Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Dozens of faith leaders arrested in Washington protest against Trump immigration policies

Dozens of faith leaders were arrested in Washington on Capitol Hill while protesting President Donald Trump's immigration policies and calling for funding to be restricted for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, organizers said on Thursday. "Today, powerful faith leaders took action in the halls of the U.S. Senate," Faith in Action said in a statement. It also said that ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security, had been "terrorizing" communities.

Union rejects contract offer from Marathon

The United Steelworkers union rejected a comprehensive contract offer from Marathon Petroleum in talks for a national pattern agreement for U.S. refinery and chemical plant workers, the union said on Wednesday night. The USW and Marathon, lead negotiators for energy companies, face a 12:01 a.m. deadline on Sunday to hammer out a new agreement to the current four-year contract.

Democrats ask top US spy to explain presence at FBI raid on election facility

Top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees called on Thursday for U.S. ‌President Donald Trump's chief spy to brief their panels on why she was present at an FBI raid on an election facility in Georgia. Senator Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes told Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a letter that they were deeply concerned with her presence at Wednesday's FBI operation, saying that the U.S. intelligence community "should be focused on foreign threats."

Factbox-Trump reshapes US historical and cultural institutions

President Donald Trump has targeted U.S. cultural and historical institutions - from museums to monuments to national parks - to remove what he calls "anti-American" ideology. His declarations and executive orders have led to the dismantling of slavery exhibits, the restoration of Confederate statues and other moves that civil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress.

Deal reached advancing spending bills to avert US government agencies shutdown

A deal was reached on Thursday to advance a major package of spending bills that would avert government shutdowns of agencies beginning on Saturday, according to a Senate Democratic leadership aide. The agreement also calls for splitting the Department of Homeland Security spending bill from the package and funding that agency for two-weeks ⁠at current levels.

US Labor Department proposes rule to boost transparency in pharmacy benefit manager fees

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration on Thursday issued a proposed rule aimed at increasing transparency around fees and compensation collected by pharmacy benefit managers. The move, which follows a directive under President Donald Trump's executive order on lowering drug prices, seeks to clarify PBM business practices that affect employer-sponsored health plans covering millions of Americans.

Former Fed Governor Warsh met with Trump on Thursday

Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh came to the White House for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, according one source familiar with the matter. A second source, briefed on the discussion, said the former Fed governor impressed Trump, who is vetting candidates to replace Jerome Powell when the current Fed chair's term is up in May.

Trump cabinet attends black carpet premiere of Amazon-backed documentary 'Melania'

With tensions in Minneapolis still high and a possible U.S. military strike on Iran looming, movers and shakers in the Trump administration took a timeout on Thursday to attend a lavish event celebrating a big-budget documentary about first lady Melania Trump. The movie, “Melania,” was financed at an eyebrow-raising $75 million by Amazon MGM Studios. Amazon’s chairman, Jeff Bezos, also contributed to President Donald Trump’s inaugural fund earlier this year.

Trump, Democrats say deal reached to avert shutdown; immigration talks to continue

President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed a spending deal negotiated by U.S. Senate Republicans and Democrats to avoid a government shutdown, although he acknowledged one could still occur, while lawmakers continued negotiating guardrails to rein in ​immigration agents. “It could happen," Trump told reporters. "I don't know."

Judge rules Bank of America must face lawsuit over Jeffrey Epstein ties

A U.S. judge on Thursday said Bank of America must face part of a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of knowingly aiding Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking by providing banking services to the disgraced late financier. The judge, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan, also dismissed a similar lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon.

Minnesota man arrested for posing as FBI agent to free Luigi Mangione from prison

A Minnesota man has been accused of impersonating an FBI agent to attempt freeing accused health insurance CEO killer Luigi Mangione from a Brooklyn prison, while carrying a barbecue fork ‍and a pizza-cutter blade, court records show. Mangione, 27, is awaiting trial in a death penalty murder case on charges that he gunned down Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, in Manhattan in 2024. Public officials condemned the shocking killing but Mangione became a folk hero to some Americans who decry steep healthcare costs and insurance company practices. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in separate state and federal cases.

US energy assistance for Ukraine stalls as winter bites

U.S. and European officials are growing increasingly worried as hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. energy assistance promised to Ukraine remain unreleased, even as a bone-cold winter pushes the nation's war-damaged power grid to the brink, said several sources familiar with the matter. The funds in question were originally slated to help Ukraine import liquefied natural gas and rebuild energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes, said the sources, who include a U.S. official and a Ukrainian official. The U.S. Agency for International Development had notified Congress during former President Joe Biden's administration of its intention to disburse at least some of the funds, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Amid policy clash over rates, Fed and administration share key points about the outlook

The wide gulf between the Trump administration and the U.S. Federal Reserve over where interest rates ought to be masks the fact that the two sides have begun to share a consensus about the near-term economic outlook. Both those inside the central bank and President Donald Trump's economics team are looking to productivity to boost the economy without increasing price pressures, and in general agree that tariffs won't cause persistent inflation and have an expectation for continued solid economic growth.

Trump says Fed pick due Friday after meeting Warsh at White House

President Donald Trump is expected to name a successor to ⁠Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday ‌after a White House meeting the previous day with former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, a Fed critic who has said the U.S. central bank needs "regime change" to regain lost credibility. Trump told reporters at ⁠the Kennedy Center on Thursday that he would announce his choice the next morning, and that it would be "somebody that could have been there a few years ago ... I think it's going to be a very good choice. I hope so."

