Reuters US Domestic News Summary

He also called up the state National Guard to assist in efforts to bring relief to the city, which was battered by record rainfall and flooding over the weekend. Michigan sheriff sought to seize multiple voting machines, records show A sheriff in Barry County, Michigan, already under state investigation for alleged involvement in an illegal breach of a vote-counting machine, sought warrants in July to seize other machines in an effort to prove former President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, documents reviewed by Reuters showed.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

National Guard called in as Mississippi state capital loses its water supply

Mississippi activated its National Guard on Tuesday to help distribute water to tens of thousands of Jackson residents after a long-troubled treatment plant broke down, leaving most of the state capital without safe running water, possibly for days. Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency for Jackson and surrounding communities, warning the area's 180,000 people to avoid drinking tap water. He also called up the state National Guard to assist in efforts to bring relief to the city, which was battered by record rainfall and flooding over the weekend.

Michigan sheriff sought to seize multiple voting machines, records show

A sheriff in Barry County, Michigan, already under state investigation for alleged involvement in an illegal breach of a vote-counting machine, sought warrants in July to seize other machines in an effort to prove former President Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, documents reviewed by Reuters showed. The proposed warrants sought authorization to seize vote tabulators and various election records from the offices of the Barry County and Woodland Township clerks, the documents showed. The two jurisdictions have not been previously identified as targets in the sheriff's investigation into suspicions that machines in the county were rigged to siphon votes from Trump.

Some U.S. Justice Dept staff barred from attending partisan events

Political appointees at the U.S. Justice Department will be barred from attending campaign events or fundraisers, according to new guidance issued by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday ahead of November's midterm elections. Federal employees are subject to the Hatch Act, a law limiting some political activities to keep the government free from partisan influence.

Trump adds ex-Florida solicitor general to Mar-a-Lago legal team - source

Republican former President Donald Trump has added former Florida Solicitor General Chris Kise to his legal team in the case involving classified documents he stored at his Mar-a-Lago club, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report by NBC News that Kise had been hired. Trump representatives did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Texas reports first U.S. death in person with monkeypox

Texas on Tuesday reported the first death in a severely immunocompromised person who was diagnosed with monkeypox, according to state health department officials. The case is still under investigation to see what role monkeypox played in the death. Although painful, monkeypox is rarely fatal.

Michigan storms leave over 340,000 people without power, kill teenager

Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents were without electricity on Tuesday after powerful storms toppled trees and downed thousands of power lines in the state a day earlier, including one that electrocuted a 14-year-old girl. More than 340,000 customers remained without power, utility companies said at around 5 pm ET (9 pm GMT) on Tuesday.

Biden approval falls, holding near low end of his presidency, Reuters/Ipsos finds

U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval rating fell modestly this week, a poor sign for his Democratic Party's hopes in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday. The two-day national poll found that 38% of Americans approve of Biden's job performance.

Rights groups sue to block Indiana abortion ban

Abortion rights groups and medical providers in Indiana said they filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to stop the state's ban on the procedure from going into effect. The lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky and other groups argues the law violates Indiana's state constitution by abrogating its protections for privacy, due process and other rights.

Biden blasts 'sickening' threats against FBI, MAGA Congress members

U.S. President Joe Biden condemned violent threats against FBI agents who searched predecessor Donald Trump's home as "sickening," as he called for more police funding and an assault weapons ban in Pennsylvania. Launching his first of three visits in a week to the political battleground, Biden angrily denounced people who have lashed out at federal law enforcement officials involved in the unprecedented search of the Republican former president's Florida home on Aug. 8.

'A total crisis': Life in Mississippi's capital disrupted by water loss

Marsha Lewis, a bartender in Mississippi's state capital city, said she went to fill up her bathtub on Monday when she heard a local water treatment plant had shut down but was "horrified" to see what looked to her like raw sewage flowing from the faucet. By Tuesday morning, after the governor declared a state of emergency for Jackson and neighboring communities, she had no water at all.

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