Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Mandy Gutierrez, principal of Robb Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave by Hal Harrell, the Uvalde school district superintendent, on Monday, her attorney Ricardo Cedillo told Reuters. In risky midterm strategy, Democrats boost far-right candidate in Michigan race The Democratic Party's congressional campaign arm is airing an ad in Michigan aimed at boosting John Gibbs, a far-right candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, as he challenges one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach the former president.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California man escapes wildfire with his life but loses home

Wildfire refugee Rod McGuire sat alone at the far end of the evacuation center, trying not to cry. One of thousands to flee California's Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park, McGuire, a 57-year-old auto mechanic, escaped from the Sierra Nevada foothills with his life but lost his house, consumed by the largest wildfire to burn in the state this year.

'Leave It to Beaver' co-star Tony Dow in hospice

Actor Tony Dow, best known for his role as Wally Cleaver in the 1950s American TV hit sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," is alive but gravely ill, his management team said on Tuesday, correcting its earlier statement that he had died. "This morning Tony's wife Lauren, who was very distraught, had notified us that Tony had passed and asked that we notify all his fans," the statement said. "We have since received a call from Tony's daughter-in-law saying that while Tony is not doing well, he has not yet passed."

Teva reaches proposed $4.35 billion settlement of U.S. opioid lawsuits

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday announced a $4.35 billion proposed nationwide settlement that could resolve thousands of lawsuits over the drugmaker's alleged role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. The proposal calls for Teva to pay state and local governments up to $3.7 billion in cash over 13 years plus a contribution of $1.2 billion worth of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone. Israel-based Teva also will pay approximately $100 million to Native American tribes and pay attorneys fees incurred by the states, local governments and tribes.

U.S. should fine airlines over staff-linked flight cancellations - senators

Two U.S. senators have urged the U.S. Transportation Department to fine airlines that delay or cancel flights because of staffing or operational issues, the latest push by lawmakers to convince regulators to get tough on the aviation industry. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Alex Padilla asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a letter released on Tuesday to take a harder line with airlines in the face of thousands of flight cancellations this summer.

Texas school principal suspended after Uvalde shooting

The principal of the Texas elementary school where a gunman went on a rampage in May has been suspended with pay, her attorney said on Tuesday, two weeks after a damning report about lax security that enabled the shooter to carry out the attack. Mandy Gutierrez, principal of Robb Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave by Hal Harrell, the Uvalde school district superintendent, on Monday, her attorney Ricardo Cedillo told Reuters.

In risky midterm strategy, Democrats boost far-right candidate in Michigan race

The Democratic Party's congressional campaign arm is airing an ad in Michigan aimed at boosting John Gibbs, a far-right candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, as he challenges one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach the former president. The effort is part of a controversial and risky Democratic strategy in certain races to elevate more extreme Republicans whom Democrats view as easier to beat in November's midterm elections. Democrats have spent millions on candidates who echo Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, even as party leaders say those very same candidates pose a threat to U.S. democracy.

Trump ignores Republican calls to avoid repeating false election claims

Donald Trump ignored pressure from some fellow Republicans to avoid repeating his false claims about a stolen 2020 election on Tuesday, insisting that he won his second bid for the White House and would not allow his perceived enemies to bar a return. In his first speech in Washington since leaving office 18 months ago, the former U.S. president stopped short of declaring his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election but predicted Republicans would retake the Senate, House of Representatives and the White House.

Alex Jones must pay for Sandy Hook falsehoods, parents’ lawyer says as defamation trial begins

U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones led a "vile campaign of defamation" when he falsely claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, a Texas jury was told on Tuesday, but a lawyer for Jones said his client already had paid a price. Attorney Mark Bankston, representing the parents of slain 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, made the accusation at the start of a jury trial to decide how much Jones must pay for spreading falsehoods about the killing of 20 children and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012.

South Carolina abortion ban allowed as high court hears challenge

A South Carolina judge on Tuesday declined to block the state's ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy while the state's highest court considers a challenge to it by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Judge L. Casey Manning in Richland County made the decision after the Republican-led state petitioned to have the case heard by the state's top court immediately, rather than work its way through appeals. Manning said he would ask the high court to take up the case.

U.S. air controller union chief says FAA staffing not keeping up

The president of a union representing federal air traffic controllers said Tuesday the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to do a better job of ensuring adequate staffing to oversee the nation's airspace. Rich Santa, who heads the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the FAA had over 15,000 total controllers in 2011, including over 11,750 fully certified controllers, but at the start of 2022 "there were more than 1,000 fewer (certified controllers) and 1,500 fewer total controllers on-board."