Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Twenty-six other U.S. states and the territory of Guam still have right-to-work laws on the books, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Trump compares investigations into him to 'Stalinist Russia' Donald Trump used his first election rally in Waco, Texas, to rail against the prosecutors investigating him, employing dark and conspiratorial language to fire up his base ahead of next year's Republican primary elections.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

In victory for labor unions, Michigan governor repeals 'right-to-work' law

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday signed a package of bills repealing the state's so-called "right to work" law that allowed workers to opt out of unions, a long-sought victory for labor organizers facing an era of diminished power. Whitmer became the first governor since the 1960s to roll back right-to-work legislation. Twenty-six other U.S. states and the territory of Guam still have right-to-work laws on the books, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Trump compares investigations into him to 'Stalinist Russia'

Donald Trump used his first election rally in Waco, Texas, to rail against the prosecutors investigating him, employing dark and conspiratorial language to fire up his base ahead of next year's Republican primary elections. Trump told supporters gathered at Waco's airport on Saturday that the investigations swirling around him were "something straight out of the Stalinist Russia horror show."

How drag was pushed back into the shadows in Tennessee

Last April, when drag could still be performed in Tennessee without noticeable complaint, the curtains parted at Tennessee Tech University's Backdoor Playhouse to reveal Joshua Lancaster wearing a black cowl, white face paint, black lipstick and white contact lenses. He was excited for the debut of his new drag persona, Witchcrafted. But the four-minute video of Lancaster lip-syncing and sashaying across the stage, recorded by his boyfriend, would sit on his Facebook page largely unseen for months until it was found by Landon Starbuck, a conservative activist.

Chocolate factory blast in Pennsylvania kills two; five missing

An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania has killed two people with five others missing as rescue workers search through debris for survivors, emergency services said on Saturday. The blast occurred on Friday at the R.M. Palmer Company plant in West Reading, a town about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) said.

Top U.S. Republican McConnell back home after suffering concussion

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he was back at home on Saturday and had completed inpatient physical therapy after suffering a concussion when he tripped and fell at a Washington, D.C., hotel this month. "I'm going to follow the advice of my physical therapists and spend the next few days working for Kentuckians and (Republicans) from home," McConnell, 81, said in a statement.

More than two dozen dead after tornado tears across Mississippi

Rescuers combed through rubble on Saturday after a powerful storm tore across Mississippi overnight, killing at least 25 people there and another in Alabama, leveling dozens of buildings and spawning at least one devastating tornado. The tornado stayed on the ground for about an hour and cut a path of destruction some 170 miles (274 km) long, according to preliminary information, said Nicholas Price, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi.

Internet Archive's digital book lending violates copyrights, US judge rules

A U.S. judge has ruled that an online library operated by the nonprofit organization Internet Archive infringed the copyrights of four major U.S. publishers by lending out digitally scanned copies of their books. The ruling by U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan on Friday came in a closely watched lawsuit that tested the ability of Internet Archive to lend out the works of writers and publishers protected by U.S. copyright laws.

Two migrants suffocate to death aboard Texas train, 10 hospitalized

Two suspected undocumented immigrants suffocated to death aboard a freight train and 10 others in need of medical care were taken by helicopter or ambulance to hospital on Friday in south Texas, police said. Officials in Uvlade, Texas, received an anonymous emergency 911 call advising them that numerous immigrants were suffocating inside a train, Uvalde police said in a statement. At least 15 immigrants needed immediate medical attention, police said.

US State Department monitoring reports of kidnapped couple in Haiti

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Saturday the government is aware of reports of two U.S. citizens missing in Haiti, after media outlets said a Florida couple had been kidnapped. Abigail Toussaint and Jean-Dickens Toussaint, both 33, were taken near capital Port-au-Prince and have been held for days, according to an online petition started by a woman who said she is a relative of the couple.

Trump warns of 'death & destruction' if charged with a crime

Former U.S. President Donald Trump warned of potential "death & destruction" if he faces criminal charges, hours after New York prosecutors probing his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels said they would not be intimidated. The early Friday post on Trump's Truth Social media site was the latest in a string of verbal attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg since last Saturday when Trump wrongly predicted he would be arrested three days later.

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