Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Buyer was a Republican from Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1993 and 2011 before working as a corporate consultant. Trump probe follows criticism of Manhattan prosecutor for not acting sooner A New York City prosecutor is taking steps toward a possible indictment of former President Donald Trump, reviving an investigation into an alleged hush money payment to a porn star made during his 2016 campaign for the White House.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

DeSantis makes Iowa debut as Trump waits in wings

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made his first trip to the early nominating state of Iowa on Friday as he tests the waters for a presidential bid, coming to the state only days before fellow Republican Donald Trump is slated to campaign there. Iowa could be particularly crucial for DeSantis, who is expected to jump into the 2024 White House race later in the spring. The state will hold the first Republican nominating contest early next year, and a win there would show DeSantis is a viable candidate against Trump.

Analysis-Is Dominion Voting case against Fox News worth as much as $1.6 billion?

As Fox Corp defends itself against a high-profile defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, the network is questioning how the once-obscure company could claim it deserves to be awarded more than $1.6 billion in damages. Dominion was thrust into the national spotlight in the wake of the 2020 election, when Fox hosts aired debunked conspiracy theories claiming that Dominion's voting machines were used to rig the outcome against Republican former President Donald Trump and in favor of the winner, Democrat Joe Biden.

Ex-US congressman convicted of insider trading before T-Mobile merger

Former U.S. Congressman Stephen Buyer was convicted by a New York jury on Friday of trading on inside information he learned in 2018 as a consultant to T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS.O) ahead of its $23 billion merger with Sprint. Buyer was a Republican from Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1993 and 2011 before working as a corporate consultant.

Trump probe follows criticism of Manhattan prosecutor for not acting sooner

A New York City prosecutor is taking steps toward a possible indictment of former President Donald Trump, reviving an investigation into an alleged hush money payment to a porn star made during his 2016 campaign for the White House. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has come under political pressure for not bringing charges against Trump earlier, but has now invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, according to Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump.

California concerned over flooding potential after heavy rains

Emergency officials in California's San Luis Obispo County spent early Friday patrolling levies and swollen rivers after an atmospheric river storm drenched the already-saturated state with torrential rain, raising the flooding risk in some areas. As much as 5 inches (13 cm) of rain has already fallen in some spots across the county, with some seeing as much as 7 inches. In higher elevations of the coastal county, which sits roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, as much as 15 inches of rain may fall, the National Weather Service said as it issued a flash flood warning.

Judge still thinks proposed Bankman-Fried bail conditions too lenient

A U.S. judge on Friday said he remained unsatisfied with a proposal to impose tight restrictions on how the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried communicates with the outside world while free on bail. Bankman-Fried is fighting to stay out of jail pending his scheduled Oct. 2 fraud trial, with U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan expressing concern the former billionaire was testing the limits of his $250 million bail package.

Yellen warns U.S. House members of 'economic collapse' from default

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday to raise the federal debt ceiling without conditions, warning that a default on U.S. debt would cause "economic and financial collapse." Yellen, in budget testimony before the Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee, said that failure to increase the $31.4 trillion borrowing cap would threaten the economic progress that the U.S. has made since the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. House Republican hardliners unveil spending demands for raising debt ceiling

The hardline U.S. House Freedom Caucus responded to President Joe Biden's $6.8 trillion budget proposal on Friday, with a list of demands including a near freeze on discretionary spending and an end to multiple programs, in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. The caucus of at least 37 members, which can stymie legislation in the narrowly divided House of Representatives, issued a position paper that would keep defense spending flat and reset nondefense discretionary spending at pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels while holding annual spending growth to 1%.

Trump cannot exclude 'Access Hollywood' tape from rape accuser's trial

A U.S. judge on Friday rejected Donald Trump's effort to exclude an "Access Hollywood" tape of him making vulgar comments about women from a defamation lawsuit by the writer E. Jean Carroll, who says the former president raped her in the mid-1990s. Carroll sought to introduce an excerpt from the tape, which was recorded in 2005 and where Trump boasted about forcing himself on women, as evidence that Trump had a propensity for sexual assaults comparable to hers.

McConnell eager to leave hospital after fall -former aide

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is eager to leave a hospital where he has been receiving treatment for a concussion since suffering a fall two days ago, a former aide said on Friday. "Been with him the past two days. Anyone and everyone who steps inside his room wearing a name badge gets asked whether he can leave. Eager to get out is an understatement," Josh Holmes, McConnell's former chief of staff, said an email to Reuters.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)