Reuters US Domestic News Summary

In a nine-page court filing, Justice Department leaders said Saturday's foiled attack at the White House Correspondents Association dinner demonstrated why ⁠a White House ballroom is required for national security. US Senate blocks bid to prevent Trump from military action against Cuba The Republican-led U.S. Senate on Tuesday blocked a Democratic-led resolution that would have barred President Donald ⁠Trump from military action against Cuba without congressional approval.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Exclusive-US spy agencies examine how Iran would react to Trump declaring victory

U.S. intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if President Donald Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the two-month-old war that has killed thousands and become a political liability for the White House, two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter said. The intelligence community is analyzing the question along with others at the request of ​senior administration officials. The goal is to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from a conflict that some officials and advisers worry could contribute to deep Republican losses at the midterm elections later this year, according to the sources.

U.S. lawmakers take on AI chatbots, fraud in new bills

Members of Congress ​from both major U.S. political parties joined to propose new legislation this week related to artificial intelligence, as they aimed to tackle safety concerns without blocking innovation. Some Republicans and Democrats are moving to regulate AI amid ‌concerns about the technology's effect on ​children, workers and cybersecurity.

Some groups ask US trade agency for new duties, import bans to fight forced labor

Pro-tariff and human rights groups asked the Trump administration on Tuesday to impose new import bans, duties and quotas to combat forced labor practices in China and other countries and to press trading partners to adopt U.S.-style enforcement mechanisms. Some 60 witnesses are scheduled to testify at a two-day public hearing on the U.S. Trade Representative's "Section 301" unfair trade practices investigation into what it calls the failure of 60 countries to enforce bans on imports of goods produced with forced labor.

US to produce passports bearing Trump's image

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it would produce a limited number of commemorative passports bearing a portrait of Donald Trump, the latest example of the administration attaching the president's likeness or name to official property. The passports will be released as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in July, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, which did not mention that the passports would ‌contain Trump's image.

Suspect in Washington dinner shooting charged with trying to assassinate Trump

The man accused of opening fire at the venue of a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate the U.S. president and could face life in prison if convicted. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, wore a blue jail-issue V-neck shirt and pants at his first appearance in Washington federal court, two days after authorities said he launched an unsuccessful attack at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, an annual black-tie gathering of journalists and politicians. His hands were cuffed behind his back as he was led into and out of the courtroom.

US Supreme Court weighs claims Cisco aided Chinese human rights abuses

The U.S. Supreme Court confronted a case on Tuesday with broad implications for human rights litigation in American courts, a long-running lawsuit brought by members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement who have accused Cisco Systems of facilitating religious persecution in China. The justices heard arguments in Cisco's appeal of a lower court's 2023 ruling that breathed new life into the 2011 lawsuit, brought under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789, that accused the company of knowingly developing technology that allowed China's government to surveil and persecute Falun Gong members.

San Francisco, Port of Oakland settle airport trademark lawsuit

The City of San Francisco and the Port of Oakland have settled their trademark dispute over the use of "San Francisco" in the Oakland airport's name, according to a press release issued Tuesday. The Port of Oakland had ‌previously decided to change its airport's name to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport." San Francisco argued in a lawsuit that the name change would cause confusion with its San Francisco International Airport.

Trump administration indicts former NIH official over COVID records

The Trump administration has indicted a former National Institutes of Health official over allegations of evading federal records requests related to COVID-19 pandemic research grants and the use of personal email for government business. A grand jury in Maryland charged David Morens, a senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the pandemic, with conspiring to evade records requests received by the agency between April 2020 and December 2022.

Citadel's Griffin to meet ‌with NY leadership this week

Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of the hedge fund and market trading firm Citadel, said on Tuesday he will meet with New York State Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday. Earlier this month Kathy Hochul proposed a new tax on second homes worth over $5 million that was backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The so-called pied-à-terre tax is aimed at supporting Mamdani's efforts to close New York City's budget gap.

Kennedy's US advisory board puts focus on 'profound autism', improved medical care

A U.S. advisory committee appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended on Tuesday that the government adopt the term "profound autism” for those with the highest support needs, and improve gaps in medical care for people with autism. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee helps guide federal autism research spending, worth about $2 billion annually, and coordinates efforts among government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

US agents raid 22 Minnesota sites in social-welfare fraud probe

U.S. federal and state law enforcement agencies searched more than 20 locations in Minnesota on Tuesday as part of investigations into fraud in social-welfare programs, an area of intense focus by President Donald Trump's administration. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations executed 22 search warrants, mostly at businesses, "as part of an ongoing fraud investigation," a Justice Department spokesperson said.

Exclusive-Trump approval sinks to new low as war with Iran drives cost-of-living concerns

President Donald Trump's approval rating sank to the lowest level of his current term, as Americans increasingly soured on his handling of the cost of living and an unpopular war with Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The four-day poll completed on Monday showed 34% of Americans approve of Trump's performance in the White House, down from 36% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey, which was ⁠conducted from April 15 to 20.

US sues ​Wisconsin in legal battle over prediction markets

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Tuesday it has sued Wisconsin in response to the state’s lawsuits against prediction markets Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, Robinhood ⁠and Coinbase.

