Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US LNG exports declines in May from April's record

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports fell in May due to plant outages and maintenance at the country's largest export facility, preliminary LSEG ship tracking data show. The U.S. is the world's largest LNG exporter and monthly changes in production can impact global LNG prices.

Exclusive-FEMA staff confused after head said he was unaware of US hurricane season, sources say

Staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were left baffled on Monday after the head of the U.S. disaster agency said during a briefing that he had not been aware the country has a hurricane season, according to four sources familiar with the situation. The U.S. hurricane season officially began on Sunday and lasts through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast last week that this year's season is expected to bring as many as 10 hurricanes.

Trump administration proposal would lift Biden-era limits on Alaska oil drilling

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday proposed rolling back Biden-era limits on oil and gas drilling in an Alaska area that is the nation's largest tract of undisturbed public land. The move is consistent with Trump's goal to slash regulations for oil and gas development and increase domestic fuels production as part of his energy agenda.

US Supreme Court won't review assault weapon, high-capacity magazine bans

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge to the legality of state restrictions on assault-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines, passing up for now cases that offered the justices a chance to further expand gun rights. The justices turned away two appeals after lower courts upheld a ban in Maryland on powerful semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15s and one in Rhode Island restricting the possession of ammunition-feeding devices holding more than 10 rounds. The lower courts rejected arguments that the measures violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms."

Trump administration must bargain with TSA officers' union, for now, says US judge

A federal judge on Monday said the administration of President Donald Trump likely broke the law by stripping 50,000 transportation security officers of the ability to unionize and bargain over their working conditions. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, Washington, blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from canceling a union contract covering TSA officers pending the outcome of a lawsuit by the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions.

Top US immigration officials defend arrest of Massachusetts high school student

The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement defended on Monday his agency's decision to arrest a Massachusetts high school student on his way to volleyball practice, saying "he's in this country illegally and we're not going to walk away from anybody." Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, made those comments as reporters asked him during an event in Boston to explain why authorities on Saturday arrested 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who has been in the United States since 2012.

Tariff gloom weighs on US manufacturing; delivery times lengthening

U.S. manufacturing contracted for a third straight month in May and suppliers took the longest time in nearly three years to deliver inputs amid tariffs, potentially signaling looming shortages of some goods. President Donald Trump's aggressive trade policy again dominated commentary from manufacturers in the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) survey published on Monday, and suppliers were passing on the import duties to customers. That challenges the Trump administration's narrative that China and other trade partners paid the tariffs.

Trump cuts threaten safety training for workers in America's most dangerous jobs

By the time Robbie Roberge spotted the fire consuming his boat's galley last August, he knew he had just minutes to evacuate his beloved Three Girls fishing vessel, named for his daughters. As the flames spread up the boat's walls, he helped his crew into safety suits, deployed a life raft and made a mayday call to alert nearby mariners and the U.S. Coast Guard that he was abandoning ship more than 100 miles offshore.

Trump asks US Supreme Court to allow mass federal layoffs

Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to halt a judicial order blocking mass job cuts and the restructuring of agencies, part of the Republican president's campaign to downsize and reshape the federal government. The Justice Department's request came after San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Susan Illston blocked large-scale federal layoffs, known as "reductions in force," in a May 22 ruling siding with a group of unions, non-profit groups and local governments that challenged the administration.

US FDA launches AI tool to reduce time taken for scientific reviews

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that it had launched a generative AI tool, Elsa, aimed at improving efficiency across its operations, including scientific reviews. "Today's rollout of Elsa is ahead of schedule and under budget, thanks to the collaboration of our in-house experts across the centers," said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.

Lutnick downplays impact of tariff court ruling on US, EU talks

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick downplayed the impact of legal uncertainty around U.S. tariffs on negotiations with the European Union during an interview on Sunday, saying talks were ongoing. Lutnick, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," was asked about a Reuters report quoting an unnamed EU official close to negotiations who said the legal uncertainty of the tariffs in the U.S. gave the EU "extra leverage."

