Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Approximately 60,000 people in Spokane, Washington, have been ordered to evacuate due to wildfires that have destroyed over 600 buildings, including homes and businesses.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

About 60,000 ordered to evacuate from fires in Spokane, Washington

Around 60,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires threaten the city of Spokane ​in Washington state, local officials said Sunday, adding the fires in the region had destroyed 600 buildings, including homes and businesses. The Spokane Area Fire, ​which contains three separate blazes, was threatening the areas under evacuation orders, Spokane Fire Chief Tom ‌Williams told ​Reuters.

Capital One says it closed Trump Organization's accounts after anti-money laundering probe

Capital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization's bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money laundering experts. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump's family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting ‌doubt on claims of illegally debanking — or denying services on religious or political grounds — the Trump Organization.

US farm agency staff warn trade, research, aid programs at risk from reorganization

The Trump administration's plan to relocate thousands of Department of Agriculture employees from the U.S. capital could risk research, trade and aid programs as staff decline to relocate, according to union surveys and interviews with 10 federal employees. The USDA plans to move more than half of its 4,600 Washington-area employees to regional offices as part of a broader reorganization that it says will better tailor its services to farmers and ranchers. The rest of the agency's 77,000 personnel already work outside ‌the region.

Kay Granger, first Republican woman to lead House Appropriations Committee, dies at 83

Kay Granger, a Texas Republican who was the first woman from her party to chair the U.S. House of Representatives' powerful Appropriations Committee, has died, her son J.D. Granger confirmed to Reuters on Sunday. She ‌was 83. No cause of death was given. Kay Granger in 2024 said she was battling "unforeseen health challenges."

Acting US Attorney General Blanche rescinds 'anti-weaponization' fund before confirmation vote

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinded an order establishing the "anti-weaponization" fund, paving the way for his confirmation ahead of a key Senate committee vote on Tuesday, after Republican senators stalled his nomination over concerns about the fund. Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had held up Blanche's attorney general nomination while seeking written assurances that the Justice Department would not move forward with the fund, which critics have derided as a slush fund for Trump's supporters.

Exclusive-Fed's Williams expects inflation to ease, says Fed will act if it doesn't

Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John ⁠Williams said he remained ​optimistic that inflation pressures are on track to ease gradually, but if they don’t ⁠the U.S. central bank will not hesitate to respond with rate hikes to ensure price pressures return to target. If energy prices and trade tariffs have peaked and the economy remains on a solid footing, “I think that some of the big drivers that pushed up inflation” over the last year and half or so “will not be at play as much, and then some ⁠of the disinflationary forces that we've been seeing” should reassert themselves, Williams said in an interview with Reuters on Friday.

Cricket-US player Reddy gets eight-year ban for match-fixing

U.S. international Akhilesh Reddy has been suspended for eight years after being found guilty of match-fixing charges, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday. Reddy was charged in November with breaching ​three counts of the sport's anti-corruption code during the ongoing franchise-based Abu Dhabi T10 League, and was provisionally suspended.

Fires on more than 250,000 acres of Washington state prompt evacuations

Wildfires across more than a quarter of a million acres in Washington state have prompted widespread evacuations and ⁠power outages in the Spokane area, state officials said on Saturday evening. About 4,000 people were fighting more than a dozen fires throughout the state, Dave Upthegrove, the state's commissioner of public lands, said during a virtual press conference.

US lawmaker Kaptur injured in car crash, her office says

U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a car crash in Toledo, Ohio, on Sunday, the ⁠Democratic ​lawmaker's office said. Kaptur, 80, was a passenger in the vehicle and on her way to church, her office said. Toledo police did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, but told local news outlets that officers responded to a two-vehicle crash shortly before 11 a.m. EDT. Police described it as a hit-and-run, or "hit-skip," incident, multiple outlets reported.

US to make visa bond program permanent for people from dozens of countries

The U.S. State Department will make permanent a visa bond program that could require applicants from 50 countries, mostly from Africa, to post bonds of up to $20,000 when seeking U.S. visas, according to a ⁠federal notice posted online on Friday. The Federal Register notice applies to B1 and B2 visas, which are issued for business and tourism travel.

Factbox-Which midterm candidates is the crypto industry backing?

The crypto industry has poured close to $200 million into the November midterm elections, underscoring the sector's muscle in Congress, ⁠where it is pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that will reshape federal oversight of ⁠digital assets. This week is crunch time for that bill, before the Senate departs for August recess. The industry's spending spree builds on the $170 million it spent supporting congressional candidates during the 2024 elections, many of whom won their races. That helped the industry score a victory last year when Congress passed the Genius Act, which created rules for dollar-backed crypto tokens called stablecoins, potentially boosting their adoption.

Idaho mass shooter died from self-inflicted gunshot, police say

The man ‌who fatally shot three people and injured more ‌than half a dozen others this weekend in Twin Falls, Idaho, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said on Sunday. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks told ​a press conference that the 24-year-old suspect, identified as Chad Williams, acted alone.