Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis-Trump election subversion case bogs down as allies' legal woes grow

Donald Trump got another break when the U.S. Supreme Court signaled some support for his immunity claim, even as more of his allies faced prosecution for the former president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump, seeking to regain the presidency this year, has managed to delay three of the four criminal cases against him. At the same time, the legal peril has ramped up for Trump associates and supporters who stand accused of aiding his attempt to hold onto power after his defeat.

USC cancels main commencement, citing safety measures

The University of Southern California (USC) said on Thursday it has called off its main-stage graduation ceremony this year, one week after canceling the valedictorian speech by a Muslim student who said she was silenced by anti-Palestinian hatred. New safety measures in place this year, such as additional screening procedures, will increase the processing time for guests "substantially," according to an update on USC's website.

US probes Tesla recall of 2 million vehicles over Autopilot, citing concerns

U.S. auto safety regulators said Friday they have opened an investigation into whether Tesla's recall of more than 2 million vehicles announced in December to install new Autopilot safeguards is adequate. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was opening an investigation after the agency identified concerns due to crash events after vehicles had the recall software update installed "and results from preliminary NHTSA tests of remedied vehicles."

US FDA says about 1 in 5 commercial milk samples tested positive for bird flu traces

About one in five samples of commercial milk in the U.S. tested positive for traces of bird flu in a national survey, with a greater proportion coming from areas with infected herds, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. There is no evidence that the milk poses a danger or that a live virus is present, regulator have said.

Factbox-Who are the mega-rich donors backing Trump?

A handful of mega-rich donors have emerged as key backers of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, collectively donating more than $50 million to support his candidacy against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden. With Trump's small dollar donations slowing and some major Republican benefactors snubbing him, a clutch of prominent wealthy Americans have become crucial to bankrolling his candidacy.

Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction is overturned by top New York court

Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape was overturned by New York's highest court, reopening the landmark case that fueled the #MeToo movement and highlighting the challenges of holding powerful men accountable.

Many accusers of the former Hollywood movie mogul condemned Thursday's decision, with the actress Ashley Judd telling reporters it was "an act of institutional betrayal."

US to announce new restrictions on firearm exports, official says

The Biden administration plans to impose new restrictions on firearms exports and increase scrutiny on transactions to limit diversions of guns to drug cartels, criminal groups, gangs and others, a Commerce Department official said late on Thursday. The department on Oct. 27 issued a pause on most firearm exports to assess the "risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities."

Colorado paramedic to be sentenced in Elijah McClain's death, bringing case to a close

A Colorado judge on Friday is expected to sentence a paramedic convicted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, the last defendant to face jail time for the young Black man's death. McClain, 23, died after police slammed him to the ground soon after stopping him and put him in a chokehold at least twice. Paramedics injected him with an excessive dose of ketamine, an anesthetic used for sedation, after police said he was in a state of "excited delirium." McClain was not suspected of any wrongdoing when he was walking on the street and police stopped him.

Former tabloid publisher to face more questions in Trump hush-money trial

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker will answer more questions about his efforts to suppress damaging information about Donald Trump during the 2016 election, as the former president's criminal hush-money trial continues on Friday. Pecker, 72, will face questioning from Trump's lawyers, who have sought to illustrate that the tabloid's practice of burying unflattering stories about famous people was well established before Trump ran for president.

Trump allies drafting plans to erode Fed's independence, WSJ reports

The allies of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are drafting proposals that would attempt to erode the Federal Reserve's independence if he wins, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. A small group of the former president's allies has produced a nearly 10-page document outlining a policy vision for the central bank, according to the report.

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