Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Democratic US Senator Joe Manchin will not seek re-election in 2024

Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a maverick who has often bucked party leadership in the past two years, said on Thursday that he will not seek re-election, hurting Democrats' chance of defending their thin Senate majority in the 2024 election. "I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate, but what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together," Manchin said in a statement.

US Senate Democrats tee up bill to avert government shutdown

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday took a procedural step to allow the Democratic-majority chamber to pass a stopgap government funding bill before a Nov. 17 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown. THE TAKE

Republicans demand Biden challenge China's Xi on fentanyl, prisoners

Republicans in the U.S. Congress urged President Joe Biden to make demands of China's leader Xi Jinping over detained Americans and other issues when they meet next week in San Francisco, arguing that Washington's push to engage Beijing had "negligible benefit." The Biden-Xi meeting around events at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will follow a series of largely unreciprocated U.S. cabinet-level visits to China, as the U.S. seeks to recover from a diplomatic crisis over its downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States in February.

US Air Force's new B-21 Raider "flying wing" bomber takes first flight - Reuters witness

The U.S. Air Force's B-21 "Raider" bomber shaped like a flying wing took its first flight on Friday, the next step in rolling out a new fleet of long-range nuclear-capable stealth bombers built by Northrop Grumman, according to a Reuters witness. The B-21 left Northrop's facility at the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, at sunrise on Friday offering the first unscripted look at the new bomber which has been developed under strict security.

Factbox-Joe Manchin's exit makes it harder for Democrats to defend US Senate majority

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin's decision not to seek reelection will make it even harder for his fellow Democrats to defend their 51-49 majority in the 2024 elections, when they will be defending 23 seats, while Republicans are defending only 11. Here are some of what are expected to be the most challenging races for Democrats as they try to keep their grip on the legislative chamber whose power includes confirming nominees to the Supreme Court:

Moody's turns negative on US credit rating, draws Washington ire

Moody's on Friday changed its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to "negative" from "stable" citing large fiscal deficits and a decline in debt affordability, a move that drew immediate criticism from President Joe Biden's administration. The move follows a rating downgrade of the sovereign by another ratings agency, Fitch, this year, which came after months of political brinkmanship around the U.S. debt ceiling.

Biden's infrastructure law has begun 40,000 projects. Will it help him in 2024?

Two years after President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, his administration has launched 40,000 projects aimed at rebuilding America, according to his infrastructure czar, Mitch Landrieu. The White House wants Biden to gain maximum credit for the projects to help him in his fight for re-election, with a year to go until Election Day.

US House Republicans plan shutdown-averting measure amid credit warning

U.S. House of Representatives Republicans aim to release a stopgap measure to avert a partial government shutdown on Saturday, the morning after the Moody's credit agency lowered its outlook on the government's credit ratings to "negative." A knowledgeable source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said plans for the release of the continuing resolution, or "CR," were still in flux. It was also unclear what form the measure would take.

Biden registers for South Carolina primary, seen as first test of re-election strength

U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign on Friday formally filed paperwork for the South Carolina Democratic primary, the party's first official clash and an early enthusiasm test for a president dogged by a rash of recent polls that show declining support among Black voters. The state's Feb. 3 primary will represent the first time Biden faces a contested election since 2020, squaring off against long shots Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and self-help guru Marianne Williamson.

Unpublished study finds elevated cancer rates at US military base

Cancer and mortality studies conducted by a U.S. health agency have found elevated cancer rates in military and civilian personnel who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune, a major American military base, an epidemiologist familiar with the research says. A report on the findings was submitted in April, but the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has yet to release it, angering people who say they got sick drinking tainted water at the Marine base near Jacksonville, N.C., from 1953 through 1987.