Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office in a filing asked the justices to deny emergency requests by two manufacturers of the abortion pill to lift a lower court's decision that narrowed access to it by blocking the regulation nationwide while the state's legal challenge continues. Kennedy allies spent $117,000 targeting US Senator Cassidy this week A political action committee aligned with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Virginia monitoring traveler linked to Hantavirus-hit cruise ship, says resident is low-risk

The Virginia Department of Health said on Thursday it is monitoring a resident who recently returned from a cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak. The person had been aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship that is at the center of an international public-health response after multiple cases of the rare virus were identified on board.

Democratic senators call early US review of ​Disney station licenses 'abuse of power'

A group of 10 U.S. Democratic senators on Thursday demanded that Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr explain why he ordered an early review of licences for Walt Disney's eight ABC stations. The senators -- including Ed Markey, Chuck Schumer and Maria Cantwell -- called the action "the latest and most extreme step in your use of ​the FCC’s licensing authority as a cudgel against broadcasters whose editorial choices displease the president." Carr's action came just a day after President Donald Trump publicly demanded ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel be fired for a ‌joke he cracked.

Exclusive-US aims for Fourth ​of July to deploy Qatar-gifted jet as Air Force One

The U.S. Air Force is targeting a Fourth of July delivery for a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar that would join the Air Force One fleet in time for the nation's 250th anniversary, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the program said. The White House accepted the luxury jet from Qatar in 2025 and asked the Air Force to rapidly upgrade the aircraft to presidential standards, with L3Harris tapped to carry out the overhaul. If the company meets its deadline, President Donald Trump will have a new presidential aircraft in time for the national celebrations.

US appeals court weighs Pentagon bid to punish Senator Mark Kelly

A U.S. federal appeals court at a hearing on Thursday appeared skeptical that the Trump administration’s could legally punish Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Kelly over public remarks he made urging service members to refuse unlawful orders. Members of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit expressed criticism of the government’s efforts to censure Kelly, a retired Navy captain and Arizona Democrat, over more than an hour of questioning.

US ‌labor market stable as layoffs remain low

The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits rose moderately last week amid low layoffs, underscoring labor market stability and strengthening financial market expectations that the Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates this year. The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday, the most timely data on the economy's health, continued to show no clear signs of labor market stress from an oil price shock triggered by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

US CDC notifies Texas of two state residents on cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified the Texas health department that two of the state's residents were passengers on the MV Hondius, a ship that experienced an outbreak of hantavirus while traveling in the Atlantic Ocean. Public health workers in Texas have reached the two individuals, who reported that they were not experiencing any symptoms and did not have any contact with a sick person while aboard the ship.

Tensions over pro-Israel lobbying group highlight rifts in Democratic primaries

A growing number of Democratic primary challengers are making opposition to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a campaign issue as they seek to unseat party incumbents backed by the influential pro-Israel advocacy group. The trend reflects divisions over U.S. policy toward Israel as the wars in Gaza and Iran deepen intraparty tensions ahead of November’s midterm election. It could also complicate Democrats’ efforts to capitalize on vulnerabilities among Republicans, the party of President Donald Trump, over high prices and a backlash against the U.S.-Israeli-launched Iran war.

US senators urge stability, cooperation between US, China

A delegation ‌of U.S. senators visiting Beijing has called for stability and peaceful cooperation between the world's two largest economies a week before the countries' leaders meet. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to the Chinese capital to meet President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15.

Egyptian man who fire-bombed pro-Israel rally in Colorado sentenced to life in prison

The man who lobbed gasoline bombs at a pro-Israel rally last year in Colorado, setting several people aflame including a woman who later died from her burns, was sentenced on Thursday to spend the rest of his life in prison but said he wished to be executed. Mohamed Soliman, 46, an Egyptian national, pleaded guilty to 101 charges brought by state prosecutors, including first-degree murder, ‌then apologized in court and decried his own crimes as contrary to "the teachings of Islam" in a statement before his sentence was pronounced.

