Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Greer, speaking on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" program, said he spoke with trade officials from different European countries and the EU during a visit to Europe this week and believed "their minds are focused" on making the needed changes. Trump plans to fire US FDA chief Makary, sources say The White House signed off on a plan to fire U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, according to sources familiar with the matter, in what could be the next leadership change within the federal health department.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Alabama Republicans ask US Supreme Court to clear way for new voting map

Alabama Republicans asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for the state to pursue a congressional voting map more favorable to their party ahead of November's midterm elections in the latest fallout from the justices' recent seismic voting rights ruling. The state officials asked the justices to lift a lower court's order requiring Alabama to use a map that ​includes two majority-Black districts out of seven. Both are held by Black Democrats.

Rubio says US ties with Church can withstand Trump's criticism of Pope Leo

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the United States can have a productive relationship with the Catholic Church despite tensions over President Donald Trump's repeated attacks on Pope Leo. Rubio, ​who visited the Vatican on Thursday, told reporters on Friday before leaving Rome the meeting was "very positive".

Trump agency's order against ABC's 'The View' talk show is invalid, network says

Disney-owned ABC said on Friday the Trump administration's efforts to ‌declare its daytime talk show "The ​View" subject to federal equal time rules for political candidates are invalid and threaten the network's free speech rights. In February, the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating whether "The View" violated equal time rules for interviews with political candidates, after an appearance by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico. The FCC said daytime and late-night TV talk shows are no longer considered "bona fide" news programs exempt from the rule.

Amazon cloud outage at North Virginia data center largely resolved

Amazon's cloud services were largely back online on Friday after overheating at one of its data centers triggered an outage that impacted companies including cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The cloud giant said it was making progress in resolving the issue after a rapid spike in temperatures at a single data center in northern Virginia on Thursday knocked out power. A full recovery would take several hours, it said. Coinbase said its services were restored after the outage hampered their availability.

US opens probe into startup Avride self-driving crashes in Texas

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it is opening an investigation into a series of crashes involving startup Avride's autonomous vehicles that ‌raised questions about their performance. NHTSA said the vehicles' behavior may indicate excessive assertiveness and insufficient capability, which "may also constitute traffic safety violations". Some of the crashes resulted in property damage and one reported minor injury.

Maryland lawmakers await answers after air base jet fuel spill

Members of Maryland's congressional delegation are awaiting answers from the U.S. Air Force about its delay in informing them about a fuel leak from Andrews Air Force Base into a tributary of the Potomac River. Maryland lawmakers said they still have not gotten a response from the Defense Department after they sent a letter earlier this week seeking answers about a fuel leak into Piscataway Creek in Prince George's County that they were only notified about on March 23, two months after 32,000 gallons of jet fuel were discharged.

Trump releases government UFO files, more expected

At the order of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Defense Department on Friday released dozens of previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings to provide what it called "unprecedented transparency" to the American people, though analysts said many of the documents had already been made public. The disclosure of documents, photos and videos of "unidentified anomalous phenomena" will be followed by future releases as more materials are declassified, the Defense Department said in a statement.

New York Mayor Mamdani's 'freeze the rent' promise survives a noisy vote

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's best-known campaign promise was tentatively advanced in a cacophonous college auditorium as a city housing board agreed in a provisional vote to consider freezing the rent for about a million regulated apartments. In a weeks-long annual ritual ‌culminating in a final vote in June, the city's Rent Guidelines Board fixes how much landlords can raise the rent for tenants of rent-stabilized apartments, home to about a quarter of all New Yorkers. The board weighs tenants' wages and landlords' incomes from their buildings, inflation, taxes, shifts in housing supply and myriad other factors in closely scrutinized public calculations.

Rubio questions allies' support on Iran following Italy talks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday and afterwards questioned why allies including Italy were not backing Washington's efforts to confront Iran and re-open the Strait of Hormuz. "I don't understand why anybody would not be supportive," Rubio told reporters, adding that countries needed "something more than just strongly ‌worded statements" if they opposed Iran's actions.

