Reuters US Domestic News Summary

US tech giants Meta, Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI are set to meet White House officials to discuss voluntary government safety testing for advanced AI models amid growing cyberattack concerns.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Meta, Anthropic, Google, OpenAI to meet Trump officials about AI safety testing

Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google have been invited to meet White House officials on Tuesday to discuss voluntary government safety testing for the most advanced U.S. AI models, according to three sources familiar with the matter and news reports. Anthropic and OpenAI disclosed in recent days that their AI tools breached the systems of other companies, stirring concerns among U.S. lawmakers about whether increasingly capable AI models could be used to conduct ​or facilitate cyberattacks.

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.

Michigan reports first US deaths in cyclosporiasis outbreak

A cyclosporiasis outbreak that has grown into the largest on record in the United States has caused its first known deaths, two people in Michigan, ‌the state's health department said on Monday. Cyclosporiasis, ​an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, is generally not life-threatening. Michigan, citing medical records, said the two who died had significant underlying health conditions that may have been affected by the disease and related dehydration.

Factbox-Trump undertakes sweeping makeover of the White House and Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump is pursuing an ambitious remaking of Washington, with plans for projects ranging from a new White House ballroom to a 250-foot (76 m) arch and a recast Kennedy Center. While Theodore Roosevelt championed an overhaul of the National Mall in the early 1900s and Harry Truman gutted the White House in the early 1950s, Trump's efforts have sparked criticism from Americans concerned about pocketbook issues and the preservation of historic landmarks. Here are some of Trump's projects.

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.

Brown University's president, who clashed with Trump over funding, steps down

Brown University President Christina Paxson said on Monday that she would leave her post at the end of the academic year, following a difficult period in which she clashed with President Donald Trump's administration over its threats to slash the Ivy League school's federal funding. Paxson said she had planned to leave her job one year earlier, but extended her tenure at the university, located in Providence, Rhode Island, to "navigate a federal funding freeze that imperiled our mission," according to an open letter published on the school's website.

Voters prefer Democrats over Republicans on economy for first time in a decade, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Americans picked Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in nearly a decade in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which also found their approval of President Donald Trump's performance falling to 35%. The finding, in a poll conducted Wednesday through Monday, showed how Trump's handling of the economy, including rising energy prices resulting from the Iran war, could weigh on his party's chances in the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years.

US manufacturing activity hits more than four-year high; input prices elevated

U.S. manufacturing activity increased to the highest level in more than four years in July amid strong order growth, boosting factory employment, though the conflict in the Middle East is straining supply chains and keeping input costs elevated. Responses in the Institute for Supply Management survey published on Monday were, however, overwhelmingly negative, with the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran dominating comments. Price volatility was also a common theme among respondents, leaving some economists ‌confident that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates as soon as next month.

Arson suspect arrested as wildfires rage around Spokane, Washington

A man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting one of three fires that have destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in and around Spokane, Washington. The suspect, 37-year-old Spokane resident Aaron Farinacci, was jailed on Monday on a $1 million bond on a count of first-degree arson, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said.

Jay Clayton sworn in as U.S. director of national intelligence

Jay Clayton was sworn in Monday as the U.S. director of national intelligence after a contentious Senate confirmation hearing in which he refused to directly acknowledge that President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. He takes on a role ‌that was vacated in June when Tulsi Gabbard stepped down after a tenure marked by clashes with congressional Democrats, who accused her of advancing Trump's political agenda and promoting debunked election claims.

Wildfires near Spokane destroy more than 700 buildings, force 64,000 to flee

Wildfires raging on the outskirts of Spokane, Washington, for a third day have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in and around the state's second-most populous city, officials said on Monday.

The cluster of three blazes ranked as the top firefighting priority in the U.S. as a whole, including the drought-parched Pacific Northwest, where dozens of major wildfires have burned for weeks, degrading air quality across a wide region.