Verizon cutting a few hundred jobs nationwide

U.S. wireless carrier Verizon said on Thursday it is cutting a few hundred jobs nationwide as it continues work to revamp its operations. A company spokesperson said as part of the company's overhaul "we’re continuing to add headcount to grow parts of the business that are growing while making targeted job reductions to portions of the business where this is needed."

Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni dispute over 'It Ends With Us' has not ended, as she seeks fees

Blake Lively, who recently settled her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni's production company, is still seeking damages from the actor and director tied to their 2024 movie "It Ends With Us," Lively's lawyers said on Thursday. According to a filing in Manhattan federal court, Lively wants Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios to cover her legal fees and pay damages for filing a "retaliatory" defamation lawsuit, which the judge overseeing their legal disputes dismissed last June.

Motor racing-IndyCar T-shirt withdrawn after slogan causes outrage

IndyCar has withdrawn a T-shirt from its online store after some fans objected to language they said could be interpreted as white-supremacist, a misstep for the Washington Grand Prix event intended to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The shirt, produced to promote the August Freedom 250 race, sports an image of Abraham Lincoln wearing a motor racing helmet, with ONE NATION above and ONE RACE below.

White House calls Mark Hamill 'sick' after actor posts Trump gravesite image

The White House called "Star Wars" star Mark Hamill "one sick individual" on Thursday after an AI-generated image of U.S. President Donald Trump in a shallow grave was posted on one of the actor's social media accounts. "If Only" was inscribed on the image of Trump lying with his eyes closed adjacent to a gravestone, surrounded by daisies, with the inscription "Donald J. Trump 1946-2024." The image was ⁠posted on Hamill's verified Bluesky account.

New York judge ​releases purported Epstein suicide note

A federal judge on Wednesday released a document described as a suicide note purportedly written by the late Jeffrey Epstein and including the line: "It is a treat to be able ⁠to choose one’s time to say goodbye." Epstein, the disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 in what was ruled a suicide.

US to start revoking passports of parents who owe child support, AP reports

The State Department will begin revoking the U.S. passports of thousands of parents who owe a significant amount of unpaid child support, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. The revocations would begin on Friday and be focused on those who owe $100,000 or more, or about 2,700 American passport holders, the AP reported.

New York state set to ban law enforcement, including ICE, from wearing masks

New York state is set to ban law enforcement from wearing masks while on duty, Governor Kathy Hochul said on Thursday, a move that is likely to be challenged by the Trump administration. The announcement was made as Hochul, a Democrat, said an agreement had been reached with state lawmakers on New ⁠York's 2027 budget, which included sweeping immigration changes.

Tesla Model Y is first vehicle to pass new US driver-assistance system tests

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday the 2026 Tesla Model Y is the first vehicle model to pass the agency’s new advanced driver-assistance system tests. The tests have recently been added to the agency's New Car Assessment Program. The models that passed are Model Y vehicles manufactured on or after November 12, 2025. The tests cover pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention.

DOJ antitrust head warns dealmakers not to mislead on AI

The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust head on Thursday warned companies against trying to misleadingly use artificial intelligence disruption as a defense in merger reviews without providing evidence. Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi oversees the DOJ's work reviewing mergers and said that merging parties are welcome to ​engage with his division at any point in the process.

General Motors to recall over 40,400 containers of brake fluid in US

General Motors is recalling 40,440 containers of brake fluid because sediment could increasing the risk of crash, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday.

US imposes sanctions on Cuban military conglomerate, mining joint venture

The United States on Thursday imposed financial sanctions on a sprawling business conglomerate run by Cuba's military and a Cuban-Canadian mining joint venture, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the island's communist leaders by targeting sources of foreign investment. After the military raid to seize the leader of longtime Cuban ally Venezuela in January, U.S. President Donald Trump ⁠has said that "Cuba is next," and blocked most oil shipments to the country, laying siege to the island's government and dramatically worsening blackouts.

Lutnick testifies he can't recall why his family lunched on Epstein's island

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told members of a congressional committee in private testimony on Wednesday that he couldn't recall why he and his family had lunch on Jeffrey Epstein's private island, members said. Lutnick, the former chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald, had lunch with the convicted sex offender for two hours on the island in 2012, contradicting a past public statement about cutting ties with Epstein years earlier.