Disney chair says CEO will 'rise to the occasion' in Trump-Kimmel spat

It's the job of Walt Disney's new CEO Josh D'Amaro and his team to decide the group's response to the row between the White House and ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Disney Chair James Gorman said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Kimmel should be fired by ABC and its parent Disney, joining his wife Melania in calling out the talk show host for remarks made prior to a shooting at Saturday's White House correspondents' dinner.

US appeals court rejects Trump's immigration detention policy

A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's practice of subjecting most people arrested in its immigration crackdown to mandatory detention without the opportunity to seek release on bond. A three-judge panel of the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that President Donald Trump's administration had ⁠adopted a novel but wrong interpretation of a decades-old immigration law to support a mass detention policy.

King Charles promotes US-UK unity in speech to Congress amid Iran tensions

Britain's King Charles told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that despite an age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the UK and the U.S. will always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. "Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries," Charles told U.S. lawmakers during a rare speech to a joint meeting of the Senate ​and House of Representatives, and after a prolonged standing ovation at his entrance with Queen Camilla.

US FCC reviewing Disney's ABC station licenses after Jimmy Kimmel joke

After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early license review of the network's television stations. The standoff between President Donald Trump's administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro.

Analysis-SpaceX ties Musk compensation to Mars colonization goal

SpaceX's board has approved a compensation plan for founder Elon Musk with goals as futuristic and ⁠celestial as the company's ambitions: colonizing Mars and running data centers in outer space. The details of Musk's sweeping pay package, which have not been widely reported, were revealed in the company's confidential registration statement filed in recent weeks with the Securities and Exchange Commission and reviewed by Reuters last week.

Former FBI chief charged with threatening the life of the president

Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with threatening the life of the president and making a threat in interstate commerce, according to an indictment filed on Tuesday.

Virginia high court leaves Democratic-led redistricting vote blocked for now

Virginia's top court on Tuesday left in place a county judge's order temporarily blocking the state from certifying the results of last week's referendum, when voters approved a new Democratic-drawn congressional map aimed at flipping four Republican U.S. House seats. The ruling, which came in one of three lawsuits Republicans have filed challenging the ballot measure, is not the last word on ⁠the election. ​The Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments in another lawsuit on Monday over whether Democrats complied with legal requirements when initiating the referendum, but it has not yet reached a final decision in any of the cases.

Google signs classified AI deal with Pentagon, The Information reports

Alphabet's Google joined a growing list of technology firms to sign a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work, The Information reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google's AI for “any lawful government purpose”, the report added, putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which also have deals to supply AI models for classified use.

Austrian pleads guilty to foiled attack on Taylor Swift's Vienna concert

A 21-year-old accused of planning an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024 that was foiled at the 11th hour pleaded guilty as his trial opened on Tuesday. The defendant, an Austrian identified as Beran A, was arrested on August 7, 2024, the day before the first of three planned concerts by the U.S. pop star in Vienna.

Elon Musk says OpenAI was his idea, before executives looted it

Elon Musk took the stand on Tuesday at a high-stakes trial over the future of OpenAI, casting his lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker as a defense of charitable giving. The world's richest person is suing OpenAI, its co-founder and Chief Executive Sam Altman and ⁠its President Greg Brockman, saying they betrayed him and the public by abandoning OpenAI's mission to be a benevolent steward of AI for humanity, and transforming the nonprofit into a profit-seeking juggernaut.

DOJ cites shooting in bid to end lawsuit over Trump's White House ballroom

The Justice Department on Monday night asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit that has impeded President Donald Trump's plans for a White House ballroom, saying its opponents "suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome" and that an alleged assassination attempt on the president showed the project was necessary. In a nine-page court filing, Justice Department leaders said Saturday's foiled attack at the White House Correspondents Association dinner demonstrated why ⁠a White House ballroom is required for national security.

US Senate blocks bid to prevent Trump from military action against Cuba

The Republican-led U.S. Senate on Tuesday blocked a Democratic-led resolution that would have barred President Donald ⁠Trump from military action against Cuba without congressional approval. The Senate voted 51 to 47, almost entirely along party lines, on a procedural measure that blocked a war powers resolution, as members of Trump's party argued that there are no active U.S. hostilities against Cuba.

US FDA to monitor clinical trial data in real time in pilot program aimed at speeding approvals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a pilot program on Monday aimed at allowing the agency to monitor clinical trial data in real time, a step the agency said could cut years from drug approval timelines and keep the U.S. competitive with China. The initiative aims to eliminate what FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in a call with reporters called "dead time" in drug development. He said administrative tasks and paperwork take up 45% of the time involved in getting a drug from early testing to submission for an approval decision.

Trump's DOJ indicts former FBI director James Comey over '86 47' post

The U.S. Justice Department brought criminal charges against James Comey on Tuesday for a second time, accusing the ‌former FBI director of threatening President Donald Trump by posting a photo of seashells arranged to show the numbers "86 47." The charges, brought ‌in the federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, accuse Comey of threatening the life of the U.S. president and transmitting a threat across state lines.

US soldier pleads not guilty to charges of gambling on Maduro ouster

The U.S. Army soldier charged with winning $400,000 by using confidential information to bet on the removal of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ​pleaded not guilty to fraud charges on Tuesday. Gannon Van Dyke, 38, rose to stand as he entered the plea in U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett's courtroom in Manhattan.