US Supreme Court won't halt $655 million judgment against Palestinians over attacks

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined on Monday to halt $655.5 million in damages that Palestinian authorities were ordered to pay plaintiffs in a U.S. civil lawsuit concerning attacks that killed and injured Americans in Israel from 2002 to 2004. Sotomayor denied a request by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to put on hold the judgment while they appeal a lower court's decision to revive the case years after it had been dismissed. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Americans killed or injured in those shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area.

Republican senators say they will back Blanche confirmation after he rescinds 'weaponization' fund

Two key Republican senators said on Monday they would support Todd Blanche's nomination for U.S. attorney general, paving the way for his confirmation after reaching a deal that would rescind an "anti-weaponization" package widely criticized as a slush fund for supporters of President Donald Trump. Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had held up Blanche's nomination as they sought written confirmation that the Justice Department would not move forward with the $1.8 billion fund. Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump now serving as acting attorney general, posted a statement on social media on Sunday saying the fund had been rescinded.

A single US measles outbreak ⁠can cost millions of dollars, study estimates

The overall ​cost of containing a 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico was nearly $5.4 million, a new study estimates. The figure includes expenses for medical care, public health services and lost productivity, not just for the 57 adult patients and ⁠for caregivers of the 43 infected children but also for 205 exposed and quarantined contacts and 133 public health responders.

US House panel seeks briefing on OpenAI's AI agent security breach

The U.S. House of Representatives' cybersecurity committee asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for a briefing on the company's rogue AI agent that attacked AI platform Hugging Face, according to a letter from the committee.

Michigan primary offers key test of Democratic voters' views on Israel

Michigan voters head to the polls on Tuesday in a high-stakes Democratic Senate primary that could shape the battle for control of Congress and the future of the Democratic Party amid a fierce internal debate over U.S. support for Israel. The contest pits Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official who wants to end unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel and accuses it of genocide, against U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate backed by pro-Israel groups and a longtime outspoken supporter of Israel.

Trump vowed to 'bring free speech back.' Judges in 75 cases ruled that he ⁠has stifled it

U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly campaigned for his second term as a champion of free expression, vowing in his January 2025 inaugural address to stop what he described as years of "government censorship." Since then, a wave of court rulings has concluded his administration has done the opposite. Reuters identified 75 federal-judge rulings finding Trump’s government infringed on First-Amendment rights including freedoms of speech, religion, and the press.

Soccer-US men’s coach Pochettino agrees new contract through 2030 World Cup

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to lead the men's team through the 2030 World Cup, U.S. Soccer said on Monday, after taking them to the last 16 at this year's finals. The 54-year-old Argentine, who favours a high-pressing, attacking style of play, took over the U.S. side in 2024 after parting ways with Chelsea earlier that year, and had a contract that ran through the 2026 World Cup.

Trump blasts Jeanine Pirro, says she 'choked' in dropping reflecting pool ​case

President Donald Trump sharply criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Monday for dropping a case of alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, saying she had "choked" under pressure from a judge and "folded like an umbrella." "Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked. I don't know what the hell happened," Trump told reporters.

Five things to watch in Tuesday's US primaries

The Democratic Party's ideological divide faces its biggest test of the 2026 primary season on Tuesday, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed looking to win Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate nomination over center-left U.S. Representative Haley Stevens. Michigan is one of five states holding primaries along with Kansas, ⁠Missouri, Virginia and Washington state. Democrats need to net four seats to retake the Senate, making Michigan — a state Donald Trump won in 2024 — central to those hopes.

US says some older Ford cars, SUVs pose unreasonable safety risks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday that some older Ford cars and SUVs pose unreasonable safety risks because the timing belt may fail and cause them to lose power or engines to seize. The U.S. auto safety regulator upgraded a defect investigation into about 135,000 Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Ford EcoSport vehicles with 1.0L engines from various model years between 2014 and 2021.

