Reuters US Domestic News Summary

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images, first reported by the Associated Press on Wednesday, showed a miles-long brownish-black slick spreading in coastal waters about two miles off Port Fourchon, Louisiana, an oil and gas hub. U.S. offshore oil output lags as Louisiana refiners restart after Ida Damages to oil production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Sunday kept output largely halted a week after Hurricane Ida made landfall, according to offshore regulator the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Florida gunman kills 4 including baby, wounds 11-year-old girl

A self-described survivalist in body armor shot and killed four people, including a woman and her 3-month-old baby boy in her arms, before surrendering to police in central Florida on Sunday, officials said. The shooter, identified as Bryan Riley, 33, a former U.S. Marine, also wounded an 11-year-old girl who underwent surgery for seven gunshot injuries, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told a news conference.

Back-to-school may lift U.S. retail shares after recent lull

Strong late-summer back-to-school sales could provide U.S. retailers some needed momentum after many sector shares lagged the broader market in recent months. The S&P 500 retailing index, which includes Amazon.com Inc , is up just about 2% for the quarter so far, compared with a 6% gain in the S&P 500.

Divers to try to locate source of reported oil spill in Gulf after Hurricane Ida

A private dive team will try to locate the source of a suspected oil spill spotted in the Bay Marchand area of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, after Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc in the region this week, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Saturday. U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images, first reported by the Associated Press on Wednesday, showed a miles-long brownish-black slick spreading in coastal waters about two miles off Port Fourchon, Louisiana, an oil and gas hub.

U.S. offshore oil output lags as Louisiana refiners restart after Ida

Damages to oil production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Sunday kept output largely halted a week after Hurricane Ida made landfall, according to offshore regulator the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Energy companies have been coping with damaged platforms and onshore power outages and logistical issues, slowing efforts to restart production. Some 88% of crude oil output and 83% of natural gas production remained suspended. Climate change is fueling deadly and disastrous weather across the globe, including stronger and more damaging hurricanes.

Pfizer on track for U.S. vaccine boosters, Moderna lagging, Fauci says

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that officials were likely to soon get the regulatory go-ahead to administer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots made by Pfizer, although Moderna booster could take a little longer. Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation," about President Joe Biden's goal to give booster shots starting Sept. 20, Fauci said that "in some respects" that remained the plan.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, husband post photo of children

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg posted a picture of himself with his husband, Chasten, and their two babies on Saturday, after saying last month that the couple had become parents. Buttigieg earlier this year became the first openly gay U.S. cabinet secretary, following a run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Filibuster imperils Pelosi's abortion bill in U.S. Senate - Klobuchar

The U.S. Senate's filibuster rule likely imperils a bill intended to protect abortion rights that Democrats are readying following the Supreme Court's decision not to block a strict new Texas ban, a leading Democratic senator said on Sunday. Senator Amy Klobuchar told CNN's "State of the Union" that some Senate Republicans support abortion rights but not enough to overcome the chamber's rule requiring 60 of its 100 members to agree on most legislation.

'Human toll was tremendous': Ida's death count rises while 600,000 still lack power

Hurricane Ida's death toll continued to rise on Sunday, with many in the U.S. Northeast holding out hope for people missing in the floodwaters, while in Louisiana nearly 600,000 customers still lacked power a week after the storm made landfall. Ida slammed into Louisiana on Aug. 29 as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph), and the latest death toll there rose to at least 13 people on Sunday. The storm weakened as it moved north but still unleashed flash flooding on the East Coast that killed at least 50 more people, according to updated numbers on Sunday.

Drug companies say enough U.S. states join $26 billion opioid settlement to proceed

Three large U.S. drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will proceed with a proposed $26 billion settlement resolving claims that they fueled the opioid epidemic after "enough" states joined in, the companies said on Saturday. The companies had until Saturday to decide whether enough states back the $21 billion proposed settlement with McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc and a $5 billion agreement with J&J.

Republicans don't deserve House majority if they push lies -Kinzinger

A U.S. House of Representatives Republican said his party does not deserve to win majorities in congressional elections next year if it pushes lies and conspiracy theories, saying that it "desperately needs to tell the truth." "If we're going to be in charge and pushing conspiracy, pushing division, and pushing lies, then the Republican Party should not have the majority," Representative Adam Kinzinger told CNN's "State of the Union".

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)