From jewelry to private letters, Marilyn Monroe’s hidden world heads to auction

Memorabilia belonging to late model and movie star Marilyn Monroe is heading to the auction block, offering a rare glimpse into the private world of one of Hollywood’s most enduring legends. Items up for sale include pieces from her wardrobe, jewelry, letters, handwritten notes, paintings, and poetry. “Marilyn is just an icon,” said Brian Chanes, senior director of Hollywood and entertainment at Heritage Auctions, during a preview of the collection on Friday. “People love and adore Marilyn to this day.”

Nike sued by consumers for not refunding tariff costs

Nike was sued on Friday by consumers who accused the athletic apparel and footwear maker of not refunding tariff-related costs it passed on in the form of higher prices. In a proposed class action, consumers said Nike should not be allowed to keep "significant" refunds it can expect after the U.S. Supreme Court in February struck down sweeping tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Palestinian American developer asks US judge to dismiss lawsuit alleging he aided Hamas

A prominent Palestinian-American developer asked a U.S. judge on Friday to throw out a lawsuit accusing him of supporting Hamas through his Gaza projects, arguing it equates participating in Gaza's economy with terrorism. Bashar Masri, who built luxury hotels in Gaza and the Palestinians' first planned city in the West Bank, was sued last year by U.S. families of victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks who alleged his Gaza properties concealed tunnels the militant group used to stage its assault.

US judge rules humanities grant terminations by DOGE were unlawful, discriminatory

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the terminations of hundreds of humanities grants last year by the Trump administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency were unconstitutional, and involved "blatant" discrimination. In April last year, President Donald Trump's ⁠administration terminated more than 1,400 grants, representing over $100 million ​in congressionally appropriated funds awarded to scholars, writers, research institutions and other humanities organizations.

Trump administration appeals latest court loss on tariffs

The Trump administration on Friday appealed a court ruling that found a 10% ⁠global tariff imposed in February was not justified under a 1970s trade law. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on Thursday in a 2-1 decision that Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act was not meant to address trade deficits that occur when the U.S. imports more goods than it exports. The court, however, only blocked the tariffs for three importers that sued - two small businesses and the state of Washington.

Exclusive-Kennedy's health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants, sources say

U.S. health department officials last week explored whether they could ban certain drugs in a widely prescribed class of antidepressants as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepared to roll out a plan to reduce their use, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Their interest centered on specific treatments within a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro, which have been ⁠available in the U.S. for decades, one of the people said. The sources did not say which drugs were being examined for restrictions or how far the inquiries about them had advanced.

Exclusive-White House considering naming FDA food chief as acting commissioner, sources say

The White House is considering naming FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, who heads up the agency's food group, as acting commissioner of the agency to replace current head Marty Makary, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Potential names being considered to be the actual nominee to run the agency include former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn and former acting commissioner and assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir, according to one of the sources and two other sources.

US says it will revert to higher tariffs on EU goods if Brussels misses July 4 deadline

The U.S. will revert to higher tariffs on ​European Union goods if Brussels fails to implement trade deal commitments before a July 4 deadline, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday. Greer, speaking on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" program, said he spoke with trade officials from different European countries and the EU during a visit to Europe this week and believed "their minds are focused" on making the needed changes.

Trump plans to fire US FDA chief Makary, sources say

The White House signed off on a plan to fire U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, according to sources familiar with the matter, in what could be the next leadership change within the federal health department. The Wall Street ⁠Journal earlier on Friday first reported that President Donald Trump planned to fire Makary.

US judge will not rubber-stamp Elon Musk settlement with SEC

A federal judge on Friday declined to quickly approve the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's $1.5 million settlement with Elon Musk over his purchase of Twitter, saying she wants more information about whether the accord is fair and how it was reached. The settlement would resolve an SEC lawsuit accusing Musk of waiting 11 days too long to disclose he had amassed a 5% stake in Twitter, and saving $150 million by the time he revealed a 9.2% stake in April 2022. Musk, the world's richest person, bought Twitter for $44 billion six months later.

