Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The official death toll of the Aug. 8 fire that left the historic town of Lahaina in charred ruins still stands at 115 people, a number unchanged in more than two weeks. US and Vietnam ink historic partnership in Biden visit, with eyes on China U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday secured deals with Vietnam on semiconductors and minerals as the strategic Southeast Asian nation lifted Washington to Hanoi's highest diplomatic status alongside China and Russia.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Georgia grand jury recommended charging Lindsey Graham, other Trump allies

A Georgia grand jury recommended criminal charges against Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and other allies of Donald Trump as part of its investigation into efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 presidential defeat, said a report released on Friday. None were ultimately charged when Georgia prosecutors filed a sweeping criminal case against Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators.

Mark Meadows fails in bid to move Georgia election case to federal court

Charges against Donald Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows involving efforts to reverse the 2020 U.S. election results will not be tried in federal court, a sign that similar bids by the Republican former president and his co-defendants to move the criminal case to a more favorable venue will fail. Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones denying a bid by Meadows to move his case from Georgia state court to federal court gave an early win to Fulton County prosecutors, who in August charged Trump and 18 others with conspiring to undo Trump's election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.

A month after deadly Maui fire, 66 people still missing

A month after a ferocious fire razed a town in Maui, 66 people remained unaccounted for as workers continued to remove toxic debris from the burn site, a process that could take almost a year, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Friday. The official death toll of the Aug. 8 fire that left the historic town of Lahaina in charred ruins still stands at 115 people, a number unchanged in more than two weeks.

US and Vietnam ink historic partnership in Biden visit, with eyes on China

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday secured deals with Vietnam on semiconductors and minerals as the strategic Southeast Asian nation lifted Washington to Hanoi's highest diplomatic status alongside China and Russia. The U.S. has been pushing for the upgrade for months as it sees the manufacturing dynamo as a key country in its strategy to secure global supply chains from China-related risks.

Hurricane Lee restrengthens, bringing dangerous surf conditions to U.S. East Coast

Hurricane Lee has restrengthened as it churns west-northwest in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and is expected to bring dangerous surf and rip currents to the U.S. East Coast from Sunday night for at least a few days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm, about 285 miles (455 km) northeast of the northern Leeward Islands, should pass north of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other Caribbean islands.

US caver who became trapped 1,000 metres deep in Turkey is moved halfway to surface

Rescuers raced on Sunday to rescue an American caver who had become trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) underground in southern Turkey, moving him halfway to the surface. Mark Dickey, 40, was on an international exploration expedition in the Morca cave in Mersin province's Taurus mountains when he began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding at a depth of 1,040 metres.

Escaped Pennsylvania murderer stole van, changed appearance

A convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison over a week ago eluded a police perimeter and stole a van to run from law enforcement, authorities said on Sunday. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped on Aug. 31 from Chester County Prison in the vicinity of Philadelphia where he was awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve a life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend.