Reuters US Domestic News Summary

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's democratic socialist candidates face a primary election test, while US consumers have shifted towards favoring homeownership over renting for the first time since 2023.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

New York Mayor Mamdani endorsements test Democrats' appetite for far-left candidates

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's push to remake the Democratic Party into a democratic socialist powerhouse faces a primary election test on Tuesday. But win or lose, it is unlikely to provide an effective blueprint for Democrats taking control of the U.S. Congress in November or the White House in 2028. The mayor, who shocked the political world with his 2025 election, is backing a slate of fellow democratic ​socialist candidates running in Tuesday's New York primaries as they take on establishment Democrats, including one senior Latino in the U.S. House of Representatives.

US consumers favor homebuying over renting for first time since 2023, BofA study shows

A majority of U.S. consumers now say they would prefer to buy a home rather than rent or move in with family, ​the first time since 2023 that sentiment has favored homeownership, according to Bank of America's latest homebuyer insights report.

The findings point to improving sentiment toward homeownership, even as elevated mortgage rates, high home prices and limited housing supply continue ‌to weigh on the market.

US House ​overwhelmingly backs affordable housing bill

Bipartisan legislation that aims to speed the construction of more affordable housing in the United States was headed to passage in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. The measure passed the Senate on Monday by a vote of 85-5 and will next head to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign into law.

US Supreme Court boosts Exxon's bid to get compensation from Cuba

The U.S. Supreme Court made it easier on Tuesday for U.S. companies to seek compensation from Cuba's government for property seized decades ago by former leader Fidel Castro's government, ruling in favor of ExxonMobil in its lawsuit against Cuban state-owned firm Corporación CIMEX. In a 6-3 decision, the court said a legal defense called foreign sovereign immunity, which generally prohibits U.S. lawsuits against foreign governments and their agents, is not available in cases like the one Exxon brought against CIMEX under a 1996 U.S. law called the Helms-Burton Act.

US Supreme Court won't let Rastafarian man shaved bald in prison sue guards

The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to let a Rastafarian man sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards held him down and shaved him bald in violation ‌of his religious beliefs in a case brought under a federal law protecting incarcerated people from religious discrimination. The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss Damon Landor's lawsuit, agreeing that he could not sue the individual prison officials and guards for monetary damages under the statute at issue.

Court lifts 250th anniversary deadline for Trump administration to reinstall US park exhibits

President Donald Trump's administration does not need to reinstall dozens of exhibits that it removed from national parks on topics such as slavery and climate change before the nation's 250th anniversary next month, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday. A unanimous three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily paused a judge's July 3 deadline for the National Park Service to reinstall the exhibits removed under a Trump directive targeting displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."

US Commerce Secretary signals possible action on Chinese robots after review, Politico reports

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told executives at a closed-door meeting Monday that his department is studying Chinese state-subsidized robotics imports and signaled the administration could take action once the review is complete, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing sources. “We don’t want state subsidized robotics attacking us in America, this is the arms that is coming — robotic arms are coming,” the Politico quoted Lutnick as saying. “We need to make sure they’re produced in America so we’re going to study those right now.”

Few in US say Iran war was worth it; Trump approval ties lowest of term, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Just one in four Americans believes President Donald Trump's war with Iran was worth its ‌costs and a majority worry that a truce with Tehran is unlikely to last, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The five-day poll, which closed on Monday, also showed the war weighing heavily on Trump's popularity, with his approval rating dropping to 34%, a return to the lowest level of the Republican's second term that was last touched in an April survey.

Automakers could halt car sales in California without delay in vehicle tracking law

A group representing major automakers warned on Tuesday that car companies may be forced to halt sales of both new and used vehicles in California on July 1 unless the state delays vehicle technology rules that aim to prevent perpetrators of domestic violence from tracking survivors. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai ‌and most other automakers, said unless a legislative proposal is signed into law by July 1 "there is substantial risk that auto sales in California will be suspended."

Soccer-In Los Angeles, Mexico fans make every World Cup game their own

Father-and-daughter soccer fans Jose Roman and Jacqueline Damian were among a stream of supporters in green Mexico shirts pouring into Los Angeles Stadium for a recent World Cup match, passing Spanish-speaking vendors selling Mexican beer, flags and hats and grills smoking with bacon-wrapped street dogs. The only thing missing was the Mexico team - the game was Switzerland versus Bosnia and Herzegovina.

US Senate votes to halt Iran war in latest rebuke of Trump

The U.S. Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing President Donald Trump to halt U.S. military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress. The Senate voted 50-48 in favor of the war powers resolution, which passed the House of Representatives early this month, reflecting growing concern even among some of Trump's Republicans about the unpopular conflict that began on February 28.

DOJ probes coffee shop chain in New York after it bars pro-Israel US lawmaker

The Justice Department said on Monday it opened a probe into a small coffee shop chain in New York City which posted online that it would have turned away pro-Israel U.S. Representative Dan Goldman had it recognized him during a weekend visit. "The Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation and will bring an enforcement action if warranted," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said on X.

Exclusive-Shopify to bar vapes as U.S. authorities crack down on illegal industry

Shopify Inc will ban all vapes from its platform as soon as this week after pressure from a group of U.S. state attorneys general aiming to curb sales of illegal e-cigarettes online, according to two sources familiar with its plans. The Ottawa-based company provides the underlying infrastructure that lets millions of merchants operate and scale e-commerce channels. It has been in talks since last year with a bipartisan coalition of 25 ⁠state attorneys general, who have been pushing Shopify ​to do more to clamp down on a booming market for vapes that lack the legally required licence for U.S. sales, or violate other laws.

US Supreme Court ends suit alleging Cisco helped China pursue Falun Gong

The ⁠U.S. Supreme Court further limited the reach of a federal law used to hold corporations liable for human rights abuses committed abroad, as it issued a ruling on Tuesday ending a lawsuit by members of the Falun Gong movement accusing Cisco Systems of facilitating religious persecution in China. The justices, in a 6-3 ruling, reversed a lower court's decision that had breathed new life into the 2011 lawsuit, which was brought under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789. The suit had alleged that Cisco knowingly developed technology that allowed China's government to surveil and persecute Falun Gong members.

Trump administration can expand fast-track deportation process, US appeals court rules

A federal appeals court cleared the way on Tuesday for the Trump administration to expand a fast-track deportation process that would allow for the expedited removal of migrants who are living far from the border. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 to overturn a decision by ⁠a judge who in August 2025 blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's move to expand who qualifies for expedited removal.

US presses Meta to agree to AI reviews as security concerns rise, NYT reports

The Trump administration is pressing Meta to submit its AI models for voluntary review, which would allow the government to evaluate their abilities and vulnerabilities, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the confidential request. The request was made in emails with the social media giant, the report said, as the administration steps up oversight of the AI industry.

US states sue California over landmark plastics packaging law

California has been sued by 17 U.S. states, which are seeking to undo a new state law designed to limit the use of single-use plastic and promote recycling. In a complaint filed on Monday in the Sacramento, California federal court, the states, each with a Republican attorney general, ​accused California of trying to "impose its own policy preferences on the entire nation" with its Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act.

US manufacturing rises on front-loading of orders, but factory employment tumbles to six-year low

U.S. manufacturing activity rose again in June as companies preemptively placed new orders in anticipation of shortages and higher prices, but factory employment hit a six-year low, blamed on rising operating costs related to the Middle East conflict. S&P Global said its flash manufacturing PMI increased to 55.7 this month, the highest reading since May 2022, from 55.1 in May. A reading above 50 indicates growth in manufacturing, which accounts for 9.4% of the economy. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the manufacturing ⁠PMI slipping to 54.8.

Mamdani's power play, a Kennedy's TikToks. Four things to watch in Tuesday's primaries

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani isn't running for Congress, but he's the main character in a bid to remake New York's congressional delegation by backing three far-left candidates with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America to take on two mainstream Democratic incumbents, Adriano Espaillat in the Bronx and Dan Goldman in Brooklyn/Lower Manhattan, as well as an open seat in Queens. Those lawmakers backed other candidates in the mayor's race and are seen as insufficiently adversarial toward Israel in its war on Hamas, a passionate subject for the mayor.