Tennessee Republicans pass new map erasing majority-Black US House district

Tennessee Republicans on Thursday approved a new congressional map dismantling a majority-Black U.S. House district centered on Memphis, as several other Southern states seek to leverage last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision that severely weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act. The move, greeted by loud protests at the state capitol, is likely to flip the Democratic-held seat in November's ⁠midterm elections, ​when Republicans' razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives will be at stake.

Amazon to carry Ozempic at US kiosks, offer same-day delivery

Amazon.com said on Thursday its pharmacy will stock Novo Nordisk's Ozempic pill to treat type 2 diabetes at its kiosks and offer same-day delivery of the drug Novo's Ozempic uses the active ingredient semaglutide to control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, where the body either fails to produce or resists insulin, the hormone regulating blood sugar. Amazon has been stocking Novo's weight-loss drug Wegovy, which uses the same active ingredient as Ozempic, since January. It announced in April it would also stock rival Eli Lilly's Foundayo pill for weight-loss.

Louisiana presses US Supreme Court to halt abortion pill mail delivery

Louisiana urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to prevent abortion pills from being prescribed through telemedicine and distributed by mail, as the Republican-led state presses its case to overturn a 2023 federal rule that made access to the medication easier. Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office in a filing asked the justices to deny emergency requests by two manufacturers of the abortion pill to lift a lower court's decision that narrowed access to it by blocking the regulation nationwide while the state's legal challenge continues.

Kennedy allies spent $117,000 targeting US Senator Cassidy this week

A political action committee aligned with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement spent nearly $117,000 this week targeting Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, campaign finance filings show. The spending ramped up a months-long campaign to unseat one of Kennedy's most persistent critics ⁠in Congress, where the senator has led resistance to the health secretary's efforts to reshape vaccine policy.

US Justice Department settles Agri Stats meat pricing case

The U.S. Department of Justice and six states settled their antitrust lawsuit against data company Agri Stats on Thursday in a move DOJ officials said would lower meat prices for consumers.

The Trump administration is looking to make consumer foods more affordable as Americans grapple with the rising cost of living, including surging gas prices.

Trump administration can keep 2020 election ballots seized from Georgia, judge rules

A U.S. judge on Wednesday ruled that the Justice Department can keep 2020 election ballots seized during an FBI search in January, a win for President Donald Trump's administration ⁠as it pursues the president's false claims of widespread voter fraud. Atlanta-based U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee rejected Fulton County’s request for the return of original copies of the seized material. Lawyers for the county had argued that ⁠the FBI’s search of the county's election hub relied on faulty and discredited evidence and violated protections under the U.S. Constitution.

Chief Justice Roberts laments public perception of US Supreme Court as 'political actors'

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concern on Wednesday about the public perception of the Supreme Court as an institution driven primarily by political outcomes rather than the law at a time when some prominent voices have raised questions about the top U.S. judicial body's legitimacy. Roberts, who has led the court since 2005, appeared to acknowledge dimming public approval of the court, shown in opinion polls over the past few years, as its conservative majority continues to push American law dramatically rightward.

Exclusive-Iran conflict may have motivated Trump dinner shooting suspect, US intelligence report finds

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as a potential motive for the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration at a White House reporters' gala last month, according to an intelligence report sent to state and local law enforcement nationwide and other federal agencies. The report, a preliminary assessment by the Department of ‌Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis dated April 27, assessed that the suspect Cole Allen had "multiple social and political grievances." It concluded that ‌the Iran conflict "may have contributed to his decision to conduct the attack," citing social media posts from Allen that criticized U.S. actions in the war.

Exclusive-Trump vowed to fight crime in Minneapolis. Prosecutions plunged

The Trump administration blitz that flooded Minnesota with immigration agents also dramatically slowed other federal investigations and prosecutions into an array of serious crimes, a Reuters review of federal court records found. New gun ​and drug prosecutions stalled. Several top prosecutors quit. Some federal agents disappeared from drug task forces and gang cases. Others took the unusual step of bringing their investigations to state authorities.