Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The case eventually made its way to trial in late 2022 and on Tuesday a judge sided with Tornetta, voiding the enormous pay deal for being unfair to him and all his fellow Tesla shareholders. Trump civil fraud verdict now expected by mid-February A ruling in the New York state attorney general's $370 million civil fraud case against former U.S. president Donald Trump will not come until early to-mid February, a court spokesperson said Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

In Michigan, autoworkers offer to fight for Biden, but Gaza protesters want him out

U.S. President Joe Biden won a strong pledge of support on Thursday from union autoworkers crucial to his reelection bid in Michigan, while protests over his backing of Israel's actions in Gaza shadowed the trip. Biden's travel to the election battleground state was intended as a celebration after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union recently endorsed his reelection bid. But his visit was also met with protests from some of the state's sizable Arab-American community, who demand the president seek a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and have refused to meet his campaign.

US House Democrats urge Biden to name new U.S. Postal board members

More than 80 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to nominate two candidates to open seats on the U.S. Postal Board of Governors, complaining about slow deliveries and increased costs. The letter, led by Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee overseeing the Postal Service, noted there have been five stamp price hikes since 2020, including the latest increase on Jan. 21 that boosted prices to 68 cents from 66 cents.

Elon Musk bashed by heavy metal drummer who cost him $56 billion

Elon Musk suffered one of the biggest legal losses in U.S. history this week when the Tesla CEO was stripped of his $56 billion pay package in a case brought by an unlikely opponent, a former heavy metal drummer. Richard Tornetta sued Musk in 2018, when the Pennsylvania resident held just nine shares of Tesla. The case eventually made its way to trial in late 2022 and on Tuesday a judge sided with Tornetta, voiding the enormous pay deal for being unfair to him and all his fellow Tesla shareholders.

Trump civil fraud verdict now expected by mid-February

A ruling in the New York state attorney general's $370 million civil fraud case against former U.S. president Donald Trump will not come until early to-mid February, a court spokesperson said Thursday. Justice Arthur Engoron, who oversaw a three-month trial in the case last year, had said he planned to rule by the end of January but offered no guarantees. His eventual ruling could deal a major blow to Trump's business empire as the businessman-turned-politician seeks the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

Strong US worker productivity keeps labor costs in check in fourth quarter

U.S. worker productivity grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter, keeping unit labor costs contained and giving the Federal Reserve another boost in the fight against inflation. Labor market momentum is also fading, though gradually, which could further help to curb wage inflation. First-time applications for unemployment benefits rose to a two-month high last week, other data from the Labor Department showed on Thursday. The number of people on unemployment rolls was also the highest in two months.

Ex-CIA employee sentenced to 40 years for espionage, child porn

A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) software engineer who was convicted for carrying out the largest theft of classified information in the agency's history and of child pornography charges was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday. The 40-year sentence by U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman was for "crimes of espionage, computer hacking, contempt of Court, making false statements to the FBI, and child pornography," U.S. federal prosecutors said in a statement. The judge did not impose a life sentence as sought by prosecutors.

Pacific storm douses California, flooding roads, in first of one-two punch

The first in a one-two punch of atmospheric river storms soaked Southern California with drenching rains on Thursday, triggering scattered flooding and rush-hour road closures in a precursor to a larger, wetter blast expected to sweep ashore over the weekend. The city of Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles, was one of the hardest-hit areas, with rainwater flooding a stretch of freeway and adjacent streets beneath a railroad bridge, leaving several vehicles submerged up to their roofs.

Pentagon chief says he should have handled cancer diagnosis better

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday apologized for failing to tell President Joe Biden and senior staff about his recent prostate cancer diagnosis ahead of time, adding that the health scare was a "gut punch" that had shaken him. Austin, 70, also apologized for the way he handled his subsequent hospitalization, which was kept secret from the public, senior staff and Biden himself for days.

Trump, Haley campaigns ramp up attacks in South Carolina

The campaigns of Donald Trump and Nikki Haley went into full attack mode on Thursday in South Carolina, the state to hold the next major Republican presidential nominating battle on Feb. 24. Haley, Trump's last remaining rival, has infuriated the former president by refusing to drop out of the nominating race after his back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire strengthened his grip on the nomination and set up a likely general election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in November.

Labor-backed group sues to block Massachusetts gig worker ballot proposal

A labor-backed coalition on Thursday filed a lawsuit seeking to block an industry-supported bid to ask Massachusetts voters to decide whether ride-share and delivery drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft should be treated as independent contractors rather than employees. A group of voters who count drivers and union leaders as members asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to conclude that the five industry-backed proposals should not have been certified for inclusion on the November 2024 ballot.