Nationwide protests, walkouts planned over fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis

Student organizers have called for walkouts and protests across the United States on Friday to demand that federal immigration agents withdraw from Minnesota, after two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens generated public outrage. The call for a general strike follows last Friday's protests when thousands marched through Minneapolis in the bitter cold, urging an end to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in their city.

Trump sues IRS, Treasury Department for $10 billion over tax return leak

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday sued the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department for $10 billion over the disclosure of his tax returns to the media in ‍2019 and 2020. In a complaint filed in Miami federal court, Trump, his adult sons, and his namesake company said the agencies failed to take "mandatory precautions" to prevent former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from leaking their tax returns to "leftist media outlets", including the New York Times and ProPublica.

Trump official says ICE deportation effort in Minneapolis will be more focused

U.S. border czar Tom Homan, newly installed as commander of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, said on Thursday that federal agents would focus on targeted operations, shifting away from the broad street sweeps that have drawn widespread outrage. Homan also said he would reduce the 3,000-strong force of agents deployed to the city if he received "cooperation" from state and local leaders, noting he has had productive meetings with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both vocal critics of ​the surge.

Crypto bill advances in US Senate but faces obstacles

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees commodities trading, advanced a bill on Thursday that would establish a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies on a party-line vote, an indication that the legislation likely lacks enough support to be passed by the full Senate. If passed, the bill would give the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission the authority to oversee spot crypto markets and create rules for digital commodity exchanges, brokers and dealers. The Senate Banking Committee's companion bill has proven to be more contentious, with banks and crypto firms engaged in a bitter lobbying fight over whether crypto companies should be allowed ⁠to pay interest on dollar-pegged crypto tokens known as stablecoins.

Trump to announce Fed chair pick Friday after meeting Warsh

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he intends to announce his pick to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday, with speculation intensifying that the nod will go to former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh. "I'll be announcing the Fed chair tomorrow morning," Trump said at the Kennedy Center on Thursday, in response to a question from Reuters.

Former Illinois sheriff's deputy sentenced to 20 years in shooting of unarmed Black woman

An Illinois judge on Thursday sentenced a former sheriff's deputy to the maximum 20 years in prison in the July 2024 fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman in her home after she called the 911 emergency line to report a possible intruder, according to court records. Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy, was convicted in October of second-degree murder in the death of Sonya Massey, 36, in her Springfield, Illinois ⁠home.

Trump says he will announce his Fed chief nominee on Friday

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will announce his pick to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday morning. “I’ll be announcing the Fed chair tomorrow morning,” Trump said at the Kennedy Center on Thursday.

Trump blames boredom, not sleep, for closed eyes during cabinet meeting

Sleeping or bored? For U.S. President Donald Trump, it's in the eye of the beholder. Trump on Thursday said he was not asleep, just bored, during his cabinet meeting in December, when he shut his eyes for several extended periods.

Trump's NSA pick endorses post-9/11 surveillance powers, stays vague on warrants

U.S. Army Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd, President Donald Trump's pick to head the National Security Agency, said on Thursday he is in favor of keeping broad foreign surveillance powers introduced following the September 11, 2001, attacks. But when it came to whether he would seek a warrant before turning those powers against Americans, Rudd had less to say at his confirmation hearing before a U.S. Senate committee.

Ex-Google engineer convicted of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies

Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding was convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday of stealing AI trade secrets from the U.S. tech giant to benefit two Chinese companies he was secretly working for, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday. Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, was found guilty after an 11-day trial of seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft ⁠of trade secrets for stealing thousands of pages of confidential information.

Major airlines urge Congress to pay air traffic controllers if government shuts down

Major U.S. airlines on Thursday urged Congress to pay air traffic controllers in the event of a partial government shutdown after the industry suffered a major disruption during a 43-day standoff last year. The U.S. government could again face a partial shutdown as soon as Saturday due to an ongoing dispute over the Homeland Security Department.

Massachusetts bill aims to block National Guard deployment from other states

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey introduced legislation on Thursday that would make it unlawful for another state to deploy its National Guard to Massachusetts without the governor's permission. U.S. President ⁠Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to several major cities last year, including Chicago and Los Angeles, a move that broke with long-standing U.S. tradition against using the military domestically against the wishes of local authorities.

Trump ‌picks former Fed official Warsh to run US central bank

President Donald Trump on Friday chose former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to head the U.S. central bank when Jerome Powell's leadership term ends in May, giving a frequent Fed critic a chance to put his idea of monetary policy "regime change" into practice at a moment when the White House has pushed for more control over the setting of interest rates. "I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is 'central casting, and he will never let you down," Trump said in announcing his latest move to put his stamp on a Fed he persistently criticizes for not caving to his demands for deep reductions in borrowing costs.

Exclusive-US missions to review aid programs for compliance with new rules on abortion, diversity and gender

The State Department has ordered U.S. missions worldwide to review all aid programs to ensure they meet stringent new rules that ⁠prohibit funding of groups working on family planning, diversity or what the Trump administration calls “gender ideology,” according to a cable seen by Reuters. The Trump administration last week announced the expansion of the so-called Mexico City Policy, which opponents call the "global gag rule" because they say it silences abortion rights advocates.

Athletics-American sprinter Richardson arrested for speeding in Florida

U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson was arrested on Thursday in Orange County, Florida and charged with dangerous excessive speeding, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The Olympic gold medalist was ‍pulled over by a traffic enforcement officer while traveling at 104 mph (167 kph) and "dangerously tailgating and traveling across lanes of travel to pass other motorists," according to the department.