared across the world, mostly as the US war on Iran has pushed energy prices higher ⁠but also because soaring investment in AI has pushed up costs for some IT-related products and services.

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.

Democrats' election win 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.

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.”

Trump takes action to make sure the Oval Office stays oval

Even as he puts his golden imprint on the ⁠White House, President Donald Trump moved on Thursday to protect two of its most historic spaces, the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, from major modifications by future presidents. Trump signed a proclamation that he said would be the first step toward declaring the West Wing spaces as a national monument to mark their place in American history.

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.

Texas governor-elect says state will have laws to shield citizens from data centers

Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa said on Thursday that the state will introduce laws to protect its residents with regards to data centers, citing their impact on ​rural communities. With plentiful energy supplies, relatively cheap land and a pro-business policy, Texas has become one of the leading regions in the world for data center developments.