US Domestic News Roundup: Jeffrey Epstein accusers cannot recoup damages over lenient plea deal: U.S. judge

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Workers picket GM plants as UAW contract talks resume

Negotiators for General Motors Co and the United Auto Workers were continuing talks Monday afternoon to resolve a strike that shut down the automaker's highly profitable U.S. operations. The UAW on Sunday launched the first company-wide strike at GM in 12 years, saying negotiations toward a new national agreement covering about 48,000 hourly workers had hit an impasse.

Democratic White House hopeful Warren rails against corruption at big N.Y. rally

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Monday denounced the corruption she argues has crippled the country's politics and economy, drawing her largest crowd thus far is a sign of her campaign's growing strength. "When you see a government that works great for those with money and connections, and doesn't do much for anyone else, that's corruption, plain and simple, and we need to call it out for what it is," Warren said, as thousands of New Yorkers holding up "I'm a Warren Democrat" placards cheered underneath an overcast sky in Manhattan's Washington Square Park.

Uber to limit drivers' app access to comply with NYC regulation

Uber on Tuesday will begin limiting drivers' access to its app in New York City to comply with regulation aimed at boosting drivers' pay and easing congestion in Manhattan, laws that Uber says will have unintended consequences. Uber Technologies Inc's move to lock out drivers at times and in areas of low demand comes just months after rival Lyft Inc implemented similar measures in response to city regulation.

Police test 'Spider-Man' device as alternative to Taser

With 49 people killed last year after being shocked by Tasers, police departments across the United States are trying out a "Spider-Man"-like device that fires a tether that entangles and restrains the suspect. Called Bolawrap, the device fires an eight-foot (2.4 meters) bola-style tether at a suspect to entangle his legs and prevent him from getting away. It works at a range of 10-25 ft (3-7.6 meters).

Trump orders two ex-White House aides not to testify at House hearing on Tuesday

President Donald Trump has ordered two former White House aides not to testify at a House of Representatives committee hearing on Tuesday as the panel considers whether to recommend impeaching Trump. Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn and former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter were subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee to appear at the hearing on possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

Electric pickup, batteries included in GM's $7 billion pledge

An all-electric pickup truck and an advanced battery system will be part of the $7 billion that General Motors Co has pledged to invest in the United States as parts of contract talks with the United Auto Workers. The automaker and the union were continuing talks late on Monday to resolve a strike by 48,000 hourly workers that shut down GM's highly profitable U.S. operations.

Opioid plaintiffs fight bid to disqualify U.S. judge before trial

Lawyers for cities and counties suing drug companies over the opioid epidemic on Monday objected to a bid by pharmaceutical distributors and pharmacies to disqualify the federal judge overseeing the cases, saying it had no basis and came too late. The plaintiffs' lawyers moved swiftly to fight the request companies including AmerisourceBergen Corp, Cardinal Health Inc, and McKesson Corp had made on Saturday for U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, Ohio, to step aside from the litigation.

California governor acts to stem 'epidemic' of youth vaping

California's governor on Monday ordered a public awareness campaign on health risks posed by a "youth epidemic" of vaping but said he lacked authority to unilaterally ban flavored e-cigarettes that he said were deliberately marketed to children. Governor Gavin Newsom, acting a day after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced such a ban, became the latest politician seeking to crack down on e-cigarettes and another electronic inhaling - or vaping - devices, which have exposed a new generation of young people to nicotine hazards.

Jeffrey Epstein accusers cannot recoup damages over lenient plea deal: U.S. judge

A group of women who said Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused them is not entitled to money damages from the United States even though federal prosecutors kept them in the dark about the financier's lenient non-prosecution agreement more than a decade ago, a Florida judge ruled on Monday. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra in West Palm Beach also rejected the women's bid to void the non-prosecution agreement, which had barred prosecutions of Epstein and some alleged accomplices, saying Epstein's death last month made the issue moot. Marra also denied a request for attorneys' fees.

U.S. farmers receive $4.07 billion of latest government trade aid

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has paid $4.07 billion of its latest round of compensation for farmers suffering from the trade war with China as of Monday, Communications Director Michawn Rich said in an email to Reuters. The Trump administration in July announced $16 billion to compensate farmers for lost sales due to China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products, on top of $12 billion pledged in last year's aid package.