US judge shuts down DOJ immigration probe into Walz, Minnesota officials

A U.S. judge found that the Trump administration unlawfully demanded information from several Minnesota officials at the height of its immigration crackdown in the state earlier this year, ruling that the Justice Department had abused the investigative process. The ruling by Minnesota-based U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz quashed subpoenas to the office of the state's Democratic Governor Tim Walz and ⁠five other ​local and state offices, according to an order made public on Monday.

'Today' co-anchor Savannah Guthrie pleads for answers to missing mother's fate

National television host Savannah Guthrie took time on her morning news show on Tuesday to appeal to the public once more for answers to the fate of her mother, missing since a presumed abduction over four months ago in Arizona. "I wanted to take the opportunity to ask people, to beg people, to come forward. Somebody knows something," NBC's "Today" co-host tearfully told viewers from her seat at the anchor desk, flanked by her colleagues on the show.

Soccer-U.S. look to keep World Cup momentum going against eliminated Turkey

The United States will look to maintain their momentum and protect several key players from suspension when they face already-eliminated Turkey in their final World Cup Group D match at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday. The Americans secured top spot with back-to-back wins to open their campaign, including a 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle on Friday that ended with a sold-out crowd serenading the team with John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

Explainer-What are the Fed's bank 'stress tests' and what's new this year?

The U.S. Federal Reserve is due to release the results of its annual bank health checks on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET (2000 GMT). Under the "stress test" exercise, the Fed tests big banks' balance sheets against a hypothetical scenario of a severe economic downturn, the elements of which change annually. Usually, the results are a big deal because they dictate how much capital those banks need to set aside to be healthy, and how much they can return to shareholders via ⁠share buybacks and dividends.

Leader of Texas immigration center attack gets 100-year prison sentence

Eight people were each sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison on Tuesday in connection with violence at a Texas federal immigration facility last year that prosecutors called domestic terrorism. In the incident on July 4, 2025, prosecutors said antifa militants wearing black tactical gear opened fire on law enforcement officers at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, about 25 miles (40 km) south of Fort Worth. A police officer was wounded.

Trump tests Rust Belt pitch in Pennsylvania amid Iran, inflation pressures

U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail on Tuesday with a stop in battleground Pennsylvania, pitching a Rust Belt revival as high prices and the Iran war ⁠clouded his midterm elections push. The visit to one of the country’s most closely contested congressional districts offered a glimpse into the president's political strategy, showing his comfort with making the November elections a referendum on his policies despite low approval ⁠ratings.

Judge blocks Trump's use of revamped immigration database for voter checks

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from using a revamped version of an immigration database for checking the accuracy of state voter rolls, dealing a blow to U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to boost the role of the federal government in elections ahead of the midterm elections in November. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security revamped a system it uses to verify individuals' citizenship and immigration status to make it easier for state and local officials to use it to make sure voters were U.S. citizens.

Google's YouTube settles case over social media harm to children, plaintiff's lawyers say

Google's YouTube has settled with a minor who claimed the platform caused mental health harms, the plaintiff’s lawyers said, ahead of a second California trial over claims the design of social media sites has fueled a youth mental health crisis. The terms of the settlement of the state court lawsuit were confidential, the lawyers said on Tuesday.

US agencies have seized more than 300 drones near World Cup sites, TSA says

U.S. agencies have seized over 300 drones near FIFA World Cup venues since the ‌tournament began on June 11, the Transportation Security Administration said on Tuesday. On match days, all aircraft operations, including drones, are prohibited within a radius ‌of three nautical miles and up to 3,000 feet above ground level around the stadiums unless specifically authorized by air traffic controllers.

US Senate joins House in voting to halt Iran war, rebuking Trump

The U.S. Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing President Donald Trump to halt U.S. military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress. The Senate voted 50-48 in favor of ​the war powers resolution, which passed the House of Representatives early this month, reflecting growing concern even among some of Trump's Republicans about the unpopular conflict that began on February 28.