Trump pulls Musk ally's NASA nomination, will announce replacement

The White House withdrew on Saturday its nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency. President Donald Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon.

Colorado fire-bomb suspect planned attack for a year, prosecutors say

An Egyptian national charged with tossing gasoline bombs at a pro-Israeli rally in Boulder, Colorado, injuring a dozen people, planned his attack for a year and used Molotov cocktails instead of a gun because his noncitizen status blocked him from buying firearms, prosecutors said on Monday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, told investigators that he wanted to "kill all Zionist people" but had delayed committing the attack until after his daughter had graduated from high school, according to state and federal court documents charging him with attempted murder, assault and a federal hate crime.

DHS removes list of 'sanctuary' cities after sheriffs push back on non-compliant label

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security removed a list of "sanctuary" states, cities and counties from its website following sharp criticism from a sheriffs' association that said a list of "non-compliant" sheriffs could damage the relationship between the Trump administration and law enforcement. DHS on Thursday published a list of what it called "sanctuary" jurisdictions that allegedly limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The list prompted a response from the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents more than 3,000 elected sheriffs across the U.S. and generally supports federal immigration enforcement.

Harvard seeks end to US funding cuts, says national security, public health research in peril

Harvard University asked a federal judge on Monday to issue a summary judgment ruling to unfreeze $2.5 billion in funding blocked by President Donald Trump's administration, which Harvard said was illegal. Harvard's filing in the U.S. District Court in Boston said that it had received 957 orders since April 14 to freeze funding for research pertaining to national security threats, cancer and infectious diseases and more since the country's oldest and wealthiest school rejected a White House list of demands.

Romanian pleads guilty to 'swatting' US lawmakers and top officials

A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to participating in a years-long series of dangerous hoax phone calls and bomb threats targeting American legislators, law enforcement leaders, and government officials, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday. In a statement, the department said that Thomasz Szabo, 26, who was extradited to the United States last year, admitted targeting more than 75 officials, four religious institutions, and multiple journalists in his campaign of intimidation. Officials said Szabo targeted private residences, including the homes and families of senior government officials.

USDOT offering $5.4 billion for bridge funding, but strikes diversity requirements

The U.S. government will make available $5.4 billion in grant funding for building, replacing or repairing bridges across the country under a 2021 infrastructure law, but is striking diversity requirements, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Monday. USDOT said it was removing climate change, environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion from grant application requirements for bridges from the funding approved in 2021 under a $1-trillion infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden.

Tulsa mayor announces $105 million trust to address impact of 1921 massacre

The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday announced more than a $100 million trust aimed at repairing and addressing the "systemic impacts" of the 1921 massacre that targeted African American homes and businesses. The announcement was made on the 104th anniversary of the massacre, which started on May 31, 1921 and ended the following day, leaving as many as 300 dead.

Trump gets key wins at Supreme Court on immigration, despite some misgivings

The U.S. Supreme Court swept away this week another obstacle to one of President Donald Trump's most aggressively pursued policies - mass deportation - again showing its willingness to back his hardline approach to immigration. The justices, though, have signaled some reservations with how he is carrying it out. Since Trump returned to the White House in January, the court already has been called upon to intervene on an emergency basis in seven legal fights over his crackdown on immigration. It most recently let Trump's administration end temporary legal status provided to hundreds of thousands of migrants for humanitarian reasons by his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden while legal challenges in two cases play out in lower courts.

Man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs, 8 people injured

Eight people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in Boulder, Colorado where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place, authorities said. Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years old were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition.

Flights at Newark airport likely to be boosted next week, FAA says

The Federal Aviation Administration said it plans to boost the number of flights at Newark Liberty International Airport next week after a runway reopened on Monday nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said at a press conference at the airport that the runway is already being used for departing flights but that it will take until June 9 to certify it for arrivals before the rate can be increased to 34 arriving flights per hour from the present 28. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the airport should rise to 34 arriving flights per hour on June 10.

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