Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Slain security guard of California mosque engaged gunmen in shootout, hailed as hero

The security guard slain at the Islamic Center of San Diego was hailed on Tuesday as a fallen hero who sacrificed his life to keep 140 school children inside the mosque safe by engaging two gunmen in a shootout that deterred the teenage suspects and helped thwart their attack. Authorities also disclosed that the 17- and 18-year-old assailants, who took their own lives shortly after Monday's shooting, ​were believed to have met online and apparently were "radicalized" in hate-related ideology on the internet.

Trump reveals new details of bunker-like ballroom with drone base

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday revealed previously undisclosed details about his new bunker-like White House ballroom, saying it would have a drone base on the roof and a military hospital as part of a ​six-story subterranean complex. Amid the bang and clang of construction, Trump took a group of reporters on a tour of the project to try to bolster his argument that the U.S. Congress should allocate $1 billion to pay for security ‌enhancements to the building.

'I saw bad ​stuff', says 9-year-old who huddled in closet during California mosque attack

Nine-year-old Odai Shanah, whose mother emigrated from war-torn Gaza and settled in Southern California two decades ago, was among dozens of children forced to huddle in classrooms on Monday when deadly gunfire erupted at the mosque where they attend school. In an interview hours after the late-morning shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, Shanah recalled hearing a barrage of gunshots coming from outside the walls of the complex, which also houses an Islamic day school.

US airlines oppose Trump plan to require small airports to use private security

A group representing major U.S. airlines opposes a White House proposal to require smaller airports to use private security screeners instead of the Transportation Security Administration, according to written testimony seen by Reuters.

Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu will tell a U.S. House of Representatives committee on Wednesday that ensuring that private security "remains an option for airports and does not become a mandatory program is paramount to the U.S. aviation industry."

Exclusive-US Health Secretary Kennedy backs away from some recent changes to CDC vaccine panel

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s latest effort to reconstitute a CDC ‌vaccine advisory committee backs away from some reforms he announced just weeks ago and could complicate his efforts to alter federal immunization policy, according to a copy of the plan reviewed by Reuters. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, played a central role in rewriting U.S. vaccine policies under Kennedy, who has spent years sowing doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence. The advisory board recommends which shots should be administered to Americans and when, and informs health insurance coverage.

Democratic-led states sue over Trump administration's student loan restrictions

A group of Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging a new rule the Trump administration issued that could limit access to federal student loans for people pursuing advanced professional degrees in healthcare-related fields. Democratic attorneys general from 23 states and the District of Columbia joined with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania to file a lawsuit in federal court in Maryland arguing that the U.S. Department of Education's new rule is unlawful.

DOJ to make announcement on Wednesday related to 1996 Cuba incident

The U.S. Justice Department said it will make an announcement in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday in conjunction with a ceremony to honor the victims of a 1996 incident in which Cuban military jets killed four people. The Trump administration plans to announce criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro on Wednesday, according to a U.S. Justice Department official, in a move that would mark a step-up in Washington's pressure campaign against the Caribbean island's communist government.

Factbox-Here are the Democrats taking early steps in potential 2028 White House bids

Democratic contenders are already jockeying for a 2028 presidential run, signaling ‌an open race with no clear party standard-bearer in the fight to succeed Republican President Donald Trump. Governors, senators and former candidates are fanning out to traditional early-voting states, courting donors and rolling out books — familiar steps toward a White House run against Republicans' eventual nominee to succeed the term-limited Trump.

Trump backs hardliner Ken Paxton in critical Texas US Senate race runoff

President Donald Trump endorsed Texas conservative hardliner Ken Paxton on Tuesday in his primary challenge of veteran Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn, supporting a scandal-plagued ally over a longtime incumbent in a key race ahead of November's midterm elections. The announcement comes a week before Paxton, who is Texas attorney general, and Cornyn compete in a runoff - three months after neither candidate surpassed 50% in a March ‌3 three-way primary.

