Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
With abortion in the balance, Wisconsin voters to choose new high court judge
Wisconsin voters on Tuesday will select a new state Supreme Court justice in an election that will determine the future of abortion rights statewide and could have a significant impact on the 2024 election. The contest between liberal Janet Protasiewicz and conservative Daniel Kelly is the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, according to New York University's Brennan Center for Justice. Nearly $45 million had been spent as of last week, according to a WisPolitics.com review, far outstripping the previous record of $15.2 million.
Trump faces day in court, a first in US
Donald Trump, the ex-president and front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2024, will appear in court on Tuesday to be fingerprinted, photographed and formally charged in a watershed moment ahead of next year's presidential election. Indicted last week, Trump is the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges, over a case involving a 2016 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He has said he is innocent and is due to plead not guilty.
Virginia teacher shot by 6-yr-old student sues school leaders for $40 million
A Virginia teacher shot by a 6-year-old student on Monday sued school administrators for $40 million, alleging they ignored warnings from staff and pupils that the boy had a gun. The Jan. 6 attack on Abigail Zwerner in Newport News was unusual among U.S. school shootings given the young age of the assailant and the fact police said the boy shot his first-grade teacher on purpose.
Record California snowpack bounty poses renewed flood risks
California's recent spate of epic Pacific storms has blanketed the Sierra Nevada range in a snowpack at or above record levels, state water resource officials said on Monday at a measuring station where less than 3 inches was documented last April. The bounty of mountain snow, on which California has long relied as a critical natural storehouse of fresh water during dry weather, comes as welcome relief after three years of record drought that had still gripped the state a few months ago.
Chicago to elect new mayor as crime emerges as key issue
Crime is the central issue in Tuesday's mayoral runoff in Chicago, where voters are choosing between two candidates with contrasting approaches to public safety. Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas calls for more cops; Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson calls for more mental health support and opportunities for young people.
US says it cannot confirm China collected real-time data from spy balloon
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said on Monday it could not confirm reports that China was able to collect real-time data from a spy balloon as it flew over sensitive military sites earlier this year, saying analysis was still ongoing. NBC News on Monday reported that the Chinese balloon was able to transmit data back to Beijing in real time despite the U.S. government's efforts to prevent it from doing so - a disclosure that could deepen Republican criticism of Biden for waiting for the balloon to reach a safe location before shooting it down.
Aide to former Maryland governor killed as FBI closed in for arrest
A fugitive and former top aide to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan was killed in Tennessee after a confrontation with the FBI, the Washington Post reported, citing the former aide's lawyer. Roy McGrath, 53, who in 2020 was appointed chief of staff to the Republican former governor, was wanted for failing to appear in court last month on fraud charges.
Republican presidential hopeful Hutchinson says Trump should exit race over Jan. 6 attack
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican running for U.S. president, said he would not have pursued the hush-money case against former President Donald Trump, but said his 2024 rival bore "significant responsibility" for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and should exit the race. In an interview with Reuters, Hutchinson called the Manhattan criminal probe into hush money paid to a porn star on the eve of Trump's 2016 election victory a misguided use of prosecutorial discretion against a former president.
Factbox-Who is Stormy Daniels and what did she say happened with Trump?
Stormy Daniels featured prominently in a Manhattan grand jury's investigation of Donald Trump. The porn star said they had a sexual encounter in 2006, a year after he married his current wife Melania and more than a decade before the businessman-turned-politician became U.S. president. At the center of the story is $130,000 in hush money she was paid on the eve of his 2016 election. Trump, facing charges in a Manhattan court, has denied a relationship. He says the payment was made to stop her "false and extortionist accusations." Here are some facts about Daniels and their alleged relationship.
US to detail plan to draw clean energy into oil, coal communities
The Biden administration on Tuesday will release final guidance on how clean energy companies can secure additional tax credits when investing in U.S. communities economically tied to fossil fuels like oil and coal. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last year by Democrats extended a 30% tax credit for wind, solar and other green energy projects, but also provided an extra 10% boost to those investing in so-called "energy communities."
