Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. clinics scramble as courts, politicians battle over abortion restrictions

With West Virginia's 1849 abortion ban tied up in court and its conservative legislature stymied over details of enacting a new one, the state's only abortion clinic ought to be operating as usual. But the chaotic legal and political environment in the two months since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the right to an abortion has driven unexpected reductions in the services that the clinic can provide, leading its doctors to end most medication abortions and eliminate surgical abortions for women who are more than 16 weeks pregnant.

Female suspect arrested at Atlanta airport after city center shootings

Police arrested a female suspect at Atlanta's international airport on Monday, ending an hours-long search after shootings in the city center that left two dead and a third wounded. The Atlanta Police Department said the shootings were not random and the victims were likely targeted.

Trump seeks to temporarily block FBI from reviewing items seized from Florida home

Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked a federal court to temporarily block the FBI from reviewing the materials it seized two weeks ago from his Florida home, until a special master can be appointed to oversee the review. Trump's motion, filed in a federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, also demanded that the U.S. Justice Department provide him a more detailed property receipt outlining items the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago home during its Aug. 8 search, and asked investigators to return any items outside the scope of the search warrant.

Defense urges Florida jury to spare life of Parkland school shooter

A defense attorney on Monday implored a Florida jury to spare the life of Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people in a 2018 high school mass shooting in the city of Parkland, citing brain damage linked to fetal drug and alcohol exposure as reason not to impose the death penalty. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty last October to committing premeditated murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Fort Lauderdale, in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Cruz killed 14 students and three staff members.

Republicans have '50-50' chance of recapturing Senate -McConnell

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday gave his own party a 50-50 chance of taking control of the Senate in the November midterm elections, and predicted that the chamber will remain closely divided whatever the outcome. Speaking at a business luncheon in Georgetown, Kentucky, McConnell also said the U.S. Congress would find ways to work with Democratic President Joe Biden, if Republicans manage to capture both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Fauci, face of U.S. COVID response, to step down from government posts

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official who became the face of America's COVID-19 pandemic response under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, announced on Monday he is stepping down in December after 54 years of public service. Fauci, whose efforts to fight the pandemic were applauded by many public health experts even as he was vilified by Trump and many Republicans, will leave his posts https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/statement-anthony-s-fauci-md as chief medical adviser to Biden and director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Fauci, 81, has headed NIAID since 1984.

Afghan refugee charged with third New Mexico Muslim murder

A New Mexico grand jury on Monday charged Muhammad Syed, an Afghan refugee, with the murder of a third Muslim man in ambush shootings that have shaken the immigrant community in the state's largest city. Cell phone evidence allowed prosecutors to link Syed, 51, to the Aug. 5 murder of truck business owner Naeem Hussain in Albuquerque, the Bernalillo County District Attorney's office said in a statement.

Pentagon denies Washington mayor's request for migrant help

The Pentagon, for the second time in recent weeks, denied on Monday a request by Washington's mayor to help receive migrants arriving from Republican-led states Texas and Arizona in a bid to shift responsibility to the federal government and Democrats. Mayor Muriel Bowser in July called for the deployment of the District of Columbia National Guard to help with migrants, but that request was denied by the U.S. military.

U.S. judge questions Idaho abortion ban challenged by Biden administration

A U.S. judge on Monday signaled he was open to the U.S. Department of Justice's effort to block a near-total ban on abortions in Idaho from being enforced in emergencies, saying it could prevent care to pregnant women whose lives are in danger. The case is President Joe Biden's administration's first legal challenge to a state abortion ban since the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure.

Michigan governor kidnap plot jury ends first day of deliberations

A jury on Monday ended the first day of deliberations in the retrial of two men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, one of the prominent cases involving militias and domestic terrorism charges in recent years. Adam Fox, 39, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, face the possibility of life in prison if convicted of kidnapping and weapons conspiracy charges in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.