States, groups sue over Trump policy of sharing benefits data with immigration authorities

Several Democratic-led U.S. states and advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Monday to block a new policy allowing federal immigration authorities to receive information about low-income families with children enrolled in a cash-assistance program. The two lawsuits marked the latest in a series of legal battles over efforts by the administration to give immigration officials access to sensitive personal data on millions of ⁠people held ​by other government agencies.

US FAA certifies Boeing 737 MAX 7 in win for planemaker

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave long-awaited approval on Monday to Boeing's 737 MAX 7, a milestone for the American planemaker that has waited years to sell the smallest version of its best-selling airplane. Boeing has faced a more stringent certification process since two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, as well as scrutiny of the company's production and quality systems after a January 2024 mid-air cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.

Democratic US states sue to challenge Trump's latest tariffs

A group of 25 Democratic-led U.S. states sued Donald Trump's administration on Monday, arguing that the president's latest round of tariffs on goods from 60 trading partners, like most of his earlier sweeping tariffs, exceeds his legal authority to tax imports. The states' lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York follows previous challenges by small U.S. businesses, which sued to block the tariffs on the day they went into effect last month. States and small businesses have successfully challenged previous global tariffs imposed by Trump in his second term, but the president has continued to pursue new tariffs despite a series of legal setbacks.

US State Department to close consulates in Canada, Japan and Indonesia, sources say

The U.S. State Department has notified Congress that it plans to close five foreign missions in a rare downsizing of America's global diplomatic footprint, according to people familiar with the notice. In the notice sent to some congressional committees late last week, the State Department said it planned to close its posts in St. George's, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; ⁠Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada. The people familiar with the notice spoke on the condition of anonymity because the notice was not public.

Trump wanted a Lindsey Graham tribute. South Carolina Republicans want a choice

President Donald Trump's bid to install Lindsey Graham's sister as South Carolina's next senator has met unexpected resistance from Republican voters and rivals, setting up a crowded primary that will test the limits of Trump's political influence in one of his strongest states. After Senator Lindsey Graham died on July 11 at age 71 from a heart ailment, Governor Henry McMaster appointed his sister, Darline Graham, to serve the remainder of his term, which expires in January.

Trump expected to attend event with mining execs amid critical minerals push

President Donald Trump is expected to attend ⁠a roundtable on Friday with top mining executives hosted by the U.S. State Department, according to two people familiar with the planning. The event is part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to expand domestic and allied supplies of critical minerals ⁠needed for energy, defense and advanced technologies. The agenda, participants and other details remain fluid and could change, according to the sources.

Shifting left, Democrats see universal health care, taxing the rich as 'essential,' Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Liberal Democrats now make up a clear majority of their party and view universal healthcare, greater abortion access and higher taxes on the rich as essential political positions, underscoring how Democrats have moved leftward in recent years, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The finding comes ahead of a Tuesday Democratic primary in which left-wing doctor Abdul El-Sayed is vying against moderate U.S. Representative Haley Stevens for the party's nomination to run for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat. The seat is seen as critical for Democrats' hopes of winning a majority in that chamber in the November midterm elections.

Explainer-What to know about the US outbreak of cyclosporiasis intestinal illness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and dozens of states are investigating a surge in cases of cyclosporiasis intestinal illness. Michigan, the hardest-hit state, has now reported two deaths and more than 11,000 cases as it searches for links beyond the initial cases tied to lettuce. The outbreak, one of the largest U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreaks in ‌recent years, has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Yum Brands' Taco Bell restaurants in nine states. Investigations are continuing into other sources.

Blanche ‌set to clear nomination hurdle after deal wins senators' vote

Todd Blanche is expected to clear a hurdle on Tuesday on his path to nomination for U.S. attorney general, but questions persist about a deal he said would end President Donald Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund and narrow an agreement giving Trump immunity from audits of past tax returns. Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer and the current acting attorney general, agreed on Sunday to ​amend the terms of the fund and the tax immunity deal in order to win the backing of two holdout Republican senators, although critics say the amendments do not go far enough.