Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pulled Manchin's bill from temporary government funding legislation on Tuesday after it did not gain enough support. Another $372 million on the way to Bernard Madoff's victims Bernard Madoff's victims will soon receive another $372 million to help cover their losses, nearly 14 years after the swindler's capture for running a massive Ponzi scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Opioid crisis cost U.S. nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020 -congressional report

Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic toll of the opioid addiction and overdose crisis on the United States reached nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020 alone and is likely to grow, a congressional report seen by Reuters shows. Opioid-related deaths soared during the pandemic, including from the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl, exacerbating an already tragic and costly nationwide crisis that accounted for 75% of the 107,000 drug overdose fatalities in 2021, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

Unwilling or unable to evacuate, some Florida residents ride out Hurricane Ian

Outside the window of Susan Flack's darkened condominium in Naples, Florida, on Wednesday, trees bent in the wind and a portable toilet floated by on rising floodwaters. Flack, one of thousands who decided to flout official evacuation orders and ride out Hurricane Ian, was not worried about her safety. Hunkered down on the second floor of her building, where the power had been out all day and the lobby was filled with several feet of water, she took videos of the scene outside.

US unveils $1.1 billion Ukraine arms package

The United States unveiled a $1.1 billion arms package for Ukraine's battle with Russia that includes 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher systems, accompanying munitions, various types of counter drone systems and radar systems, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The Pentagon's announcement kicks off a contracting process to procure the weapons which could be delivered in between 6 and 24 months, a senior defense officials told reporters on a conference call.

U.S. clean energy backers: permitting bill imperative in climate fight

Environmental groups and some fellow Democratic lawmakers had pilloried U.S. Senator Joe Manchin's bill to speed energy permitting as a handout to fossil fuel companies, but clean energy advocates said the bill's failure would hinder the rapid expansion renewable power needs to combat climate change. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pulled Manchin's bill from temporary government funding legislation on Tuesday after it did not gain enough support.

Another $372 million on the way to Bernard Madoff's victims

Bernard Madoff's victims will soon receive another $372 million to help cover their losses, nearly 14 years after the swindler's capture for running a massive Ponzi scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday. The payout from the government's Madoff Victim Fund will go to 27,219 victims, including more than 400 who had yet to recoup a penny from any source.

Hurricane Ian crashes ashore in Florida with Category 4 fury

Hurricane Ian plowed into Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force on Wednesday, unleashing howling winds, torrential rains and a treacherous surge of ocean surf that made it one of the most powerful U.S. storms in recent years. Ian made landfall at 3:05 p.m. EDT (1905 GMT) near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of Fort Myers, as a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour (241 km per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorses Republican Mehmet Oz in Senate race

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday endorsed Republican celebrity physician Mehmet Oz in a high-stakes race for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, lauding what it called his "commitment to free enterprise and pro-growth policies." Oz, backed by former President Donald Trump, is running against John Fetterman, the state's Democratic lieutenant governor, in a closely watched race that will help determine whether President Joe Biden's Democrats hold onto their razor-thin margin in the U.S. Senate.

Bill to add muscle to antitrust efforts up for vote in U.S. House

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote late Wednesday on advancing a bill that would update fees companies pay for merger reviews and strengthen state attorneys general in antitrust fights, according to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office. The bill combines measures introduced by Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat, and Representative Ken Buck, a Republican,

Donald Trump seeks end to rape accuser's defamation lawsuit

Donald Trump is seeking a quick end to the defamation lawsuit by an author who claims he raped her more than a quarter century ago. A lawyer for the former U.S. president asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to substitute the United States as the defendant in E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit, a move that would end her case because the government cannot be sued for defamation.

U.S. Senate heads toward passage of stopgap government funding bill

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday edged toward passage of a temporary government funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown, with leaders of both parties signaling support for the measure and lawmakers eager to return to the campaign trail. "With cooperation from our Republican colleagues, the Senate can finish its work of keeping the government open as soon as tomorrow. There is every reason in the world to get to 'yes'," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech.

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