Analysis-World awaits new Fed Chair's vision on independence

Incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's suggestion that independence may not extend fully to the Fed's crisis-fighting role abroad has unsettled central banking peers, who fear any reduction in its global footprint could risk market stability. With the dollar by far the world's most used currency, the U.S. central bank plays a pivotal role in stabilising financial markets during periods of stress. It has expanded its crisis-fighting tools over time to keep funding flowing.

US Senator Warner, Democrat and ex-telecom exec, questions Trump Mobile's claims

U.S. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat and a former telecommunications executive, said Tuesday the Trump Organization is making misleading claims about its long-delayed mobile phone. The Trump Organization, founded by President Donald Trump and managed by his adult sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., launched the mobile venture in June last year under a trademark licensing arrangement. The organization pushed back the T1 phone's release from August to October and is starting to ship this month.

Senators criticize US transport chief for road trip paid for by corporate donors

Two Democratic U.S. senators on Tuesday criticized Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for taking a road trip paid for by corporate donors whose companies his department regulates, a family vacation filmed for a web video series. "Your vacation was paid for by Boeing, Toyota , United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell, Royal Caribbean Group," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the top Democrat on a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. She noted that USDOT regulates those companies and other donors.

US Senate Republicans advance major portion of $72 billion migrant enforcement bill

Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday advanced partisan legislation setting $72 billion in new funding for President Donald Trump's aggressive and controversial migrant deportation program. The action by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee did not settle a continuing battle over whether the measure should include $1 billion in additional funding for security enhancements to Trump's 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom already under construction and other Secret Service activities.

Trump signs ⁠order aimed at preventing illicit financial activity, White House ​says

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at preventing illicit activity in the U.S. financial system, the White House said. Trump's order directs the U.S. Treasury Secretary to issue a formal advisory to ⁠financial institutions identifying red flags and suspicious activity patterns tied to payroll tax evasion, concealment of true account ownership and labor trafficking, among others.

FAA closes probe into airline compliance with shutdown flight cuts

The Federal Aviation Administration told Congress late Monday it closed its investigation into airlines that did not comply with required flight cuts at 40 major airports during the 2025 government shutdown without seeking any fines. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in written responses to questions from senators seen by Reuters that after sending letters of investigation to airlines on apparent noncompliance, the agency determined "all airlines except one were in substantial compliance with the restrictions." One unnamed airline not in compliance "received an administrative warning," Bedford added.

NTSB reviews reports of cracks in key part in hearing on fatal Kentucky cargo crash

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday is reviewing reports of cracks in a key part during a two-day hearing into the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11 cargo plane in November ⁠in Kentucky that killed 15 people, including three crew members and 12 on the ground. In January, the NTSB said a cracked part on the crashed jet was flagged in a Boeing 2011 report which said there had been four prior failures on three different airplanes. The NTSB said its investigation had found fatigue cracks in a support structure on the left pylon that connects to the wing and the plane's engine known as the bearing race.

Five dead, including two teen suspects, after shooting at San Diego mosque

Two teenage gunmen opened fire on Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, killing a security guard and two other men outside the mosque before the suspects were found dead, apparently from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said local law enforcement and the FBI were investigating the attack on the largest mosque in San Diego ​County as a hate crime.

Trump-IRS settlement 'forever' bars audits into tax claims for Trump and his family

The U.S. Justice Department has "forever barred" the Internal Revenue Service from pursuing any audits into past tax claims for President Donald Trump, his relatives and his companies, according to a one-page document released Tuesday. The sweeping document, signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, said the U.S. government could not audit Trump's tax returns filed before Monday or any matters "that were raised or could have been raised."

US Senate advances measure curbing Trump's Iran war powers

The U.S. Senate advanced a war-powers resolution on Tuesday that would end the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress' authorization, a rare rebuke of ⁠the Republican leader 80 days after U.S. and Israeli forces began striking Iran. The vote on a procedural measure to advance the resolution was 50 to 47, as four of Trump's fellow Republicans voted with every Democrat but one in favor. Three Republicans missed the vote.

High gas prices spur Americans to improvise, from bus rides to toy cars

Mali Hightower's answer to high gas prices is a toy he fished out of someone's trash. The 30-year-old handyman from Ellenwood, Georgia stuck a two-gallon, one-piston engine from a power washer into a broken pink Power Wheels Barbie Dream Camper - a battery-operated toy car less than four feet tall. One pull of the lawnmower-like rip cord and he's off to the supermarket, knees at his ears, dirtbike helmet on his head.

