Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Republican defiance over 'anti-weaponization' fund sets up confrontation with Trump

Republicans in the U.S. Congress have revolted over President Donald Trump's $1.776 billion fund for people he says were ​victims of government "weaponization," setting the stage for a searing battle less than six months before midterm elections. On Thursday, the Senate called timeout on ​a $72 billion spending bill on immigration enforcement, which has become a battleground over the "anti-weaponization" fund, after many ‌Republican senators ​demanded that it either be killed or subjected to tough guardrails.

SpaceX's Starship flight hits most targets in pre-IPO test

SpaceX completed a largely successful test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket on Friday, deploying a clutch of mock satellites and executing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean in a high-stakes debut of the newly upgraded vehicle as Elon Musk's company prepares to go public. The latest uncrewed launch of Starship - designed to enable more frequent Starlink satellite ‌launches and to send future NASA missions to the moon - achieved a key milestone for the vehicle following months of testing delays. The outcome could also boost investor confidence ahead of SpaceX's initial public offering next month, expected to be the largest in history.

Suspect dies after trading gunfire with officers near White House, Secret Service says

A gunman who fired at a White House checkpoint was shot by officers and died after being taken to the hospital on Saturday evening, the Secret Service said. The man approached the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, pulled a gun out of his bag and started shooting at officers, ‌according to a Secret Service statement sent to Reuters. Officers returned fire and shot the suspect, the agency said.

Rubio touts US energy on India trip meant to repair ties

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed trade and energy with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday on a visit ‌aimed at shoring up relations battered by Washington's tariffs and engagement with New Delhi's rivals Pakistan and China. Rubio - who said before the trip the U.S. wanted to sell India energy - pressed his case and told Modi that "U.S. energy products have the potential to diversify India's energy supply," according to a U.S. summary of the meeting.

Thousands evacuated in Southern California due to failing chemical tank

Officials ordered tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes in the Los Angeles suburb of Garden Grove on Friday due to a failing chemical tank that was likely to either leak or explode, possibly releasing toxic vapor into the air, first responders said. Firefighters doused the tanks with water using a mechanical device that kept humans at a safe distance, stabilizing the temperature and "buying us ⁠time," said Craig Covey, ​division chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, in a video posted on social ⁠media.

US extends Ebola travel ban to Green Card holders

The United States on Friday temporarily banned the entry of lawful permanent residents who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, citing concerns over Ebola. U.S. citizens, nationals and green card holders had been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, but the U.S. CDC said ⁠on Friday that extending the ban to green card holders was necessary to stop the virus from entering the country.

Rubio touts US energy on India trip meant to repair ties

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed trade and energy with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday on a visit aimed at shoring up relations battered by Washington's tariffs ​and engagement with New Delhi's rivals Pakistan and China. Rubio - who said before the trip the U.S. wanted to sell India energy - pressed his case and told Modi that "U.S. energy products have the potential to diversify India's energy supply," according to a U.S. summary of the meeting.

US ⁠adds Atlanta area airport for Ebola screening, CDC says

Americans coming back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan now have a second entry point for returning to the United States, with the CDC on Saturday expanding its enhanced Ebola screening to include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Hartsfield-Jackson has previously been used to screen passengers and has established operational procedures in place, the U.S. Centers ⁠for ​Disease Control and Prevention said.

'Potential crack' in California chemical tank may prevent explosion, fire official says

Experts trying to prevent a tank of hazardous chemicals from exploding in Southern California found a "potential crack" in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on Sunday. Since Friday, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the GKN Aerospace site.

One dead, 36 injured in explosion at New York dry dock

An explosion at a ⁠dry dock in New York City's Staten Island killed one person and injured 36 others on Friday, as the blast occurred while firefighters were on the scene responding to a fire and attempting to rescue two people who were trapped, officials said. Two firefighters were hospitalized, including a fire marshal ⁠who suffered a fractured temple and a brain bleed and was intubated, officials said. The ⁠other firefighter was in serious condition but had shown improvement, officials said.

Possible deal on Iran divides US lawmakers largely along party lines

U.S. lawmakers appearing on Sunday morning talk shows split sharply over a potential deal to end the Iran war, with Republicans mostly backing the publicly reported contours of an agreement being negotiated by President Donald Trump and Democrats dismissing it as accomplishing little. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat and a member of the Senate Foreign ‌Relations Committee, said the reported outlines of a deal sounded ‌like little more than "the pre-war status quo" with Iran. "I think this was a blunder," Van Hollen said on the "Fox News Sunday" program. "When you're digging a hole, ​you should stop digging, and that sounds like maybe what we're doing finally."

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