US FDA to ease crackdown on some under-review unauthorized vapes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday it would not prioritize enforcement against certain unauthorized e-cigarettes and nicotine pouch products if the companies have marketing applications under review. The new guideline applies to products with premarket applications that have ⁠been accepted for ​review or supplemental filings that have been pending for more than 180 days, the agency said.

Virginia court tosses Democratic map, dealing major blow to party’s midterm hopes

Virginia's top court on Friday threw out a new electoral map that was crafted to flip four Republican-held U.S. congressional seats to Democrats, in a setback to Democratic hopes of retaking the House of Representatives in November's midterm elections. In a 4-3 decision, the Virginia Supreme Court rejected a Democratic-backed ballot measure approved by voters in April that reconfigured the state's U.S. House of Representatives districts for partisan advantage.

US Postal Service reports $2 billion quarterly loss as cash crunch mounts

The U.S. Postal Service on Friday reported a net quarterly loss of $2 billion as it faces a growing financial crisis and has warned it could run out of cash as soon as February. USPS said mail volumes fell another 6.3% in the three months ending March 31 as operating revenue rose 2.3% to $20.2 billion over the same quarter last year.

US nears $400 million settlement with TikTok on child-privacy violations, ABC News reports

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is nearing a $400 million settlement with TikTok to resolve an ongoing lawsuit over alleged child-privacy violations, ABC News reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The White House declined to comment, referring questions to the Justice Department, which did not immediately comment. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

US economy posts second straight month of strong job gains, but strains remain

U.S. employment increased more than expected ⁠in April, pointing to labor market stability and reinforcing expectations the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged for some time as the war with Iran fans inflation. Despite the second straight month of strong job growth reported by the Labor Department on Friday, strains remained and economists warned the labor market was not out of the woods yet.

Utah judge rejects bid to ban TV in Kirk case, delays hearing

A Utah judge on Friday rejected a request by Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to ban live TV and still photography from courtroom proceedings but accepted his motion to delay a key hearing. District Court Judge Tony Graf said TV livestreams allowed ⁠maximum public access to proceedings, held the justice system accountable for its actions and that the court had taken precautions to prevent visual coverage from tainting potential jurors, such as not showing Robinson's shackles.

Trump administration will ⁠win appeal of ruling against temporary tariffs, US trade chief says

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday the Trump administration expects to prevail in an appeal of the Court of International Trade's ruling against its temporary 10% global tariffs to replace duties struck down by the Supreme Court. Greer told Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" program that the Court of International Trade made a flawed decision in its 2-1 ruling that Trump's tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 were inappropriate.

Schools reach out to Canvas hackers as breach hits US classrooms, source says

Some schools and universities whose students' data was stolen by a cybercriminal hacking group as part of an April breach of the educational tool Canvas individually sought to deal directly with the hackers to prevent data release, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. ShinyHunters, a hacking group with a string of data theft and extortion campaigns targeting major global companies, said in a May 3 post on its website that it had stolen roughly 6.65 terabytes of Canvas data related to nearly 9,000 ‌schools worldwide that included student names, email addresses and private messages between students, teachers, and other staff.

Trump’s crackdown on China-linked solar firms stalls ‌U.S. factory boom

Top solar companies, banks and insurers have stopped doing business with at least a half dozen recently built U.S. panel factories because of uncertainty over whether their ties to China could disqualify them from clean-energy subsidies, according to industry executives and documents reviewed by Reuters. The shift, driven by new Trump administration policies, jeopardizes more than a third of U.S. solar capacity in factories ​initially built by Chinese firms. Details of how the policy uncertainty is driving installers and insurers away from U.S. solar factories with China ties have not been previously reported.