NAACP urges Black athletes, fans to boycott Southern US universities over voting rights

The NAACP on Tuesday launched a campaign urging Black athletes, recruits, fans and donors to withhold athletic and financial support from public universities in states it says are undermining Black ⁠voting power. The campaign, ​called "Out of Bounds," targets public universities in eight Southern states that have redrawn or moved to redraw their congressional maps after the Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act earlier this month.

US lawmakers seek to undercut Chinese AI and tech sales abroad

U.S. senators from both parties will unveil a bill on Tuesday aimed at countering Chinese sales of AI tools overseas, according to a copy seen by Reuters. The legislation, sponsored by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, would create an office within the State Department to subsidize purchases by allied governments of U.S. technology and streamline the procurement process. If passed, a fund worth $500 million would be created to help finance the program.

Scale, online push and loyalty fees: how Walmart won the year of the tariffs

As Americans tightened their belts last year, and tariffs challenged retail profit margins, Walmart reaped the rewards of some proactive business strategies. Well-timed investments in technology and loyalty programs, combined with massive scale, allowed the U.S. retail giant to keep offering low prices on groceries and other everyday items while U.S. consumers were feeling the pinch from higher prices, and maintain its price gap against competitors even when tariffs forced some hikes over the last year.

Trump approval drops to 35% as Republican support softens, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Donald Trump's presidential approval rating fell to nearly its lowest level since he returned to the White House, hit by a drop in support among Republicans, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The four-day poll, which closed on Monday, showed 35% of the country approved ⁠of Trump's job performance, down a percentage point from a Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month and just above the low-point of his presidency - 34% - seen last month. Trump started his current term in January 2025 with a 47% approval rating.

Trump targets Massie in Tuesday primary as purge of Republican critics intensifies

U.S. President Donald Trump is targeting Representative Thomas Massie in Tuesday's Republican primary in Kentucky, backing a challenger to try to purge one of his loudest critics from within the party. The party contest - the most expensive U.S. House of Representatives primary in history - will again test Trump's hold over Republicans after he successfully pushed out another key critic, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and scored victories against dissenting incumbents in Indiana.

Trump backs down ⁠from idea of banks collecting citizenship information

Non-citizens in the U.S. will face greater scrutiny on their banking activities following an executive order by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, but the order was less extensive than a previous proposal ⁠floated by Treasury requiring banks to collect clients' citizenship information. The order directs the Treasury secretary to issue an advisory to banks to identify red flags tied to payroll tax evasion, concealment of true account ownership, off-the-books wage payments, labor trafficking and the use of individual taxpayer identification numbers to open accounts or obtain credit without verified legal presence in the U.S.

Barr wins Republican primary for Kentucky Senate seat, US media projects

Republican voters in Kentucky nominated Andy Barr on Tuesday as their candidate in November's election for the U.S. Senate seat held by Senator Mitch McConnell for four decades, according to projections from NBC News and the Associated Press. McConnell, 84, is one of the most powerful members of the Republican Party and served as Senate majority leader from 2015 to 2021.

New York City hotels reach labour deal before World Cup

New York City hotel operators and unions have reached an eight-year labour deal covering about 25,000 workers, averting a strike over wages, workloads and staffing levels that had threatened to disrupt the city ahead of the FIFA World Cup, the head of the Hotel Association of New York City said on Tuesday.

Vijay ‌Dandapani, the association's president and chief executive, said the mood among owners was "overall positive" after weeks of negotiations, though the industry made significant concessions.

US acting ‌AG Blanche won't rule out Trump 'weaponization' payouts to January 6 rioters who assaulted police

U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday he could not commit to barring money from President Donald Trump's newly announced "weaponization" fund from going to people who assaulted police officers, including during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Blanche, in his first congressional testimony since ascending to the top of the Justice ​Department after Pam Bondi's firing last month, also told Democratic senators that he could not commit to barring any of the nearly $1.8 billion from the settlement going to Trump campaign donors.

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