Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Allen Weisselberg, 75, the former chief financial officer at the Trump Organization, entered his plea to all 15 charges he faced in a New York state court in Manhattan. U.S. judge says he leans toward releasing some evidence for Trump search A U.S. judge on Thursday said he is leaning toward releasing some of the evidence presented by the U.S. Justice Department to justify its search of Donald Trump's Florida home last week, in a case pitting news organizations against federal prosecutors.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

For leaders abroad, new U.S. law restores climate credibility

The U.S. climate bill signed into law this week restores the country's credibility as a leading player in U.N. climate negotiations, international officials said. The $430 billion bill passed by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, after more than a year of tense negotiations, lays out policies and investments to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the world's largest historical emitter.

Half of Republicans line up behind Trump in fight with FBI-Reuters/Ipsos

Half of U.S. Republicans say federal law enforcement officials behaved irresponsibly since searching former President Donald Trump's Florida home for classified documents taken from the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found this week. FBI agents on Aug. 8 removed 11 sets of classified records from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, some of which were labeled "top secret," a status reserved for the most sensitive U.S. national security information.

Biden administration readies about $800 million in additional security aid for Ukraine -sources

President Joe Biden's administration is readying about $800 million of additional military aid to Ukraine and could announce it as soon as Friday, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Biden would authorize the assistance using his Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to authorize the transfer of excess weapons from U.S. stocks, the sources told Reuters.

Longtime Trump executive Weisselberg pleads guilty, becomes prosecution witness

A longtime senior executive at Donald Trump's family business pleaded guilty on Thursday to helping the company engineer a 15-year tax fraud, in an agreement that will require him to testify about its business practices at an upcoming trial. Allen Weisselberg, 75, the former chief financial officer at the Trump Organization, entered his plea to all 15 charges he faced in a New York state court in Manhattan.

U.S. judge says he leans toward releasing some evidence for Trump search

A U.S. judge on Thursday said he is leaning toward releasing some of the evidence presented by the U.S. Justice Department to justify its search of Donald Trump's Florida home last week, in a case pitting news organizations against federal prosecutors. Despite objections by the Justice Department, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said he believes "there are portions of the affidavit that could be unsealed," referring to the sworn statement laying out the evidence for why there was probable cause to search Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Laser incidents reported by U.S. pilots hit record in 2021 -report

The number of reported incidents involving aiming of lasers at U.S. airplanes hit a record in 2021, according to a federal government report, which also said regulators should do more to address the problem. The Government Accountability Office said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should strengthen its efforts to address the practice that regulators say can pose a serious safety issue. Reported laser incidents rose 42% in 2021 to 9,273.

Starbucks ordered to reinstate workers fired amid union campaign

A U.S. judge ordered Starbucks Corp to reinstate seven employees at a Memphis, Tennessee, cafe on Thursday who were allegedly fired for supporting a union organizing campaign, as the company seeks to halt pending nationwide union elections. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman in Memphis said the U.S. National Labor Relations Board had provided enough evidence that the firings earlier this year were motivated by anti-union animus. Lipman granted the order pending the outcome of an administrative case before the board.

New York 9/11 museum closes after telling tragedy's story, helping survivors heal

A museum in New York City that told the story of the 9/11 attacks from the perspectives of the people affected has closed its building and ended its walking tours, a co-founder said Thursday. After shuttering the doors of the 16-year-old 9/11 Tribute Museum Wednesday evening, volunteers spent Thursday morning coordinating the pickup of a World Trade Center steel beam that was heading for storage, along with other artifacts such as first responders' gear and parts of the two planes that crashed into the buildings.

Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault

The man accused of stabbing novelist Salman Rushdie last week in western New York pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges on Thursday and was held without bail. Hadi Matar, 24, is accused of wounding Rushdie, 75, on Friday just before the "The Satanic Verses" author was to deliver a lecture on stage at an educational retreat near Lake Erie. Rushdie was hospitalized with serious injuries in what writers and politicians around the world decried as an attack on the freedom of expression.

Three men indicted in prison beating death of Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger

Three men have been indicted on multiple felony charges in the 2018 prison beating death of James "Whitey" Bulger, who lived a double life as one of Boston's most notorious mobsters and as a secret FBI informant before going on the run for 16 years. The announcement by the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday shed new light on the long-unsolved killing of Bulger, who was slain at the age of 89, five years into a life sentence he was serving for 11 murders and other offenses he was convicted of in 2013.