Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Four high school students shot in Atlanta

Four Atlanta high school students were shot on Wednesday when a shooter opened fire from a vehicle into the parking lot at Benjamin E. Mays High School shortly after school let out, Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement. All the victims were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the statement said, adding that all after-school activities were canceled.

US House Speaker again pulls hotly debated domestic surveillance bill

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday pulled back on plans to reauthorize one of America's most hotly debated domestic surveillance programs, saying he was "still working on consensus" as bipartisan opposition mounted against the plan. Johnson told reporters more time was needed to reach an agreement on a bill hawkish Republicans had planned to introduce on Thursday. The measure would have reauthorized the surveillance program - known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - ahead of its April expiry date.

Biden pushes US House Republicans on Ukraine aid amid Trump opposition

U.S. President Joe Biden and top officials are pushing House Speaker Mike Johnson for a vote on what the White House says is a critically needed funding bill for Ukraine's war against Russia that is opposed by former President Donald Trump.

Trump's opposition to the Senate-approved $95.34 billion military aid package for Ukraine and Israel means that it may never be voted on in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. A small group of moderate Republicans said they were working on an alternate version of the bill that might win his support.

Jeffrey Epstein victims sue FBI, allege coverup

A dozen victims of Jeffrey Epstein filed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing the FBI of covering up its failure to investigate the late financier, enabling his sex trafficking to continue for more than 20 years. The victims, using Jane Doe pseudonyms, said the FBI received credible tips as early as 1996 that Epstein trafficked young women and girls, yet failed to interview victims or share what it knew with federal and local law enforcement.

Exclusive-Biden slashes F-35 jet order 18% in 2025 budget request, sources say

U.S. President Joe Biden wants an 18% cut in the number of F-35 jets the Pentagon buys next year after Congress' cap on the size of the upcoming defense budget compelled the administration to find savings, two sources familiar with the situation said. The Pentagon order for Lockheed Martin's stealthy fighter will drop to below 70, down from an expected order of 83, for an estimated $1.6 billion drop in spending on jets.

US warned allies about Russian space, nuclear capabilities

The United States has told Congress and allies in Europe about new intelligence related to Russian nuclear capabilities that could pose an international threat, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The new capabilities, related to Russian attempts to develop a space-based weapon, do not pose an urgent threat to the United States, the source said.

Gunfire mars Kansas City Super Bowl victory rally, one killed, up to 15 wounded

A blast of gunfire killed one person and wounded as many as 15 outside a landmark railroad station in Kansas City, Missouri, where the NFL champion Chiefs were celebrating their Super Bowl victory, sending crowds of fans scurrying for safety.

Police Chief Stacey Graves told a press conference that two suspects were in custody. Police earlier said the two were armed. She said one shooting victim had been killed and that 10 to 15 people in all had been struck by gunfire.

Special counsel urges US Supreme Court to rebuff Trump in immunity fight

The special counsel prosecuting Donald Trump on federal charges involving the former president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject Trump's bid to further delay trial proceedings as he presses his claim of immunity. "The nation has a compelling interest in seeing the charges brought to trial," Special Counsel Jack Smith said in his filing to the justices, adding that "the public interest in a prompt trial is at its zenith where, as here, a former president is charged with conspiring to subvert the electoral process so that he could remain in office."

New York City mayor is sued over refusal to comply with new rental-assistance laws

Lawyers representing New Yorkers facing eviction and living in shelters sued New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday to try to force him to comply with new local laws expanding access to rental assistance. The lawsuit by the Legal Aid Society comes after the mayor unsuccessfully vetoed the new laws expanding access to vouchers for low-income New Yorkers. The New York City Council, which had voted to override the mayor's veto last July, will soon join Legal Aid in suing the mayor after making the unusual move last week.

Surf City USA now on the frontlines of Trump-era politics

Bisecting a wide sandy beach, the Huntington Beach pier beckons tourists and surfers alike, creating a break in the waves that helps gives the city its nickname: Surf City, USA. It is a scene as laidback as the name would suggest - and a stark contrast to the political hostility spilling out of City Hall just a short drive inland.