Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, is now facing four concurrent criminal prosecutions, including two involving his attempts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden. U.S. envoy for Japan Rahm Emanuel takes the spotlight with snarky China tweets When a Reuters reporter asked a U.S. State Department spokesperson this week about a sarcastic social media post by the U.S. ambassador to Japan concerning China's missing defense minister, the reply was appropriately diplomatic.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Special counsel seeks limits on Trump's statements in elections case

U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith is asking a judge to impose limits on statements from former President Donald Trump regarding a Washington, D.C., court case over his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat, according to a court filing on Friday. "The defendant has an established practice of issuing inflammatory public statements targeted at individuals or institutions that present an obstacle or challenge to him," Smith said in a filing in U.S. District Court asking Judge Tanya Chutkan to impose some "narrow" limits on Trump's statements outside of court.

Storm Lee makes landfall in Canada, downing trees and knocking out power

Lee made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone packing hurricane-force winds in a far western part of Canada's Nova Scotia province on Saturday, flooding roads, downing trees and cutting out power for tens of thousands of people along the North Atlantic coast. At least one storm-related fatality was recorded on Saturday. A motorist in the U.S. state of Maine died after a tree fell on his vehicle, local media reported.

Trump says it was his decision to persist with 2020 election challenges

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said he dismissed the views of his own lawyers in continuing to challenge his 2020 defeat because he did not respect them, saying in an interview aired on Sunday that he had made up his own mind that the election had been "rigged" - a false claim that he continues to make. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, is now facing four concurrent criminal prosecutions, including two involving his attempts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden.

U.S. envoy for Japan Rahm Emanuel takes the spotlight with snarky China tweets

When a Reuters reporter asked a U.S. State Department spokesperson this week about a sarcastic social media post by the U.S. ambassador to Japan concerning China's missing defense minister, the reply was appropriately diplomatic. The ambassador, Rahm Emanuel, has always spoken in "a colorful manner," said Matthew Miller, restraining a smile, although he declined to say whether Emanuel's comments had been cleared by the State Department.

Top US House Democrat sees Republican 'civil war' as shutdown looms

With a possible partial government shutdown looming in two weeks amid what a senior Democrat called a Republican "civil war," House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday vowed to bring a defense spending bill to a vote "win or lose" this week despite resistance from hardline fellow Republicans. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, faulted the Republicans who hold a narrow 221-212 majority in the chamber as they bicker over spending and pursue a new impeachment drive against President Joe Biden while the United States faces a possible fourth partial government shutdown in a decade.

Texas Senate acquits AG Paxton in impeachment trial, keeps him in office

The Texas Senate on Saturday acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment he faced before that body, allowing the conservative firebrand to keep his state office. Paxton, a Republican, has been dogged by corruption allegations since taking office in 2014. He still faces a state trial on securities fraud and is under investigation by the FBI.

Climate protesters in New York and across the globe send message to United Nations

Thousands of protesters kicked off "Climate Week" and filled the streets of Midtown, Manhattan, on Sunday ahead of the U.N. General Assembly this week, calling for President Joe Biden and world leaders to end fossil fuel use. With parades, concerts, and banging drums, some of the 15,000 expected waved signs that read "End Fossil Fuel Use" and "Fossil Fuels Kill" and "Declare a Climate Emergency."

Trump, DeSantis vie for evangelical vote in D.C. face-off

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made their cases to evangelical voters who gathered in Washington for a pair of events on Friday, seeking an edge with a voting bloc likely to play a pivotal role in selecting a 2024 presidential nominee. The pressure was all on DeSantis, who trails Trump in the Republican presidential primary by nearly 40 percentage points in most opinion polls, including among evangelical voters.

Drew Barrymore to pause show until Hollywood writers' strike ends

Actor Drew Barrymore on Sunday said she had backed off plans to bring back her daytime talk show while strikes in Hollywood continue, yielding to an outcry of criticism. The proposed return of "The Drew Barrymore Show" drew picketers from the striking writers' and actors' unions as taping resumed last week.

UAW strike against Detroit Three automakers enters third day

The United Auto Workers strike against the Detroit Three automakers entered its third day on Sunday with no immediate resolution on the horizon. Union negotiators and representatives of General Motors, Ford and Stellantis were set to resume talks starting Sunday, following the start of the most ambitious U.S. industrial labor action in decades. This is the first time the UAW has gone on strike against all three automakers simultaneously.