Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The jury selection process will enter its third day in Manhattan federal court. Biden and Trump are in a dead heat ahead of November, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump are tied in the race to win the November presidential election, as Trump fights criminal prosecution and Biden weathers criticism over his support for Israel's war against Hamas militants, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US consumer prices rise less than expected in April; core CPI slows

U.S. consumer prices increased less than expected in April, suggesting that inflation resumed its downward trend at the start of the second quarter in a boost to financial market expectations for a September interest rate cut. The consumer price index rose 0.3% last month after advancing 0.4% in March and February, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday. In the 12 months through April, the CPI increased 3.4% after climbing 3.5% in March. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI gaining 0.4% on the month and advancing 3.4% year-on-year.

Six big moments from Michael Cohen's Trump trial testimony

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen testified at the former U.S. president's criminal trial this week, asserting he had Trump's "signoff" to buy a porn star's silence and undergoing a cross-examination by Trump's lawyers. Trump has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to cover up Cohen's $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says they had in 2006. Trump denies an encounter.

Biden says he'll debate Trump twice: 'Make my day'

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was willing to debate Republican presidential rival Donald Trump twice before the Nov. 5 election but would not take part in the traditional televised showdowns organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates. "Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then he hasn't shown up for a debate," Biden said in a video message posted on X. "Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Make my day pal. I'll even do it twice."

Florida bus crash kills eight, leads to DUI arrest of driver involved

A bus carrying farm laborers in northern Florida collided with a pickup truck on Tuesday and overturned, killing at least eight people and critically injuring eight others, authorities said. The driver of the pickup truck, Bryan Maclean Howard, was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol troopers on eight counts of manslaughter while driving under the influence, according to a statement from Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Jury may be chosen for US Senator Menendez's corruption trial

Jurors could be seated as soon as Wednesday to determine whether Robert Menendez, New Jersey's senior senator, broke the law in what federal prosecutors called a years-long bribery scheme to benefit Egypt's and Qatar's governments, as well as himself. The jury selection process will enter its third day in Manhattan federal court.

Biden and Trump are in a dead heat ahead of November, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows

U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump are tied in the race to win the November presidential election, as Trump fights criminal prosecution and Biden weathers criticism over his support for Israel's war against Hamas militants, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Some 40% of registered voters in the eight-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, said they would vote for Biden, a Democrat, if the election were held today, with the same share picking former President Trump. The dead heat was little changed from a 1 point lead that Biden held in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 29-30.

Democrat Alsobrooks wins Maryland US Senate primary, Jan 6 rioter loses in W. Virginia

Democrat Angela Alsobrooks won a U.S. Senate primary in Maryland on Tuesday, setting up a November matchup with popular former Governor Larry Hogan, while in West Virginia, House Republican Carol Miller fended off a challenger who joined the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. In another high-profile primary race, a former U.S. Capitol police officer who defended lawmakers that day, Harry Dunn, lost his Democratic primary for U.S. House in Maryland to state Senator Sarah Elfreth, Edison Research projected.

US senators unveil AI policy roadmap, seek government funding boost

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called on Wednesday for a big jump in government research funding of artificial intelligence as they debate new legal safeguards. Generative AI - which can create text, photos and videos in response to open-ended prompts - has spurred excitement as well as fears that it could make some jobs obsolete, upend elections and potentially overpower humans, with catastrophic effects.

China says 'bullying' tariff hike shows some in US are 'losing their minds'

A U.S. move to raise tariffs on Chinese goods is a sign of weakness, not of strength, and shows that some in the United States may be "losing their minds", China's foreign minister said on Wednesday, in unusually blunt comments. U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled steep tariff increases on Chinese imports including electric vehicle (EV) batteries, computer chips and medical products, risking an election-year standoff with Beijing as he woos American voters who give his economic policies low marks.

Biden speaks at police memorial as unions embrace Trump

President Joe Biden will address a large gathering of police officers on Wednesday as he tries to prevent rival Donald Trump from capturing high-profile endorsements from their unions in the coming weeks. The speech at the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, an annual event at the U.S. Capitol honoring slain officers across the country, offers Biden an opportunity to speak directly to law enforcement as he competes against Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election.